William Hartz

Dr. William Hartz is a scientist in the Department of Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects at NILU. He previously completed his PhD at the University of Oxford and University Centre in Svalbard and currently holds an external position at Örebro University in Sweden.

Main research interests:

• Fate of contaminants in glaciers and Arctic environments, including a particular focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
• Mechanisms for long-range atmospheric transport of contaminants with a particular focus on polar environments
• Observations from snow and ice cores to understand pollution, climate and glacier dynamics

In recent years, his research has focused on the sources and processes of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the snow and ice on Svalbard. This work has led to the discovery of new Arctic contaminants, observation of high seasonality in PFAS deposition in the Arctic and new understandings about the atmospheric sources of PFAS to the Arctic using an ice core as a record of historical atmospheric deposition.

William is also part of NILU’s atmospheric monitoring team for organic contaminants, using data from several NILU stations such as the Zeppelin Observatory on Svalbard (79°N). Every year they publish a report into the levels of >250 organic contaminants in urban, rural and Arctic air in Norway and Svalbard.

William is available for contact to discuss industry solutions and monitoring for PFAS and other fluorinated contaminants.