Linkage of liquid conductivity of glacier ice with its alkalinity over the north Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau--Implication to the past dust recovery

Liquid conductivity (EC) measurement was conducted for the samples collected from several snow pits and ice cores over the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau, with their time range covering seasonal, decadal and centennial scales. Unlike the previous attention mostly focused on the acidity (H+) responding to the solid conductance (ECM) of glacial ice, we introduce the alkalinity (OH?) of snow and ice to show how it responds to EC. Strong linear relationship was established between EC and OH? for these snow pits and ice cores. Positive correlation is also established between EC and major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+). Since the cations are known as the proxies for the intensity of mineral dust influx onto glaciers of the northern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, we believe that EC could be used as an indicator for the history of dust input in deep ice core study. In fact, records in Guliya ice core since the Little Ice Age (LIA) indicate that dust load in glacier may depend on the combination of temperature and humidity. "Cold-dry" combination favors the dust arising, and results in higher EC and OH- values, while "warm-wet" combination prevents dust form and EC and OH- values are lower. In the past century, with the atmospheric warming and precipitation increasing over the northern plateau, which means an atmospheric condition of dust decreasing, both EC and OH- displayed rapid decline.     

Climatic and environmental changes over the last millennium recorded in the Malan ice core from the northern Tibetan Plateau

In this paper, climatic and environmental changes were reconstructed since 1129A.D. based on the Malan ice core from Hol Xil, the northern Tibetan Plateau. The record of δ 18O in the Malan ice core indicated that the warm-season air temperature variations displayed a general increase trend, the 20th-century warming was within the range of natural climate variability, and the warmest century was the 17th century while the warmest decade was the 1610s, over the entire study period. The “Medieval Warm Epoch” and “Little Ice Age” were also reflected by the ice core record. The dust ratio in the Malan ice core is a good proxy for dust event frequency. The 870-year record of the dust ratio showed that dust events occurred much frequently in the 19th century. Comparing the variations of δ 18O and the dust ratio, it is found that there was a strong negative correlation between them on the time scales of 101―102 years. By analyses of all the climatic records of ice cores and tree rings from the northern Tibetan Plateau, it was revealed that dust events were more frequent in the cold and dry periods than in the warm and wet periods.     

The nutrient forms,cycling and exchange flux in the sediment and overlying water system in lakes from the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River

The 213 m ice core from the Puruogangri Ice Field on the Tibetan Plateau facilitates the study of the regional temperature changes with its δ ¹⁸O record of the past 100 years. Here we combine information from this core with that from the Dasuopu ice core (from the southern Tibetan Plateau), the Guliya ice core (from the northwestern Plateau) and the Dunde ice core (from the north-eastern Plateau) to learn about the regional differences in temperature change across the Tibetan Plateau. The δ ¹⁸O changes vary with region on the Plateau, the variations being especially large between South and North and between East and West. Moreover, these four ice cores present increasing δ ¹⁸O trends, indicating warming on the Tibetan Plateau over the past 100 years. A comparative study of Northern Hemisphere (NH) temperature changes, the δ ¹⁸O-reflected temperature changes on the Plateau, and available meteorological records show consistent trends in overall warming during the past 100 years.     

Compositional characteristics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-alkanes of the glaciers over the Tibetan Plateau and their environmental and climatic significances

We report on the concentration and compositional features of n-alkanes of natural and anthropogenic origins in the snow samples collected from the Qiyi glacier in the Qilian Mountains, the Yuzhufeng glacier in eastern Kunlun Mountains, the Xiaodongkemadi glacier in the Tanggula Mountains, and the Gurenhekou glacier in the Nyainqêntanglha Range. The results indicate a decrease in the total n-alkane concentration (T-HCs) from the northeast to the south over the Tibetan Plateau. The T-HCs in these studied areas were close to those in the Belukha and Sofiyskiy glacier, Russian Alati Mountains and the Dasuopu glacier in the Himalaya but were much higher than those in the Greenland ice sheet, suggesting that the mountain glaciers in the Asian continent may receive a higher loading of n-alkanes than the Greenland ice core. Moreover, the compositional characteristics of n-alkanes indicated that the n-alkanes in the studied areas were probably originated from the plant waxes as well as the fossil-fuel combustion exhaust, whereas the contribution from the lower organisms was small. In addition, the plant wax (C_n(wax)) and anthropogenic (non-C_n(wax)) contributions revealed that fast industrialization may have significant effects on the organic pollutant composition in glacier over the Tibetan Plateau and its circumference environment. Particularly, except for the Yuzhufeng glacier, the ΣnC₂₁ ⁻/ΣnC₂₂ ⁺ and (nC₁₅+nC₁₇+nC₁₉)/(nC₂₇+nC₂₉+nC₃₁) ratio decreased from the Qiyi glacier to the Gurenhekou glacier over the Tibetan Plateau, while the carbon preference index (CPI) values increased. These results indicate a decrease in terrigenous input while an increase in marine input from the northeast to the south over the Tibetan Plateau. These two ratios can be used as the climatic and environmental change indicators.     

Climatic variations in the past 140 ka recorded in core RM, east Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

The sequences of climatic evolution are reconstructed by the analyses of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O of carbonate from core RM in the Zoige Basin since 140 kaB. P. During the Last Glaciation there existed at least seven warm climatic fluctuations and five cold events correlated with the records of ice core and deep sea, and during the preceding last interglacial period there were two cold climatic variations coinciding with the record of ice core GRIP. These results de-pict climatic instability in east Qinghai-Xizang Plateau over the last interglacial period. In addition, the environmental proxies of the carbonate content and pigments indicate the similar results to the stable isotope record from core RM. Project supported by the Chinese Climbing Project (85-029-02-01).     

The carbon isotope composition of C<Superscript>3</Superscript> herbaceous plants in loess area of northern China

¹³C of 367 C₃ herbaceous plants was measured in loess area in northern China. Their δ¹³C values vary between −21.7%. and −30.0%., with a mean of −26.7%.. In the center of Loess Plateau (semimoist area) with annual precipitation of 400–600 mm, the δ¹³ C values of C₃ herbaceous plants range from −24.4%. to −28.5%., with a mean of −27.5%.. In the west of Loess Plateau (semiarid and arid area) with annual precipitation less than 400 mm, they range between −21.7%. and −30.0%., with a mean of −26.2%.. Annual precipitation is the main factor that makes δ¹³C values of C₃ herbaceous plants in the west greater than those in the central Loess Plateau. The composition of δ¹³C in C₃ plants increases with deceasing annual precipitation, and the mean change is −49%./100 mm.     

Surface-active substances on rainwater and atmospheric particles

The surface tension lowering by surface-active substances has been measured on rainwater, melted snow, and dispersions of atmospheric particles in water, with a film balance and a tensiometer. The precipitation water was sampled during 1979, 1980, and 1981 in the city of Frankfurt/Main. From measurements with the film balance technique, normalized concentrations of insoluble and weakly soluble surface-active substances have been estimated. Soluble surface-active substances were determined from measurements with a tensiometer. It was found that the normalized concentration of theinsoluble and weakly soluble surface-active material on rainwater or melted snow shows a maximum during late spring of about 2.5 · 10⁻⁷ moles/l and a minimum during wintertime of about 5 · 10⁻⁸ moles/l. These concentrations are too low to influence significantly the condensation of water vapour on cloud droplets or the evaporation of water from them. Thesoluble surface-active material on rainwater or melted snow was found to have concentrations of the order of 2 · 10⁻⁶ moles/l. These concentrations are also too small to have a significant influence on cloud physical processes.     

Early Paleozoic subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean: Geochronological and geochemical evidence from the Dashizhai basalts,Inner Mongolia

Zircon U-Pb results of basalt from the Dashizhai Town in Inner Mongolia, NE China, shows that the basaltic lava was erupted at 439±3 Ma, much older than the “Permian basalts” as previously thought. These rocks show arc-type trace element patterns (i.e., Nb-Ta depletion and light REE and large ion lithophile element enrichment) and unradiogenic Sr and highly radiogenic Nd and Hf isotope compositions. They can be subdivided into two petrogenetic groups: Group 1 basalts have relatively high TiO₂, MgO and compatible elements and low Sr and Th, characterized by mid-oceanic ridge basalt (MORB)-type Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr(i)=0.7028−0.7032, ε_Nd(t)=+9.8−+11.2, ε_Hf(t)=+16.1−+18.4). Group 2 has lower TiO₂, MgO and compatible elements and higher Sr and Th, and relatively evolved Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr(i)=0.7037−0.7038, ε_Nd(t)=+5.7−+7.3, ε_Hf(t)=+12.6−+13.0). Both groups were interpreted as melts derived from a metasomatized mantle wedge formed during the subduction of Paleo-Asian Ocean. The mantle source for Group 1 was probably a highly isotopically depleted oceanic mantle modified by predominant slab fluids; whereas subducted sediments had an important contribution to the melting source for Group 2. The petrogenesis of the Dashizhai basalts provides clear evidence for early Paleozoic subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean, and the highly radiogenic Nd and Hf compositions in these rocks suggest that these lavas and their possible intrusive counterparts were one of the important components for Phanerozoic crustal growth. Our and previous studies on the “Dashizhai Formation” volcanic rocks yield an unrealistic eruption range of 440-270 Ma for different rock types, we thus advise to disassemble the previously defined “Dashizhai Formation” into multiple lithologic units and to reinterpret the spatial and temporal distributions of different volcano-sedimentary associations. Supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB403504)     

Variations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis><Superscript>18</Superscript>O in precipitation from the Muztagata Glacier,East Pamirs

Expeditions to Muztagata (in the eastern Pamirs) during the summer seasons of 2002 and 2003 collected precipitation samples and measured their oxygen isotopes. The δ ¹⁸O in precipitation displays a wide range, varying from −17.40‰ to +1.33‰ in June-September 2002 and from −22.31‰ to +4.59‰ in May-August 2003. The δ ¹⁸O in precipitation correlates with the initial temperature of precipitation during the observing periods. The positive correlation between δ ¹⁸O and temperature suggests that δ ¹⁸O can be used as an indicator of temperature in this region. The δ ¹⁸O values in fresh-snow samples collected from two snow events at different elevations on the Muztagata Glacier show a strong “altitude effect”, with a ratio of nearly −0.40% per 100 m from 5500 m to 7450 m.     

Dasuopu ice core record of atmospheric methane over the past 2000 years

The concentrations of CH₄ in the atmosphere over the past 2000 years have been deduced by extracting and analyzing the air in bubbles embedded in the Dasuopu ice core, Qing-hai-Tibetan Plateau. Upon analyzing 57 ice core samples we found that the concentration of CH₄ 200 years ago and earlier was 0.85 μ mol· mol^-1 or about 40% of present atmospheric CH₄ levels over Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. A rapid and significant increase of atmospheric CH₄ started about 200–250 a ago. For a given age before 19th century, the Dasuopu CH₄ concentrations were about 15%-20% higher than those in Antarctic and Greenland references. It was also found that the Dasuopu CH₄ concentrations changed more frequently, and its fluctuations could reflect the temperature change sensitively.     

Sublimation-driven evolution of the local radius and the moment of inertia of a long-period comet

In this paper we intend to analyze how the sublimation of ice from cometary nuclei affects changes of the moments of inertia. Our aim is to show general trends for different orientations of cometary nucleus’ rotation axis. Thus we apply numerical model of a hypothetical homogeneous and initially spherical nucleus composed of water ice and dust. As an example we present simulations for a model comet of the orbital elements and the nucleus size the same as determined for C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp, a widely analyzed long-period comet. We calculated water production from the nucleus and changes of the shape (initially spherical) and of the moment of inertia versus time. Simulations are performed for the full range (0–90°) of inclinations I of the rotation axis. The second paramater related to the orientation of the rotation axis is the argument Φ (0–360°). The heat conductivity of the nucleus spans over the vast range, 0.04–4 W m⁻¹ K⁻1.     

The importance of oxygen isotope provenance in relation to solute content of bulk meltwaters at Imersuaq Glacier,West Greenland

Stable oxygen isotope analysis and measurement of several dissolved cations and anions of bulk meltwater samples have provided information about the hydrochemical environment of the glacial hydrological system at Imersuaq Glacier, an outlet tongue from the Greenland ice‐sheet, West Greenland. The samples were collected at frequent intervals during the period 20–28 July 2000 in a small (<20 L s^?1) englacial meltwater outlet at the glacier margin. The results document the following findings: (i) a marked diurnal variation of δ¹⁸O is related to the composition of oxygen isotope provenances, mainly near‐marginal local superimposed ice and basal up‐sheared ice further up‐glacier; (ii) a relationship is seen between all base cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺), SO₄^2? and δ¹⁸O, indicating that solute acquisition is provided by solid–solution contact with the up‐sheared ice—as the relationship with Cl^? is weak the influence of seasalt‐derived solutes is small in the area; (iii) when the melt rate is high, two diurnal maxima of δ¹⁸O values and solute concentrations are measured, and it is suggested that a snow meltwater component is responsible for the second maximum of δ¹⁸O—a short residence time leads to a delayed decrease in ion concentrations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climatic features of atmospheric heat source/sink over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in 35 years and its relation to rainfall in China

Using the 1961–1995 monthly averaged meteorological data from 148 surface stations in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QXP) and its surrounding areas, calculation of the 35-year atmospheric heat source/sink (<Qi>) and an analysis on its climatic features and relation to rainfall in China have been made. It is found that on the average, the atmospheric heat source over the QXP is the strongest in June (78 W / m²) and cold source is the strongest in December (−72 W/m²). The sensible heat of the surface increases remarkably over the southwest of the QXP, causing the obvious increase of <Qi> there in February and March, which makes a center of the atmospheric heat source appear over the north slope of the Himalayas. Afterwards, this center continues to intensify and experiences noticeable migration westwards twice, separately occurring in April and June. The time when the atmosphere over the east of the QXP becomes heat source and reaches strongest is one month later than that over the southwest of the QXP. In summer, the latent heat of condensation becomes a heating factor as important as the sensible heat and is also a main factor that makes the atmospheric heat source over the east of the QXP continue growing. On the interdecadal time scale, (Q₁) of the QXP shows an abrupt change in 1977 and a remarkable increase after 1977. The atmospheric heat source of the spring over the QXP is a good indicator for the subsequent summer rainfall over the valleys of the Changjiang and Huaihe rivers and South China and North China. There is remarkable positive correlation between the QXP heat source of summer and the summer rainfall in the valleys of the Changjiang River.     

Mass budgets of the Lambert, Mellor and Fisher Glaciers and basal fluxes beneath their flowbands on Amery Ice Shelf

We used in situ measurements and remote-sensing data sets to evaluate the mass budgets of the Lambert, Mellor and Fisher Glaciers and the basal melting and freezing rates beneath their flowbands on the Amery Ice Shelf. Our findings show the Lambert and Mellor Glaciers upstream of the ANARE Lambert Glacier Basin (LGB) traverse may have positive imbalances of 3.9±2.1 Gt a-1 and 2.1±2.4 Gt a-1, respectively, while the Fisher Glacier is approximately in balance. The upstream region as a whole has a positive imbalance of 5.9±4.9 Gt a-1. The three same glaciers downstream of the ANARE LGB traverse line are in negative imbalance, where the whole downstream region has a negative imbalance of -8.5±5.8 Gt a-1. Overall the mass budgets of the Lambert, Mellor, and Fisher Glaciers are close to bal-ance, and the collective three-glacier system is also nearly in balance with a mass budget of -2.6±6.5 Gt a-1. The significant positive imbalances for the interior basin upstream of the ice-movement stations established in the early 1970s (GL line) reported previously are possibly due to an overestimate of the total accumulation and an underestimate of the ice flux through the GL line. The mean melting rate is -23.0±3.5 m ice a-1 near the southern grounding line, which decreases rapidly downstream, and transitions to refreezing at around 300 km from the southern extremity of the Amery Ice Shelf. Freezing rates along the flowbands are around 0.5±0.1 to 1.5±0.2 m ice a-1. The per-centage of ice lost from the interior by basal melting beneath the flowbands is about 80%±5%. The total basal melting and refreezing beneath the three flowbands is 50.3±7.5 Gt ice a-1 and 7.0±1.1 Gt ice a-1, respectively. We find a much larger total basal melting and net melting than the results for the whole Amery Ice Shelf derived from previous modeling and oceanographic measurements.     

Sedimentation rates in the central lake constance determined with210Pb and137Cs

Sediment cores from central Lake Constance were dated with²¹⁰Pb and¹³⁷Cs. A sedimentation rate of (0.11±0.02) g·cm⁻²·y⁻¹ was determined with the²¹⁰Pb method.¹³⁷Cs measurements revealed sedimentation rates of (0.11±0.01) g·cm⁻²·y⁻¹ and (0.08±0.01) g·cm⁻²·y⁻¹ respectively for two different cores sampled at the same location. The lower Cs-dated value indicates incomplete core recovery and demonstrates the sensitivity of this simple dating method to small losses of material at the water/sediment interface. An unambiguous application of the¹³⁷Cs method is, therefore, only possible if complete core recovery is ensured. Sedimentation rates based on particulate matter, collected in sediment traps at various water depths, agree with the results of the radioisotope methods. Estimates of 30–125 days residence times for suspended particulate matter were calculated from⁷Be measurements.     

Variation of snow water resources in northwestern China, 1951–1997

Two models are used to simulate the high-altitude permafrost distribution on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The two models are the “altitude model”, a Gaussian distribution function used to describe the latitudinal zonation of permafrost based on the three-dimensional rules of high-altitude permafrost, and the “frost number model”, a dimensionless ratio defined by manipulation of freezing and thawing degree-day sums. The results show that the “altitude model” can simulate the high-altitude permafrost distribution under present climate conditions accurately. Given the essential hypotheses and using the GCM scenarios from HADCM2, the “altitude model” is used for predicting the permafrost distribution change on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The results show that the permafrost on the plateau will not change significantly during 20–50 a, the percentage of the total disappeared area will not be over 19%. However, by the year 2099, if the air temperature increases by an average of 2.91°C on the plateau, the decrease in the area of permafrost will exceed 58%—almost all the permafrost in the southern plateau and in the eastern plateau will disappear. Project “Fundamental Research of Cryosphere” supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Soil organic carbon storage and soil CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> flux in the alpine meadow ecosystem

High-resolution sampling, measurements of organic carbon contents and ¹⁴C signatures of selected four soil profiles in the Haibei Station situated on the northeast Tibetan Plateau, and application of ¹⁴C tracing technology were conducted in an attempt to investigate the turnover times of soil organic carbon and the soil-CO₂ flux in the alpine meadow ecosystem. The results show that the organic carbon stored in the soils varies from 22.12×10⁴ kg C hm⁻² to 30.75×10⁴ kg C hm⁻² in the alpine meadow ecosystems, with an average of 26.86×10⁴ kg C hm⁻². Turnover times of organic carbon pools increase with depth from 45 a to 73 a in the surface soil horizon to hundreds of years or millennia or even longer at the deep soil horizons in the alpine meadow ecosystems. The soil-CO₂ flux ranges from 103.24 g C m⁻² a⁻¹ to 254.93 gC m⁻² a⁻¹, with an average of 191.23 g C m⁻² a⁻¹. The CO₂ efflux produced from microbial decomposition of organic matter varies from 73.3 g C m⁻² a⁻¹ to 181 g C m⁻² a⁻¹. More than 30% of total soil organic carbon resides in the active carbon pool and 72.8%281.23% of total CO₂ emitted from organic matter decomposition results from the topsoil horizon (from 0 cm to 10 cm) for the Kobresia meadow. Responding to global warming, the storage, volume of flow and fate of the soil organic carbon in the alpine meadow ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau will be changed, which needs further research. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40231015, 40471120 and 40473002) and the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 06300102)     

Landscape preservation under Fennoscandian ice sheets determined from in situ produced Be and Al

Some areas within ice sheet boundaries retain pre-existing landforms and thus either remained as ice free islands (nunataks) during glaciation, or were preserved under ice. Differentiating between these alternatives has significant implications for paleoenvironment, ice sheet surface elevation, and ice volume reconstructions. In the northern Swedish mountains, in situ cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al concentrations from glacial erratics on relict surfaces as well as glacially eroded bedrock adjacent to these surfaces, provide consistent last deglaciation exposure ages (∼8-13 kyr), confirming ice sheet overriding as opposed to ice free conditions. However, these ages contrast with exposure ages of 34-61 kyr on bedrock surfaces in these same relict areas, demonstrating that relict areas were preserved with little erosion through multiple glacial cycles. Based on the difference in radioactive decay between ²⁶Al and ¹⁰Be, the measured nuclide concentration in one of these bedrock surfaces suggests that it remained largely unmodified for a minimum period of 845₋₄₁₈⁺⁴⁶¹ kyr. These results indicate that relict areas need to be accounted for as frozen bed patches in basal boundary conditions for ice sheet models, and in landscape development models. Subglacial preservation also implies that source areas for glacial sediments in ocean cores are considerably smaller than the total area covered by ice sheets. These relict areas also have significance as potential long-term subglacial biologic refugia.     

Regional variability in dust‐on‐snow processes and impacts in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Dust deposition onto mountain snow cover in the Upper Colorado River Basin frequently occurs in the spring when wind speeds and dust emission peaks on the nearby Colorado Plateau. Dust loading has increased since the intensive settlement in the western USA in the mid 1880s. The effects of dust‐on‐snow have been well studied at Senator Beck Basin Study Area (SBBSA) in the San Juan Mountains, CO, the first high‐altitude area of contact for predominantly southwesterly winds transporting dust from the southern Colorado Plateau. To capture variability in dust transport from the broader Colorado Plateau and dust deposition across a larger area of the Colorado River water sources, an additional study plot was established in 2009 on Grand Mesa, 150 km to the north of SBBSA in west central, CO. Here, we compare the 4‐year (2010–2013) dust source, deposition, and radiative forcing records at Grand Mesa Study Plot (GMSP) and Swamp Angel Study Plot (SASP), SBBSA's subalpine study plot. The study plots have similar site elevations/environments and differ mainly in the amount of dust deposited and ensuing impacts. At SASP, end of year dust concentrations ranged from 0.83 mg g^?1 to 4.80 mg g^?1, and daily mean spring dust radiative forcing ranged from 50–65 W m^?2, advancing melt by 24–49 days. At GMSP, which received 1.0 mg g^?1 less dust per season on average, spring radiative forcings of 32–50 W m^?2 advanced melt by 15–30 days. Remote sensing imagery showed that observed dust events were frequently associated with dust emission from the southern Colorado Plateau. Dust from these sources generally passed south of GMSP, and back trajectory footprints modelled for observed dust events were commonly more westerly and northerly for GMSP relative to SASP. These factors suggest that although the southern Colorado Plateau contains important dust sources, dust contributions from other dust sources contribute to dust loading in this region, and likely account for the majority of dust loading at GMSP. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sorption of Eu<Superscript>3+</Superscript>onto nano-size silica-water interfaces

The sorption of Eu species onto nano-size silica-water interfaces is investigated at pH range of 1―8.5 and the initial Eu concentrations (C_Eu) of 2×10⁻⁵, 2×10⁻⁴ and 2×10⁻³ M using fluorescence spectroscopy. The sorption rate of Eu is initially low, but significantly increases at pH > 4. For the initial C_Eu of 2×10⁻⁵, 2×10⁻⁴ and 2×10⁻³ M, the dissolved Eu species are completely sorbed onto silica-water interfaces at pH = 4.75, −5.8 and 6.6, respectively, with the respective sorption densities of −1.58×10⁻⁸, 1.58×10⁻⁷ and 1.58×10⁻⁶ mol/m². The sorbed Eu species at pH < 6 is aquo Eu³⁺, which is sorbed onto silica-water interfaces as an outer-sphere complex at pH < 5, but may be sorbed as an inner-sphere bidentate complex at 5 < pH < 6, due to the decrease of the N_H2O to −6 at pH = 6. At pH = 6 – 8, Eu(OH)²⁺, Eu(CO₃)⁺and Eu(CO₃)₂ ⁻ form in the solutions, and Eu(CO₃)⁺is dominant at pH = −7.5. These ions may be sorbed onto silica-water interfaces as inner-sphere bidentate complexes or multi-nuclear pre-cipitates.