Abstract
In summer 1994, stream water, moss and humus samples were collected for sulphur isotopic analysis from eight catchments located in the western Kola Peninsula region, where several industrial centres emit high loads of SO2 and other elements to the atmosphere. Three potential sources of sulphur and their isotopic signatures were identified: (1) marine (δ 34S+20 to +21‰ CDT), (2) anthropogenic emissions (<+10‰), and (3) geogenic (variableδ 34S, mostly <+10‰). Averaged per catchment, the sulphur isotopic composition varies between +6.0 and +16.3‰ for stream water sulphate, +6.0 and +8.4‰ for moss sulphur, and +5.2 and +12.2‰ for humus sulphur. Theδ 34S composition of stream water from the more remote catchments is quite variable, reflecting several natural (geogenic) sources, but it becomes restricted to the range +8 to +10‰ near the pollution sources. A plot ofδ 34S vs. 1:SO4 in stream water suggests that sulphate originating from the smelters has aδ 34S value ≈+9.5‰, and is a dominant source. Sulphur isotope values for moss and humus are consistent with the deduced composition for the emitted sulphur, though for humus a component of geogenic sulphur incorporated via vegetation uptake may play a role. Further isotopic characterisation of atmospheric emissions, together with environmental samples, is needed to better understand sulphur sources and sinks in the area.
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de Caritat, P., Krouse, H.R. & Hutcheon, I. Sulphur isotope composition of stream water, moss and humus from eight arctic catchments in the Kola Peninsula region (NW Russia, N Finland, NE Norway). Water Air Soil Pollut 94, 191–208 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02407102
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02407102