Atmospheric Emissions Research Articles

Geochemical evaluation of Washita-Fredericksburg formation as a carbon storage reservoir

Geological carbon sequestration is a promising technique to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. The Washita-Fredericksburg formation in the southeastern United States is being considered as a prospective storage formation. This requires understanding the geochemical impact of CO2 injection on the formation, which is the focus of this work. Here, sandstone samples from the Washita-Fredericksburg formation are analyzed to understand their overall mineralogical composition and the potential geochemical processes that might occur following CO2 injection. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging, and image analysis were used to identify mineral phases. SEM images were processed to create a segmented mineral map, which was then used to calculate mineral volume fractions and porosity. Results show that the sample has a porosity of 20% and is mainly composed of quartz, K-feldspar, muscovite, and clays. Accessory minerals such as titanite were also found. Reactive transport models were constructed to assess potential CO2-brine-mineral interactions following CO2 injection. Simulation results suggest that the overall extent of mineral dissolution and precipitation reactions over 10,000 days is limited, with muscovite dissolution increasing porosity to 22%. Limited mineral reactions suggest more injected CO2 will exist in free and dissolved forms, which may require more extensive long-term monitoring.

Microbursts of the UV atmospheric emission in the auroral zone

In this paper we present data on the UV-microburst (300–400 nm flashes with a duration less than 1 s) measurements in the auroral zone. Measurements were performed during the period 09.2021–04.2022 by the highly sensitive imaging photometer installed at the Verkhnetulomsky observatory of the Polar Geophysical Institute. It is shown that microbursts are grouped in a series with a duration from 10 s to 10 min. They were observed in relatively quiet geomagnetic conditions (KP < 3) at the southern boundary of the auroral oval in the evening magnetic local time (MLT) sector. UV-microbursts are observed in different observational conditions (clouds, transparent clouds and clear sky) and spatially represent various patterns: uniform diffuse illumination, local spots. Joint analyses of the optical measurements and satellite data on charged particle fluxes demonstrates that an auroral oval, characterized by a plasma, is placed to the north of the observatory. At the same time increased flux of electrons with energy more than 100 keV is observed at the same L-shell and MLT sector. The possible origin of the UV-microbursts is a precipitation of energetic electrons from a poleward boundary of the outer radiation belt in a form of relativistic electron microbursts is discussed.

Influence of ENSO and the urban heat island on climate variation in a growing city of the western Mexico

To understand climate change in the local context, it is necessary to analyse three factors in the territories; 1) how temperature and precipitation have varied over time, 2) if there is an association with the natural variation of the planet, for example with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, and 3) if the variations could be related to human actions that directly alter the climate, such as gas emissions into the atmosphere and deforestation. Understanding how these three factors interact, what impacts they have caused on the territory and how they will behave in future scenarios, allows us to think about development planning strategies that seek to adapt human communities to future climate conditions. This study addresses climate change in the City of Tepic, analysing the interannual variation of temperature and precipitation, its association with the ENSO phenomenon and the possible relationship with the urban heat island, contrasting two time periods; 1980-1999 and 2000-2018. The results showed a generalised increase of +1 ºC between periods, decrease of precipitation up to -6% the summer months and increase up to +20% the autumn months. The influence of ENSO on temperature variation increased from 10% to 20% in the most recent period, and its influence on precipitation variation decreased from 17% to 8%, respectively. On the other hand, the heat island increased its extension by more than 60% and its intensity by about 8 degrees between the periods analysed. The differences between periods are discussed descriptively in relation to the doubling of the area of urban use, population, atmospheric emissions and the loss of 30% of the forests in the areas adjacent to the city.

Carbon utilization in natural gas-based hydrogen production via carbon dioxide electrolysis: Towards cost-competitive clean hydrogen

Conventional blue hydrogen production still leads to direct carbon emissions, as well as significant energy consumption and costs for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. CO2 electrolysis, which is one of the promising carbon utilization technologies, faces challenges beyond cell performance, including downstream separation. To address these issues, this study proposes a novel hydrogen production process integrated with CO2 electrolysis. Four integrated processes were developed based on two types of CO2 electrolysis in which cathode separation was either included or excluded. These integrated processes eliminate atmospheric carbon emissions from fossil-fuel-based hydrogen production without requiring a carbon capture unit; furthermore, the hydrogen yield increases. These processes were evaluated in terms of energy efficiency (EE), levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH), and process carbon emission (PCE). Among the developed processes, the high temperature CO2 electrolysis without cathode separation (HT-CO2EL(w/oSep)) process exhibited the lowest LCOH and PCE. These findings demonstrate that proposed process effectively addresses the challenges associated with downstream separation and upstream heating inherent in standalone CO2 electrolysis systems. Compared with conventional blue hydrogen production, the HT-CO2EL(w/oSep) process achieved 22.2% improvement in EE, 12.0% reduction in LCOH, and 82.0% decrease in PCE. Sensitivity analysis shows that the proposed process remains economically viable compared to conventional blue and green hydrogen and is more adaptable to market fluctuations. The improvement in cell performance is expected to contribute to cost savings. Even accounting for methane leakage and carbon taxes, the process shows only a modest increase in total carbon emissions and LCOH.

Inversion of Critical Atmospheric 137Cs Emissions Following the Fukushima Accident by Resolving Temporal Formation from Total Deposition Data.

Understanding the transport of 137Cs emitted during the Fukushima accident is challenging because the critical emissions that produced the high-deposition area are not adequately resolved in existing source terms. This paper presents an objective inverse reconstruction of these emissions by fusing atmospheric concentrations with a-priori emissions extracted from total depositions. This extraction, previously considered impossible for complex real-world accidents, is achieved by identifying the critical temporal formation process of depositions in the high-deposition area and estimating the corresponding emissions by using an atmospheric transport model. The reconstructed source term reveals two emission peaks from 10:00-11:00 and 14:00-15:00 on March 15, which agree with the in situ pressure measurements and accident analysis, suggesting that they came from pressure drops in the primary containment vessels of Units 3 and 2, respectively. This finding explains the environmental observations of spherical 137Cs particles. The source term also objectively and independently confirms the widely used reverse estimate. The corresponding 137Cs transport simulations better match the various observations than those produced by other source terms, proving that the two-peak emission creates a high-deposition area. The proposed method outperforms the direct fusion of deposition and atmospheric concentration observations, providing a robust tool for multiobservation fusion.

The ddeq Python library for point source quantification from remote sensing images (version 1.0)

Abstract. Atmospheric emissions from anthropogenic hotspots, i.e., cities, power plants and industrial facilities, can be determined from remote sensing images obtained from airborne and space-based imaging spectrometers. In this paper, we present a Python library for data-driven emission quantification (ddeq) that implements various computationally light methods such as the Gaussian plume inversion, cross-sectional flux method, integrated mass enhancement method and divergence method. The library provides a shared interface for data input and output and tools for pre- and post-processing of data. The shared interface makes it possible to easily compare and benchmark the different methods. The paper describes the theoretical basis of the different emission quantification methods and their implementation in the ddeq library. The application of the methods is demonstrated using Jupyter notebooks included in the library, for example, for NO2 images from the Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI satellite and for synthetic CO2 and NO2 images from the Copernicus CO2 Monitoring (CO2M) satellite constellation. The library can be easily extended for new datasets and methods, providing a powerful community tool for users and developers interested in emission monitoring using remote sensing images.

Comparing levoglucosan and mannosan ratios in sediments and corresponding aerosols from recent Australian fires

The monosaccharide anhydrides levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan are known as ‘fire sugars’ as they are powerful proxies used to trace fire events. Despite their increasing use, their application is not completely understood, especially in the context of tracing past fire events using sediment samples. There are many uncertainties about fire sugar formation, partitioning, transport, complexation, and stability along all stages of the source-to-sink pathway. While these uncertainties exist, the efficacy of fire sugars as fire tracers remains limited. This study compared high-resolution fire sugar fluxes in freshwater sediment cores to known fire records in Tasmania, Australia. Past fire events correlated with fire sugar flux increases down-core, with the magnitude of the flux inversely proportional to the distance of the fires from the study site. For the first time, fire sugar ratios (levoglucosan/mannosan, L/M) in aerosols were compared with those in sediments from the same time-period. The L/M ratio in surface sediments (1.42–2.58) were significantly lower than in corresponding aerosols (5.08–15.62). We propose two hypotheses that may explain the lower average L/M of sediments. Firstly, the degradation rate of levoglucosan is higher than mannosan in the water column, sediment-water interface, and/or sediment. Secondly, the L/M ratio of non-atmospheric emissions during fires may be lower than that of atmospheric emissions from the same fire. Due to the uncertainties about transport partitioning (atmospheric versus non-atmospheric emissions) and fire sugar degradation along all stages of the source-to-sink pathway, we advise caution when inferring vegetation type (e.g. softwood, hardwood, or grasses) based purely on fire sugar ratios in sediments (e.g. L/M ratio). Future investigations are required to increase the efficacy of fire sugars as a complimentary, or standalone, fire tracer in sediments.

Modelling of CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; Removal and Capturing Process Using Different Solvents for Al-Halfaya Oil Field to Reduce the Total Emissions

Since there currently are no financially feasible sources of renewable electricity and since they are readily available and inexpensive, such as coal, fossil fuels; that will remain the primary energy source for decades. Consequently, it is imperative to create technologies that allow for the continued use of fossil fuels whilst reducing the amount of CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; released into the environment. In order to lower atmospheric emissions, CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; should be captured from sources of emissions. Increased oil recovery, ocean or subsurface storage, or perhaps both, might be accomplished using the recovered CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;. Extracting high-purity CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; from flue gas, which is present in low concentrations (about 15 percent), is the most difficult step in the CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; capture process. The process of a selected separation approach will then be thoroughly examined by modeling it utilizing the Aspen Plus program while employing three solvents, including MEA, DEA, and NH3. Additionally, based on the simulation results provided by Aspen Plus, the present research intends to assess the environmental and economic implications of every solvent in order to choose the solvent with the minimum environmental impact and the best economic performance. Also, look at how the final CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; removal efficacy is affected by the pressure and temperature of the chosen solvents and absorber. According to the findings, DEA solvent outperformed NH3 and MEA in terms of CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; extraction effectiveness. Additionally, employing NH3 as a chemical solvent does not affect temperature or pressure, but using MEA and DEA negatively influences CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; extraction efficiency when the temperature is raised. However, when utilizing DEA and MEA as chemical solvents, the pressure of the solvent enhances the rate of CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; collecting.

Determining the degree of atmospheric emissions impact generated during the paint and varnish products use in machine‑ building production

An analysis of the formation of organic solvent vapors, represented by white spirit, ketones, alcohols, benzene derivatives, 1,4‑dioxane, ethyl cellosolve, and paint aerosol, was conducted. The substances belong to the 3rd and 4th hazard classes. In the production process, the base paint Uno HD, Diamont R‑M BASF P+E paint, Standoflex 2k autolak topcoat, and Standox fine 1k‑body single‑component putty‑pore filler were used. The consumption of materials was 6.3, 2.7, 1.8, and 3.7 tons/year, respectively. In calculating the paint aerosol emissions, the efficiency of the treatment facilities was assumed to be 52 %. The environmental tax amounted to 2,619.93 rubles.

Distinguishing methane from other hydrocarbons using machine learning and atmospheric pressure plasma optical emission spectroscopy

The ability to detect gas molecule and assign a concentration offers an inventive solution in the field of plasma integrated with machine learning. The most important finding of this work is firstly, to develop an algorithm for gas-molecule identification using three different hydrocarbons (CH4, C2H2, C2H6) and secondly, organize a model for detecting gas concentration (classification). For this reason, initially eight different gases evaluated. The study confirms the present of the unique emission lines as a gas indicator, i.e., a wavelength peak related to hydrocarbons identified via increasing in C x H y concentration. By means of unique variable important in projection, hydrocarbons can be distinguished. Our proposed Chemometric analysis strategy examined on >1000 samples and results development of suitable techniques that are sufficiently rapid, accurate and innovative. This demonstrates the potential for real-time, portable, and continuous monitoring of trace gases with potential applications in medical, environmental, and industrial gas sensing.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Electric and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles

This article is devoted to the ecological comparison of electric and internal combustion engine vehicles throughout their entire life cycle, from mining to recycling. A scientifically based approach to a comprehensive environmental assessment of the impact of vehicles on the environment has been developed. To analyze the impact on the environmental situation, aspects such as the consumption of natural resources, waste generation, electricity consumption, emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions are taken into consideration. As a result of comparing the environmental impacts of vehicles, it was found that natural resources consumption and production of industrial waste from electric vehicles (EV) is 6 times higher than from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV). Harmful substance emissions and greenhouse gas emissions from EV production are 1.65 and 1.5 times higher, respectively. The EV total electricity consumption is 1.4 times higher than that of ICEVs. At the same time, it was revealed that during operation, EVs have higher energy consumption and emit more harmful substances into the atmosphere, but EVs produce less greenhouse gas emissions. It means that at different life cycle stages, EVs have a much higher negative impact on the environment compared to gasoline engine vehicles.

Atmospheric emissions of hexachlorobutadiene in fine particulate matter from industrial sources

Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) is a concerning chemical that is included in the United States Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Stockholm Convention. Knowledge of the sources of HCBD is insufficient and is pivotal for accurate inventory and implementing global action. In this study, unintentional HCBD release and source emission factors of 121 full-scale industrial plants from 12 industries are investigated. Secondary copper smelting, electric arc furnace steelmaking, and hazardous waste incineration show potential for large emission reductions, which are found of high HCBD emission concentrations of > 20 ng/g in fine particulate matter in this study. The highest HCBD emission concentration is observed for the secondary copper smelting industry (average: 1380 ng/g). Source emission factors of HCBD for the 12 industries range from 0.008 kg/t for coal fire power plants to 0.680 kg/t for secondary lead smelting, from which an estimation of approximately 8452.8 g HCBD emissions annually worldwide achieved. The carcinogenic risks caused by HCBD emissions from countries and regions with intensive 12 industrial sources are 1.0-80 times higher than that without these industries. These results will be useful for formulating effective strategies of HCBD control.

Key factors influencing Hg levels and trends in unperturbed oligotrophic temperate and boreal lakes

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal that presents a major risk to ecosystems, biota, human health, and remains a priority concern. In temperate and boreal lakes Hg and methylmercury (MMHg) are expected to vary as a function of atmospheric Hg deposition, lake water chemistry, catchment characteristics and climate variables. The aim of this study was to quantify Hg and MMHg in unperturbed oligotrophic lakes and to identify the factors controlling their distribution. We first hypothesized that lake Hg (and MMHg to lesser extent) spatial variations are linked to atmospheric deposition, catchment characteristics, and terrestrial exportation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). We secondly examined if lake Hg concentrations have followed the decrease in atmospheric Hg emission observed between the mid-1990s to the end-2010s. We found that overall, atmospheric Hg has little impact on lake Hg and MMHg concentrations, which are both primarily influenced by DOC input originating from the forest catchment. The relationship between DOC and Hg differed between the spring and the fall, with a Hg-to-DOC ratio twice as high in spring. This seems related to snowmelt input of Hg (with a relatively reduced input of DOC) or the internal lake build-up of Hg during the ice-covered period. Of the 10 lakes intensively visited over a 20-year period, only 3 showed significant lake Hg decreases despite significant negative trends in atmospheric Hg concentrations, suggesting a lag between atmospheric and surface water temporal trends. Overall, terrestrial catchments retain around 80% of atmospheric Hg implying that large Hg pools have been built up in soils in the last decades. As such, the reduction of atmospheric Hg alone will not necessarily result in Hg decreases in lakes, since the Hg concentrations may be modulated by DOC export trends and catchment characteristics. This stresses the need to improve our understanding of the processes governing Hg transfers from catchments into lakes.

Butterfly wing-inspired microstructured film with high reflectivity for efficient passive radiative cooling

Radiative cooling is a passive cooling technology that radiates heat to outer space without any energy input thus such technology is of great significance for alleviating environmental pollution and consumption of energy. However, achieving cooling during the daytime normally requires a series of complex structural designs that are economically inefficient and unscalable fabrication process. In this work, inspired by the nanostructure of Pieris rapae butterfly wings, we fabricate a double-layered polymeric film with a bead-like structure which can scatters incident light intensely for passive radiative cooling. Through optical characterization, it was demonstrated that the film can provide a high solar reflectivity of ∼92.4 % and a high atmospheric window emissivity of ∼93.2 %. In field tests, the film can achieve a maximum temperature drop of 6.5 °C and an average temperature drop of 3.8 °C under direct sunlight, and theoretically producing an effective cooling power of 123.8 W m−2. The as-prepared film could be fabricated through a low-cost template process, and our work presents a new approach to the application of radiative cooling technology in the field of building cooling.

Biological Carbon Sequestration: From Deep History to the Present Day

In the global carbon cycle, atmospheric carbon emissions, both ‘natural’ and anthropogenic, are balanced by carbon uptake (i.e., sequestration) that mostly occurs via photosynthesis, plus a much smaller proportion via geological processes. Since the formation of the Earth about 4.54 billion years ago, the ratio between emitted and sequestered carbon has varied considerably, with atmospheric CO2 levels ranging from 100,000 ppm to a mere 100 ppm. Over this time, a huge amount of carbon has been sequestered due to photosynthesis and essentially removed from the cycle, being buried as fossil deposits of coal, oil, and gas. Relatively low atmospheric CO2 levels were the norm for the past 10 million years, and during the past million years, they averaged about 220 ppm. More recently, the Holocene epoch, starting ~11,700 years ago, has been a period of unusual climatic stability with relatively warm, moist conditions and low atmospheric CO2 levels of between 260 and 280 ppm. During the Holocene, stable conditions facilitated a social revolution with the domestication of crops and livestock, leading to urbanisation and the development of complex technologies. As part of the latter process, immense quantities of sequestered fossil carbon have recently been used as energy sources, resulting in a particularly rapid increase in CO2 emissions after 1950 CE to the current value of 424 ppm, with further rises to &gt;800 ppm predicted by 2100. This is already perturbing the previously stable Holocene climate and threatening future food production and social stability. Today, the global carbon cycle has been shifted such that carbon sequestration is no longer keeping up with recent anthropogenic emissions. In order to address this imbalance, it is important to understand the roles of potential biological carbon sequestration systems and to devise strategies to facilitate net CO2 uptake; for example, via changes in the patterns of land use, such as afforestation, preventing deforestation, and facilitating agriculture–agroforestry transitions.

Changing production and consumption patterns for win-win of Minamata Convention on Mercury and common prosperity in China

China, the largest atmospheric mercury (Hg) emitter in the world, signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013 to control Hg emissions. Meanwhile, China aims to realize common prosperity, which emphasizes narrowing the income gaps. In this process, the income improvement of low-income groups may challenge atmospheric Hg emission reduction via the surge in consumption. However, little is known about the relationship between residents’ income and Hg emissions. This study quantifies the atmospheric Hg footprints (i.e., atmospheric Hg emissions driven by the consumption) of income groups in urban and rural areas and reveals their socioeconomic drivers during 2007–2017. We observed a positive correlation between per capita Hg footprints and per capita income. Less developed inland regions (e.g., the Northwest and Middle of Yellow River) showed a much steeper growth trend of per capita Hg footprints with the increase of per capita income, with the growth rate ranging from 1.37 μg/¥ to 2.17 μg/¥ in 2017. This indicates that income improvement may threaten Hg emission reduction when pursuing common prosperity. Fortunately, for some developed coastal provinces (e.g., Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangdong), changes in the consumption structure of urban high-income groups and the production structure have contributed significantly to the decrease of Hg emissions. Our findings enlighten the importance of promoting production and consumption transitions in reducing Hg emissions. Collaboration mechanisms should be established to transfer advanced technologies from developed regions to less developed regions. They can complement production-side measures and join forces to realize the win-win of Minamata Convention on Mercury and common prosperity.

The spatial spillover effect of green technology innovation on water pollution–evidence from 283 Chinese cities

While economic development brings serious environmental problems, technological advances can effectively reduce pollution, which helps to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Although the impact of green technology innovation on atmospheric pollutants and carbon emissions has been extensively studied, the effect of such innovation on pollutant reduction varies due to the diverse regional distribution characteristics of different pollutants. Thus, this paper contributes to the literature by examining the influence of green technology innovation on water pollution from a regional perspective, with a particular emphasis on the pronounced clustering of wastewater pollution in China's coastal areas. Both Fixed-Effect model and spatial analysis are adopted. Our findings reveal a significant U-shaped relationship between technology innovation and water pollution, as measured by both industrial wastewater and the ratio of unprocessed sewage. Interestingly, this pollution reduction effect also exhibits a U-shaped spatial spillover. Given the rapid development of the digital economy, it can further amplify the spatial spillover effect of green innovation, especially in eastern regions. This study also provides recent empirical evidence from China to the Environmental Kuznets Curve.

The impact of multi-decadal changes in VOC speciation on urban ozone chemistry: a case study in Birmingham, United Kingdom

Abstract. Anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the United Kingdom have been substantially reduced since 1990, which is, in part, attributed to controls on evaporative and vehicle tailpipe emissions. Over time, other sources with a different speciation (for example, alcohols from solvent use and industry processes) have grown in both relative importance and, in some cases, in absolute terms. The impact of this change in speciation and the resulting photochemical reactivities of VOCs are evaluated using a photochemical box model constrained by observational data during a summertime ozone event (Birmingham, UK) and apportionment of sources based on the UK National Atmospheric Emission Inventory (NAEI) data over the period 1990–2019. Despite road transport sources representing only 3.3 % of UK VOC emissions in 2019, road transport continued being the sector with the largest influence on the local O3 production rate (P(O3)). Under case study conditions, the 96 % reduction in road transport VOC emissions that has been achieved between 1990 and 2019 has likely reduced daytime P(O3) by ∼ 1.67 ppbv h−1. Further abatement of fuel fugitive emissions was modeled to have had less impact on P(O3) reduction than abatement of VOCs from industrial processes and solvent use. The long-term trend of increased emissions of ethanol and methanol has somewhat weakened the benefits of reducing road transport emissions, increasing P(O3) by ∼ 0.19 ppbv h−1 in the case study. Abatement of VOC emissions from multiple sources has been a notable technical and policy success in the UK, but some future benefits (from an ozone perspective) of the phase-out of internal combustion engine passenger cars may be offset if domestic and commercial solvent use of VOCs continue to increase.

Economic Assessment of Scenarios for Reducing Atmospheric Emissions in Krasnoyarsk due to Gas Infrastructure Development and the Use of Alternative Heating Systems

Economic Assessment of Scenarios for Reducing Atmospheric Emissions in Krasnoyarsk due to Gas Infrastructure Development and the Use of Alternative Heating Systems

Globally-significant arsenic release by wildfires in a mining-impacted boreal landscape

Metal mining and smelting activities are one of the largest anthropogenic sources of arsenic pollution to the environment, with pervasive consequences to human and environmental health. Several decades of metal processing activities near Yellowknife, NT, Canada have resulted in widespread accumulation of arsenic in biomass, soils, and sediments, exceeding environmental and human health limits. The landscape surrounding Yellowknife is frequently disturbed by wildfire, most recently in 2023, when 2500 km2 burned. While wildfire-mediated release of stored arsenic around Yellowknife likely represents an incipient threat to human and ecosystem health, a quantification of the potential magnitude of arsenic remobilization from wildfires is absent. Here we combine publicly available soil and biomass arsenic concentrations and land cover datasets with the current best estimates of pyrogenic arsenic speciation and release in upland and wetland ecosystems to estimate the potential range of arsenic remobilization due to wildfires in the region surrounding Yellowknife from 1972 to 2023. Since 1972, wildfires have potentially led to the release of 141–562 Mg of arsenic, with 61–381 Mg emitted to the atmosphere and 39–109 Mg mobilized as water-soluble species. The large range in potential atmospheric emissions was due to the range in peat emission efficiency (5%–84%) that resulted in more arsenic being released from wetlands than the uplands. In 2023 alone, our estimated atmospheric release from just four wildfires was between 15%–59% of global annual arsenic wildfire emissions and likely represented between 2 and 9% of total global arsenic emissions from all natural sources. Given that climate change has and will continue to increase both annual area burned and soil burn severity, we emphasize that future increased wildfire activity closer to Yellowknife will place legacy soil arsenic stores at risk of an even larger catastrophic and unprecedented release, especially as wetlands become drier.