Acta Geographica Sinica ›› 2007, Vol. 62 ›› Issue (1): 22-29.doi: 10.11821/xb200701003

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Heavy Metals Concentrations and Seasonal Variations in Snow of Mount Qomolangma Region

DUAN Jianping, REN Jiawen, QIN Xiang, LI Yuefang   

  1. Key Laboratory of Cryosphere and Environment, Cold and Arid Region Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, CAS, Lanzhou 730000, China
  • Received:2006-09-01 Revised:2006-10-18 Online:2007-01-25 Published:2007-01-25
  • Supported by:

    Knowledge Innovation Project of CAS, No.KZCX3-SW-344; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40501014

Abstract:

The concentrations of heavy metals Ba, Pb, Cu, Zn and Co in snow pit collected in September, 2005 from the accumulation area of the East Ronbuk Glacier (a.s.l. 6523 m), which lies on the northern slope of Mt Qomolangma, were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), concentrations (pg/ml) of heavy metals vary from Ba2-227, Co2.8-15.7, Cu10-120, Zn29-4948, and Pb14-142, respectively. And δ18O determined by MAT-252, the time period of the snow pit spanning from autumn 2005 to summer 2004. Seasonal variations of the concentrations and δ18O are observed, of which Pb, Cu, Zn and Co are much lower in summer monsoon season than that in non summer monsoon season, suggesting that different sources of heavy metals contributed to the site. EFc (crustal enrichment factors) is Co 3.6, Cu 27, Pb 33 and Zn 180, respectively. Higher EFc values of Pb, Cu and Zn suggest that Pb, Cu especially Zn mainly contributed by anthropogenic sources.

Key words: heavy metals, concentration, seasonal variations, Mount Qomolangma region