Comparisons of sulfate deposition rates in arctic and alpine ice cores with anthropogenic sulfur dioxide emission rates in the northern hemisphere

• Main Authors: Jonsson, Diana, Lindberg, Fanny
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper 2017
• Subjects: Sulfur dioxide; anthropogenic emissions; sulfate deposition; Northern Hemisphere; Svaveldioxid; antropogena utsläpp; sulfatavsättningar; norra hemisfären; Natural Sciences; Naturvetenskap; Earth and Related Environmental Sciences; Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap; Arctic; ice core
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-328522

Sulfur is a naturally occurring element on the Earth and in the atmosphere. When sulfur reacts with oxygen it forms sulfur dioxide (SO2), which later forms sulfate (SO42-). Historically, SO2 has been emitted to the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions, oceanic sea-spray and by forest fires. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, anthropogenic emissions have increased dramatically. This is due to the increased industrial emissions, in particular sulfide ore mining and smelting of nonferrous metals. Burning of fossil fuels is also one of the biggest contributing factors. The increased SO2 emissions have greatly affected the climate and environment. An increased amount of SO42- in the atmosphere have resulted in less solar radiation and increased acid precipitation. Acid precipitation lowers the pH in soils, lakes and streams, which adversely affects the wildlife. This study investigates how changes in anthropogenic SO2 emissions from ten regions in the Northern Hemisphere over the past ~40-50 years are reflected in records of atmospheric SO42- deposition from seven arctic and alpine glacier ice cores. The correlation betweenSO2 emissions and SO42- deposition is quantified using least-squares linear regression. The study shows that over the period of interest, SO2 emissions have decreased in all regions except China/Mongolia and Japan/Korea. It also shows that SO42- deposition has decreased in nearly all ice-core records over the same approximate period, with the exception of a core from Tibet. The results show a generally correlation between SO2 emission trends in Northern Hemisphere regions and SO42- deposition in ice cores, but since many regression lines are similar, the most influential SO2 emission regions for any given ice-core site cannot always be identified with certainty. Svavel är ett naturligt förekommande ämne på jorden och i atmosfären. Svaveldioxid(SO2), vilket bildas då svavel reagerar med syre, omvandlas till sulfat (SO42-) iatmosfären. Historiskt sett har SO2 släppts ut till atmosfären ...