New insights into heavy metal elements deposition in the snowpacks of mountain glaciers in the eastern Tibetan Plateau
Atmospheric heavy metals have important environmental and health threats. To investigate atmospheric deposition and contamination of heavy metal elements in the glaciers of the eastern Tibetan Plateau (ETP), we collected the surface snow (cryoconites) samples in the Lenglongling Glacier (LG), the Ga...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651320310666 |
| _version_ | 1819315729108828160 |
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| author | Xiaoyu Jiao Zhiwen Dong Shichang Kang Yifan Li Cong Jiang Masoud Rostami |
| author_facet | Xiaoyu Jiao Zhiwen Dong Shichang Kang Yifan Li Cong Jiang Masoud Rostami |
| author_sort | Xiaoyu Jiao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Atmospheric heavy metals have important environmental and health threats. To investigate atmospheric deposition and contamination of heavy metal elements in the glaciers of the eastern Tibetan Plateau (ETP), we collected the surface snow (cryoconites) samples in the Lenglongling Glacier (LG), the Gannan Snowpack (GS), the Dagu Glacier (DG), the Hailuogou Glacier (HG) and Yulong Snow-mountain Glacier (YG) in summer 2017. Samples were analyzed for concentrations and enrichment factors (EFs) of Al and trace elements (Pb, Co, Cd, Ba, Mn, Ga, Sc, V, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Rb, Sb, Cs, As, Mo, Li) using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results showed that the concentrations and EFs of heavy metals (e.g. Sb, Cu, Cr, Ni, As, Mo) were generally high value in YG, GS and LG, while were relatively low value in DG and HG, implying that ETP glaciers may have been affected by atmospheric anthropogenic pollutants deposition to varying degrees. Comparing the heavy metal concentrations in the glaciers with those in the precipitation of middle/eastern China cities and also the South Asian cities, we find that the glacial heavy metal concentrations were generally low level, though the anthropogenic pollutants were still significantly enriched. Taking the spatial distribution of As and Ni concentration/EFs in the glaciers and surrounding urban precipitation as an example, we find that the heavy metal pollutants were probably transported to the glaciers through three routes from the surrounding densely populated area of Asia. The MODIS AOD and NCEP/NCAR wind vector also demonstrated that the atmospheric pollutants originated from anthropogenic emissions of urban areas of both South Asia, and northwest and east China, mainly caused by the large scale atmospheric circulation (e.g. the South Asian Monsoon, westerlies and Eastern Asian Summer Monsoon). Therefore, control of these potential pollution emission sources of the surrounding densely populated areas in Asia could be important to ETP glaciers in future perspectives. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T10:04:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cd8b4ee32bcb4b30b4718d2df7d09f1a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T10:04:44Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj.art-cd8b4ee32bcb4b30b4718d2df7d09f1a2022-12-21T17:00:53ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132021-01-01207111228New insights into heavy metal elements deposition in the snowpacks of mountain glaciers in the eastern Tibetan PlateauXiaoyu Jiao0Zhiwen Dong1Shichang Kang2Yifan Li3Cong Jiang4Masoud Rostami5State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou, 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou, 730000, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100101, China; Corresponding author. State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou, 730000, China.State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou, 730000, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100101, ChinaInstitute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, D-50923, GermanyInstitute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, D-50923, GermanyInstitute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, D-50923, GermanyAtmospheric heavy metals have important environmental and health threats. To investigate atmospheric deposition and contamination of heavy metal elements in the glaciers of the eastern Tibetan Plateau (ETP), we collected the surface snow (cryoconites) samples in the Lenglongling Glacier (LG), the Gannan Snowpack (GS), the Dagu Glacier (DG), the Hailuogou Glacier (HG) and Yulong Snow-mountain Glacier (YG) in summer 2017. Samples were analyzed for concentrations and enrichment factors (EFs) of Al and trace elements (Pb, Co, Cd, Ba, Mn, Ga, Sc, V, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Rb, Sb, Cs, As, Mo, Li) using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results showed that the concentrations and EFs of heavy metals (e.g. Sb, Cu, Cr, Ni, As, Mo) were generally high value in YG, GS and LG, while were relatively low value in DG and HG, implying that ETP glaciers may have been affected by atmospheric anthropogenic pollutants deposition to varying degrees. Comparing the heavy metal concentrations in the glaciers with those in the precipitation of middle/eastern China cities and also the South Asian cities, we find that the glacial heavy metal concentrations were generally low level, though the anthropogenic pollutants were still significantly enriched. Taking the spatial distribution of As and Ni concentration/EFs in the glaciers and surrounding urban precipitation as an example, we find that the heavy metal pollutants were probably transported to the glaciers through three routes from the surrounding densely populated area of Asia. The MODIS AOD and NCEP/NCAR wind vector also demonstrated that the atmospheric pollutants originated from anthropogenic emissions of urban areas of both South Asia, and northwest and east China, mainly caused by the large scale atmospheric circulation (e.g. the South Asian Monsoon, westerlies and Eastern Asian Summer Monsoon). Therefore, control of these potential pollution emission sources of the surrounding densely populated areas in Asia could be important to ETP glaciers in future perspectives.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651320310666Heavy metal elementsAtmospheric pollutantsTransport routesEastern Tibetan plateau glaciers |
| spellingShingle | Xiaoyu Jiao Zhiwen Dong Shichang Kang Yifan Li Cong Jiang Masoud Rostami New insights into heavy metal elements deposition in the snowpacks of mountain glaciers in the eastern Tibetan Plateau Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Heavy metal elements Atmospheric pollutants Transport routes Eastern Tibetan plateau glaciers |
| title | New insights into heavy metal elements deposition in the snowpacks of mountain glaciers in the eastern Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full | New insights into heavy metal elements deposition in the snowpacks of mountain glaciers in the eastern Tibetan Plateau |
| title_fullStr | New insights into heavy metal elements deposition in the snowpacks of mountain glaciers in the eastern Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | New insights into heavy metal elements deposition in the snowpacks of mountain glaciers in the eastern Tibetan Plateau |
| title_short | New insights into heavy metal elements deposition in the snowpacks of mountain glaciers in the eastern Tibetan Plateau |
| title_sort | new insights into heavy metal elements deposition in the snowpacks of mountain glaciers in the eastern tibetan plateau |
| topic | Heavy metal elements Atmospheric pollutants Transport routes Eastern Tibetan plateau glaciers |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651320310666 |
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