Geochemistry of frost flowers and snow obtained near Ahlmann summit, Vestfonna ice cap

Fuente: PANGAEA
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Beaudon, Emilie, Moore, John C
Format: Dataset Open Access
Sprache:en
Veröffentlicht: PANGAEA 2009
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1867168562512134144
author Beaudon, Emilie
Moore, John C
author_facet Beaudon, Emilie
Moore, John C
collection Datos científicos de ciencias marinas y ambientales
contents The chemistry of snow and ice cores from Svalbard is influenced by variations in local sea ice margin and distance to open water. Snow pits sampled at two summits of Vestfonna ice cap (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard), exhibit spatially heterogeneous soluble ions concentrations despite similar accumulation rates, reflecting the importance of small-scale weather patterns on this island ice cap. The snow pack on the western summit shows higher average values of marine ions and a winter snow layer that is relatively depleted in sulphate. One part of the winter snow pack exhibits a [SO4-/Na+] ratio reduced by two thirds compared with its ratio in sea water. This low sulphate content in winter snow is interpreted as the signature of frost flowers, which are formed on young sea ice when offshore winds predominate. Frost flowers have been described as the dominant source of sea salt to aerosol and precipitation in ice cores in coastal Antarctica but this is the first time their chemical signal has been described in the Arctic. The eastern summit does not show any frost flower signature and we interpret the unusually dynamic ice transport and rapid formation of thin ice on the Hinlopen Strait as the source of the frost flowers.
format Dataset Open Access
id pangaea_https___doi_org_10_1594_PANGAEA_807202
institution PANGAEA
language en
publishDate 2009
publisher PANGAEA
record_format pangaea
spellingShingle Geochemistry of frost flowers and snow obtained near Ahlmann summit, Vestfonna ice cap
Beaudon, Emilie
Moore, John C
International Polar Year (2007-2008); IPY
The chemistry of snow and ice cores from Svalbard is influenced by variations in local sea ice margin and distance to open water. Snow pits sampled at two summits of Vestfonna ice cap (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard), exhibit spatially heterogeneous soluble ions concentrations despite similar accumulation rates, reflecting the importance of small-scale weather patterns on this island ice cap. The snow pack on the western summit shows higher average values of marine ions and a winter snow layer that is relatively depleted in sulphate. One part of the winter snow pack exhibits a [SO4-/Na+] ratio reduced by two thirds compared with its ratio in sea water. This low sulphate content in winter snow is interpreted as the signature of frost flowers, which are formed on young sea ice when offshore winds predominate. Frost flowers have been described as the dominant source of sea salt to aerosol and precipitation in ice cores in coastal Antarctica but this is the first time their chemical signal has been described in the Arctic. The eastern summit does not show any frost flower signature and we interpret the unusually dynamic ice transport and rapid formation of thin ice on the Hinlopen Strait as the source of the frost flowers.
title Geochemistry of frost flowers and snow obtained near Ahlmann summit, Vestfonna ice cap
topic International Polar Year (2007-2008); IPY
url https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.807202