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August 18, 2008

Arctic ice core shows toxic metals from coal burning decreased in the 1960s, defying expectations.

Detailed measurements from a Greenland ice core found toxic heavy metals primarily from coal burning in North America and Europe contaminated the polar regions after being transported through the atmosphere and deposited there. But the amount of contamination in the 1960s and '70s was less than researchers expected.

Credit: Joseph McConnell, Desert Research Institute


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Related story: Greenland Ice Core Reveals History of Pollution in the Arctic