Spatial Differences in the Chemical Composition of Surface Water in the Hornsund Fjord Area: A Statistical Analysis with A Focus on Local Pollution Sources

Abstract

Surface catchments in Svalbard are sensitive to external pollution, and yet what is frequently considered external contamination may originate from local sources and natural processes. In this work, we analyze the chemical composition of surface waters in the catchments surrounding the Polish Polar Station in Svalbard, Hornsund fjord area. We have pooled unpublished and already published data describing surface water composition in 2010, related to its pH, electrical conductivity (EC), metals and metalloids, total organic carbon (TOC) and selected organic compound concentrations, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and surfactants. These data were statistically analyzed for spatial differences, using Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA and principal component analysis (PCA), with distance from the station in the PCA approximating local human activity impact. The geological composition of the substratum was found to be a strong determinant of metal and metalloid concentrations, sufficient to explain significant differences between the studied water bodies, except for the concentration of Cr. The past and present human activity in the area may have contributed also to some of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), although only in the case of naphthalene can such an effect be confirmed by an inverse correlation with distance from the station. Other likely factors contributing to the chemical concentrations in the local waters are marine influence, long-range pollution transport and release from past deposition in the environment.

Seasonal and Spatial Differences in Metal and Metalloid Concentrations in the Snow Cover of Hansbreen, Svalbard

“…All these elements were found at higher median concentrations in the snow on Hansbreen, exceeding the concentrations in rain from 1.02 to 5.88 times (for Zn and Al, respectively). The maxima of metal and metalloid concentrations in summer precipitation, published by Koziol et al (2020), were also mostly lower than maximum concentrations in the snow studied here (for Al, Cu, Sb, and Se). Mn, Sr, and Zn showed the opposite proportion, but the difference between the two maxima was very small for Zn.…”

“…In the wider area (within 15 km radius), there exist geological sources of Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Nb, Pb, Rb, Sn, Sr, Ta, Th, Ti, U, V, Zn, Zr, and rareearth elements (cf. Koziol et al, 2020;Spolaor et al, 2020a).…”