Investigation on the Sources and Impact of Trace Elements in the Annual Snowpack and the Firn in the Hansbreen (Southwest Spitsbergen)

Spolaor, Andrea; Moroni, Beatrice; Luks, Bartłomiej; Nawrot, A.; Roman, Marco; Larose, Catherine; Stachnik, Łukasz; Bruschi, Federica; Kozioł, Krystyna; Pawlak, Filip; Turetta, Clara; Barbaro, Elena; Gallet, Jean‐Charles; Cappelletti, David

doi:10.3389/feart.2020.536036

Cited by 22 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Barium has been used as a crustal tracer in other studies evaluating element concentrations in snow pack given its solubility, abundance, and the negligible effect of sea spray ( Spolaor et al, 2021 ). UCC element concentrations were obtained from the article of Rudnick and Gao (2003) .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Shape the Snow Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome

Sanchez-Cid

Keuschnig

Torzewski³

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Winter tourism can generate environmental pollution and affect microbial ecology in mountain ecosystems. This could stimulate the development of antibiotic resistance in snow and its dissemination through the atmosphere and through snow melting. Despite these potential impacts, the effect of winter tourism on the snow antibiotic resistome remains to be elucidated. In this study, snow samples subjected to different levels of anthropogenic activities and surrounding forest were obtained from the Sudety Mountains in Poland to evaluate the impact of winter tourism on snow bacteria using a metagenomic approach. Bacterial community composition was determined by the sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene and the composition of the antibiotic resistome was explored by metagenomic sequencing. Whereas environmental factors were the main drivers of bacterial community and antibiotic resistome composition in snow, winter tourism affected resistome composition in sites with similar environmental conditions. Several antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) showed a higher abundance in sites subjected to human activities. This is the first study to show that anthropogenic activities may influence the antibiotic resistome in alpine snow. Our results highlight the need to survey antibiotic resistance development in anthropogenically polluted sites.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Shape the Snow Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome

Sanchez-Cid

Keuschnig

Torzewski³

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the wider area (within 15 km radius), there exist geological sources of Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Nb, Pb, Rb, Sn, Sr, Ta, Th, Ti, U, V, Zn, Zr, and rareearth elements (cf. Koziol et al, 2020;Spolaor et al, 2020a).…”

Section: Field Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It transfers the pollutants to glacier surfaces, where they may be incorporated into ice (Lehmann-Konera et al, 2017) and cryoconite matter (Łokas et al, 2016). Snow upon glaciers in Svalbard has only rarely been sampled for metal and metalloid concentrations (beyond the major ion chemistry, as performed by, e.g., Virkkunen et al, 2007;Nawrot et al, 2016) and when it was sampled, the focus was either on one element, usually mercury (Ferrari et al, 2008;Larose et al, 2010), or on one location (Spolaor et al, 2020a). There has also been a study conducted on firn cores across one Svalbard glacier (Singh et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal and Spatial Differences in Metal and Metalloid Concentrations in the Snow Cover of Hansbreen, Svalbard

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Metals and metalloids in snow on glaciers, depending on the season of deposition, may come from various sources: local rock dust (erosion of the geological substratum), marine aerosol, local human activity (e.g., impurities in combusted fuel and waste incineration), and long-range atmospheric transport. Hansbreen, a glacier located close to the Polish Polar Station in southern Svalbard, is a perfect site to study metals and metalloids: it has a complex geological substratum, has a year-round presence of a small group of people, and is near the coast. We analyzed a snapshot of metal and metalloid concentrations in snow samples from shallow cores corresponding to autumn, winter, and spring deposition on Hansbreen. Eighteen cores of snow were collected across the glacier, revealing the influence of potential local sources of metals and metalloids. In these samples, we predominantly found Na, Mg, and K, followed by Zn, Ca, Al, and Fe. Heavy metals, such as Bi or Hg, were also detected. Cluster analysis of the determined elemental concentrations divided them into three distinct groups: Group 1: Ag, As, Bi, Cd, Hg, Mo, Sb, Se, and Zn—the most diverse cluster, representing mostly long-range transported volatile elements, with possible extra local geological sources; Group 2: Al, Fe, Cu, and Mn—elements with crustal sources; and Group 3: Na, Ca, Mg, K, and Sr—with the main source in sea spray aerosol. The latter interpretation was confirmed by the calculation of sea salt contribution based on the composition of mean seawater and the positive significant correlation between their concentrations and the electrical conductivity of snow samples. In the study site, snow was up to six times more efficient in bringing metal pollution into terrestrial environment, when compared to rain.

show abstract

“…Higher temperatures enhance the melting of not only seasonally formed snow cover but also of old glacier ice. Previously formed glacier ice can contain contaminants that have been accumulated at the glacier surface over the last century (Cogley et al, 2011;Spolaor et al, 2021). In a recent study, Mohan et al (2018) showed the retreat of glaciers as a result of global warming and, with it, an increase in the runoff of meltwater containing high quantities of suspended solids in Kongsfjorden.…”

Section: Secondary Sources-remobilization Of Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources, fate and distribution of inorganic contaminants in the Svalbard area, representative of a typical Arctic critical environment–a review

Rudnicka-Kępa

Zaborska

2021

Environ Monit Assess

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Global environmental changes not only contribute to the modification of global pollution transport pathways but can also alter contaminant fate within the Arctic. Recent reports underline the importance of secondary sources of pollution, e.g. melting glaciers, thawing permafrost or increased riverine run-off. This article reviews reports on the European Arctic–we concentrate on the Svalbard region–and environmental contamination by inorganic pollutants (heavy metals and artificial radionuclides), including their transport pathways, their fate in the Arctic environment and the concentrations of individual elements in the ecosystem. This review presents in detail the secondary contaminant sources and tries to identify knowledge gaps, as well as indicate needs for further research. Concentrations of heavy metals and radionuclides in Svalbard have been studied, in various environmental elements since the beginning of the twentieth century. In the last 5 years, the highest concentrations of Cd (13 mg kg−1) and As (28 mg kg−1) were recorded for organic-rich soils, while levels of Pb (99 mg kg−1), Hg (1 mg kg−1), Zn (496 mg kg−1) and Cu (688 mg kg−1) were recorded for marine sediments. Increased heavy metal concentrations were also recorded in some flora and fauna species. For radionuclides in the last 5 years, the highest concentrations of 137Cs (4500 Bq kg−1), 238Pu (2 Bq kg−1) and 239 + 240Pu (43 Bq kg−1) were recorded for cryoconites, and the highest concentration of 241Am (570 Bq kg−1) was recorded in surface sediments. However, no contamination of flora and fauna with radionuclides was observed.

show abstract

Investigation on the Sources and Impact of Trace Elements in the Annual Snowpack and the Firn in the Hansbreen (Southwest Spitsbergen)

Cited by 22 publications

References 45 publications

Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Shape the Snow Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome

Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Shape the Snow Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome

Seasonal and Spatial Differences in Metal and Metalloid Concentrations in the Snow Cover of Hansbreen, Svalbard

Sources, fate and distribution of inorganic contaminants in the Svalbard area, representative of a typical Arctic critical environment–a review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About