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

Abstract

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.

Green roof substrates—A literature review

“…However, this type of enriched water-retention substrate is not essential on green roofs in Iceland or in Scandinavian countries. The substrates in these nations should be equipped with high nutrient content and less salinity since the soils in Iceland and Scandinavia are less fertile (Mankasingh and Gísladóttir, 2019;Schjoerring et al, 2019) and more chemically contaminated (Lam, 2018;Rudnicka-Kępa and Zaborska, 2021). A future study focusing on such an aspect is essential to select green roof substrates for accommodating the climate of the corresponding environments.…”

Novel Plasmid Carrying Mobile Colistin Resistance Gene mcr-4.3 and Mercury Resistance Genes in Shewanella baltica: Insights into Mobilization of mcr-4.3 in Shewanella Species

“…Both plasmids, pSBP1 and pSBP2_mcr4, carry multiple conjugal transfer genes, indicating that these plasmids are potentially conjugative. Marine environments, especially around Norway, have heavy metal selection pressure from the presence of zinc and copper due to mining, as well as the use of heavy metals in aquaculture and antifouling paints ( 18 , 19 ). These selection pressures may aid in the maintenance of these resistance-carrying plasmids in the marine environment.…”

Synthetic Dyes for Textile Colouration: Process, Factors and Environmental Impact

“…Many textile mill wastewaters are released onto land or into waterbodies. The loss of soil productivity, the pollution of groundwater due to metal leaching and the accumulation of pollutants in the food chain, with consequences on vegetation and animals, including people, all of these occur because of the textile dyes [125]. Natural industrial wastewater can be used as an organic fertilizer and a nutrient source for soil.…”