Abstract:
The individual elemental composition of insoluble airborne particulates found in King George Island (KGI), Antarctic
Peninsula (atmosphere, snow, firn and ice deposits) and in the atmosphere of Chilean Patagonia by SEM-EDS analysis
identify probable sources and transport mechanisms for the atmospheric aerosols observed in these regions. Insoluble
airborne particulates found in the snow, firn and ice in a core from Lange Glacier (KGI) call for significant crustal
influence, mainly associated with aluminium potassium, aluminium calcium and magnesium iron silicates together with
other aluminium silicates of calcium and magnesium, among rare others containing Ti, Ni and Cr. Our study suggests
that 95% of the bulk mode insoluble particulates deposited in Lange Glacier can be explained by atmospheric transport
from Chilean Patagonia. Cyclonic systems passing between southernmost South America and the Antarctic Peninsula
are the most probable atmospheric transport mechanism, tracked by measurements of 222Rn and Si.