Analysis of air mass back trajectories with present and historical volcanic activity and anthropogenic compounds to infer pollution sources in the South Shetland Islands (Antarctica)

Abstract

This work analyses atmospheric transport of natural and anthropogenic pollution to the South Shetland Islands (SSI), with particular reference to the period September 2015 -August 2017. Based on data from the Global Volcanism Program database and air mass back trajectories calculated using the HySPLIT model, it was found that it is possible that in the analysed period volcanic pollution was supplied via long-range transport from South America, and from the South Sandwich Islands. Air masses flowed in over the South Shetland Islands from the South America region relatively frequently -226 times during the study period, which suggests the additional possibility of anthropogenic pollution being supplied by this means. In certain cases the trajectories also indicated the possibility of atmospheric transport from the New Zealand region, and even from the south-eastern coast of Australia. The analysis of the obtained results is compared against the background of research by other authors. This is done to indicate that research into the origin of chemical compounds in the Antarctic environment should take into account the possible influx of pollutants from remote areas during the sampling period, as well as the possible reemission of compounds accumulated in snow and ice. Shetland Islands (Antarctica) Analysis of air mass back trajectories with present and historical volcanic activity and anthropogenic compounds to infer pollution sources in the South

General description of some meteo-marine variables of surface waters adjacent to the Palmer Archipelago, Antarctic Peninsula, during 1979-2018 based on Era5 data

“…It is worth mentioning that, even though the warming in the Antarctic peninsula after the eruption was observed in all data sets in Verona et al (2019), the warming is not exclusive to this region, and the contribution to the internal climate variability of the study area must be subjected to a continuous and detailed analysis with different data sets. The increase in Ta, TP, and SST in the last 40 years shown in this work was also seen by Szumińska et al (2018), who associate the warming trend in the peninsula during the last 50 years to the change in the atmospheric circulation patterns of the southern hemisphere.…”

“…Cabe señalar que, aunque el calentamiento en la península Antártica después de la erupción se observó en todos los conjuntos de datos en Verona et al (2019), el calentamiento no es exclusivo de esta región, y que la contribución de la variabilidad climática interna del área de estudio debe tener un continuo y detallado análisis con diferentes conjuntos de datos. El incremento de Ta, Pr y TSM en los últimos 40 años mostrado en el presente trabajo, fue visto también por Szumińska et al (2018), quienes asocian la tendencia al calentamiento de la península en los últimos 50 años al cambio en los patrones de circulación atmosférica del hemisferio sur. Estudios recientes sobre la CHM señalan cambios regionales marcados tanto en la extensión y concentración del hielo marino antártico, como en las temperaturas del mar cercanas a la superficie en todo el continente antártico.…”

Volumen 50, numero 1

“…It is worth mentioning that, even though the warming in the Antarctic peninsula after the eruption was observed in all data sets in Verona et al (2019), the warming is not exclusive to this region, and the contribution to the internal climate variability of the study area must be subjected to a continuous and detailed analysis with different data sets. The increase in Ta, TP, and SST in the last 40 years shown in this work was also seen by Szumińska et al (2018), who associate the warming trend in the peninsula during the last 50 years to the change in the atmospheric circulation patterns of the southern hemisphere.…”

“…Cabe señalar que, aunque el calentamiento en la península Antártica después de la erupción se observó en todos los conjuntos de datos en Verona et al (2019), el calentamiento no es exclusivo de esta región, y que la contribución de la variabilidad climática interna del área de estudio debe tener un continuo y detallado análisis con diferentes conjuntos de datos. El incremento de Ta, Pr y TSM en los últimos 40 años mostrado en el presente trabajo, fue visto también por Szumińska et al (2018), quienes asocian la tendencia al calentamiento de la península en los últimos 50 años al cambio en los patrones de circulación atmosférica del hemisferio sur.…”