ArcSolution
The Arctic and northern seas are increasingly affected by the transport and accumulation of pollutants as sea ice retreat promotes more human activities (e.g., shipping). The thinner and more dynamic Arctic sea ice and larger open ocean areas increase the complexity of accurately predicting the transport pathways and impacts of various pollutants in the Arctic environment. These pollutants pose high risks to ecosystems and human health due to their persistence and potential for bioaccumulation along the Arctic food chain.
Therefore, it is important to investigate the long-range transport and long-term fate of pollutants under a changing Arctic climate. As a contribution to the ArcSolution project we will simulate the oceanic advection of pollutants from their sources with a global version of the sea-ice-ocean model FESOM2 with about 7 km spatial resolution in the Arctic and Nordic Seas. Atmospheric predictions from climate models of the Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) will be used to drive the model. In addition we will also investigate the potential future development of key variables relevant for pollutant dynamics (as e.g. air temperatures, precipitation, etc) and will contrast the climate change signals with observational records of the past decades.
The project focuses on three primary pollutant groups: highly water-soluble ionic PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), microplastics, mercury, and locally prioritized compounds relevant to Arctic ecosystems. . The sea ice-ocean model FESOM2 will be coupled with the atmospheric chemistry transport model DEHM (Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model), thus connecting the ocean and atmospheric transport due to air-water exchange.
We describe the long-range transport and long-term fate of pollutants under a changing Arctic climate and the impacts of oceanic and atmospheric processes under a range of plausible scenarios. Doing so, we aim to provide not only a comprehensive understanding of pollutant dynamics, but also a scientific foundation further to examine the impact of pollutants on the Arctic ecosystem, inform policy-makers, and support the well-being of Arctic communities beyond scientific and environmental sectors.
Funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Program, Grant No. 101135051 — ArcSolution
