Biomass burning in eastern Europe during spring 2006 caused high deposition of ammonium in northern Fennoscandia

Summary, in English

High air concentrations of ammonium were detected at low and high altitude sites in Sweden, Finland and Norway during the spring 2006, coinciding with polluted air from biomass burning in eastern Europe passing over central and northern Fennoscandia. Unusually high values for throughfall deposition of ammonium were detected at one low altitude site and several high altitude sites in north Sweden. The occurrence of the high ammonium in throughfall differed between the summer months 2006, most likely related to the timing of precipitation events. The ammonia dry deposition may have contributed to unusual visible injuries on the tree vegetation in northern Fennoscandia that occurred during 2006, in combination with high ozone concentrations. It is concluded that long-range transport of ammonium from large-scale biomass burning may contribute substantially to the nitrogen load at northern latitudes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

• Author: Per Erik Karlsson; Martin Ferm; Hans Tommervik; Lars R. Hole; Gunilla Pihl Karlsson; Tuija Ruoho-Airola; Wenche Aas; Sofie Hellsten; Cecilia Akselsson; Teis Norgaard Mikkelsen; Bengt Nihlgård
• Department/s: BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate; Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science; Biodiversity
• Publishing year: 2013
• Language: English
• Pages: 71-79
• Publication/Series: Environmental Pollution
• Volume: 176
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2012.12.006
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Topic: Ecology; Physical Geography
• Keywords: Ammonium deposition; Biomass burning; Vegetation damage; Northern; latitudes; Eastern Europe
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 0269-7491