Chemical characteristics in a 22-m ice core on the Belukha Glacier, Russia

• Main Authors: Yoshinori Iizuka, Koji Fujita, Sumito Matoba, Yoshiyuki Fujii, Kenichiro Matsuki, Mika Kohno, Vladimir B. Aizen
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Department of General Education, Yuge National College of Maritime Technology/Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University/National Institute of Polar Research/National Institute of Polar Research/Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University/National Institute of Polar Research/College of Mines and Earth Resources, University of Idaho 2004
• Subjects: Belukha Glacier; inland continental region; ice core; chemical characteristics; glacier; Polar meteorology and glaciology
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=2976; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00002976/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2976&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

To better understand how the chemical composition of a glacier in an inland continental region relates to the local climate, we collected ice core samples from the Belukha Glacier, Russia, in July 2001. We analyzed the samples for pH, anions, and cations. The primary soluble ions were SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, Ca2+, and HCOO-. Moreover, we argue the following. 1) Ca2+ and its equivalent SO42-+ NO3- likely originated from terrestrial dust such as soil. 2) HCOO- and its equivalent NH4+ likely originated from vegetation and/or biomass burning. 3) The remaining SO42-+NO3- and NH4+ likely originated from livestock, commercial fertilizers, and natural fertilizers. 4) The NH4+ concentration was low when there was no contribution from vegetation and/or biomass burning.