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Abstract
Understanding the distribution and transport of Uranium is important because it can lead to both chemical and radiological toxicity. This study presents the Uranium concentrations time series from 1964 to 2009 obtained from a 3 m deep snow pit at Dome Argus, East Antarctic Plateau. The data shows that Uranium concentrations vary from 0.0067 pg g-1 to 0.12 pg g-1, with a mean concentration of 0.044 pg g-1. Its mean concentration is 2–3 folds lower than at West Antarctica study sites, such as the Antarctic Peninsula (mean 0.12 pg g-1), IC-6 (Ice Core-6) (mean 0.11 pg g-1) and a suite of ice cores from the US ITASE traverse. Before the mid-1980s, the varieties of Uranium concentrations are relatively stable, with a very low mean concentration of 0.016 pg g-1and its main source is sea salt deposition, while a small number of anthropogenic sources are likely to be caused by Uranium mining operations in South Africa. A remarkable increase of Uranium concentrations has occurred since the mid-1980s (by a factor of ~ 9) compared with the amount before the mid-1980s. This increase coincides with the Uranium records at IC-6 and Antarctic Peninsula (DP-07-01) during the same period, and are mostly attributed to Uranium mining operations in Australia as a potential primary anthropogenic Uranium source. Our observations suggest that Uranium pollution in the atmosphere might have already become a global phenomenon.
Highlights
Antarctica, with a unique geographical condition, can store large quantities of airborne ions and elements in snow and ice which can be used to investigate past environmental changes and atmospheric circulation patterns [1]
Our results show that the anthropogenic sources to Uranium deposition at Dome Argus (Dome A) can be attributed to Uranium mining operations in the Southern Hemisphere especially in Australia, which indicates Uranium pollution in the atmosphere might have already become a global phenomenon by atmospheric circulation
This study presents Uranium concentrations time series from 1964 to 2009 at a depth of 3m in Dome A, East Antarctica
Summary
Antarctica, with a unique geographical condition, can store large quantities of airborne ions and elements in snow and ice which can be used to investigate past environmental changes and atmospheric circulation patterns [1]. Dome Argus (Dome A) is located at the highest point of the Antarctic inland, at an altitude of 4093 m.a.s.l. (meters above sea level), about 1228 km from the nearest coastline and it is called “the inaccessible pole” as a result of the farthest distance from the coastline [2]. In Dome A, the average snow accumulation rate was 23 kg m-2 yr-1 and the mean surface temperature was -58.3 ̊C [2]. Trace elements stored in Dome A can act as climatic indicators to reveal the climate and environmental changes with global scale characteristics due to the scarce human interference.
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