Impact of Atmospheric Trace Elements on the "Third Pole" Glaciers

该项目的主要目标是确定从工业化前时代（~1500 AD）至今影响喜马拉雅和青藏高原（所谓的“第三极”）冰川的大气微量元素的来源、通量和时空分布。从古利亚取回的一组现有的独特冰芯（藏西高原）、乃木那依和达梭普（喜马拉雅山脉中部）、普若岗日和敦德（分别为青藏高原中部和北方）将分析一套微量元素，包括Ag、Al、As、Bi、Cd、Co、Cr、Cu、Fe、Hg、In、Mn、Mo、Ni、Pb、Rb、Se、Sb、Sn、Sr、Ti、Tl、U、V和Zn，使用电感耦合等离子体扇形场质谱法。 这些数据将使微量元素通量得以量化，并以前所未有的空间和时间分辨率区分其自然背景成分（如地壳和火山成分）与人为成分（如化石燃料燃烧和有色金属生产），大气微量元素沉积评估对试图追踪其来源、迁移和通量的建模者具有极大的意义。 需要对第三极地区高海拔地区大气污染的空间和时间特征进行分析，因为最近的研究表明，大气中“棕色云”沉积到喜马拉雅冰川可能影响其能量平衡，导致消融加速。 了解喜马拉雅山冰川持续萎缩造成的融水的初始质量，对于规划生活在这些冰川下游的数百万人的水资源供应也很重要。 最终，所有这些研究都为试图减轻环境中痕量金属影响的政策制定者提供了基本信息来源。 该项目将在第三极环境倡议的框架内开发，并将加强俄亥俄州州立大学伯德极地研究中心与北京（中国）青藏高原研究所之间的合作。该项目将支持一名博士后学者和一名硕士生充分参与冰芯的分析和研究。 此外，伯德极地研究中心还将制定一项具体的推广计划：三名选定的高中教师及其班级将熟悉研究活动。 他们将有机会通过视频会议参与，视频会议将被记录并发布在网上供其他人观看。 世界各地的教师和学生将从这一推广计划中受益，他们可以获得在这一框架内开发的教育材料，这些材料将提交给国家科学数字图书馆和俄亥俄州资源中心。

The primary goal of this project is to identify the sources, fluxes, and spatial/temporal distribution of atmospheric trace elements affecting the glaciers of the Himalayan and the Tibetan Plateau (the so-called "Third Pole") from the pre-industrial era (~1500 AD) to present time. An existing set of unique ice cores retrieved from Guliya (Western Tibetan plateau), Naimona'nyi and Dasuopu (Central Himalaya), Puruogangri and Dunde (Central and Northern Tibetean plateau, respectively) will be analyzed for a suite of trace elements, including Ag, Al, As, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, In, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Se, Sb, Sn, Sr, Ti, Tl, U, V, and Zn, using inductively-coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry. These data will allow quantification of trace element fluxes and discrimination, with an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution, of their natural background (e.g. crustal and volcanic constituents) components from the anthropogenic components (e.g. fossil fuel combustion and non-ferrous metal production).The assessment of atmospheric trace elements deposition is of great interest to modelers attempting to trace their sources, transport, and fluxes. The spatial and temporal characterization of atmospheric pollution at high elevations in the Third Pole region is needed because recent studies suggest that atmospheric "brown clouds" deposition to the Himalayan glaciers may affect their energy balance, resulting in an acceleration of ablation. Knowledge of the initial quality of the meltwater, resulting from the ongoing shrinking of the glaciers in the Himalaya, is also important for planning the availability of water resources for millions of people who live downstream from these glaciers. Ultimately all these studies serve as a source of fundamental information for policy makers trying to mitigate the impact of trace metals in the environment. This project will be developed in the framework of the Third Pole Environment (TPE) initiative and will reinforce the collaboration between the Byrd Polar Research Center at The Ohio State University and the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research in Beijing (China). The project will support the full involvement of a post-doctoral scholar and a master's degree student in the analysis and study of the ice cores. In addition, a specific outreach program will be developed at the Byrd Polar Research Center: three selected high school teachers and their classes will become familiar with the research activities. They will have an opportunity to participate through videoconferencing which will be recorded and posted online for others to view. Teachers and students everywhere will benefit from this outreach program by having access to educational materials developed in this framework, which will be submitted to the National Science Digital Library and the Ohio Resource Center.