Contaminant transport in High Arctic soils: a tracer experiment

• Published in: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
• Main Authors: Karen E. Lund, Kathy L. Young
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.516

A lithium chloride (LiCl) tracer experiment in the summer of 2002 was set up at three study sites in the Canadian High Arctic. Experimental plots were irrigated with 10 L of 0.2 M LiCl. Soils were extracted and analyzed for vertical and lateral lithium movement one week and one year after initial application. All three sites experienced significant vertical and lateral losses of lithium after the snowmelt season (2003) that are attributed to elevated soil‐moisture levels. Greatest losses over the short and long term occurred at sites with steeper topography and coarse materials. If used as a proxy for heavy metals (such as cadmimum or lead), the experimental study with lithium indicates that contaminants spilled on these soils would be relatively mobile. This tracer methodology could be used to select waste‐disposal sites located elsewhere in the Arctic. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.