One-Century Old Black Carbon Particles from Oil, Coal Burning Found in Remote Antarctic Ice

Scientific Reports, 21 April 2023

An ice core from the Antarctic Peninsula contains fine soot particles released from oil and coal burning dating back to the 1930s, thousands of miles away from any potential source. Fossil fuel combustion, especially from inefficient burning. releases black carbon which can loft high into the atmosphere and eventually land even on polar ice sheets, increasing melt. Past samples from Antarctica have primarily found black carbon from biomass (such as wildfires and woodstoves); but this study found that black carbon from fossil combustion has been landing on Antarctica for nearly a century. Strengthening wind patterns over the Southern Ocean could lead to increased black carbon and other atmospheric pollutants reaching Antarctica over coming decades. These physical markers of industrial activity trapped in ice layers make it clear that even vast and isolated regions such as Antarctica are vulnerable to rising emissions and global pollution. Transitioning to cleaner energy sources to stay within the 1.5°C guardrail of the Paris Agreement is essential to maintaining the stability of polar ice and pristine nature of the Antarctic continent.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-33849-x