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Physicochemical characteristics and sources of atmospheric dust deposition in snow packs on the glaciers of western Qilian Mountains, China Cover

Physicochemical characteristics and sources of atmospheric dust deposition in snow packs on the glaciers of western Qilian Mountains, China

Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology
Volume 66 (2014): Issue 1
By: ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,   and    
Open Access
|Jan 2014
Figures & tables

Figures & Tables

Fig. 1

Location of investigated glaciers of Glacier No.12 in the LHG Basin, and Shiyi Glacier in the YNG Basin in western Qilian Mountains.

Fig. 2

The contour map and photographs showing (a) the flat location of snowpits on Glacier No. 12, (b) the flat location of snowpits on Shiyi Glacier, (c) Shiyi Glacier and surroundings in YNG Basin and (d) a typical snow pit for sampling on Glacier No. 12 in LHG Basin.

Table 1. The blank value for major ions of the whirl pack bags in the lab analysis (μg kg−1)

Na+Ca2 +Mg2 +Cl−Blank value0.521.690.101.58Standard deviation0.140.480.030.43

Table 2. Comparison of dust particles concentration at two sites in western Qilian Mountains

0.57 < d<40 μm1 < d<40 μmStudy sitesNNumber (103 mL−1)Mass (μg kg−1)Number (103 mL−1)Mass (μg kg−1)Glacier No.12118Mean26934611371029(LHG)Max50323 7694329762Min14246879331Sd625329831754The Shiyi Glacier67Mean2432876105895(YNG)Max435125762403982Min9734991436Sd862258671032Average–2563169121962

[i] Sd = standard deviation; n=the number of samples.

Table 3. Atmospheric dust concentration and flux in snow and ice at various northern hemispheric sites

Concentration and flux Study sitesElevation m a. s. l.Period years Size (μm)Number (103 mL−1)Mass (μg kg−1)Flux (μg cm−2 yr−1) SourceLHG Glacier No.12, Qilian Mountains50002006–20120.57–402693461207.6This workYNG Shiyi Glacier, Qilian Mountains46002006–20120.57–402432876143.8Urumqi Glacier No.1, Tianshan41302002–20050.57–26242144272.1Dong et al., 20091–26100666Tuomuer Glacier No.72, Tianshan46002007–20080.57–267063806761Dong et al., 20111–263841678Haxilegen Glacier No.51, Tianshan39002002–20050.57–2616696958.2Dong et al., 20091–2674436Haxilegen Glacier No.48, Tianshan41502000–20060.57–2615483653.2Dong et al., 2009Bogeda Glacier No.4, Tianshan400020090.57–26279148072.6Dong et al., 2013Hami Miaoergou Glacier45102002–20050.57–26222369073.8Dong et al., 20091–26941016Chongce ice cap, China63271980–871–226168220607Wake et al., 1994Mustagh Ata, China59101990–921–22276.46780247Wake et al., 1994Ngozumpa glacier, Nepal57001989–901–1318.1737927Wake et al., 1994Tateyama, Japan24501997–20020.1–600770Osada et al., 2004Penny Ice Cap, Canadian Arctic19801988–940.65–12
1–1231.6
13.7143
1294.8
4.4Zdanowicz et al., 1998Devon Ice Cap, Canadian Arctic1800Last 7000 yr>18.32354.2Zdanowicz et al., 1998Alaska Range, USA2500Recent snow300Hinkley, 1994Summit, Greenland3207Recent snow0.5–12461Steffensen, 1997
Fig. 3

Snow stratigraphy and vertical profiles of snow temperature, density, ionic concentrations, electric conductivity (EC) and dust concentration of a typical snowpit on Laohugou Glacier No.12 in summer 2012. Letters (a–f) in the dust profile indicate visible distinguishable dust layers in the snowpit.

Table 4. Correlation coefficient of ions and dust in the snow pits in western Qilian Mountains

Dust massnCa2 + Na+Mg2 + Cl−SourceGlacier No.12 surface snow200.78*0.68*0.560.72*This workGlacier No.12 snowpits980.72*0.650.82*0.57This workShiyi Glacier snowpits670.81*0.520.430.69This workUrumqi Glacier No.1 snowpits540.690.65*0.82*0.58Dong et al., 2009Glacier No.1 surface snow650.85*0.630.74*0.62*Li et al., 2006aTuomuer Glacier No.72850.60*0.620.530.53Dong et al., 2009Hami Miaoergou Glacier160.51*0.490.570.46Dong et al., 2009

[i] n=the number of samples.

[ii] *P<0.001.

Fig. 4

Average number size distributions of dust particles in the snowpits of glaciers in western Qilian Mountains, and comparison of average number–size distribution of dust particles with other sites in Tianshan Mountains.

Fig. 5

Comparison of volume–size distribution of dust particles obtained at snowpit of six glaciers in western Qilian Mountains and Tianshan Mountains in central Asia.

Table 5. Parameters of volume–size distribution of dust in various sites of the Qilian Mountains, and Tianshan Mountains in Fig. 5

SitesnM (μg kg−1)dv (μm)σg (μm)LHG Glacier No.12, Qilian Mountains118346112.510.2YNG Shiyi Glacier, Qilian Mountains46287612.07.9Tuomuer Glacier No.72, Tianshan Mountains8538061210.8Kuitun Glacier No.51, Tianshan Mountains321442108.6Urumqi Glacier No.1, Tianshan Mountains5496911.59.6Hami Miaoergou, Tianshan Mountains1636901311.9

[i] n=the number of samples per sample category.

[ii] The mode (dv) and standard deviation (σg) of the size distribution were calculated by a log-normal curve fitting procedure as described in the text.

Fig. 6

Volume size distribution of dust particles in the snow layer (a–f) shown in Fig. 3

Table 6. Parameters of volume–size distribution of samples in different dust layers of Fig. 6

SamplesM (μg kg−1)dv (μm)σg (μm)(a)343212.48.6(b)21839.98.8(c)40159.89.2(d)532012.27.6(e)351811.88.5(f)652812.08.9
Fig. 7

Secondary electron images of some typical dust particles based on SEM–EDX, obtained from (a) LHG Glacier No.12, and (b) YNG Shiyi Glacier.

Table 7. Chemical types of fly ash particles within evaluated samples by EDX

Number of fly ash particles in 10 snow samplesDenominationMajor elementsS1–013S1–009S2–056S1–058S1–017S2–023BS-060BS-006BS-049BS026TotalSi-dominantHigh-Si122114––1–12Si + Al15181051213265288Si + Fe12541–211–17Si + Ca24–312––1–13Si + Ca + Fe––121––––4Fe-dominantHigh-Fe8326442–2132Fe + S11–2Fe + Ni2114Ti-dominantTi + Si23121–9Total29332323202476104178
Fig. 8

The Nd–Sr isotopic composition of insoluble particles in snow samples collected from LHG Glacier No.12, YNG Shiyi Glacier, and comparison with other glaciers in western China.

Fig. 9

Three-day backward trajectories terminated at 500 m above the ground level of the field observation site at LHG Glacier No.12 in Qilian Mountains, each panel showing trajectories on specific days of typical air-mass transport during winter, springtime and summer during the year 2012.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v66.20956 | Journal eISSN: 1600-0889
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Language: English
Page range: 20956 - 20956
Submitted on: Mar 26, 2013
Accepted on: Dec 6, 2013
Published on: Jan 1, 2014
Published by: Stockholm University Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Keywords:
atmospheric dust,
physicochemical characteristics,
SEM–EDX,
dust source,
glacier melting,
western Qilian Mountains

© 2014 Zhiwen Dong, Dahe Qin, Shichang Kang, Jiawen Ren, Jizu Chen, Xiaoqing Cui, Zhiheng Du, Xiang Qin, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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