Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Shape the Snow Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome.

Winter tourism can generate environmental pollution and affect microbial ecology in mountain ecosystems. This could stimulate the development of antibiotic resistance in snow and its dissemination through the atmosphere and through snow melting. Despite these potential impacts, the effect of winter tourism on the snow antibiotic resistome remains to be elucidated. In this study, snow samples subjected to different levels of anthropogenic activities and surrounding forest were obtained from the Sudety Mountains in Poland to evaluate the impact of winter tourism on snow bacteria using a metagenomic approach. Bacterial community composition was determined by the sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene and the composition of the antibiotic resistome was explored by metagenomic sequencing. Whereas environmental factors were the main drivers of bacterial community and antibiotic resistome composition in snow, winter tourism affected resistome composition in sites with similar environmental conditions. Several antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) showed a higher abundance in sites subjected to human activities. This is the first study to show that anthropogenic activities may influence the antibiotic resistome in alpine snow. Our results highlight the need to survey antibiotic resistance development in anthropogenically polluted sites.

SEM-EDS and water chemistry characteristics at the early stages of glacier recession reveal biogeochemical coupling between proglacial sediments and meltwater.

Most glaciers worldwide are undergoing climate-forced recession, but the impact of glacier changes on biogeochemical cycles is unclear. This study examines the influence of proglacial sediment weathering on meltwater chemistry at the early stages of glacier recession in the High Arctic of Svalbard. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) in combination with a wide range of geochemical analyses were used in this study. The SEM-EDS analyses of sediments collected in front of Werenskioldbreen show general degradation of pyrite and carbonate grains with age. The outer parts of pyrite grains have a gradual decrease in sulphur and gradual increase in iron oxides due to pyrite oxidation. This process was less advanced in the proglacial zone younger than 100 years compared to older sites such as the terminal moraine from the Little Ice Age. In both the proglacial zone and the terminal moraine, physical weathering of mineral grains, including formation of microcracks and microfractures, clearly enhanced pyrite oxidation. A consequence of proglacial sediment weathering is that the river chemistry is strongly affected by carbonate dissolution driven by sulphuric acid from sulphide oxidation. Also, reactive iron oxides, a product of sulphide oxidation, are mobilized in the proglacial zone. The results of this study show that proglacial weathering in the High Arctic of Svalbard is strongly coupled to river geochemistry, especially during the early stages of proglacial exposure after glacier recession.

Arsenic pollution in Quaternary sediments and water near a former gold mine.

Contamination of water and sediments with arsenic and heavy metals is a global issue affecting human health. Regions covered with Quaternary deposits have received little attention from the point of view of the flux of arsenic and heavy metals from sediments to surface water. This study aims to determine the flux of arsenic and other heavy metals from Quaternary sediments to surface waters in an area affected by the former Zloty Stok gold and arsenic mine. Contamination in surface waters and sediments was caused by arsenic, whereas concentrations of metals were usually within water quality standards. Arsenic contamination of surface water increased in the lower part of the basin covered by Quaternary sediments, and exceeded water quality standards by 2 orders of magnitude. Arsenic mass flux exceeded 8 kg/day near the confluence of the Trujaca River with the Nysa Klodzka, a main tributary of the Oder River. An increase in arsenic concentration in the lower part of the basin is related to mine tailings and preferential flow of groundwater through Quaternary sediments. In future, water resources scarcity may lead to an increase in arsenic contamination in surface and groundwater.

Re-activation of landslide in sub-Arctic areas due to extreme rainfall and discharge events (the mouth of the Great Whale River, Nunavik, Canada).

Climate change is impacting surficial geomorphic processes, especially in sensitive areas such as the sub-Arctic. One of the most common examples involves landslides, which often develop in glacio-isostatically raised marine clays in northeastern Canada. One of these sites, an expansive area of complex landslide terrain located at the mouth of the Great Whale River in Nunavik, has already been studied due to its age and morphology. We present new data, based on the multidisciplinary research including geomorphic, dendrochronological, and hydroclimatological analyses, allowing us to determine how contemporary climate change has affected landslide reactivation during the last 80 years. Our research included collecting 60 cores from Picea glauca trees, growing on the marginal zone of a landslide deposit, as well as from a reference site. The tilted trees formed eccentric growth-ring patterns, which provided us with reliable dates on the landslide events. In addition to these dendrochronological data, we studied these landslides using repeated aerial photography, which showed changes in river channel constrictions in the period 1969-2019. Based on the eccentricity index of the tree ring data, we recognized disturbance events due to landslides. We compared these data with the hydroclimatological conditions and found clearly visible correlations between heavy rainfall and discharge (>95th percentile) of the Great Whale River. The increased landslide activity over the past several years can be linked to an increase in extreme summertime rainfall events. Increased landslide activity poses a real threat, through its input of large amounts of fine-grained sediment to the river, causing it to narrow.