Impact of contaminant size and density on their incorporation into sea ice
Abstract Sea ice accumulates contaminants and redistributes them laterally as the ice drifts and vertically as it melts. Contaminant incorporation into sea ice must be better understood to resolve contaminant cycling and exposure to polar organisms. Here we develop an experimental method that mimics...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59608-2 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850154543735635968 |
|---|---|
| author | Alice Pradel Rudolf Hufenus Martin Schneebeli Denise M. Mitrano |
| author_facet | Alice Pradel Rudolf Hufenus Martin Schneebeli Denise M. Mitrano |
| author_sort | Alice Pradel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Sea ice accumulates contaminants and redistributes them laterally as the ice drifts and vertically as it melts. Contaminant incorporation into sea ice must be better understood to resolve contaminant cycling and exposure to polar organisms. Here we develop an experimental method that mimics the formation of young sea ice and enables the quantification of model contaminants separately in the ice matrix and brine. Several limitations inherent in field studies are overcome using this approach. Results show that dissolved contaminants (<1 nm) and dispersed colloidal contaminants (1 nm–1 μm) follow the same behavior as sea salts. When colloids aggregate they follow a similar transport pathway to high-density particulate contaminants (>1 μm). While high-density particles are depleted in sea ice and low-density particles are enriched relative to their initial concentration in seawater, both are engulfed and can travel in wide brine channels. These results can also help to predict the incorporation of natural species in sea ice. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-71e41b4e6dad47d1877b3aaff8935c7d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-71e41b4e6dad47d1877b3aaff8935c7d2025-08-20T02:25:17ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-59608-2Impact of contaminant size and density on their incorporation into sea iceAlice Pradel0Rudolf Hufenus1Martin Schneebeli2Denise M. Mitrano3Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics (IBP), Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH ZürichEmpa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory of Advanced FibersWSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLFInstitute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics (IBP), Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH ZürichAbstract Sea ice accumulates contaminants and redistributes them laterally as the ice drifts and vertically as it melts. Contaminant incorporation into sea ice must be better understood to resolve contaminant cycling and exposure to polar organisms. Here we develop an experimental method that mimics the formation of young sea ice and enables the quantification of model contaminants separately in the ice matrix and brine. Several limitations inherent in field studies are overcome using this approach. Results show that dissolved contaminants (<1 nm) and dispersed colloidal contaminants (1 nm–1 μm) follow the same behavior as sea salts. When colloids aggregate they follow a similar transport pathway to high-density particulate contaminants (>1 μm). While high-density particles are depleted in sea ice and low-density particles are enriched relative to their initial concentration in seawater, both are engulfed and can travel in wide brine channels. These results can also help to predict the incorporation of natural species in sea ice.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59608-2 |
| spellingShingle | Alice Pradel Rudolf Hufenus Martin Schneebeli Denise M. Mitrano Impact of contaminant size and density on their incorporation into sea ice Nature Communications |
| title | Impact of contaminant size and density on their incorporation into sea ice |
| title_full | Impact of contaminant size and density on their incorporation into sea ice |
| title_fullStr | Impact of contaminant size and density on their incorporation into sea ice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of contaminant size and density on their incorporation into sea ice |
| title_short | Impact of contaminant size and density on their incorporation into sea ice |
| title_sort | impact of contaminant size and density on their incorporation into sea ice |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59608-2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alicepradel impactofcontaminantsizeanddensityontheirincorporationintoseaice AT rudolfhufenus impactofcontaminantsizeanddensityontheirincorporationintoseaice AT martinschneebeli impactofcontaminantsizeanddensityontheirincorporationintoseaice AT denisemmitrano impactofcontaminantsizeanddensityontheirincorporationintoseaice |