Compositional characteristics of n-alkanes of the glaciers over the Tibetan Plateau and their environmental and climatic significances

作     者：LI QuanLian WANG NingLian WU XiaoBo PU JianChen HE JianQiao XIE Jun 

作者机构：State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric ScienceCold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research InstituteChinese Academy of SciencesLanzhou 730000China 

出 版 物：《Science China Earth Sciences》 (中国科学（地球科学英文版）)

年 卷 期：2009年第52卷第11期

页      面：1803-1812页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 08[工学] 

基　　金：Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China for Distinguished Young Scholars (Grant No. 40525001) National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2005CB422003) CAS International Partnership Project (Grant No. CXTD-Z2005-2) National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40801023, 40871038, 40771046 ) 

主　　题：Tibetan Plateau glacier n-alkanes substance origin 

摘      要：We report on the concentration and compositional features of n-alkanes of natural and anthropogenic origins in the snow samples collected from the Qiyi glacier in the Qilian Mountains, the Yuzhufeng glacier in eastern Kunlun Mountains, the Xiaodongkemadi glacier in the Tanggula Mountains, and the Gurenhekou glacier in the Nyainqêntanglha Range. The results indicate a decrease in the total n-alkane concentration (T-HCs) from the northeast to the south over the Tibetan Plateau. The T-HCs in these studied areas were close to those in the Belukha and Sofiyskiy glacier, Russian Alati Mountains and the Dasuopu glacier in the Himalaya but were much higher than those in the Greenland ice sheet, suggesting that the mountain glaciers in the Asian continent may receive a higher loading of n-alkanes than the Greenland ice core. Moreover, the compositional characteristics of n-alkanes indicated that the n-alkanes in the studied areas were probably originated from the plant waxes as well as the fossil-fuel combustion exhaust, whereas the contribution from the lower organisms was small. In addition, the plant wax (Cn(wax)) and anthropogenic (non-Cn(wax)) contributions revealed that fast industrialization may have significant effects on the organic pollutant composition in glacier over the Tibetan Plateau and its circumference environment. Particularly, except for the Yuzhufeng glacier, the ΣnC21-/ΣnC22+ and (nC15+nC17+nC19)/(nC27+nC29+nC31) ratio decreased from the Qiyi glacier to the Gurenhekou glacier over the Tibetan Plateau, while the carbon preference index (CPI) values increased. These results indicate a decrease in terrigenous input while an increase in marine input from the northeast to the south over the Tibetan Plateau. These two ratios can be used as the climatic and environmental change indicators.