Glacial dust surpasses both volcanic ash and desert dust in its iron fertilization potential

Koffman, B. G.; Yoder, M. F.; Methven, Taylor; Hanschka, Lena; Sears, Helen; Saylor, P. L.; Wallace, Kristi L.

doi:10.1002/essoar.10504266.1

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“…Samples include glaciofluvial silt and locally derived loess, which together represent glaciogenic sediments from these catchments. Locations and a full suite of major and trace element data, as well as detailed iron geochemistry, have been published previously, and data are available through the EarthChem Library: , . Snow pit samples were collected from an elevational transect of sites (2180 to 5240 m a.s.l.)…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Provenance of Anthropogenic Pb and Atmospheric Dust to Northwestern North America

Koffman

Saylor

Zhong

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Industrial activities release aerosols containing toxic metals into the atmosphere, where they are transported far from their sources, impacting ecosystems and human health. Concomitantly, long-range-transported mineral dust aerosols play a role in Earth’s radiative balance and supply micronutrients to iron-limited ecosystems. To evaluate the sources of dust and pollutant aerosols to Alaska following the 2001 phase-out of leaded gasoline in China, we measured Pb-Sr-Nd isotopic compositions of particles collected in 2016 from snow pits across an elevational transect (2180–5240 m-a.s.l) in Denali National Park, USA. We also determined Pb flux and enrichment from 1991–2011 in the Denali ice core (3870 m-a.s.l). Chinese coal-burning and non-ferrous metal smelting account for up to 64% of Pb deposition at our sites, a value consistent across the western Arctic. Pb isotope ratios in the aerosols did not change between 2001 and 2016, despite the ban on lead additives. Emissions estimates demonstrate that industrial activities have more than compensated for the phase-out of leaded gasoline, with China emitting ∼37,000 metric tons year –1 of Pb during 2013–2015, approximately 78% of the Pb from East Asia. The Pb flux to Alaska now equals that measured in southern Greenland during peak pollution from North America.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%