Characteristics of snowpack chemistry on the coastal region in the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet facing the North Water

Abstract

In the North Water, the opening of sea ice due to polynya formation may influences the surrounding water and aerosol circulation. We conducted glaciological observations from seacoast to inland on the western side of Prudhoe Land, which is located in the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet close to the North Water, to elucidate water and aerosol circulation around the North Water. The spatial variations in δ18O and chemical substances in surface snow showed that water vapor and aerosols were directly transported from the southern North Water to northern inland of areas on the western side of Prudhoe Land. Unlike the inland area of the Greenland Ice Sheet, the snowpack on the western side of Prudhoe Land contained signals of ocean biological and sea ice conditions in the North Water. The spring–summer snowpack contained high concentrations of methanesulfonic acid, which likely derived from sea-to-air dimethylsulfide emission following a phytoplankton bloom. The autumn–winter snowpack exhibited high concentrations of NH+4, which could potentially have originated from sea-to-air ammonia gas emissions during the decline and death phases of marine organisms. The Na+, Cl−, K+, Mg2+, SO24−, and Ca2+ concentrations in the snowpack rapidly increased in winter, which could be attributed to the emission of frost flowers from the newly formed sea ice surface into the atmosphere due to intense storm activity in the North Water. We suggest that the chemical substances identified in the snowpack or ice core from the western side of Prudhoe Land can be used to better understand past changes in ocean biological and sea ice conditions in the North Water.