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: Spolaor, Andrea, Moroni, Beatrice, Luks, Bartłomiej, Nawrot, Adam, Roman, Marco, Larose, Catherine, Stachnik, Łukasz, Bruschi, Federica, Kozioł, Krystyna, Pawlak, Filip, Turetta, Clara, Barbaro, Elena, Gallet, Jean-Charles, Cappelletti, David
Other Authors: Gallet, Jean-Charle
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2021
Subjects:
Settore CHIM/01 - Chimica Analitica
Settore CHIM/12 - Chimica dell'Ambiente e dei Beni Culturali
Settore GEO/04 - Geografia Fisica e Geomorfologia
Arctic
Svalbard
Svalbard Archipelago
Hornsund
Dy
Hansbreen
glacier
Tidewater
Spitsbergen
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10278/3735317
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.536036
Description
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 3m deep snow pit dug at the plateau of the glacier (450m a.s.l.), and from a 2m 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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