ADVANCES IN POLAR SCIENCE ›› 1998, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (4): 4-14.

• Contents •     Next Articles

STUDY OF THE MSA,nssSO 2- 4 CONCENTRATION AND MSA TO nssSO 2- 4 RATIO IN THE SNOW/ICE AND ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOLS OF THE REGION SURROUNDING WEDDELL SEA

  

  • Online:1998-12-30 Published:1998-12-30

Abstract: The MSA and nssSO 2- 4 concentration data from the ice cores and from atmospheric aerosols of the region surrounding Weddell Sea have been analyzed by present paper. The results suggest that the high concentration of biogenic sulphur in the snow and ice as well as in the atmosphric aerosols reflects the proximity of the Weddell Sea even though a distinct strength discrepancy exists in the productivity among areas. It seems higher in the middle of Antarctic Peninsula than near the Filchner Ronne ice shelf as evidenced by the snow/ice analysis. Despite factors impacting on the transport and deposition process of biogenic surlphur, the concentration of MSA and nssSO 2- 4 in snow and ice shows a regular spatial distribution: decreasing with the distance from the open sea and the altitude above sea level. Nevertheless, below a certain height, the “altitude effect” is no longer significant. The “displacement” of seasonality for MSA concentration observed in ice cores of the region has been discussed. The “out of phase” pattern in surface layer is attributed to the modification by prevailing meteorological condition to the transport and deposition process; while “relocation” in the deep layers may be caused by migration, a mechanism which is to be further investigated.The comparative study of the atmospheric and snow/ice samples indicates that at high latitude like Weddell Sea the atmospheric signal of SO 2- 4 and MSA could be somewhat muted in the snow. But the seasonal variation in the airborn sulfate and MSA are reasonably well reproduced in the surface snow, for timing and spacial distribution. The very close ratio of MSA to nssSO 2- 4 (or to SO 2- 4) of atmospheric aerosol and snow/ice sample is indicative of weak, if any, fraction between the two species during the scavenging and deposition process. This could serve as the inner reason to explain the relative stable MSA/nssSO 2- 4 ratio, both for atmosphere and snow, an important regional index for the study of marine biogenic sulfur.