Snow and rain chemistry around the “Severonikel” industrial complex, NW Russia: Current status and retrospective analysis

The current (2005–2011) status of the chemical composition of snow cover and rain collected at a height of 1.5 m above ground was studied within 11 km around the Severonikel industrial complex, one of the largest SO2 and metal contamination sources in N Europe. In spite of a significant decrease in emissions during the past 20 years, Ni and Cu concentrations in snow remain extremely high near the source (2500 and 1500 times background values, respectively). Although showing a five- to six-fold decrease in Ni and Cu concentrations since 1994, rain water currently still has concentrations 150 and 80 times background, respectively. Differences in the chemical composition of snow pack and rain collected at a height of 1.5 m above ground in this case are not caused by seasonal effects, but rather by the height of precipitation sampling relative to the ground.