Title Light absorption by soluble chemical species in Arctic and Antarctic snow
Author Anastasio, C.; Robles, T.
Author Affil Anastasio, C., University of California Davis, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, Davis, CA
Source Journal of Geophysical Research, 112( D24), D24304. Publisher: American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, United States. ISSN: 0148-0227
Publication Date Dec. 27, 2007
Notes In English. NSF grants ANT-0230288 and ARC-0455055. 67 refs. Ant. Acc. No: 83569. GeoRef Acc. No: 282363
Index Terms absorption; chemical composition; snow; snow physics; Arctic Ocean; Antarctica-- Dome C; Greenland--Summit; Antarctica; Arctic region; Dome C; Greenland; photochemistry; Summit Greenland; Wilkes Land
Abstract Using a liquid core waveguide spectrophotometer we have quantified the very low light absorption of dissolved chromophores (light absorbing trace species) in filtered samples of melted polar snows. Light absorption coefficients at 280 nm span the ranges of 0.005-0.029 m-1 and 0.002-0.027 m-1 for samples from Summit, Greenland, and Dome C, Antarctica, respectively. Absorption coefficients decrease with increasing wavelength and also decrease with depth in the snowpack. At both sites, NO3- and H2O2 together account for approximately half of the summed light absorption coefficients for wavelengths of 280 nm and above; the remaining 50% of light absorption is due to unknown, probably organic, chromophores. (mod. journ. abst.)
URL http://hdl.handle.net/10.1029/2007JD008695
Publication Type journal article
Record ID 62002838