Abstract
ABSTRACTA geochemical method to characterize post-depositional melting and elution is demonstrated using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to measure concentrations of dissolved and insoluble fractions of major crustal elements in snow samples collected from March 2006 to January 2010 at Urumqi Glacier No. 1, Tien Shan. Dust from these samples has compositional homogeneity, suggesting that dust has a stable dissolved fraction percentage (DFP, calculated as dissolved/(dissolved + insoluble)%). Calcium has the highest DFP (averaging 61.5 ± 19.4%), followed by Na (30.4 ± 19.6%), Mg (13.2 ± 9.8%), and K (7.9 ± 9.8%). Acid input can affect dissolution of Na and Ca. Taking DFP values of unmelted samples as the reference, the higher DFPs refer to strengthened dissolution from acid input, while the lower ones refer to elution. Based on the DFP difference between unmelted and eluted states, an elution sequence Ca > Na > Mg > K is obtained. Some details such as the beginning and the ending stages of elution can be found by DFP and acid input index, while using ion concentration is not capable of this. Our results reveal that acid input is an important mechanism for DFP changes, that the DFP index can provide an effective assessment of snow elution, and that this will aid in understanding low latitude ice cores.
Highlights
The study of melting snow under current global warming is of great importance for understanding changes in the modern cryospheric environment and interpreting paleoclimate information in ice core records
We find that the ICP-MS has a slightly higher result than the IC, which could cause a systematic underestimation of the DFP calculation result
The enrichment factors of these major crustal elements (Nainsol, Mginsol, Kinsol, and Cainsol), which are widely used to check for anthropogenic contributions, are very low (
Summary
The study of melting snow under current global warming is of great importance for understanding changes in the modern cryospheric environment and interpreting paleoclimate information in ice core records. Snow melting can occur quickly over several hours, while 50–80% of the pollutant load in snow can be released with the first 30% of the meltwater (Johannessen and Henriksen, 1978). This process strongly influences the ion composition of snow (Balerna and others, 2003) and causes environmental problems, such as the ‘acid flush’ or ionic pulse in meltwater (Tsiouris and others, 1985; Harrington and Bales, 1998). Using the impurities in snow subjected to melting as a climate indicator for the paleoclimate record will induce uncertainty
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
