Abstract:

The relationship of ECM with ice acidity and impurities concentrations are much different between the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau and the polar regions. On the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, ECM is dependent on the mineral ions (i.e., Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, SO₄^2-, etc.) mainly derived from crustal sources, thus displays a positive linear correlation between ECM and these ions. While in polar ice sheets, however, ECM of snow and ice is mainly dependent on the acidic roots such as Cl^-, SO₄^2- and NO₃^- that mostly come from ocean. Therefore, there is good relationship between ECM and concentration of H⁺. However, the relationship between ECM and major ions has complicated geographical differentiation in the whole Arctic. For instance, there no longer exits the same simple relationship in the central Arctic as that in the Greenland Ice Sheet, probably due to the disturbance of Arctic haze. In general, ECM of snow and ice is a potential indicator of atmospheirc envirmment of cold regions.

Key words: Arctic, Antarctic Ice Sheet, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, ECM, pH, atmospheric environment