Traces of tephra and increased sulfate (SO42-) concentrations were identified in the1992-1994 snow layers in 2 firn cores from South Pole. The deposition of the Pinatubo SO42-aerosol was delayed due to the long transp...Traces of tephra and increased sulfate (SO42-) concentrations were identified in the1992-1994 snow layers in 2 firn cores from South Pole. The deposition of the Pinatubo SO42-aerosol was delayed due to the long transport to the high south latitudes and its initial existence at high altitudes in the Antarctic atmosphere. Electron microscopic analyses show that the element composition of the tephra is identical to that of volcanic ash found near the Pinatubo volcano in Philippines. Detailed stratigraphic snow sampling resolved the Pinatubo signal from that of Cerro Hudson eruption during August 1991 in Chile. The South Pole sulfate flux from Pinatubo is calculated to be (10.9 ±1.1) kg·km-2, while the Hudson sulfate flux is (3.2 ± 1.1) kg·km-2. This information will be useful to estimating the magnitudes of the past volcanic eruptions recorded in Antarctic ice core.展开更多
基金The authors thank the 1998/1999 third Chinese Antarctic Inland Expedition and all its members, Polar Research Institute of China and the lce Core and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory in South Dakota State University, USA. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 49973006）.
文摘Traces of tephra and increased sulfate (SO42-) concentrations were identified in the1992-1994 snow layers in 2 firn cores from South Pole. The deposition of the Pinatubo SO42-aerosol was delayed due to the long transport to the high south latitudes and its initial existence at high altitudes in the Antarctic atmosphere. Electron microscopic analyses show that the element composition of the tephra is identical to that of volcanic ash found near the Pinatubo volcano in Philippines. Detailed stratigraphic snow sampling resolved the Pinatubo signal from that of Cerro Hudson eruption during August 1991 in Chile. The South Pole sulfate flux from Pinatubo is calculated to be (10.9 ±1.1) kg·km-2, while the Hudson sulfate flux is (3.2 ± 1.1) kg·km-2. This information will be useful to estimating the magnitudes of the past volcanic eruptions recorded in Antarctic ice core.
