New insights on the role of sea ice in intercepting atmospheric pollutants using (129)I

Measurements of (129)I carried out on sea ice samples collected in the central Arctic Ocean in 2007 revealed relatively high levels in the range of 100-1400×10(7) at L(-1) that are comparable to levels measured in the surface mixed layer of the ocean at the same time. The (129)I/(127)I ratio in sea...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin 2014-12, Vol.89 (1-2), p.180-190
Main Authors: Gómez-Guzmán, J M, Cámara-Mor, P, Suzuki, T, López-Gutiérrez, J M, Mas, J L, Masqué, P, Moran, S B, Smith, J N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants - analysis
Arctic Regions
Atmosphere
Ice Cover
Iodine Radioisotopes - analysis
Oceans and Seas
Seawater
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Measurements of (129)I carried out on sea ice samples collected in the central Arctic Ocean in 2007 revealed relatively high levels in the range of 100-1400×10(7) at L(-1) that are comparable to levels measured in the surface mixed layer of the ocean at the same time. The (129)I/(127)I ratio in sea ice is much greater than that in the underlying water, indicating that the (129)I inventory in sea ice cannot be supported by direct uptake from seawater or by iodine volatilization from proximal (nearby) oceanic regimes. Instead, it is proposed that most of the (129)I inventory in the sea ice is derived from direct atmospheric transport from European nuclear fuel reprocessing plants at Sellafield and Cap La Hague. This hypothesis is supported by back trajectory simulations indicating that volume elements of air originating in the Sellafield/La Hague regions would have been present at arctic sampling stations coincident with sampling collection.
ISSN:1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.10.004