Publication Date:
2010-03-23
Description:
Spatial variations in the ion composition were studied in 55 surface snow samples collected along three transects in the Ingrid Christensen Coast of East Antarctica. The sea-salt ion constituents revealed a drastic reduction from the ice edge to inland sites. The computed sea-salt sodium and non-sea-salt calcium concentrations suggest that while sea spray primarily contributes to the Na+, the crustal contribution dominates the Ca2+ in snow samples. The Cl-/ssNa+ ratios of the snow samples from the Larsemann transect varied between 4.7 and 1.05, indicating that additional Cl- sources like soil dust are important in the inland sites. The enrichment factors (Ef) confirm a dominant crustal source for Ca2+ in all transects. The Ef(K+) values indicate a dominant sea spray source for K+ in the coastal stations of the Larsemann and Publications transects. The Ef(Mg2+) values indicate the absence of any significant Mg2+ enrichment compared to seawater values. Secondary sulphur species (nssSO42- and MSA) within the snow samples suggest that both vary independently of each other, possibly influenced by the local biological activities. The nssSO42- data revealed that several summer snow deposits in the study region are significantly fractionated, apparently related to the sea ice existence during summer.
Print ISSN:
0954-1020
Electronic ISSN:
1365-2079
Topics:
Biology
,
Geography
,
Geosciences
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