Seasonal variations of major ions in fresh snow at Baishui Glacier No. 1, Yulong Mountain, China

This study presented a study of seasonal variations of major ion concentrations in fresh snow on Baishui Glacier No. 1, the largest glacier on Yulong Mountain, China. Fresh snow samples at Baishui Glacier No. 1 were collected from November 2008 to October 2009 for chemical data analysis. The results showed that the neutralizing effect of terrestrial source aerosols raised the pH value of fresh snow. The conductivity of fresh snow was much higher in dry season than that in rainy season. It was evident that the concentration of inorganic ions was generally higher in the dry season than that in rainy season, and the highest values occurred in the pre-monsoon period (April–May). The ions of fresh snow mainly came from terrestrial under the influence of west wind circulation and the Plateau monsoon in dry seasons, and had much complex sources in rainy season under the control of southeast and southwest monsoons. Both wind speed and precipitation had potential effects on ion concentration and composition of fresh snow as well. Moreover, principal component analysis showed that fresh snow ions were mainly from local lithology in dry season and from oceans in rainy season.