Geochemical, isotopic, and mineralogical constraints on atmospheric deposition in the hyper-arid Atacama Desert, Chile

Abstract

Modern atmospheric deposition across the Atacama was collected by an array of dust traps that stretched from the Pacific coast to the Andean altiplano, and the material was analyzed for its geochemical, mass and isotopic composition. The coastal trap had the second-highest insoluble mineral particle and highest soluble salt deposition rates due to significant inputs from the Morro Mejillones Range and the Pacific Ocean, respectively. The Andean trap had the highest insoluble mineral particle deposition owing to transport of weathered material, but the lowest deposition rate of soluble salts due to its distance from the ocean and anthropogenic sources. The removal of oceanic material was effective by the coastal mountains, while the westward transport of the Andean material was determined to be minimal. The atmospheric deposition in the inland traps was mainly from the local entrainment of surface material, inland anthropogenic emissions, and transport of marine aerosols. The nitrate isotopes (δ15N and Δ17O) suggested that NOx sources and NO3− chemistry shifted along the west–east transect, and were greatly impacted by anthropogenic emissions with soil NO3− being a minor source of deposited nitrogen.