Characteristics of Anthropogenic Pollution in the Atmospheric Air of South-Western Svalbard (Hornsund, Spring 2019)

The character of atmospheric pollution and its impact on surface waters may vary substantially in space, and hence, we add a potentially important location for the studies of atmospheric air pollution to the map of the High Arctic. We have investigated the anthropogenic particle characteristics and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water
Main Authors: Filip Pawlak, Krystyna Koziol, Wanda Wilczyńska-Michalik, Mikołaj Worosz, Marek Michalik, Sara Lehmann-Konera, Żaneta Polkowska
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024
Subjects:
particulate matter (PM)
single-particle analysis
secondary sources of POPs
air quality
High Arctic
human impact
Hydraulic engineering
TC1-978
Water supply for domestic and industrial purposes
TD201-500
Hornsund
Svalbard
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/w16111486
https://doaj.org/article/623e67bdf7494eceb905bb2018a3fa5a
Description
Summary:The character of atmospheric pollution and its impact on surface waters may vary substantially in space, and hence, we add a potentially important location for the studies of atmospheric air pollution to the map of the High Arctic. We have investigated the anthropogenic particle characteristics and selected persistent organic pollutant concentrations, in a priorly unmonitored location in the Arctic (Svalbard), exposed to a climatic gradient. Single-particle analysis of PM indicates that besides the prevailing natural aerosol particles, anthropogenic ones were present. The likely anthropogenic origin of some particles was established for spherical Fe-rich or aluminosilicate particles formed in high-temperature processes or metal-rich particles of the chemical composition corresponding to industrial products and atypical for natural minerals; soot, tar balls, and secondary sulfate were also likely of anthropogenic origin. Some of the observed anthropogenic particles could only come from remote industrial sources. POP concentrations indicated a background of LRAT, consistent with the ΣPCB concentrations and volatility profile. However, the ΣDDX composition indicating aged sources and an order of magnitude higher concentrations of both ΣDDXs and ΣHCHs than at other High Arctic monitoring stations indicate their potential source in two types of re-emission from secondary sources, i.e., from seawater and snowpack, respectively.

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