Deposition of atmospheric trace metals in northern Sweden as measured in the snowpack

In late February and early March, 1984, the snowpack of northern Scandinavia, with emphasison northern Sweden, was sampled and analyzed for trace metals (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn)and major ions. A comparison of major ion concentrations in the snowpack and monthlyprecipitation samples indicates that little of the major ions have escaped from the snowpack.Presumably, this is also true for trace metals. Metal concentrations in the region decrease fromthe Baltic coast towards the Swedish interior. The lowest metal concentrations are found in theSwedish mountains near the Norwegian border. Concentrations in this area are comparable toconcentrations found in snow in Greenland and the Euopean Arctic near Spitsbergen. Theconcentration of Cd, Pb, Zn and sulfate in the snowpack are highly correlated to one another,and it is concluded that the deposition of these metals in northern Sweden during winter monthsis due mainly to long-range transport.