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Trace metal concentrations of surface snow from Ingrid Christensen Coast, East Antarctica—spatial variability and possible anthropogenic contributions

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Abstract

To investigate the distribution and source pathways of environmentally critical trace metals in coastal Antarctica, trace elemental concentrations were analyzed in 36 surface snow samples along a coast to inland transect in the Ingrid Christensen Coast of East Antarctica. The samples were collected and analyzed using the clean protocols and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Within the coastal ice-free and ice-covered region, marine elements (Na, Ca, Mg, K, Li, and Sr) revealed enhanced concentrations as compared with inland sites. Along with the sea-salt elements, the coastal ice-free sites were also characterized by enhanced concentrations of Al, Fe, Mn, V, Cr, and Zn. The crustal enrichment factors (Efc) confirm a dominant crustal source for Fe and Al and a significant source for Cr, V, Co, and Ba, which clearly reflects the influence of petrological characteristics of the Larsemann Hills on the trace elemental composition of surface snow. The Efc of elements revealed that Zn, Cu, Mo, Cd, As, Se, Sb, and Pb are highly enriched compared with the known natural sources, suggesting an anthropogenic origin for these elements. Evaluation of the contributions to surface snow from the different sources suggests that while contribution from natural sources is relatively significant, local contamination from the increasing research station and logistic activities within the proximity of study area cannot be ignored.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India for the project support. We thank Rasik Ravindra, Director, NCAOR, Goa, for his encouragement and interest in this study. Sincere thanks are extended to B. L Redkar for his assistance with sample processing and analysis as well as C.M. Laluraj for support. NOAA Air Resource Laboratory is acknowledged for the HYSPLIT meteorological model used in this paper. This is NCAOR contribution No. 23/2012.

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  1. National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Headland Sada, Vasco da Gama, Goa, 403804, India

    Meloth Thamban & Roseline C. Thakur

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  1. Meloth Thamban
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Correspondence to Meloth Thamban.

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Supplementary Fig. 10

Back trajectory data from NOAA for two different months (February and March 2007) at 10 m level for four different sampling sites along the sampling transect (JPEG 93 kb)

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Thamban, M., Thakur, R.C. Trace metal concentrations of surface snow from Ingrid Christensen Coast, East Antarctica—spatial variability and possible anthropogenic contributions. Environ Monit Assess 185, 2961–2975 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2764-0

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