Aerosol and fresh snow chemistry in the East Rongbuk Glacier on the northern slope of Mt. Qomolangma (Everest)

An intensive and simultaneous sampling for aerosol and fresh snow was conducted at Repula Col of the East Rongbuk Glacier near Mt. Qomolangma during the late Indian summer monsoon season in 2003. Aerosol and snow chemistry (including the species of Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl^-, SO₄^2-, and NO₃^-) is analyzed and discussed. Anions account for a majority of the air quality, and SO₄^2- is the most loaded species. Local emission by land weathering does not contribute significantly to the loading of Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺, and their high concentration is related to their continental desert sources. The meridional dynamic force of Indian monsoon is efficient to the loading of Na⁺, and Na⁺/Ca²⁺ could be used to distinguish air masses of maritime or continental which dominate the air quality. The signal of crustal SO₄^2- from Central/West Asia or farther Africa is weak, and mixed sources (anthropogenic and crustal) of SO₄^2- dominate its loading in aerosol samples. Air-snow scavenging ratios of these species are calculated and compared with the other results in some previous studies. The scavenging ratio of SO₄^2- as the most heavily loaded species is around 200, which is comparable with that in Greenland.