Some Features of Meteorological Parameters and their Contribution to the Dispersion of Anthropogenic Impurities in the Russian Arctic Sector: A Case Study of Part of West Svalbard Island

• Published in: Geography and natural resources Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 241 - 247
• Main Authors: Andreeva, E. S., Lipovitskaya, I. N., Andreev, S. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01-07-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Accumulation; Air pollution; Anthropogenic factors; Archipelagoes; Arctic zone; Atmosphere; Climatic conditions; Coal mining; Dispersion; Earth and Environmental Science; Economic Geography; Environmental Protection; Geography; Impurities; Industrial development; Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Meteorological parameters; Outdoor air quality; Parameter identification; Polar environments; Pollutants; Pollution dispersion; Self-purification; Arctic region; synoptic conditions; level of air pollution; self-purification of the atmosphere; atmospheric air quality; meteorological potential of dispersion of anthropogenic impurities; natural and climatic conditions
• ISSN: 1875-3728; 1875-371X
• DOI: 10.1134/S1875372821030045

—This article is devoted to the study of the contribution of meteorological parameters to the dispersion of anthropogenic impurities of the surface air layer of the atmosphere within a part of West Svalbard Island (using the settlement of Barentsburg as an example). The Svalbard archipelago has an important scientific significance from the perspective of the uniqueness of its natural and climatic conditions. It is found that the main factors that affect the environment of the island include coal mining and an intensification of tourist flows. Therefore, one of the most important problems of the western part of the archipelago is air pollution, which has been increasing recently where the natural and climatic conditions have a significant role by determining the conditions of accumulation or dispersion of pollutants. In spite of the scientific experience gained in Russia and the results from investigating the interactions between the climatic (meteorological) conditions and the level of air pollution, the territory of the Svalbard archipelago was not included on the list of areas to be studied. In this regard, the present study is focused for the first time on identifying the features of the contribution of meteorological parameters to the accumulation or dispersion of anthropogenic impurities in the Russian Arctic sector of the archipelago (the settlement of Barentsburg). Drawing on the experience of previous scientific efforts, it is suggested that data from the system of observations taken eight times per day without averaging by using the direct intensity of events, dictate the need to develop a new mathematical formula. Furthermore, it is necessary to complement the procedure of assessing the self-purification capacity of the atmosphere by expanding it to two or three stages and include the synoptic and geographical features of the terrain on the list of parameters to be studied. The inclusion of the meteorological features of the dispersion of anthropogenic impurities in the Arctic zone has scientific novelty and relevance in the context of a further industrial development of this zone.