Fly ash particles found in Antarctic ice

Subject : Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: In a first, fly ash particles found in Antarctic ice, thousands of kilometres from potential source.

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Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP), a component of fly ash, have been identified for the first time in an Antarctic ice core, according to a new study.
Not just that, the particles recovered dated back to 1936, according to scientists from British Antarctic Survey and the University College London.
SCPs have no other anthropogenic or natural sources other than fossil fuel combustion. Thus, they are an unambiguous environmental indicator of industrialisation.
The study provided the first evidence that SCPs have not only been transported to continental Antarctica, but that those enduring physical markers of fossil fuel combustion have been trapped in ice layers since the early decades of the 20th century.
Atmospheric circulation and transport processes have probably influenced the deposition of SCPs in Antarctica throughout the twentieth century, especially related to the strength and position of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds.
The westerly winds are predicted to increase in strength during the 21st century and this might lead to an increased deposition of fly ash particles and other anthropogenically-derived atmospheric pollutants in Antarctica in the future.