The potential transport of pollutants by Arctic sea ice

Drifting sea ice in the Arctic may transport contaminants from coastal areas across the pole and release them during melting far from the source areas. Arctic sea ice often contains sediments entrained on the Siberian shelves and receives atmospheric deposition from Arctic haze. Elevated levels of s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science of The Total Environment
Main Authors: Pfirman, S. L., Eicken, H., Bauch, Dorothea, Weeks, W. F.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 1995
Subjects:
Online Access:https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/14242/
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/14242/1/1995_Pfirman_etal_Bauch.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-9697(95)04174-Y
Description
Summary:Drifting sea ice in the Arctic may transport contaminants from coastal areas across the pole and release them during melting far from the source areas. Arctic sea ice often contains sediments entrained on the Siberian shelves and receives atmospheric deposition from Arctic haze. Elevated levels of some heavy metals (e.g. lead, iron, copper and cadmium) and organochlorines (e.g. PCBs and DDTs) have been observed in ice sampled in the Siberian seas, north of Svalbard, and in Baffin Bay. In order to determine the relative importance of sea ice transport in comparison with air/sea and oceanic processes, more data is required on pollutant entrainment and distribution in the Arctic ice pack.