It is well established that snow and ice are reactive media in the environment and that active photochemistry occurs in frozen systems.  It has been shown that snowpack plays an important role in processing atmospheric species such as mercury, nitrogen oxides, alkyl halides, ozone, carbonyl compounds and molecular halogens.  Photochemical transformations of anthropogenic organic contaminants in snow and ice have also been observed.  The active chemistry occurring in snow and ice can have significant, and sometimes surprising, impacts on the overlying atmosphere and surrounding ecosystems.   Although myriad studies have observed active chemistry occurring within irradiated snowpacks, the fundamental mechanisms and processes often remain poorly understood. Because much of the observed chemistry is driven by sunlight, it is important to assess the role of important absorbers in snow and ice.  Natural organic matter (NOM) is a ubiquitous component of snow and ice and plays an important role in overall light absorption properties of the sample.  Additionally, the reactive intermediates produced by NOM photolysis can further react with contaminants present and alter their fate in the environment or may play a role in generation and emission of volatile species to the overlying atmosphere.  Unfortunately, the role of NOM in ice photochemistry has received little attention and characterizing the nature of NOM is hindered due to its complex and heterogeneous nature.  Here we will discuss recent efforts to study the chemistry of NOM in ice under controlled laboratory conditions as well as advances in the characterization of NOM in environmental snow and ice samples using advanced analytical techniques such as ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry. <br/>

Natural organic matter in snow and ice: Chemistry and characterization

2019 Fall National Meeting

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