A Dartmouth-led study has found that fossil fuel pollution reaches the Arctic in amounts large enough to alter its atmospheric chemistry.
Ice cores from Alaska and Greenland revealed significant drops in methanesulfonic acid (MSA), an indicator of marine phytoplankton activity, due to air pollution, according to the research published in Nature Geoscience.
Phytoplankton, vital for ocean ecosystems and carbon cycles, produce dimethyl sulfide, which typically transforms into MSA.
However, in areas polluted by fossil fuel emissions, this transformation is hindered, leading to lower MSA levels.
Regulations show promise, with Arctic atmospheric recovery after reduced nitrogen pollution in recent decades.The researchers observed that MSA levels began dropping in the mid-1800s, coinciding with industrialization in Europe and North America, and later in the mid-20th century when East Asia’s industrial activity surged.
The study provides new insight into the effects of pollution on remote regions like the Arctic. The team found that nitrate pollution, primarily from burning fossil fuels, plays a key role in preventing MSA production.
This discovery challenges previous assumptions that declining MSA levels were due to a collapse in marine ecosystems.
Despite the negative impact of pollution, the research offers hope. Data from Greenland showed that MSA levels began to rebound in the 1990s when air pollution regulations in Europe and North America took effect.
This highlights the importance of clean-air policies in mitigating environmental damage. The findings emphasize that while pollution has far-reaching consequences, regulatory measures can help reverse some of the damage to Earth’s atmosphere.