An Interdisciplinary Approach to Predicting the Effects of Transboundary Atmospheric Transport to Northwest European Neighboring States

Abstract

The Kola North is the most industrial territory of the Arctic region, where enterprises are sources of sulfur dioxide (SO2), which disperses widely not only throughout the Kola North, but also to the territories of neighboring Northwest European countries: Norway and Finland. The purpose of this study was to reveal the main sources of atmospheric SO2 pollution in the Kola North, assess the possible contribution of SO2 to the morbidity of respiratory diseases among children in the region, study the daily dynamics of SO2 content, and examine the likelihood of transboundary transport to neighboring states. The pathways of SO2 transfer throughout 2020 were revealed by using daily data about SO2 surface mass, wind direction and speed selected from the Geographic Information System for the cities of Zapolyarny (69∘24′55″ N, 30∘48′48″ E) and Olenegorsk (68∘08′35″ N, 33∘ 15′10″ E). It was found that the prevalence of pneumonia in 0-14-year-old children was associated with Olenegorsk, where the maximum of SO2 emissions was detected. The median values of SO2 surface mass were 2.7 times higher for Olenegorsk than for Zapolyarny and exceeded the maximum permissible concentration. The probability of SO2 transport to the territories of Norway and Finland was also estimated. This study highlights the complexity of the problem of transboundary airborne pollution transport, which requires interdisciplinary research to predict the consequences of the contamination for territories of the neighboring Northwest European countries.
 Keywords: Kola North, sulfur dioxide, respiratory morbidity among children, transboundary atmospheric transport, neighboring states