Temporal variations in marine chemical concentrations in coastal areas of eastern Antarctica and associated climatic causes
Introduction
Atmospheric matter is constantly deposited on the polar ice caps, and thus, these ice caps represent a powerful and unique archive of past climatic and environmental changes that offers the possibility of understanding the forcing factors and positive and negative feedback mechanisms of the climatic system (Kreutz and Mayewski, 1999, Traversi et al., 2004). In previous studies, continuous ice core sampling from the surface and deep layers has lengthened the available paleo-climatic and paleo-environmental information to hundreds of thousands of years (Augustin et al., 2004). For example, the EPICA Dome C (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica, in the Pacific/Indian Ocean sector, East Antarctica) ice core project yielded a climatic history of the last 800,000 years that included at least eight glacial–interglacial transition events (Augustin et al., 2004). The deep ice core drilling project at Dome Argus, an important project of the International Trans-Antarctica Scientific Expedition (ITASE), aims to obtain a climatic record of Antarctica spanning one million years, the longest period yet attempted (Xiao et al., 2008). However, a reliable relationship between glaciological data and paleo-atmospheric composition depends on our understanding of how changes in source intensity and transport efficiency are reflected in the snow for different climatic conditions and how changes in the chemical and physical features of snow deposition, which can affect depositional and post-depositional processes, affect the ice layer composition (Mayewski and Legrand, 1990, Hansson, 1995, Wagnon et al., 1999). Many previous studies have discussed the spatial distribution of different climatic indicators (e.g., sea spray elements, sulfur compounds and nitrogen ions) (Qin et al., 1992, Qin et al., 2000, Suzuki et al., 2002, Bertler et al., 2005). However, given the large area of the Antarctic ice sheet and the complexities of the climatic systems in different regions, it is necessary to perform studies on spatial distribution in different areas. Such studies should also be conducted at sites that have already been studied, as studies using different time scales and temporal resolutions have not yet been performed.
Spatial research considers the sources of different ions such as Na+, Cl− and Mg2+ in sea salt (which have been shown to be closely related to the sea ice extent) (Becagli et al., 2004, Traversi et al., 2004), oxidized sulfur compounds such as nssSO42− and MSA (which are strongly influenced by the sea ice extent and sea surface temperature in the source area) (Traversi et al., 2004, Becagli et al., 2009) and nitrogen compounds in volcanic tephra depositions (Zhou et al., 2006, Ren et al., 2010) (which was significantly influenced by stratosphere/troposphere interchanges, lightning and other photo-induced atmospheric processes) (Traversi et al., 2004, Li et al., 2013). The deposition of chemical compounds is closely related to the intensity of atmospheric circulation (Ma et al., 2010). Many previous studies focused on rebuilding the history of atmospheric circulation and determining variations in signal intensities via variations in concentrations of chemical elements (Xiao et al., 2004, Zheng et al., 2010). After deposition, the original signals of the deposited compounds continue to change via drifting snow, sublimation and, for some unstable compounds (e.g., MSA, NO3− and NH4+), re-emission from the snow layers and subsequent redeposition in the upper layers (Becagli et al., 2004, Traversi et al., 2004).
Here, we report on a study of the spatial and temporal distribution of primary (sea salt) and secondary (biogenic sulfur compounds and atmospheric nitrate) aerosol components from a snow pit and a firn core captured in coastal areas of the Princess Elizabeth Land and the inland areas near Grove Mountain. Both of the sampling sites lie on a transect from the Zhongshan station to Dome Argus (Ma et al., 2010, Ding et al., 2011).
Section snippets
Sampling and analysis
During the 2002–2003 Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE), one snow pit and 25 firn core samples were taken at the beginning of an expedition route (approximately 450 km inland) that lies between Zhongshan Station and Dome A along the eastern side of the Lambert Glacier Basin. At the end of this transect, the expedition route turned right and moved into the Grove Mountain area, where another snow pit and eight firn core samples were obtained. We chose to study one firn core
Dating and accumulation
The seasonal stratigraphic markers and the statistical accumulations were used as reference standards for dating (Ding et al., 2011). The Pinatubo volcanic signal (1992) recorded in the ZG050 sample was also used to validate the dating results. The LH406 snow pit was sampled on February 10, 2003. Therefore, the first peak values should have occurred in the austral winter of 2002. Given the relatively high accumulation in the coastal regions (Ding et al., 2011), the post-depositional influence
Conclusion
An investigation of the temporal variations in soluble marine ion concentrations from the LH406 and ZG050 sites revealed that significant seasonal variation patterns occurred, with maximum concentrations in the winter and spring and minimum concentrations in the summer. The seasonal variations in the concentrations of sea salt ions were similar to the variations in the sea ice extent observed in the nearby ocean (60–90°E). Wind had a minor influence on the seasonal deposition pattern.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all the members who participated in the 2002–2003 CHINARE field campaigns for sample collection. Special thanks should also be given to Ms. Xiaoxiang Wang from Cold and arid regions environmental and engineering research institute who completed parts of analysis. This work was supported by the Innovative Research Group, National Natural Science Foundation of China (41121001), National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, 2013CBA01804), State Key
References (60)
- et al.
Glaciochemical records from a Mt. Everest ice core: relationship to atmospheric circulation over Asia
Atmosphere and Environment
(2002) - et al.
Fifty-year Amundsen–Scott South Pole station surface climatology
Atmospheric Research
(2012) - et al.
Thirty years of snow deposition at Talos Dome (Northern Victoria Land, East Antarctica): chemical profiles and climatic implications
Microchemical Journal
(2009) - et al.
Major ions composition records from a shallow ice core on Mt. Tanggula in the central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Atmospheric Research
(2010) - et al.
Ice core records as sea ice proxies: an evaluation from the Weddell Sea region of Antarctica
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012)
(2007) - et al.
A review of sea ice proxy information from polar ice cores
Quaternary Science Reviews
(2013) - et al.
Eight glacial cycles from an Antarctic ice core
Nature
(2004) - et al.
Chemical characterization of the last 250 years of snow deposition at Talos Dome (East Antarctica)
International Journal of Environmental and Analytical Chemistry
(2004) - et al.
Methanesulphonic acid (MSA) stratigraphy from a Talos Dome ice core as a tool in depicting sea ice changes and southern atmospheric circulation over the previous 140 years
Atmosphere and Environment
(2009) Biogenic sulfur emissions from the Subantarctic and Antarctic Oceans
Journal of Geophysical Research
(1987)
Snow chemistry across Antarctica
Annals of Glaciology
Environmental Chemistry
Tracers in the Sea
Seasonal characteristics of the major ions in the high-accumulation Dome Summit South ice core, Law Dome, Antarctica
Annals of Glaciology
Ice core evidence for Antarctic sea ice decline since the 1950s
Science
Environmental information from ice cores
Reviews in Geophysics
Aeolian dust in the Talos Dome ice core (East Antarctica, Pacific/Ross Sea sector): Victoria Land versus remote sources over the last two climate cycles
Journal of Quaternary Science
Spatial variability of surface mass balance along a traverse route from Zhongshan station to Dome A, Antarctica
Journal of Glaciology
Frost flowers growing in the Arctic ocean-atmosphere–sea ice–snow interface: 1. Chemical composition
Journal of Geophysical Research
Are changes in atmospheric cleansing responsible for observed variations of impurity concentrations in ice cores?
Annals of Glaciology
Spatial variability of Antarctic surface snow glaciochemistry: implications for palaeoatmospheric circulation reconstructions
Antarctic Science
Sulfur-containing species (methanesulfonate and SO4) over the last climatic cycle in the Greenland Ice Core Project (central Greenland) ice core
Journal of Geophysical Research
Glaciochemistry of polar ice cores: a review
Reviews in Geophysics
Methane sulfonic acid to non-sea-salt sulfate ratio in coastal Antarctic aerosol and surface snow
Journal of Geophysical Research
Methanesulfonic acid in south polar snow layers: a record of strong El Nino?
Geophysical Research Letters
Factors controlling the nitrate in the DT-401 ice core in eastern Antarctica
Science in China D
Glaciochemical evidence in an East Antarctica ice core of a recent (AD 1450–1850) neoglacial episode
Journal of Geophysical Research
Spatial-temporal characters of Antarctic sea ice variation
Polar Research
Near surface climate of the traverse route from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, East Antarctica
Antarctic Science
Relation between surface topography and sea-salt snow chemistry from Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica
The Cryosphere Discussions
Cited by (10)
Fe variation characteristics and sources in snow samples along a traverse from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, East Antarctica
2019, Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :The mean δ-elevation gradient is −0.88‰/100 m for δ18O along this transect (Du et al., 2018). The sea salt concentrations (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Cl− and Sr) show a marked decrease with distance from the coast, indicating that there is a significant marine source (Li et al., 2014). In contrast to the above components, NO3‐ shows a slightly increasing trend towards the interior, with little variability, and NO3‐ concentrations are higher in the interior and exhibit large fluctuations.
The perchlorate record during 1956–2004 from Tienshan ice core, East Asia
2019, Science of the Total EnvironmentHolocene climate variability from the lake sediment core in Schirmacher Oasis region, East Antarctica: Multiproxy approach
2016, Quaternary InternationalCitation Excerpt :These proxies have been used to understand the biochemistry, productivity changes and environmental behavior of the Antarctic lakes and surrounding ocean, (Mortlock and Froelich, 1989; Muller and Schneider, 1993; Colman et al., 1995; Kamatani and Oku, 2000; Kaplan et al., 2002; Yoon et al., 2006). Holocene climatic variations in Antarctica have been reconstructed using a wide variety of archives like marine and lake sediments (Burgess et al., 1994; Björck et al., 1996; Hodgson et al., 2001, 2004; Bera, 2004a, 2004b; Verleyen et al., 2004, 2005; Bentley et al., 2009; Oerter, 2012), ice-cores (Steig et al., 1998; Petit et al., 1999; Masson et al., 2000) and recent temporal variations studies based on snow pits and firn cores (Li et al., 2014). The Antarctic region is known to be least influenced by anthropogenic activity, hence provides an opportunity to understand the past climatic variations.
Spatial and temporal variability of marine-origin matter along a transect from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, Eastern Antarctica
2016, Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)Citation Excerpt :In addition, Cl− species also come from volcanic and anthropogenic activities via the stratosphere or upper troposphere (Dixon et al., 2013; Legrand and Mayewski, 1997). Along with the increase in the mean ratio of the two ions, the standard deviations of the ratios also increased, supporting the speculation that there are other mechanisms influencing the deposition of Cl− in the interior plateau area (Li et al., 2014). Unlike the sea salt ions, no significant deviations were detected in the two sulfur components between surface snow and snow pit samples along the transect route (Fig. 2).
Spatiotemporal variations of monocarboxylic acids in snow layers along a transect from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, eastern Antarctica
2015, Atmospheric ResearchCitation Excerpt :Moreover, during the summer, short-wavelength solar radiation is at a maximum; thus, the enhanced oceanic photo-degradation of dissolved organic matter and the photochemical production of alkenes may be other factors affecting the monocarboxylic acid loading in snow (Legrand et al., 2004). The strong northern wind from the ocean during the summer may be another important factor in the greater deposition of formate and acetate during the summer (Li et al., 2014; Ma et al., 2010). However, there are different opinions regarding whether the higher penguin populations during the summer near the sampling site affect the monocarboxylic acid load (Legrand et al., 1998, 2004).
Spatial and temporal variations of fractionation of stable isotopes in East-Antarctic snow
2021, Journal of Glaciology