Abstract
Based on the data of δ18O in surface snow, snow pits, meltwater and the glacier-fed river water at Baishui Glacier No.1, Mt. Yulong, the isotopic fractionation behaviors in the typical monsoonal temperate glacier system in winter and summer were compared. The results indicate that the isotopic fractionation degree in summer is greater than that in winter, suggesting that the snow/ice melting is more intense in summer. Moreover, whenever it is in winter or summer, from surface snow to meltwater, and to glacier-fed river water, the gradient of δ18O with altitude gradually increases. This shows that the degree of isotopic fractionation gradually strengthens when surface snow is being converted into meltwater and finally into glacial river water, which suggests that the influence of post-depositional processes on δ18O gradient in the monsoonal temperate glacier region differs spatially.
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Foundation: National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40501014; No.90511007; Talent Culture Project for Special Subject of Glaciology and Geocryology, No.J0130084
Author: Pang Hongxi (1978-), Ph.D. and Associate Professor, specialized in stable isotopes in waters and climate change.
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Pang, H., He, Y., Lu, A. et al. Comparisons of stable isotopic fractionation in winter and summer at Baishui Glacier No. 1, Mt. Yulong, China. J GEOGR SCI 16, 306–314 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-006-0306-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-006-0306-9