A research group led by Associate Professor and Distinguished Researcher Teppei J. Yasunari at our center conducted the first PM2.5 observation in Qaanaaq, Northwest Greenland, from July 20 to August 13, 2022. This study was motivated by the belief that maintaining healthy air quality is essential for the inhabitants of the Arctic region to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) principle of “leaving no one behind.” During the observation period, the team, for the first time, detected increases in PM2.5 due to open waste burning in Qaanaaq and discussed the possibility that their air pollutant particles could deposit into the surrounding sea areas.
Hokkaido University >Research News >Research Press Release
Open waste burning linked to air pollution in Northwestern Greenland
https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/open-waste-burning-linked-to-air-pollution-in-northwestern-greenland/
Paper:
Yasunari, T. J., Kajikawa, T., Matsumi, Y., & Kim, K.-M. (2024). Increased atmospheric PM2.5 events due to open waste burning in Qaanaaq, Greenland, summer of 2022. Atmospheric Science Letters, e1231.
https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.1231
Temporal variation of PM2.5 and air pollution from open waste burning in Qaanaaq during the summer of 2022, based on a short-term observation (Graphical Abstract from Yasunari et al., 2024).
