Dissolved Metal (Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, Co, Cd, Pb) and Metalloid (As, Sb) in Snow Water across a 2800 km Latitudinal Profile of Western Siberia: Impact of Local Pollution and Global Transfer

Snow cover is known to be an efficient and unique natural archive of atmospheric input and an indicator of ecosystem status. In high latitude regions, thawing of snow provides a sizable contribution of dissolved trace metals to the hydrological network. Towards a better understanding of natural and anthropogenic control on heavy metals and metalloid input from the atmosphere to the inland waters of Siberian arctic and subarctic regions, we measured chemical composition of dissolved (<0.22 mu m) fractions of snow across a 2800 km south-north gradient in Western Siberia. Iron, Mn, Co, Ni, and Cd demonstrated sizable (by a factor of 4-7) decrease in concentration northward, which can be explained by a decrease in overall population density and the influence of dry aerosol deposition. Many elements (Mn, Ni, Cu, Cd, Pb, As, and Sb) exhibited a prominent local maximum (a factor of 2-3) in the zone of intensive oil and gas extraction (61-62 degrees N latitudinal belt), which can be linked to gas flaring and fly ash deposition. Overall, the snow water chemical composition reflected both local and global (long-range) atmospheric transfer processes. Based on mass balance calculation, we demonstrate that the winter time atmospheric input represents sizable contribution to the riverine export fluxes of dissolved (<0.45 mu m) Mn, Co, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Sb during springtime and can appreciably shape the hydrochemical composition of the Ob River main stem and tributaries.

Automated summary

Snow cover serves as an efficient natural storage for atmospheric input and can indicate the state of ecosystems. In Siberian arctic and subarctic regions, the melting snow releases dissolved trace metals into the hydrological system. The chemical composition of snow water reflects both local and global atmospheric transfer processes, with significant variations in metal concentrations influenced by population density, aerosol deposition, and oil and gas extraction activities. Winter atmospheric input plays a substantial role in shaping the hydrochemical composition of rivers during springtime.