Spheroidal carbonaceous particles in cryoconite sediment on the Russell glacier, Southwest Greenland

Abstract

In this study, we analysed the organic and inorganic content of the cryoconite holes along the altitudinal gradient at the lower elevations of the Russell glacier ablation zone in Southwest Greenland. We specifically focus on less studied industrial microscopic spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP; part of black carbon) to get more insights about their accumulation patterns on the glacier surface. We found no clear SCP distribution pattern, including concentration values. This outcome underlines the complexity of the ice margin zone and draws attention for further research on this topic with the inclusion of multiyear evaluation of SCP concentration at the even wider area that could possibly give results that can be compared to the emission source and long-way air pollution validation. In addition, our results indicate that during the summer of 2016, algae composition was formed of both green algae (Chlamydomonadaceae, Mesotaeniaceae) and cyanobacteria (Oscillatoriaceae). Green algae had a larger relative proportion than cyanobacteria in the cryoconite holes throughout the studied gradient.

First evidence of industrial fly-ash in an Antarctic ice core

“…While their presence here is clear, the peak SCP fluxes recorded in the Palmer ice core of 3060 m −2 year −1 are amongst the lowest recorded in the world and are a factor of five lower than peak SCP fluxes in the sediments of Heart Lake in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica, the only other SCP data for the Antarctica mainland 6 . They are also an order of magnitude lower than peak fluxes in lake sediments from Signy Island located to the north of the Antarctic Peninsula, 13–40 times lower than in lake sediments from the Falkland Islands 6 and a similar factor (~ 40) lower than peak fluxes reported for the Lomosovfonna ice core from Svalbard 4 . Despite evidence of increased coal-fired plants being commissioned in the Southern Hemisphere during the mid-twentieth century, we do not observe the characteristic acceleration in SCPs from the 1950s onwards as observed at other locations 2 .…”

“…Dated SCP records from marine sediments and peats have also been published but are much scarcer 3 . In the Arctic, SCPs have been recorded in cryoconite holes on the Russell glacier in southwest Greenland 4 , and in a single, coarse-resolution (7 years) ice core from Lomonosovfonna ice cap, Svalbard 5 , 6 . In the Southern Ocean, SCPs were detected in sediments from coastal and sub-Antarctic lakes 7 and from near-shore marine sediments in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica 8 .…”

High-Resolution Surface and Bed Topography Mapping of Russell Glacier (Sw Greenland) Using Uav and GPR

“…This marginal part of the glacier is particularly dark and rich in cryoconite material (e.g. Kalińska-Nartiša et al, 2017a;Stivrins et al, 2018) that is a major contributor to the darkening of the west GIS as well. Proglacial streams flowing from the Russell Glacier create the Sandflugtdalen valley-sandur, which is a large source for wind-transported dust (Kalińska-Nartiša et al, 2017b).…”