Arctic air pollution: An overview of current knowledge |
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| Institution: | 1. University of Aarhus, Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark;2. Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, Nuuk 3900, Greenland;3. Dep. of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, PO Box 50 007, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden;4. Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Raven Road, Ottawa K1A 0H3, Canada;5. Environment Agency, Traðagøta 38, P.O. Box 2048, FO-165 Argir, Faroe Islands;6. Aquatic Ecosystem Protection Research Division, Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3H5, Canada;7. Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway;8. Matís, Icelandic Food and Biotech R&D, Vínlandsleið 12, 113 Reykjavík, Iceland;9. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA;10. Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington L7S 1A1, Ontario, Canada;11. Centre for Earth Observation Sciences (CEOS), Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources, University of Manitoba,586 Wallace Bld, 125 Dysart Rd., Winnipeg R3T 2N2, Manitoba, Canada;12. Centre for Oil and Gas Research and Development, University of Manitoba, Department of Chemistry, Winnipeg R3T 2N2, Manitoba, Canada;13. University of Aarhus, Department of Environmental Science, Arctic Research Centre, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark;14. Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) Secretariat, PO Box 8100 Dep., N-0032 Oslo, Norway;1. Florida International University, Applied Research Center, 10555 West Flagler St., Engineering Center Suite 2100, Miami, FL 33174, United States;2. University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, USA;3. Florida State University Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science 117 N. Woodward Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA;4. Laboratire des sciences d''Environnement MARin (LEMAR), Plouzané 29280, France |
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| Abstract: | From December to April, the Arctic air mass is polluted by man-made mid-latitudinal emissions from fossil fuel combustion, smelting and industrial processes. In the rest of the year, pollution levels are much lower. This is the outcome of less efficient pollutant removal processes and better south (S) to north (N) transport during winter. In winter, the Arctic air mass covers much of Eurasia and N. America. Meteorological flow fields and the distribution of anthropogenic SO2 emissions in the northern hemisphere favor northern Eurasia as the main source of visibility reducing haze. Observations of SO42− concentrations in the atmosphere throughout the Arctic yield, depending on location and year, a January–April mean of 1.5–3.9 μg m−3 in the Norwegian Arctic to 1.2–2.2 μg m−3 in the N. American Arctic. An estimate of the mean vertical profile of fine particle aerosol mass during March and April shows that, on average, pollution is concentrated in the lower 5 km of the atmosphere. Not only are anthropogenic particles present in the Arctic atmosphere but also gases such as SO2, perfluorocarbons and pesticides. The acidic nature and seasonal variation of Arctic pollution is reflected in precipitation, the snowpack and glacier snow in the Arctic. A pH of 4.9–5.2 in winter and ~ 5.6 in summer is expected in the absence of calcareous wind blown soil. Glacial records indicate that Arctic air pollution has undergone a marked increase since the mid 1950s paralleling a marked increase in SO2 and NOx emissions in Europe. Effects of Arctic pollution include a reduction in visibility and perturbation of the solar radiation budget in April–June. Potential effects are the acidification and toxification of sensitive ecosystems. |
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