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

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

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


Authors

Emma Smith

Geoffrey Millward

Alex Taylor

Ralph Fyfe



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

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