Impact and implications of meltwater percolation on trace element records observed in a high-Alpine ice core
ABSTRACT Past atmospheric pollution can be reconstructed from ice core trace element records retrieved from mountain glaciers. However, the current global temperature increase can result in post-depositional melt processes, significantly altering the originally stored information. Here, we present a...
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/jog.2018.74 2024-10-13T14:08:02+00:00 Impact and implications of meltwater percolation on trace element records observed in a high-Alpine ice core AVAK, SVEN ERIK SCHWIKOWSKI, MARGIT EICHLER, ANJA 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.74 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143018000746 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Journal of Glaciology volume 64, issue 248, page 877-886 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 journal-article 2018 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.74 2024-09-18T04:03:52Z ABSTRACT Past atmospheric pollution can be reconstructed from ice core trace element records retrieved from mountain glaciers. However, the current global temperature increase can result in post-depositional melt processes, significantly altering the originally stored information. Here, we present a comprehensive study on the behaviour of 35 trace elements (TEs) during meltwater percolation in a high-Alpine ice core segment from upper Grenzgletscher, Switzerland. Some TEs revealed significant concentration depletion, whereas others were well preserved depending on their water solubility and location at the grain scale. TEs present in insoluble minerals, typically enriched at grain boundaries, were found to be mostly preserved because their insolubility in water results in immobility with meltwater percolation. Water-soluble TEs revealed a variable meltwater-mobility. Whereas ultra-TEs tend to be preserved, likely due to incorporation into the ice lattice, abundant TEs are prone to relocation from grain-boundary regions. We propose that at Alpine sites, Ag, Al, Bi, Cu, Cs, Fe, Li, Mo, Pb, Rb, Sb, Th, Tl, U, V, W, Zr and the rare-earth elements may still be applicable as robust environmental proxies even if partial melting occurred, whereas Ba, Ca, Cd Co, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Sr and Zn are prone to significant depletion. Article in Journal/Newspaper ice core Journal of Glaciology Cambridge University Press Journal of Glaciology 64 248 877 886 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
ABSTRACT Past atmospheric pollution can be reconstructed from ice core trace element records retrieved from mountain glaciers. However, the current global temperature increase can result in post-depositional melt processes, significantly altering the originally stored information. Here, we present a comprehensive study on the behaviour of 35 trace elements (TEs) during meltwater percolation in a high-Alpine ice core segment from upper Grenzgletscher, Switzerland. Some TEs revealed significant concentration depletion, whereas others were well preserved depending on their water solubility and location at the grain scale. TEs present in insoluble minerals, typically enriched at grain boundaries, were found to be mostly preserved because their insolubility in water results in immobility with meltwater percolation. Water-soluble TEs revealed a variable meltwater-mobility. Whereas ultra-TEs tend to be preserved, likely due to incorporation into the ice lattice, abundant TEs are prone to relocation from grain-boundary regions. We propose that at Alpine sites, Ag, Al, Bi, Cu, Cs, Fe, Li, Mo, Pb, Rb, Sb, Th, Tl, U, V, W, Zr and the rare-earth elements may still be applicable as robust environmental proxies even if partial melting occurred, whereas Ba, Ca, Cd Co, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Sr and Zn are prone to significant depletion. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
AVAK, SVEN ERIK SCHWIKOWSKI, MARGIT EICHLER, ANJA |
spellingShingle |
AVAK, SVEN ERIK SCHWIKOWSKI, MARGIT EICHLER, ANJA Impact and implications of meltwater percolation on trace element records observed in a high-Alpine ice core |
author_facet |
AVAK, SVEN ERIK SCHWIKOWSKI, MARGIT EICHLER, ANJA |
author_sort |
AVAK, SVEN ERIK |
title |
Impact and implications of meltwater percolation on trace element records observed in a high-Alpine ice core |
title_short |
Impact and implications of meltwater percolation on trace element records observed in a high-Alpine ice core |
title_full |
Impact and implications of meltwater percolation on trace element records observed in a high-Alpine ice core |
title_fullStr |
Impact and implications of meltwater percolation on trace element records observed in a high-Alpine ice core |
title_full_unstemmed |
Impact and implications of meltwater percolation on trace element records observed in a high-Alpine ice core |
title_sort |
impact and implications of meltwater percolation on trace element records observed in a high-alpine ice core |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.74 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143018000746 |
genre |
ice core Journal of Glaciology |
genre_facet |
ice core Journal of Glaciology |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 64, issue 248, page 877-886 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.74 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
64 |
container_issue |
248 |
container_start_page |
877 |
op_container_end_page |
886 |
_version_ |
1812814617121914880 |