[Press Release] Arctic NO3− flux remains high despite NOx emission controls

The research group that includes Assist. Profs. Yoshinori Iizuka and Sumito Matoba, Assoc. Prof. Osamu Seki (Institute of Low Temperature Science), and Ryoto Furukawa who has finished our master’s course (Division of Earth System Science) measured the major ion fluxes in a 90 m ice core drilled from a southeast Greenland dome and presented the records of ion fluxes for the past 60 years at unprecedented high time resolution. They found that the decadal trend of NO₃^– flux differs from the decreasing trend of anthropogenic NOx emissions. Although NOx emissions have shown a decreasing trend since 1970–80’s, the NO₃^– flux in the ice core was the highest in the 1990’s and it was higher after 2000 than that in the 1960-80’s. The present result suggests that Arctic NO₃^– flux remains high despite NOx emission controls by surrounding countries.

These research outcomes are published as two papers in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Please visit links below to view the press release.
Research Press Release (English ver.)
Research Press Release (PDF in Japanese)