Optical, Geochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Light-Absorbing Impurities Deposited on Djankuat Glacier in the Caucasus Mountains
Supra-glacial material, including light-absorbing impurities (LAI) such as mineral dust of crustal and soil origin, black carbon, algae and cryoconite, reduce the reflectance of snow and glacier ice. The reduction depends on the amount of LAI and their physical and chemical properties, which vary sp...
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/21/2993 |
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| author | Stanislav Kutuzov Maria Shahgedanova Viktoria Krupskaya Sergey Goryachkin |
| author_facet | Stanislav Kutuzov Maria Shahgedanova Viktoria Krupskaya Sergey Goryachkin |
| author_sort | Stanislav Kutuzov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Supra-glacial material, including light-absorbing impurities (LAI) such as mineral dust of crustal and soil origin, black carbon, algae and cryoconite, reduce the reflectance of snow and glacier ice. The reduction depends on the amount of LAI and their physical and chemical properties, which vary spatially and temporally. Spectral reflectance data and snow and ice samples, containing LAI, were collected in the ablation zone of the Djankuat Glacier, Central Caucasus, Russia. The spectra of the samples containing mineral dust transported from deserts were characterized by negative visible near-infrared gradients and were different from the spectra of clean aged snow and exposed glacier ice and from the samples containing mineral dust produced locally. Geochemical and mineralogical analysis using X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry showed that samples containing desert dust were characterised by a high proportion of clay materials and such minerals as smectites, illite–smectites and palygorskite and by a smaller size of mineral particles. They were enriched in chromium, zinc and vanadium. The latter served as an indicator of dust transport over or origin from the oil-producing regions of the Middle East. There was a strong negative correlation between the amount of organic matter and mineral dust in the collected samples and the albedo of surfaces from which the samples were collected. The results suggested that organic matter reduced albedo more efficiently than mineral dust. The study highlighted the importance of supra-glacial material in changing the surface reflectivity of snow and glaciers in the Caucasus region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:48:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4af7760ba7b548fb87d2e92e918d54a9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:48:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-4af7760ba7b548fb87d2e92e918d54a92023-11-22T21:53:42ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412021-10-011321299310.3390/w13212993Optical, Geochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Light-Absorbing Impurities Deposited on Djankuat Glacier in the Caucasus MountainsStanislav Kutuzov0Maria Shahgedanova1Viktoria Krupskaya2Sergey Goryachkin3Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119017 Moscow, RussiaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Whiteknights RG6 6AB, UKInstitute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrology, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119017 Moscow, RussiaInstitute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119017 Moscow, RussiaSupra-glacial material, including light-absorbing impurities (LAI) such as mineral dust of crustal and soil origin, black carbon, algae and cryoconite, reduce the reflectance of snow and glacier ice. The reduction depends on the amount of LAI and their physical and chemical properties, which vary spatially and temporally. Spectral reflectance data and snow and ice samples, containing LAI, were collected in the ablation zone of the Djankuat Glacier, Central Caucasus, Russia. The spectra of the samples containing mineral dust transported from deserts were characterized by negative visible near-infrared gradients and were different from the spectra of clean aged snow and exposed glacier ice and from the samples containing mineral dust produced locally. Geochemical and mineralogical analysis using X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry showed that samples containing desert dust were characterised by a high proportion of clay materials and such minerals as smectites, illite–smectites and palygorskite and by a smaller size of mineral particles. They were enriched in chromium, zinc and vanadium. The latter served as an indicator of dust transport over or origin from the oil-producing regions of the Middle East. There was a strong negative correlation between the amount of organic matter and mineral dust in the collected samples and the albedo of surfaces from which the samples were collected. The results suggested that organic matter reduced albedo more efficiently than mineral dust. The study highlighted the importance of supra-glacial material in changing the surface reflectivity of snow and glaciers in the Caucasus region.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/21/2993light-absorbing impuritiesmineral dustspectral reflectancealbedoglaciersCaucasus |
| spellingShingle | Stanislav Kutuzov Maria Shahgedanova Viktoria Krupskaya Sergey Goryachkin Optical, Geochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Light-Absorbing Impurities Deposited on Djankuat Glacier in the Caucasus Mountains Water light-absorbing impurities mineral dust spectral reflectance albedo glaciers Caucasus |
| title | Optical, Geochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Light-Absorbing Impurities Deposited on Djankuat Glacier in the Caucasus Mountains |
| title_full | Optical, Geochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Light-Absorbing Impurities Deposited on Djankuat Glacier in the Caucasus Mountains |
| title_fullStr | Optical, Geochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Light-Absorbing Impurities Deposited on Djankuat Glacier in the Caucasus Mountains |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optical, Geochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Light-Absorbing Impurities Deposited on Djankuat Glacier in the Caucasus Mountains |
| title_short | Optical, Geochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Light-Absorbing Impurities Deposited on Djankuat Glacier in the Caucasus Mountains |
| title_sort | optical geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of light absorbing impurities deposited on djankuat glacier in the caucasus mountains |
| topic | light-absorbing impurities mineral dust spectral reflectance albedo glaciers Caucasus |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/21/2993 |
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