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Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in snow particulates around Longyearbyen and Barentsburg settlements, Spitsbergen

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2016

Anna Abramova ,
Sergei Chernianskii ,
Nataly Marchenko  and
Elena Terskaya
Anna Abramova
Affiliation:
Geoecology of the Northern Territories Research Laboratory, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation (lademiel@yandex.ru)
Sergei Chernianskii
Affiliation:
Geoecology of the Northern Territories Research Laboratory, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation (lademiel@yandex.ru)
Nataly Marchenko
Affiliation:
Department of Arctic Technology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), P.O.Box 156, N-9171 Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway
Elena Terskaya
Affiliation:
Department of Landscape Geochemistry and Soil Geography, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation
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Abstract

Contamination of snow cover has been investigated in the Longyearbyen (78°13 N, 15°38 E) and Barentsburg (78°3 N, 14°12 E) areas, which are situated in the southwest part of Spitsbergen (Svalbard archipelago). Snow cover was sampled in two winter seasons, 2012–2013 and 2013–2014, at 54 locations within potentially contaminated areas. Sampling incorporated the whole snow mass and was combined with morphological observations as well as thickness and density measurements. Meltwater and suspended solids were further analysed for a wide range of contaminants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and macro-ions. Results were contrasted with previous studies measuring the release of contaminants from snow to soil cover. It was shown in keeping with earlier studies that PAH contributions are associated with airborne particulate matter. The results, in contrast to earlier studies further demonstrated that the high concentrations of contaminants in both settlements are attributed to local sources due to combustion and industrial activity.

Type
THEMED SECTION: Arctic in the Anthropocene: sustainability in a new polar age
Information
Polar Record , Volume 52 , Issue 6 , November 2016 , pp. 645 - 659
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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