Pre-industrial and recent (1970–2010) atmospheric deposition of sulfate and mercury in snow on southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada

Zdanowicz, Christian; Kruemmel, Eva; Lean, D. R. S.; Poulain, Alexandre J.; Kinnard, Christophe; Yumvihoze, Emmanuel; Chen, Jiubin; Hintelmann, Holger

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.04.092

Cited by 14 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Long-term (1980Long-term ( -2000 trends retrieved over water from the AVHRR satellite instrument are subject to uncertainties in the retrieval method, but are qualitatively reproduced by models. Preindustrial aerosol abundances can only be inferred from ice (McConnell et al, 2007a,b;Ruppel et al, 2014;Zdanowicz et al, 2015) or sediment cores (Husain et al, 2008), which are collected in remote regions not necessarily representative of conditions close to source regions. Background levels can be estimated using present-day abundances of natural aerosols, that is, the nonanthropogenic component, but pristine conditions are difficult to find (Hamilton et al, 2014).…”

Section: Semi-directmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air Quality and Climate Connections

Fiore

Naik

Leibensperger

2015

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

402

292

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Multiple linkages connect air quality and climate change. Many air pollutant sources also emit carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the dominant anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG). The two main contributors to non-attainment of U.S. ambient air quality standards, ozone (O 3 ) and particulate matter (PM), interact with radiation, forcing climate change. PM warms by absorbing sunlight (e.g., black carbon) or cools by scattering sunlight (e.g., sulfates) and interacts with clouds; these radiative and microphysical interactions can induce changes in precipitation and regional circulation patterns. Climate change is expected to degrade air quality in many polluted regions by changing air pollution meteorology (ventilation and dilution), precipitation and other removal processes, and by triggering some amplifying responses in atmospheric chemistry and in anthropogenic and natural sources. Together, these processes shape distributions and extreme episodes of O 3 and PM. Global modeling indicates that as air pollution programs reduce SO 2 to meet health and other air quality goals, near-term warming accelerates due to "unmasking" of warming induced by rising CO 2 . Air pollutant controls on CH 4 , a potent GHG and precursor to global O 3 levels, and on sources with high black carbon (BC) to organic carbon (OC) ratios could offset near-term warming induced by SO 2 emission reductions, while reducing global background O 3 and regionally high levels of PM. Lowering peak warming requires decreasing atmospheric CO 2 , which for some source categories would also reduce co-emitted air pollutants or their precursors. Model projections for alternative climate and air quality scenarios indicate a wide range for U.S. surface O 3 and fine PM, although regional projections may be confounded by interannual to decadal natural climate variability. Continued implementation of U.S. NO x emission controls guards against rising pollution levels triggered either by climate change or by global emission growth. Improved accuracy and trends in emission inventories are critical for accountability analyses of historical and projected air pollution and climate mitigation policies.Implications: The expansion of U.S. air pollution policy to protect climate provides an opportunity for joint mitigation, with CH 4 a prime target. BC reductions in developing nations would lower the global health burden, and for BC-rich sources (e.g., diesel) may lessen warming. Controls on these emissions could offset near-term warming induced by health-motivated reductions of sulfate (cooling). Wildfires, dust, and other natural PM and O 3 sources may increase with climate warming, posing challenges to implementing and attaining air quality standards. Accountability analyses for recent and projected air pollution and climate control strategies should underpin estimated benefits and trade-offs of future policies.

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Section: Semi-directmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air Quality and Climate Connections

Fiore

Naik

Leibensperger

2015

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

402

292

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“…The [THg] in these samples ranged from 0.43 to 1.22 ng L −1 . These samples overlap slightly with a firn core (PN10) drilled from the same site and spanning the interval ~1970–2010, in which [THg] were found to be mostly ≤5 ng L −1 , averaging ~1 ng L −1 [ Zdanowicz et al ., ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, as will be discussed later, atmospheric Hg deposited on ice caps in this region may originate from both proximal (marine) and distant (continental) sources, including anthropogenic pollution emissions. Present‐day mean atmospheric Hg fluxes (i.e., net deposition rates) on Canadian Arctic ice caps have been estimated from snow and ice core measurements and range between 0.07 and 0.16 µg m −2 a −1 (Table ) [ Zdanowicz et al ., , ; Zheng , ; Gamberg et al ., ].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on these results, the estimated enhancement factor for [THg] in High Arctic firn since the preindustrial period may range from~5 to~10, depending on the assumed mean [THg] in preindustrial layers. For Penny ice cap, near the Arctic Circle (67.3°N) Zdanowicz et al [2015] previously estimated a minimum [THg] enhancement factor of 4. However, translating these estimates in terms of net atmospheric THg deposition rates will require an improved knowledge of preindustrial snow accumulation rates on Canadian Arctic ice caps, which are poorly constrained due to the limited resolution of ice cores, and also of the temporal variability of postdepositional losses of Hg from snow and firn.…”

Section: Total Mercurymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Historical variations of mercury stable isotope ratios in Arctic glacier firn and ice cores

Zdanowicz

Krümmel

Poulain

et al. 2016

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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The concentration and isotopic composition of mercury (Hg) were determined in glacier core samples from Canadian Arctic ice caps dating from preindustrial to recent time (early 21st century). Mean Hg levels increased from ≤ 0.2 ng L−1 in preindustrial time to ~0.8–1.2 ng L−1 in the modern industrial era (last ~200 years). Hg accumulated on Arctic ice caps has Δ199Hg and Δ201Hg that are higher (~ −1 to 2.9‰) than previously reported for Arctic snow impacted by atmospheric Hg depletion events (mostly < −1‰), suggesting that these events contribute little to Hg accumulation on ice caps. The range of δ202Hg, Δ199Hg, and Δ201Hg in glacier cores overlaps with that of Arctic Hg0(g) and of seawater in Baffin Bay and also with that of midlatitude precipitation and industrial Hg sources, including coal and Hg ores. A core from Agassiz ice cap (80.7°N) shows a ~ +1‰ shift in δ202Hg over the nineteenth to twentieth centuries that could reflect changes in the isotopic composition of the atmospheric Hg pool in the High Arctic in response to growing industrial emissions at lower latitudes. This study is the first ever to report on historical variations of Hg stable isotope ratios in Arctic ice cores. Results could help constrain future modeling efforts of the global Hg biogeochemical cycle and the atmosphere's response to changing Hg emissions, past and future.

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“…The intensification of the industrial activity combined with a limited concern for the environment contributed to the worldwide degradation of the natural environment, including remote areas (Mearns et al 2015;Zdanowicz et al 2015;Kadko et al 2016;Chapman 2016). The direct human impact on the landscape of the Arctic is limited, but remote human activity may change the chemical composition of the elements of the polar environment, especially by introducing contaminants, such as heavy metals (Melke and Uziak 2006;Grotti et al 2013;Kozak et al 2013;Hao et al 2013;AMAP 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arctic catchment as a sensitive indicator of the environmental changes: distribution and migration of metals (Svalbard)

Kozak

Polkowska

Stachnik

et al. 2016

Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Arctic regions experience metal pollution, despite their remote location, and the distribution and migration of those metals determine their potential impact on the local environment. Here, a High-Arctic catchment (Revelva, Svalbard) located remotely from human-induced pollution sources is studied with respect to the distribution and migration of chosen trace elements (Ag, Al, As, B, Ba , the highest mean-weighted concentration noted for Sr (42.5 lg L -1 ). The concentrations in the river water were likely influenced by both natural and human-activity-related processes. These factors can produce substances of the same chemical composition (e.g. carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and metals may be emitted both by a volcanic eruption and by industrial sources). Therefore, chemometric techniques were used in the current paper to distinguish the multiple sources of pollution in the Revelva catchment. The authors were seeking to determine whether there is indeed evidence for contamination, sufficient to cause environmental damage in polar region. As a result, it was shown that the long-range transport could play an important role in shaping the metal concentration profile of this Arctic tundra environment, capturing both the influence of volcanic eruptions within the region and the human activity in a range of distances from the study site.

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Pre-industrial and recent (1970–2010) atmospheric deposition of sulfate and mercury in snow on southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada

Cited by 14 publications

References 57 publications

Air Quality and Climate Connections

Air Quality and Climate Connections

Historical variations of mercury stable isotope ratios in Arctic glacier firn and ice cores

Arctic catchment as a sensitive indicator of the environmental changes: distribution and migration of metals (Svalbard)

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