The Arctic region is threatened by contamination deriving from both long-range pollution and local human activities. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental tracers of emission, transport and deposition processes. A first campaign has been conducted at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, from October 2018 to May 2019, monitoring weekly concentrations of PAHs in Arctic surface snow.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganic acids in aerosols Earth's atmosphere are ubiquitous and they have been extensively studied across urban, rural and polar environments. However, little is known about their properties, transport, source and seasonal variations in the Svalbard Archipelago. Here, we present the annual trend of organic acids in the aerosol collected at Ny-Ålesund and consider their size-distributions to infer their possible sources and relative contributions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCryoconite is a dark, dusty aggregate of mineral particles, organic matter, and microorganisms transported by wind and deposited on glacier surfaces. It can accelerate glacier melting and alter glacier mass balances by reducing the surface albedo of glaciers. Biomass burning in the Tibetan Plateau, especially in the glacier cryoconites, is poorly understood.
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