Chemical Characteristics of Snow Cover in the High-Latitude Arctic: Baranov Cape, Bolshevik Island, Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago

Abstract

For the first time, the specific features of snow cover chemistry were studied in the period of its accumulation on Bolshevik Island (the area near the research station Cape Baranov Ice Base). In winter 2018/2019, the specific electric conductance, density, titrated acidity, pH, \({\text{NH}}_{4}^{ + }\), \({\text{NO}}_{3}^{ - }\), \({\text{NO}}_{2}^{ - }\), \({\text{PO}}_{4}^{{3 - }}\), and Si were measured in fresh and compacted snow and, additionally, Na⁺, К⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl⁻, and \({\text{SO}}_{4}^{{2 - }}\) were measured in compacted snow. Patterns of variations of fresh and compacted snow characteristics were identified, and the effect of marine and anthropogenic factors was discussed. Snow chemistry on Bolshevik Island was compared with the chemistry of precipitation and snow cover in other background areas of the Russian Federation.