The content and composition of organic compounds in the snow-ice cover of the White Sea

This paper reports data on the concentrations of organic compounds (organic carbon, C_org; lipids; aliphatic hydrocarbons, AHCs; and polycyclic 0aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs) in snow, ice, and subice waters from the mouth of the Severnaya Dvina River (2005–2007) and Kandalaksha Gulf (Chupa Bay, 2004) at the end of winter. It was established that organic compounds are accumulated in the snow and upper ice layer near the town of Archangelsk. The distribution of molecular markers indicates that pollution was mainly caused by local fallouts. In Chupa Bay, organic compounds are concentrated in the lower ice layers, which is typical of the Arctic snow-ice cover. The high contents of organic compounds in the snow-ice cover of the White Sea are caused by the pollution of its air and water during the winter season.