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2025
Methane in Svalbard (SvalGaSess)
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas whose emission into the atmosphere from Arctic environments is increasing in response to climate change. At present, the increase in atmospheric methane concentrations recorded at Ny-Ålesund and globally threatens the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 2 degrees, preferably 1.5 degrees, by increasing the need for abatements. However, our understanding of the physical, chemical and biological processes that control methane in the Arctic are strongly biased towards just a few lowland sites that are not at all like Svalbard and other similar mountainous, ice-covered regions. Svalbard can therefore be used to better understand these locations. Svalbard’s methane stocks include vast reserves of ancient, geogenic methane trapped beneath glaciers and permafrost. This methane supplements the younger, microbial methane mostly produced in waterlogged soils and wetlands during the summer and early winter. Knowledge about the production, removal and migration of these two methane sources in Svalbard’s complex landscapes and coastal environments has grown rapidly in recent years. However, the need to exploit this knowledge to produce reliable estimates of present-day and future emissions of methane from across the Svalbard landscape is now paramount. This is because understanding these quantities is absolutely necessary when we seek to define how society must adjust in order to better manage greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere
2025
2025
2025
Removal Processes of the Stratospheric SO2 Volcanic Plume From the 2015 Calbuco Eruption
Abstract We analyze the volcanic plume from the April 2015 Calbuco eruption over a 35‐day period using simulations from Meso‐NH, a non‐hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model. A dedicated parameterization of the deep injection of the plume into the stratosphere ensures a realistic representation when compared to Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer satellite observations. During the first 12 hr of the eruption, on 22 April 2015, SO 2 mixing ratio reached 29 ppmv between 15 and 18 km for the first eruption pulse, and 38 ppmv between 12 and 16 km for the second. Most SO 2 was injected directly into the stratosphere, with a stratospheric load reaching 308 ktS (kilotons of atomic sulfur, i.e. 616 kilotons of SO 2 ) after the eruption. After 1 month, both stratospheric and tropospheric SO 2 loads returned to near‐background levels. During analysis, the chemical conversion of SO 2 into H 2 SO 4 removed a part of SO 2 from the stratosphere. During the long‐range advection, the co‐location between the subtropical jet stream and the Calbuco plume led to three significant stratospheric intrusions on 24, 26 and 28 April 2015. These events transferred stratospheric SO 2 into the troposphere, SO 2 mixing ratios in the upper troposphere reaching 15 ppmv, 26 and 15 ppbv, respectively. SO 2 is gradually oxidized into H 2 SO 4 , with up to 5 ktS of gaseous H 2 SO 4 in the stratosphere on 30 April, but dynamical processes dominate the SO 2 atmospheric budget over chemical transformations. This study demonstrates that stratospheric intrusions can play a critical role in the removal of volcanic material from the stratosphere following a major eruption.
2025
2025
At the same time Arctic ecosystems experiences rapid climate change, at a rate four times faster than the global average, they remain burdened by long-range transported pollution, notably with legacy polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The present study investigates the potential impact of climate change on seabird exposure to PCB-153 using the established Nested Exposure Model (NEM), here expanded with three seabird species, i.e. common eider (Somateria mollissima), black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus), as well as the filter feeder blue mussel (Mytulis edulis). The model's performance was evaluated using empirical time trends of the seabird species in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, and using tissue concentrations from filter feeders along the northern Norwegian coast. NEM successfully replicated empirical PCB-153 concentrations, confirming its ability to simulate PCB-153 bioaccumulation in the studied seabird species within an order of magnitude. Based on global PCB-153 emission estimates, simulations run until the year 2100 predicted seabird blood concentrations 99% lower than in year 2000. Model scenarios with climate change-induced altered dietary composition and lipid dynamics showed to have minimal impact on future PCB-153 exposure, compared to temporal changes in primary emissions of PCB-153. The present study suggests the potential of mechanistic modelling in assessing POP exposure in Arctic seabirds within a multiple stressor context.
2025
2025
2025
Sources of ultrafine particles at a rural midland site in Switzerland
Ultrafine particles (UFPs; i.e., atmospheric aerosol particles smaller than 100 nm in diameter) are known to be responsible for a series of adverse health effects as they can deposit in humans' bodies. So far, most field campaigns studying the sources of UFPs have focused on urban environments. This study investigates the outdoor sources of UFPs at the atmospheric monitoring station in Payerne, which represents a typical rural location in Switzerland. We aim to quantify the primary and secondary fractions of UFPs based on specific measurements between July 2020 and July 2021 complementing a series of operational meteorological, trace gas and in situ aerosol observations. To distinguish between primary and secondary contributions, we use a method that relies on measuring the fraction of non-volatile particles as a proxy for primary particles. We further compare our measurement results to previously established methods. We find that primary particles resulting from traffic and residential wood burning (direct emissions – mostly non-volatile BC-rich) contribute less than 40 % to the total number of UFPs, mostly in the Aitken mode. On the other hand, we observe local new particle formation (NPF) events (observed from ∼ 1 nm) evident from the increase in cluster ions (1.5–3 nm) and nucleation-mode particle (2.5–25 nm) concentrations, especially in spring and summer. These events, mediated by sulfuric acid, contribute to increasing the UFP number concentration, especially in the nucleation mode. Besides NPF, the chemical processing of particles emitted from multiple sources (including traffic and residential wood burning) contributes substantially to the nucleation-mode particle concentration. Under the present conditions investigated here, we find that secondary processes mediate the increase in UFP concentration to levels equivalent to those in urban locations, affecting both air quality and human health.
2025
2025
2025
From streets to seas: New greener ways to analyse urban snow pollution
Arctic cities experience long winters with heavy snowfalls. Every year, tonnes of urban snow contaminated with microplastics from tire wear and other traffic-related environmental pollutants are dumped into the sea.
2025
Australia has significant sources of atmospheric methane (CH₄), driven by extensive coal and natural gas production, livestock, and large-scale fires. Accurate quantification and characterization of CH₄ emissions are critical for effective climate mitigation strategies in Australia. In this study, we employed an inverse analysis of atmospheric CH₄ observations from the GOSAT satellite and surface measurements from 2016 to 2021 to assess CH₄ emissions in Australia. The inversion process integrates anthropogenic and natural emissions as prior estimates, optimizing them with the NIES-TM-FLEXPART-variational model (NTFVAR) at a resolution of up to 0.1° × 0.1°. We validated the performance of our inverse model using data obtained from the United Nations Environment Program Methane Science (UNEP), Airborne Research Australia 2018 aircraft-based atmospheric CH₄ measurement campaigns. Compared to prior emission estimates, optimized emissions dramatically enhanced the accuracy of modeled concentrations, aligning them much better with observations. Our results indicate that the estimated inland CH4 emissions in Australia amount to 6.84 ± 0.51 Tg CH4 yr−1 and anthropogenic emissions amount to 4.20 ± 0.08 Tg CH4 yr−1, both slightly lower than the values reported in existing inventories. Moreover, our results unveil noteworthy spatiotemporal characteristics, such as upward corrections during the warm season, particularly in Southeastern Australia. During the three most severe months of the 2019–2020 bushfire season, emissions from biomass burning surged by 0.68 Tg, constituting over 71% of the total emission increase. These results highlight the importance of continuous observation and analysis of sectoral emissions, particularly near major sources, to guide targeted emission reduction strategies. The spatiotemporal characteristics identified in this study underscore the need for adaptive and region-specific approaches to CH₄ emission management in Australia.
2025
Anthropogenic compounds in the northernmost Atlantic puffin population
Contamination by organic pollutants, even in remote regions, poses a growing threat to wildlife, including seabirds. However, for many seabirds breeding at high latitudes, both the extent and nature of contaminant exposure remain largely unknown. This study aimed to identify the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) present in the Svalbard Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica at the northern limit of its range. We also compare contaminant concentrations with those found in other species breeding on Svalbard and in puffin colonies further south. The Svalbard puffins were found to be contaminated by organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). No significant sex difference was found. OCPs, PCBs and/or PFASs concentrations in Svalbard puffins were comparable to those of Brünnich's guillemots Uria lomvia, black guillemots Cepphus grylle, and/or little auks Alle alle, but lower than in glaucous gulls Larus hyperboreus. PFAS concentrations were also lower than in black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla. OCP and PCB concentrations were lower on Svalbard than in puffin colonies further south. This study is the first to document PFAS concentrations in puffins, therefore it remains unknown whether PFAS levels were also lower on Svalbard than further south. These comparisons should be interpreted with caution, as data for different species or colonies were collected in different years, and contaminant levels vary over time. The current contaminant concentrations indicate that Svalbard puffins are still at low risk for biological effects, but continued monitoring is needed to assess potential future changes.
2025
Environmental Contaminants in an Urban Fjord, 2024 – Emphasis on Alna River
This report presents data from the fourth year of a 5-year period of the Urban Fjord
programme. The programme started in 2013 and has since been altered/advanced.
In 2024 the programme covers sampling and analyses of water, water moss,
invertebrates, and trout from Alna River, as well as stormwater from Eastern Oslo
City. A sampling campaign was also conducted for source tracing of chlorhexidine,
dichloromethane and trichloromethane previously found in Alna River. A total of
240 single compounds/isomers were analyzed, and frequent detection was found
of specifc PFAS compounds in aqueous phases, other specifc PFAS compounds in
trout liver, UV-compounds and certain QACs in the particulate fraction of
stormwater, certain benzothiazoles in stormwater (dissolved and/or particulate
fraction) , chlorinated paraffns (MCCP and LCCP) in biota, certain siloxanes in
nearly all matrices, metals in all matrices, and PCBs in biota. Biomagnifcation was
only observed for a couple of the PCB congeners. However, as expected,
biomagnifcation was observed for mercury and PFOS. Biomagnifcation of silver
was observed when trout was represented by liver samples, but not muscle samples.
The source tracing showed the presence of the compounds at several stations
Norsk institutt for vannforskning (NIVA)
2025