Linkage of liquid conductivity of glacier ice with its alkalinity over the north Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau--Implication to the past dust recovery

• Published in: Science China. Earth sciences no. 4; pp. 300 - 310
• Main Author: XIAO Cunde(效存德) YAO Tandong(姚檀栋) QIN Dahe(秦大河) Katsumoto Seko PU Jianchen(蒲健辰) SHENG Wenkun(盛文坤)
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2002
• Subjects: Asia; change; climatic; conductivity; dust; EC; liquid; Plateau; Qinghai-Xizang; Tibet
• ISSN: 1674-7313; 1869-1897

Liquid conductivity (EC) measurement was conducted for the samples collected from several snow pits and ice cores over the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau, with their time range covering seasonal, decadal and centennial scales. Unlike the previous attention mostly focused on the acidity (H+) responding to the solid conductance (ECM) of glacial ice, we introduce the alkalinity (OH?) of snow and ice to show how it responds to EC. Strong linear relationship was established between EC and OH? for these snow pits and ice cores. Positive correlation is also established between EC and major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+). Since the cations are known as the proxies for the intensity of mineral dust influx onto glaciers of the northern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, we believe that EC could be used as an indicator for the history of dust input in deep ice core study. In fact, records in Guliya ice core since the Little Ice Age (LIA) indicate that dust load in glacier may depend on the combination of temperature and humidity. "Cold-dry" combination favors the dust arising, and results in higher EC and OH- values, while "warm-wet" combination prevents dust form and EC and OH- values are lower. In the past century, with the atmospheric warming and precipitation increasing over the northern plateau, which means an atmospheric condition of dust decreasing, both EC and OH- displayed rapid decline.