Brown snow: a long-range transport event in the Canadian Arctic

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 280 - 286
• Main Authors: Welch, Harold E, Muir, Derek C. G, Billeck, Brian N, Lockhart, W. Lyle, Brunskill, Gregg J, Kling, Hedy J, Olson, Marvin P, Lemoine, Richard M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01-02-1991
• Subjects: 01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; 010900 - Coal, Lignite, & Peat- Environmental Aspects; 540120 - Environment, Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-); 540320 - Environment, Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-); ALKENES; Applied sciences; ARCTIC REGIONS; AROMATICS; Atmospheric pollution; ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS; CAMPHENE; CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS; CHROMATOGRAPHY; contaminantes; couche de neige; cubierta de nieve; CYCLOALKENES; DATA; DDT; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT; Exact sciences and technology; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY; HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS; HYDROCARBONS; INFORMATION; INSECTICIDES; MASS TRANSFER; northwest territories; NUMERICAL DATA; ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; pesticide; PESTICIDES; plaguicidas; POLAR REGIONS; polluant; pollutants; Pollutants physicochemistry study: properties, effects, reactions, transport and distribution; Pollution; POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS; SEPARATION PROCESSES; SNOW; snow cover; TERPENES; territoires du nord ouest; territorios del noroeste; Atmospheric fallout; Hydrocarbon; Pesticides; Arctic Region; Polycyclic aromatic compound; North America; Canada; Suspended particle; Chlorine Organic compounds; Long range pollutant transport; America; Pollution source; Air pollution
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es00014a010

Semivolatile organic compounds detected in brown-coloured snow deposited in the central Canadian Arctic during a single event in April 1988 included PAH, PCB congeners and polychlorinated camphenes, all within previously reported concentration ranges, DDT-related compounds in 2-10 times previously reported concentrations, the herbicide trifluralin and insecticides methoxychlor, endosulphan and hexachlorocyclohexane. Mean particle size (1 um) was similar to that in eastern Asia dust storms and the event was calculated to have deposited 4000 tonnes of soil dust up to a 20,000 km2 area, contributing more than 10 per cent of the annual pollutant input. Back trajectory analysis of air masses, microscopic examination of particulate matter and comparison of the soil particle composition with that of China loess and Canadian prairie dust and lake clay indicated an Asian source for the brown snow but the organic contaminants could have both North American and Asian sources. There are 37 references.