The Fate of Trace Elements and Emerging Environmental Pollutants (Benzotriazoles and Benzothiazoles) from Glacier-fed Rivers in Mixing Zone of Arctic Fjord System

The Arctic is a vulnerable environment known to receive pollutants from long-range transport. These pollutants tend to accumulate in ice, sow, and soil. Concerns are rising together with the changing climate as melting glaciers might release pollutants into aquatic systems. Pollutants that have accumulated over decades or centuries can pose a threat to biota and humans. In this study, concentrations of trace elements and two groups of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), benzothiazoles and benzotriazoles (BTHs and BTRs), were assessed in water and sediment of the fjord Kongsfjord and the river Bayelva in the area of Ny-Ålesund at 79º N on the island of Spitsbergen, part of the archipelago of Svalbard. The aim of this study is to investigate the fate of the organic and inorganic compounds in the mixing zone of freshwater from a glacier-fed river and seawater from Kongsfjorden and to analyze potential correlations between them.