Temporal trends of emerging pollutant and mercury deposition through ice and sediment core sampling ...

• Main Authors: Young, Cora, Lehnherr, Igor, Criscitiello, Ali, De Silva, Amila, Kirk, Jane
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network 2020
• Subjects: Arctic; Grant Ice Cap; Lake Hazen; Nunavut; Ice cap; ice core
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.21963/12917; https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch?doi_id=12917

There is a clear need for air data for mercury and emerging compounds to assess temporal trends and transport pathways. Trends into the future can be effectively captured by continued or new atmospheric monitoring. However, past temporal trends will not be described by this monitoring program, but can be understood through precipitation and deposition records from remote ice caps. The trends captured in ice caps can be compared to known changes in production and emission of these contaminants to better understand long-range transport pathways. Lake sediments are also useful archives for examining past trends in contaminant deposition and delivery, however, lake sediments reflect both direct atmospheric deposition as well as catchment inputs, and are thus also watershed integrators. Analysis of these samples can inform our understanding of the presence of contaminants and their loadings to the Arctic terrestrial and aquatic environment. Furthermore, by utilizing ice and sediment cores in tandem, we will be ... : 1. Collect ice cores from the Grant Ice Cap and sediment cores from Lake Hazen in May 2017 and analyze for trace contaminants such as mercury (Hg), organophosphate esters (OPEs), and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). 2. Examine temporal trends of atmospheric deposition determined from the ice core analysis and relate to long-range transport, sources, and production trends. 3. Examine accumulation rates determined from lake sediment core analysis in comparison to ice core data to quantify fate and delivery of contaminants from the ice cap into downstream aquatic ecosystems 4. Provide the new information to local communities and the Nunavut Environmental Contaminants Committee. ...