Study of the MSA, nssSO_4^(2-) concentration and MSA to nssSO_4^(2-) ratio in the snow/ice and atmospheric aerosols of the regions surrounding the Weddell Sea

The MSA and nssSO 2- 4 concentration data from the ice cores and from atmospheric aerosols of the regions surrounding Weddell Sea have been analyzed in the present paper. The results suggest that the high concentration of biogenic sulphur in the snow and ice as well as in the atmospheric aerosols reflects the proximity of the Weddell Sea even though a distinct strength discrepancy exists in the productivity among the areas. The snow/ice shows that the production seems to be higher in the middle of the Antarctic Peninsula than near the Filchner Ronne ice shelf. Despite the factors impacting on the transportation and deposition processes of biogenic surlphur, the concentration of MSA and nssSO 2- 4 in snow and ice shows a regular spatial distribution: decreasing with the distance from the open sea and the altitude above sea level. Nevertheless, below a certain height, the “altitude effect” is no longer significant. The “displacement” of seasonality for MSA concentration observed in ice cores of the regions has been discussed. The “out of phase” pattern in surface layer is attributed to the modification by prevailing meteorological condition to the transport and deposition process; while “relocation” in the deep layers may be caused by migration, a mechanism for which is to be further investigated.The comparative study of the atmospheric and snow/ice samples implies that at the high altitude like the Weddell Sea the atmospheric signal of SO 2- 4 and MSA could be somewhat muted in the snow samples. But the seasonal variations in the airborn sulphate and MSA are reasonably well reproduced in the surface snow, for temporal and spacial distribution. The very close ratio of MSA to nssSO 2- 4 (or to SO 2- 4) of atmospheric aerosol and snow/ice sample is indicative of weak, if any, fraction between the two species during the scavenging and deposition processes. This could serve as the internal cause to explain the relative stable MSA/nssSO 2- 4 ratio, both for atmosphere and snow, an important regional specificity for the study of marine biogenic sulphur.

Spatial and Temporal Differences of Climate Suitability of Ice and Snow Sports in Major Ski Tourism Destinations in China

Ice and snow tourism in China has grown significantly since the country successfully hosted the Beijing Winter Olympics.Climatic conditions profoundly impact the development of ice and snow tourism;however,most studies have focused on constructing different climate suitability indicators for ice and snow tourism to evaluate individual regions,lacking horizontal comparative studies across multiple regions.This study aims to enrich the connotation of climate suitability for ice and snow sports,establish an evaluation model based on snowfall amount,temperature,and wind speed,and use daily meteorological data from 1991 to 2021 to horizontally compare the climate suitability for ice and snow sports in major ski tourism destinations in China.This study boasts four major findings:1)the average ice and snow sports climate index of each region decreases over time,and the overall suitability of the climate for ice and snow sports is reducing;2)northern Xinjiang exhibits the most evident regional differentiation from‘very suitable’to‘generally suitable’;3)the spatial zoning of climate suitability for ice and snow sports exhibits heterogeneity,as northern Xinjiang is divided into two‘suitable and above’zones with rotating empirical orthogonal function(REOF).Correspondingly,the four provinces of Hebei,Heilongjiang,Jilin,and Liaoning are divided into three‘generally suitable and above’zones;4)snowfall amount is the main factor affecting the climate suitability of ice and snow sports in the major ski tourist destinations in China.