Radiological and elemental composition of cryoconite and glacier mice from Vatnajökull, Iceland

Smith, Emma; Clason, Caroline C.; Millward, Geoffrey; Taylor, Alex; Fyfe, Ralph

Abstract

Cryoconite has been demonstrated to be an efficient accumulator of some classes of contaminants on glaciers in both mountain and polar environments, however the accumulation of contaminants in cryoconite in Iceland has received very little attention to date. To understand the spatial variability of natural and anthropogenic fallout radionuclides and metals on glaciers in Iceland, we present the first study of this region including both cryoconite from three glaciers: Virkisjökull; Skaftafellsjökull; and Falljökull, together with moss balls ('glacier mice') from Falljökull. The cryoconite samples and glacier mice were analysed using XRF spectrometry to assess their elemental composition and gamma spectrometry to identify, and quantify, fallout radionuclides, primarily Be, Cs, Am, excess Pb, and K. The results revealed that the cryoconite samples had similar compositions, influenced by local geology and natural sources of volcanic ash and dust. Higher concentrations of radionuclides and heavy metals were found in both cryoconite and glacier mice compared to control samples comprising nearby proglacial sediments. In comparison to other glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere, however, cryoconite from Icelandic glaciers contains some of the lowest activity concentrations of key radionuclides. Consequently, cryoconite deposits that are released and diluted during the melt and retreat of Icelandic glaciers are unlikely to be of environmental concern following transport to proglacial areas. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.]

Citation

Smith, E., Clason, C. C., Millward, G., Taylor, A., & Fyfe, R. (2024). Radiological and elemental composition of cryoconite and glacier mice from Vatnajökull, Iceland. Science of the Total Environment, 951, Article 175828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175828

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 25, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Aug 27, 2024
• Publication Date: Nov 15, 2024
• Deposit Date: Aug 29, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 30, 2024
• Journal: Science of The Total Environment
• Print ISSN: 0048-9697
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-1026
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 951
• Article Number: 175828
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175828
• Keywords: Glacier mice, Cryoconite, Metals, Iceland, Fallout radionuclides
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2774669