Integration of Satellite Monitoring and Mathematical Modeling in Analyzing the Nature of Elevated Sulfur Dioxide Concentrations in the Surface Air of Northern Finland.

This article is devoted to investigating the nature of the increment in the surface concentration of toxic gas sulfur dioxide (SO2) in northern Finland. The study is carried out for June 2011, when an increased near-surface SO2 concentration was registered at the Finnish Inari Raja-Jooseppi observation station together with the surface wind blowing from the territory of the Kola Peninsula. The hypothesis of natural increment of near-surface SO2 concentration as a result of the eruption of the Grímsvötn volcano (Iceland) is verified using satellite SO2 observations by OMI, numerical weather prediction, the Enviro-HIRLAM atmospheric chemistry model, and the HYSPLIT particle dispersion model. The results show that not only local man-made sources, but also the remote transfer of pollutants from volcanic eruptions can cause an increased near-surface SO2 concentration. To verify this hypothesis, a large set of statistics is required in northern Finland during periods of volcanic activity in Iceland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]