What is the deepest part of the Vostok ice core telling us?

This review paper is mainly concerned with a geochemical investigation of the deepest part of the Vostok ice core between 3310 m, the depth at which the palaeoenvironmental record present in the ice above is lost, and the bottom of the core about 130 m above subglacial Lake Vostok. Two sections constitute this part of the core.The upper section (3310–3539 m depth) still consists of ice of meteoric origin but subjected to widespread complex deformation. This deformation is analysed in light of a δD–deuterium excess diagram and information on microparticles, crystal sizes and chemical elements distributions in that part of the core. Such ice deformation occurred when the ice was still grounded upstream from Vostok station in a region with subfreezing temperatures.The lower section from 3539 m to the bottom of the core at 3623 m depth is lake ice formed by freezing of subglacial Lake Vostok waters. This is indicated by the isotopic properties (δD, δ¹⁸O and deuterium excess), by electrical conductivity measurements (ECM), crystallography and gas content of the ice. These ice core data together with data on ionic chemistry favour an origin of the lake ice by frazil ice generation in a supercooled (below pressure melting point) water plume existing in the lake followed by accretion and consolidation by subsequent freezing of the host water.The helium profile of this deepest part of the Vostok core is quite unusual and surprising. It has important implications for the interactions between the ice sheet and the lake. Two constrasting scenarios can be satisfactorily constructed so that the lake residence time is not well constrained.     

Ultra-low rare earth element content in accreted ice from sub-glacial Lake Vostok, Antarctica

This paper reports the first rare earth element (REE) concentrations in accreted ice refrozen from sub-glacial Lake Vostok (East Antarctica). REE were determined in various sections of the Vostok ice core in order to geochemically characterize its impurities. Samples were obtained from accreted ice and, for comparison, from the upper glacier ice of atmospheric origin (undisturbed, disturbed and glacial flour ice). REE concentrations ranged between 0.8-56 pg g⁻¹ for Ce and 0.0035-0.24 pg g⁻¹ for Lu in glacier ice, and between <0.1-24 pg g⁻¹ for Ce and <0.0004-0.02 pg g⁻¹ for Lu in accreted ice. Interestingly, the REE concentrations in the upper accreted ice (AC₁; characterized by visible aggregates containing a mixture of very fine terrigenous particles) and in the deeper accreted ice (AC₂; characterized by transparent ice) are lower than those in fresh water and seawater, respectively. We suggest that such ultra-low concentrations are unlikely to be representative of the real REE content in Lake Vostok, but instead may reflect phase exclusion processes occurring at the ice/water interface during refreezing. In particular, the uneven spatial distribution (on the order of a few cm) and the large range of REE concentrations observed in AC₁ are consistent with the occurrence/absence of the aggregates in adjacent ice, and point to the presence of solid-phase concentration/exclusion processes occurring within separate pockets of frazil ice during AC₁ formation. Interestingly, if the LREE enrichment found in AC₁ was not produced by chemical fractionation occurring in Lake Vostok water, this may reflect a contribution of bedrock material, possibly in combination with aeolian dust released into the lake by melting of the glacier ice. Collectively, this valuable information provides new insight into the accreted ice formation processes, the bedrock geology of East Antarctica as well as the water chemistry and circulation of Lake Vostok.     

利用被动微波探测青海湖湖冰物候变化特征

湖冰物候是气候变化的敏感因子,不仅能反映区域气候变化特征,还可以反映区域气候与湖泊相互作用.利用长时间序列(1978—2018年)被动微波遥感18 GHz和19 GHz亮度温度数据、MODIS数据(2000—2018年)、实测湖冰厚度数据(1983—2018年)和气温、风速、降水(雪)数据(1961—2018年),分析...     

Sedimentation in ice-covered Lake Hoare, Antarctica

The sedimentation mechanisms that occur in ice-covered Lake Hoare, Antarctica are examined, to determine how sediment enters the lake, and how the sedimentation pattern affects blue-green algal growth at the lake bottom. The 3 m-thick ice cover contains pebbly sand as much as 2 m below the surface. Sediment with similar texture and mineralogy is found at the lake bottom. This evidence, together with the lack of sediment in the inflowing stream and the markedly different texture of sediment from the other terrains around the lake suggest that most of the sediment at the lake bottom comes in through the ice cover. Sand grains intermittently migrate through porous ice on the surface, water-filled vertical gas-channels penetrating two-thirds of the ice cover, and possibly through cracks in the ice that act as conduits. The algae at the lake bottom are able to survive in part because sediment that comes through the ice cover does not obliterate them.     

乌梁素海湖泊冰生长过程中总氮的迁移规律

为研究湖泊冰封期总氮的污染特征,测定了冰厚分别为0 cm、2.5 cm、9.5 cm、21 cm、31 cm、41 cm、50 cm和 59 cm时总氮在冰体和水体中的垂向分布,阐明湖泊冰生长过程中总氮在冰-水-沉积物体系的迁移规律。结果表明:冰生长过程中总氮由冰体向冰下水体迁移,水体的总氮含量随着冰厚的增加而升高,冰厚为59 cm时其含量为冰体的2.85倍,冰生长速率决定总氮在冰-水界面处的迁移通量;总氮在冰层内的迁移主要发生在冰体形成初期(0~21 cm),之后几乎不再迁移而与冰内气泡融合并转化为独立于冰体的稳定氮胞;冰下水体总氮的实测值小于其计算值,表明冰生长过程中总氮由水体向沉积物迁移。     

2008年夏季北冰洋海冰表面积雪特征初步分析

运用中国第三次北极考察期间观测的积雪资料, 分析了夏季北冰洋中心海域海冰表面积雪的空间分布特征. 结果表明: 积雪在垂直分布上呈现6种粒雪状态, 表层到底层依次为新降雪、风板、冰片、深霜、冻结状粗雪和渗浸冻结冰层, 积雪表面常被新降雪或厚度为2～3 cm的风板所覆盖. 考察区域积雪的平均密度为(304.01±29.00)kg·m^-3, 表层密度略低于次表层, 遵循雪的密实化原理. 积雪厚度, 雪水当量和新降雪皆具有由南向北递减的空间分布特征, 表明在海冰消融末期, 积雪的气候态分布主要是由降水量的多少决定的, 积雪的消融和蒸发并非海冰表面积雪评估需考虑的首要因素. 雪温随深度的增加而增加, 具有明显的垂直梯度, 观测区积雪表面的平均温度为(-2.01～±0.96)℃, 比海冰/积雪界面的温度高得多.     

Mercury distribution, partitioning and speciation in coastal vs. inland High Arctic snow

Atmospheric mercury deposition on snow at springtime has been reported in polar regions, potentially posing a threat to coastal and inland ecosystems receiving meltwaters. However, the post-depositional fate of Hg in snow is not well known, and no data are available on Hg partitioning in polar snow. During snowmelt, we conducted a survey of Hg concentrations, partitioning and speciation in surface snow and at depth, over sea ice and over land along a 100 km transect across Cornwallis Island, NU, Canada. Total Hg concentrations [THg] in surface snow were low (less than 20 pmol L⁻¹) and were significantly higher in marine vs. inland environments. Particulate Hg in surface snow represented up to 90% of total Hg over sea ice and up to 59% over land. At depth, [THg] at the snow/sea ice interface (up to 300 pmol L⁻¹) were two orders of magnitude higher than at the snow/lake ice interface (ca. 2.5 pmol L⁻¹). Integrated snow columns, sampled over sea-ice and over land, showed that particulate Hg was mostly bound to particles ranging from 0.45 to 2.7 μm. Moreover, melting snowpacks over sea ice and over lake ice contribute to increase [THg] at the water/ice interfaces. This study indicates that, at the onset of snowmelt, most of the Hg in snow is in particulate form, particularly over sea ice. Low Hg levels in surface snow suggest that Hg deposited through early spring deposition events is partly lost to the atmosphere from the snowpack before snowmelt. The sea ice/snow interface may constitute a site for Hg accumulation, however. Further understanding of the cycling of mercury at the sea ice/snow and sea ice/seawater interfaces is thus warranted to fully understand how mercury enters the arctic food webs.     

达里诺尔湖水体稳定氢、氧同位素组成变化对结冰过程的响应

利用自然界中广泛分布的环境同位素进行湖泊水体演化过程分析已经成为现代湖泊科学的重要研究方向.通过采集内蒙古达里诺尔湖(简称"达里湖") 2013年1月份的湖冰、湖水, 2012年夏季湖水与湖区大气降水等, 共分析了77个样品中稳定氢(H)、氧(O)同位素值的变化情况, 在此基础上对达里湖水体稳定H、O同位素组成变化及其对结冰过程的响应进行了详细分析, 结果显示: (1)伴随结冰过程的完成, 各站点深层冰体(厚度~65 cm)中δD、δ18O值比表层冰体(厚度~15 cm)中的值出现不同幅度的偏重.而冰下水体中δD、δ18O平均值则比冰体中的平均值分别偏轻约13.85‰、2.23‰.在冰层形成的快速与稳定阶段, δD、δ18O值的变化幅度也存在差异.同时, 冬季外源水体的输入对各站点间同位素值差异的影响比夏季更明显; (2)夏季湖水、冬季湖水与湖冰的同位素值均落在全球大气降水线与湖区大气降水线之外, 显示湖泊冰封之前, 蒸发对湖泊水体同位素偏移存在一定程度的影响; 而冬季湖水与湖冰的同位素值基本位于同一斜率区间, 且全部落在夏季湖水同位素值的右侧, 显示两者之间并不存在明显的蒸发分馏作用, 造成上述现象的因素只能归结于结冰过程.      

First information about the geology of central antarctica based on study of mineral inclusions in ice cores of the Vostok station borehole

Study of mineral inclusions in the basal part of the central Antarctic ice sheet from the borehole at the Vostok station was carried out. Mineral inclusions were trapped during freezing of the subglacial Lake Vostok water on the base of the glacier, when it crossed a shallow coastal area. It is established that the mineral inclusions are aggregates consisting mainly of clay minerals and quartz up to 150 microns. Crystals of aragonite and sulfides detected in the inclusions may indicate the presence of modern hydrothermal activity beneath the ice. Small (up to 4.5 mm) fragments of siltstone and aleuropelite in some aggregates suggest that lithified clastic sediments are exposed on the western coast of Lake Vostok, where removal of debris material occurred at the expense of exaration. Detrital zircon and monazite, found in siltstones and aleuropelite, suggest the chronology of geological complexes of the provenance area, which is, as is assumed, located in the Gamburtsev mountains in the central Antarctic. The age of the provenance area is 0.8–1.2 to 1.6–2.0 billion years.     

南极冰盖冰下湖群——冰川学家和生命科学家共同的兴趣

自20世纪70年代初以来，采用无线电回波探测（RES）等技术，在南极冰盖发现了70多个冰下湖泊，最近，随着Vostok冰芯钻孔逼近Vostok湖面，对南极冰盖下伏湖泊的研究提上日程，Vostok湖因其面积大以及有距离湖面最近的钻孔，成为冰下湖群中被优选考虑的“靶子”湖泊，主要研究目标定位于古气候学，原始生命科学两方面，目前工作尚处于技术研制阶段，技术关键点在于研制先进的湖泊沉积物钻探技术，无污染和自动化湖水，湖芯取样技术等，技术上的高难度使得该计划成为一项系统工程。     

面向对象-改进冰雪指数法消除冰湖干扰提取冰川边界的优越性分析——以各拉丹冬冰川为例

冰川作为气候变化的重要指标器,其范围监测对区域生态环境以及人类社会生活具有重要意义。目前基于遥感技术的冰川范围监测应用广泛,然而传统遥感监测方法中冰雪指数阈值法的提取结果存在无法区分冰川与冰湖的现象,面向对象分类法受地物光谱纹理信息限制无法避免同谱异物现象的出现。为弥补上述不足,提出一种可区分冰湖与冰川的改进冰雪指数,并将其融入面向对象分类法中,构建了一种面向对象-改进冰雪指数法。将各拉丹冬冰川作为试验区（该地区冰川表面洁净）,运用面向对象-改进冰雪指数法识别冰川边界,使用青藏高原冰川数据产品及常规遥感监测方法的提取结果作为参考数据,以验证此方法的有效性和稳健性。结果表明：面向对象-改进冰雪指数法综合了改进冰雪指数阈值法以及面向对象分类法的优点,冰川范围提取精度高达97.26%,与冰雪指数阈值提取结果相比精度提高了0.12%,与面向对象分类法提取结果相比精度提高了0.38%。此方法不仅有效地解决了地物错分的问题,还实现了冰川边界的精确识别。     

Oxygen isotope composition of water and snow-ice cover of isolated lakes at various stages of separation from the White Sea

This study aimed to analyze the oxygen isotope composition of water, ice, and snow in water bodies isolated from the White Sea and to identify the structural peculiarities of these pools during the winter period. The studies were performed during early spring in Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea, in Velikaya Salma Strait and in Rugoserskaya Inlet. The studied water bodies differ in their degree of isolation from the sea. In particular, Ermolinskaya Inlet has normal water exchange with the sea; the Lake on Zelenyi Cape represents the first stage of isolation; i. e., it has permanent water exchange with the sea by the tide. Kislo-Sladkoe Lake receives sea water from time to time. Trekhtsvetnoe Lake is totally isolated from the sea and is a typical meromictic lake. Finally, Nizhnee Ershovskoe Lake exhibits some features of a saline water body. The oxygen isotope profile of the water column in Trekhtsvetnoe Lake allows defining three layers; this lake may be called typically meromictic. The oxygen isotope profile of the water column in Kislo-Sladkoe Lake is even from the surface to the bottom. The variability of δ¹⁸O is minor in Lake on Zelenyi Cape. A surface layer (0–1 m) exists in Nizhnee Ershovskoe Lake, and the oxygen isotope variability is well pronounced. Deeper, where the freshwater dominates, the values of ?18Îvary insignificantly disregarding the water depth and temperature. This fresh water lake is not affected by the seawater and is not stratified according to the isotope profile. It is found that applying the values of ?18Î and profiles of temperature and salinity may appear as an effective method in defining the water sources feeding the water bodies isolated from the sea environment.     

北极巴罗地区海冰消融初期表面特征及光谱反射率观测研究

北极海冰消融初期,上覆积雪急剧消融,融池开始形成,海冰表面物理特征异常复杂。由于观测资料缺乏,对这一时期海冰变化的研究仍存在较大不确定性。利用2015年5月份在巴罗Elson Lagoon海域观测的海冰表面物理特征和光谱反射率数据,分析了巴罗地区海冰消融初期表面积雪、裸冰和融池反射率特性及其影响因素。结果表明：消融初期,海冰表面异质性强,积雪、裸冰和融池相间分布。在积雪覆盖的区域,积雪对海冰光谱反射率起决定性作用,观测到不同雪深（3~23 cm）的反射率变化在0.53~0.85之间,平均反射率为0.76且反射率与雪深呈正相关。在表面积雪厚度相同的情况下,积雪底层含水量越大,表层反射率越小。观测还显示,在融池形成的区域,海冰的反射率急剧降低,融池初形成时反射率为0.206,略低于裸冰（0.216）。随着融池的发展,当其深度达到10 cm时,反射率仅为0.04,与开阔海域海水接近。     

新疆阿尔泰山喀纳斯湖冰层温度变化规律试验研究

2014年12月-2015年4月期间,新疆布尔津县喀纳斯湖举行了冰上旅游项目。为监测冰层生长、发育和融化状况,分别对喀纳斯湖（湖边、湖中）A、B、C三点进行温度监测,利用监测得到的冰层温度数据绘制湖冰从上到下温度分布状况图。根据湖边与湖中的冰层结构特点,从冰层的天然结构角度分析湖冰结构对温度分布的影响。结果表明：天然冰层中温度传递系数并不是一致不变的,既受冰上气温、冰下湖水温度的影响,也受到冰层自身结构状况的影响,并进一步阐述了湖面冰层的温度分布规律与变化成因,为分析温度对冰层强度的影响奠定了基础。     

季节性冰封热融浅湖水温原位观测及其分层特征

为探究季节性冰封浅湖热力学特征,于2010年10月至2013年7月对高原腹地一典型热融湖塘冰层生消、水/冰温及气象条件开展原位观测,分析了水温分布时间变化、温跃层以及冰生消对水温结构的影响。结果发现:冰面升华显著,贯穿整个冰期;水温日变化、季节变化和垂直结构受气温、大气辐射、风速、冰生消和湖底沉积层热贡献影响显著;在"无冰期-结冰前-冰生长期-冰融化期-融化后-无冰期"年循环过程中水温垂直结构分别呈现出"分层-翻转-逆温分层-逆温与正温共存-翻转-分层"的循环过程。分层期水温结构仅由上部混合层和温跃层构成,且偶因强风搅动而全湖翻转混合。可见,相比大中型湖泊,季节性冰封浅湖热力学结构差异显著。     

Age and paleoclimatic significance of the Stansbury shoreline of Lake Bonneville, Northeastern Great Basin

The Stansbury shoreline, one of the conspicuous late Pleistocene shorelines of Lake Bonneville, consists of tufa-cemented gravel and barrier beaches within a vertical zone of about 45 m, the lower limit of which is 70 m above the modern average level of Great Salt Lake. Stratigraphic evidence at a number of localities, including new evidence from Crater Island on the west side of the Great Salt Lake Desert, shows that the Stansbury shoreline formed during the transgressive phase of late Pleistocene Lake bonneville (sometime between about 22,000 and 20,000 yr B.P.). Tufa-cemented gravel and barrier beaches were deposited in the Stansbury shorezone during one or more fluctuations in water level with a maximum total amplitude of 45 m. We refer to the fluctuations as the Stansbury oscillation. The Stansbury oscillation cannot have been caused by basin-hypsometric factors, such as stabilization of lake level at an external overflow threshold or by expansion into an interior subbasin, or by changes in drainage basin size. Therefore, changes in climate must have caused the lake level to reverse its general rise, to drop about 45 m in altitude (reducing its surface area by about 18%, 5000 km²), and later to resume its rise. If the sizes of Great Basin lakes are controlled by the mean position of storm tracks and the jetstream, which as recently postulated may be controlled by the size of the continental ice sheets, the Stansbury oscillation may have been caused by a shift in the jetstream during a major interstade of the Laurentide ice sheet.     

GPR survey and physical measurements of sea ice in Quilty Bay,Larsemann hills,East Antarctica and its correlation with local atmospheric parameters

Sea ice formation in Quilty Bay, East Antarctica shows a strong relationship with climatic conditions and its spatial variation is established by GPR survey over the sea ice during the austral winters. The study also evaluates the variability of sea ice thickness and extent with local weather parameters between 2010 and 2014. Profiling on sea ice in Quilty Bay shows that sea ice thickness decreases gradually towards east. The overall thickness of sea ice is considerably less at the centre of the bay as compared to the coastal side. Two types of fast ice layers have been delineated from GPR surveys i.e. top layer fast ice which incorporates very low density surface snow and underlying high density fast ice i.e. with melt water pockets. Development of sea ice is influenced by persistent easterly winds, temperature fluctuations and ocean currents. Sea ice reveal average annual cyclic trend in Quilty Bay with maximum development in the year 2013 (157.54 cm) and the minimum development has been observed in the year 2010 (99.04 cm).The cyclic pattern of average sea ice accumulation data show perfect inverse correlation with surface air temperature, with measure of reliability R² = 0.93. However, moderate (R² = 0.52) and good (R² = 0.69) degree of inverse relationship is observed with surface snow and overall sea ice (snow and ice) respectively. With 0.46 °C change in temperature, there is 33% change in sea ice condition in Quilty Bay which may remain same as far as ice extents in the region. Besides this easterly winds play a vital role in controlling the snow/ice distribution patterns as reflected by isopach maps.     

An insight into the surface velocity of Inylchek Glacier and its effect on Lake Merzbacher during 2006–2016 with Landsat time-series imagery

Mountain glacier is one of the extremely sensitive indicators for climate change, and its surface motion distribution and corresponding variation are valuable information for understanding ice mass exchange and glacier dynamics. This paper presents the long-term ice velocity distributions of Inylchek Glacier in the Tianshan region by pixel-tracking algorithm with time-series Landsat imagery acquired during 2006–2016. Then the monitored ice motion fields of Inylchek Glacier were carefully analyzed and revealed a generally similar spatial distribution characteristic. Most of the ice of the North Inylchek Glacier remains in a stagnant state except for the upstream part, but a relatively high velocity of 20–40 cm/day with an RMSE of 3 cm/day was observed on most part of the South Inylchek Glacier, except for the slow-moving glacier terminus. We also state the glacier dynamics around Lake Merzbacher and their possible effect on its glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF) risk. Besides, the surface velocity distribution on South Inylchek Glacier surface during the ablation period from 2014 to 2016 was also established and also compared with annual velocity. The corresponding difference yields that there is a positive relation between ice motion and temperature variation. Therefore, the time-series ice surface motion yielded by the Landsat imagery thus could provide us an efficient and low-cost way to analyze the current state and changes in glaciers, thanks to the continuous and regular spaceborne observations provided by the Landsat satellites.     

Sediment record of short-lived ice-contact lakes, Burroughs Glacier, Alaska

Sediments deposited in two small ice-contact lakes with low rates of sediment input have been studied in subaerial exposures. Sediment characteristics are a function of the water source (glacial meltwater versus non-meltwater), proximity to the glacier margin and lake shore, amount of supraglacial debris, and lake duration. Calving Lake expanded (and later partially drained) as a calving ice margin retreated. Nearshore deltas contain 1 × 10⁵ m³ stratified sand and gravel deposited at rates up to 1 m/yr during a 9-yr interval. Deltaic sediment contains types A and B ripple-drift cross-lamination, draped lamination, and scour surfaces caused by variations in water-flow velocity and the amount of sediment settling from suspension. Most water inflow came from non-subglacial meltwater sources and was sediment-poor, so overflow and interflow sedimentation processes dominated the offshore environment. Offshore sediment generally contains massive silt or silt interbedded with fine-grained sand deposited at rates of 1.3-1.5 cm/yr. Iceberg gravity craters observed on the lake plain were formed when icebergs impacted the lake floor during calving events. In Bruce Hills Lake, proximity to glacier ice and the presence of supraglacial sediment formed coarsening-upward successions when debris fell directly from an ice ledge onto silty lacustrine sediment.