Chemical and boron isotope characteristics of snow in the qiyi glacier, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Jiayan Li; Changxiang Li; Keke Ma; Jun Xiao; Yuwei Wu; Mao-Yong He; Huayu Huang

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125418

Chemical and boron isotope characteristics of snow in the qiyi glacier, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Environ Pollut. 2024 Nov 29:366:125418. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125418. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jiayan Li¹, Changxiang Li¹, Keke Ma¹, Jun Xiao², Yuwei Wu¹, Mao-Yong He², Huayu Huang³

Affiliations

¹ Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China.
³ Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China; State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China. Electronic address: huanghy@nwu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39617199
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125418

Abstract

Snow is a valuable carrier for recording atmospheric information and snowmelt constitutes a crucial hydrological resource for ecosystem sustainability and human activities. The agriculture, industry, livelihoods and ecological security in the Hexi Corridor are dependent on the support of glacier snowmelt in Qilian Mountains of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We investigated the main water-soluble ions, trace elements and boron isotopes composition of snow at different altitudes in the Qiyi Glacier of the Qilian Mountains from 12 to 23, Aug. 2020. It is found that Ca²⁺ and Cl^- as the major ions contribute up to 17.08% and 22.42% of the whole ions, respectively. The average Zn concentration exceeds 10 μg/L, as the dominant heavy mental element. Water-soluble ions are mainly influenced by natural sources (salt lakes, deserts), while heavy metal elements are mainly affected by anthropogenic sources like mining activities and the discharge from industrial and agricultural production. The δ¹¹B concentration in the Qiyi Glacier ranges from +13.47 to +22.71 ‰, with an average of +18.40‰, and it is much lower than the average marine δ¹¹B value (+39.5‰). The contribution rate of δ¹¹B in sea salt to dissolved boron (B_sea-salt) in Qiyi Glacier snowfall is only 0.52-1.77%. The lower mean δ¹¹ B value and B_sea-salt shows that B in the Qiyi Glacier snow is mainly derived from the salt lake in the Qaidam Basin. These results can extend boron isotope research field of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and effectively enhance cognition of glacial snow chemistry, particularly in the context of local atmospheric environmental management and ecological construction.

Keywords: Boron isotope; Glacier; Snow; Trace elements; Water-soluble ions.