Investigation on the Sources and Impact of Trace Elements in the Annual Snowpack and the Firn in the Hansbreen (Southwest Spitsbergen)

We present a thorough evaluation of the water soluble fraction of the trace element composition (Ca, Sr, Mg, Na, K, Li, B, Rb, U, Ni, Co, As, Cs, Cd, Mo, Se, Eu, Ba, V, Ge, Ga, Cr, Cr, P, Ti, Mn, Zr, Ce, Zn, Fe, Gd, Y, Pb, Bi, Yb, Al, Nb, Er, Nd, Dy, Sm, Ho, Th, La, Lu, Tm, Pr, Tb, Fe, In, Tl) and t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in Earth Science
Main Authors: Andrea Spolaor, Beatrice Moroni, Bartłomiej Luks, Adam Nawrot, Marco Roman, Catherine Larose, Łukasz Stachnik, Federica Bruschi, Krystyna Kozioł, Filip Pawlak, Clara Turetta, Elena Barbaro, Jean-Charles Gallet, David Cappelletti
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Subjects:
svalbard
snowpack
firn
trace element
transport
Science
Q
Arctic
Dy
Hansbreen
Hornsund
Svalbard
Svalbard Archipelago
glacier
Tidewater
Spitsbergen
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.536036
https://doaj.org/article/1b9937731cbc498ab54d3cd08b199be9
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Summary:We present a thorough evaluation of the water soluble fraction of the trace element composition (Ca, Sr, Mg, Na, K, Li, B, Rb, U, Ni, Co, As, Cs, Cd, Mo, Se, Eu, Ba, V, Ge, Ga, Cr, Cr, P, Ti, Mn, Zr, Ce, Zn, Fe, Gd, Y, Pb, Bi, Yb, Al, Nb, Er, Nd, Dy, Sm, Ho, Th, La, Lu, Tm, Pr, Tb, Fe, In, Tl) and their fluxes in the annual snowpack and the firn of the Hansbreen (a tidewater glacier terminating in the Hornsund fjord, southwest Spitsbergen). The trace element samples were obtained from a 3 m deep snow pit dug at the plateau of the glacier (450 m a.s.l.), and from a 2 m deep firn core collected from the bottom of the snow pit. The comparison of elemental fluxes and enrichment factors allowed us to constrain specific summer and wintertime deposition patterns of water soluble trace elements in the southern part of the Svalbard archipelago. Our results suggest that the chemical composition of the Hansbreen (and likely other glaciers where the summit is close to the equilibrium line) is mainly affected by summertime deposition of trace elements from local sources and some volatile elements, which may be transported into the Arctic when polar vortex is weak. The melting of the annual snowpack seems to have a minor influence on the overall chemical signature of the glacier ice.

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