Sources and pathways of heavy metals to the Arctic environment
- Norwegian Inst. for Air Research, Oslo (Norway)
Heavy metals are emitted to the atmosphere from both natural and anthropogenic sources. When emitted into the atmosphere, heavy metals can be deposited in the vicinity of the emission source or transported long distances within air masses. Over the past two decades, there have been several applications of various long-range transport models to study the origin of atmospheric heavy metals. Recent focus has been made on the assessment of the degree to which the atmospheric pathway contributes to the contamination of the Arctic. Such an assessment is being carried out within the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). Industrial air pollution has been measured throughout the Arctic air mass. Studies in the Norwegian Arctic have revealed high concentrations of several anthropogenic heavy metals in the lower layer of the Arctic troposphere. Many heavy metals measured in winter concentrations are higher than in summer by more than an order of magnitude. Air concentrations of heavy metals in the high Arctic are much lower than the those measured around major point sources of emissions. Sources of heavy metals to the Arctic include Eurasia, North America and the north Pacific.
- OSTI ID:
- 211929
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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