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- Spolaor, A., et al.
(author)
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Evolution of the Svalbard annual snow layer during the melting phase
- 2016
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In: Rendiconti Lincei-Scienze Fisiche E Naturali. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2037-4631. ; 27:Supplement 1, s. 147-154
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding and monitoring the evolution of annual snow is an important aspect of cryosphere research. Changes in physical proprieties such as hardness, presence of melt layers, or the shape and size of crystals can completely modify the robustness, propriety and quality of the snow. Evaluating these changes can inform the study and prediction of avalanches. The annual snow layer is also a sink for several compounds and elements. In the polar environment, many compounds can be accumulated during winter depositions, especially during the polar night. During the spring, the combination of solar radiation and the melting of annual snow can release these compounds and elements into the atmosphere and groundwater. An in-depth investigation of the evolution of the first meter of the annual snow layer was conducted in the glacier of Austre Broggerbreen, Svalbard, between the 27th of March and the 31st of May, in concomitance with the start of the melting phase. The present monitoring study mainly aimed to evaluate changes in the thermal profile and water content during the formation of a new ice layer as well as the re-allocation of the total dissolved salts in the different snow layers.
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| 2. |
- Spolaor, A., et al.
(author)
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Source, timing and dynamics of ionic species mobility in the Svalbard annual snowpack
- 2021
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697. ; 751
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nearly all ice core archives from the Arctic and middle latitudes (such as the Alps), apart from some very high elevation sites in Greenland and the North Pacific, are strongly influenced by melting processes. The increases in the average Arctic temperature has enhanced surface snow melting even of higher elevation ice caps, especially on the Svalbard Archipelago. The increase of the frequency and altitude of winter "rain on snow" events as well as the increase of the length of the melting season have had a direct impact on the chemical composition of the seasonal and permanent snow layers due to different migration processes of water-soluble species, such as inorganic ions. This re-allocation along the snowpack of ionic species could significantly modify the original chemical signal present in the annual snow. This paper aims to give a picture of the evolution of the seasonal snow strata with a daily time resolution to better understand: a) the processes that can influence deposition b) the distribution of ions in annual snow c) the impact of the presence of liquid water on chemical re-distribution within the annual snow pack. Specifically, the chemical composition of the first 100 cm of seasonal snow on the Austre Broggerbreen Glacier (Spitsbergen, Svalbard Islands, Norway) was monitored daily from the 27th of March to the 31st of May 2015. The experimental period covered almost the entire Arctic spring until the melting season. This unique dataset gives us a daily picture of the snow pack composition, and helps us to understand the behaviour of cations (K+, Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+) and anions (Br-, I-, SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, MSA) in the Svalbard snow pack. We demonstrate that biologically related depositions occur only at the end of the snow season and that rain and melting events have different impacts on the snowpack chemistry. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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