Long-distance transport of pollen into the Arctic

Airborne particulates can be carried over long distances, but for significant quantities of particulates larger than a few micrometres in diameter to be transported more than a few kilometres usually requires a means of injecting the material high into the atmosphere, such as a volcanic eruption, forest fire or desert windstorm. But an unusual event occurred in the Canadian Arctic last year, in which significant amounts of pine and spruce pollen (30-55 μm long) were transported roughly 3,000 km.