Glaciochemistry and environmental interpretation of a snow core from West Antarctica

Abstract This study investigated the chemical content of a shallow snow core (4.95 m) named TT 6, collected during a Brazilian traverse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the 2014/2015 Austral summer. Stable isotope ratios (δD and δ18O) and ionic content, determined at the Centro Polar e Climático o...

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Main Authors: REGINA S. FERREIRA, JEFFERSON C. SIMÕES, ISAÍAS U. THOEN, RONALDO T. BERNARDO
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academia Brasileira de Ciências 2024-12-01
Series:Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0001-37652024000401112&lng=en&tlng=en
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Summary:Abstract This study investigated the chemical content of a shallow snow core (4.95 m) named TT 6, collected during a Brazilian traverse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the 2014/2015 Austral summer. Stable isotope ratios (δD and δ18O) and ionic content, determined at the Centro Polar e Climático of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (CPC/UFRGS), were used to date the core and reconstruct the climatic conditions at the site. The core represents approximately 11 years ± 6 months of precipitation, i.e., a mean net snow accumulation rate of 0.19 ± 0.02 m a-1 in water equivalent. Using the non-sea-salt sulfate values, we identified the 2011 Puyhue-Cordón (Chile) volcanic eruption signal, providing a reference horizon for dating. Anions represent 53.73% of the ionic content. We identified that 96.86% of calcium and 84.50% of sulfate are non-sea origin, while the acidic contribution is 25.62% H+. We observed high peaks in marine aerosols containing Na+, Cl-, and Mg2+ during winter, and results from the ERA5 global model (NOAA) indicated that El Niño events could influence Antarctic temperatures, facilitating the transport of marine aerosols to the continent.
ISSN:1678-2690