Provenance and sedimentation of Pu and Np in the northern Taiwan Strait suffering intensive land-ocean interaction.

The China Sea is faced with a heightened risk of anthropogenic radionuclide contamination, whose provenance, scavenging and migration are imperative to investigate to provide the background and nuclear safety emergency assessment. This study pioneers the measurement of anthropogenic plutonium and neptunium (Pu and Np) concentrations and atom ratios (Pu/Pu and Np/Pu) in sediment cores from the northern Taiwan Strait and the adjacent East China Sea using SF-ICP-MS, exploring their applications and characteristics. Typical vertical profiles confirm that Pu and Np serve as geochronological tools, with the Pu/Pu atom ratio as a fingerprint refining the chronology.

Abrupt climate fluctuations in Tibet as imprints of multiple meltwater events during the early to mid-Holocene.

Understanding the impact of meltwater discharge during the final stage of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) has important implications for predicting sea level rise and climate change. Here we present a high-resolution ice-core isotopic record from the central Tibetan Plateau (TP), where the climate is sensitive to the meltwater forcing, and explore possible signals of the climate response to potential LIS meltwater discharges in the early to mid-Holocene. The record shows four abrupt large fluctuations during the 7-9 ka BP (kiloannum before present), reflecting large shifts of the mid-latitude westerlies and the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) over this period, and they corresponded to possible LIS freshwater events documented in other paleoclimate records.

Occurrence, distribution, potential sources, and risks of organophosphate esters in fresh snow on Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs), extensively used as flame retardants, are widely detected in various regions and environments. The potential toxicity of OPEs has caused great concern in recent years. Based on the global distillation model, the Tien Shan glaciers, such as Urumqi Glacier No.

Middle east warming in spring enhances summer rainfall over Pakistan.

The edge of a monsoon region is usually highly sensitive to climate change. Pakistan, which is located on the northern edge of the Indian monsoon, is highly vulnerable to heavy rainfall and has witnessed several debilitating floods exacerbated by global warming in recent years. However, the mechanisms for the frequent Pakistan floods are yet not fully understood.

The first detection of organophosphate esters (OPEs) of a high altitude fresh snowfall in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

Due to the gradual phase-out of brominated flame retardants, the consumption of organophosphate esters (OPEs) as suitable alternatives has increased in recent years. These compounds could be trapped and accumulate in the widely developed glaciers such as Laohugou Glacier No. 12 in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), as snow is an effective scavenger of organic pollutants in the atmosphere.

Temporal variations of the contribution of combustion-derived water vapor to urban humidity during winter in Xi'an, China.

Combustion-derived water vapor (CDV) has significant impacts on urban climate and environment. However, temporal variations of contribution of CDV (CCDV) to urban humidity are unclear due to lack of observations. This study examined the temporal variations of CCDV in Xi'an during winter from 2016 to 2019.

Ice-core based assessment of nitrogen deposition in the central Tibetan Plateau over the last millennium.

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is a unique source of bioavailable nitrogen for ecosystems in remote regions, and has vital impacts on ecological processes. Understanding variations of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in these regions remains challenging due to a lack of observations. Ice cores contain records of nitrogen species of nitrate (NO) and ammonium (NH), hence provide valuable long-term data to study past variations of atmospheric nitrogen deposition.

Assessment of heavy metal contamination in the atmospheric deposition during 1950-2016 A.D. from a snow pit at Dome A, East Antarctica.

Antarctic trace element records could provide important insights into the impact of human activities on the environment over the past few centuries. In this study, we investigated the atmospheric concentrations of 14 representative heavy metals (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Pb, Sb, Sr, Tl and V) from 174 samples collected in a 4-m snow pit at Dome Argus (Dome A) on the East Antarctic Plateau, covering the period from 1950 to 2016 A.D.

An increase of ammonia emissions from terrestrial ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau since 1980 deduced from ice core record.

Ammonia (NH) emissions could have significant impacts on both ecosystems and human health. Ice cores from the Tibetan Plateau contain information about past ammonium (NH) deposition, which could yield important insights into historical NH emissions in the surrounding source regions as well as long-distance NH aerosol transport via atmospheric circulation. In this paper, we present a high-resolution atmospheric NH deposition record for the period, 1951-2008, reconstructed from the Zangser Kangri (ZK) ice core in the northern Tibetan Plateau.

Uranium record from a 3 m snow pit at Dome Argus, East Antarctica.

Understanding the distribution and transport of Uranium is important because it can lead to both chemical and radiological toxicity. This study presents the Uranium concentrations time series from 1964 to 2009 obtained from a 3 m deep snow pit at Dome Argus, East Antarctic Plateau. The data shows that Uranium concentrations vary from 0.

Distribution of ARGs and MGEs among glacial soil, permafrost, and sediment using metagenomic analysis.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) can be identified with metagenomic analyses comparing relatively pristine and human-impacted environments. We collected samples from 3 different environments: glacial soil little affected by anthropogenic activity, deep permafrost dated to 5821 BP (before human antibiotics), and sediment from the Pearl River. Sulfonamides, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones were common in the sediment samples.

Corrigendum: Possible recent warming hiatus on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau derived from ice core records.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep32813.

Persistent Pb Pollution in Central East Antarctic Snow: A Retrospective Assessment of Sources and Control Policy Implications.

Well-defined variations in the enrichments and isotopic compositions of Pb have been observed in snow from Dome Fuji and Dome A in the central East Antarctic Plateau (EAP) over the past few decades. The Pb isotopic fingerprints indicate that the rapid increase in Pb enrichments from the mid-1970s, reaching a peak in ∼1980, is due to the massive use of leaded gasoline in northern South America, especially Brazil. Since then, they show a continuous decline, mostly due to the significant removal of the Pb additives from gasoline in Brazil in the 1980s and, subsequently, in Argentina and Chile in the 1990s.

Possible recent warming hiatus on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau derived from ice core records.

Many studies have reported enhanced warming trend on the Tibetan Plateau (TP), even during the warming hiatus period. However, most of these studies are based on instrumental data largely collected from the eastern TP, whereas the temperature trend over the extensive northwestern TP remains uncertain due to few meteorological stations. Here we combined the stable isotopic δ(18)O record of an ice core recovered in 2012 from the Chongce glacier with the δ(18)O records of two other ice cores (i.

[Difference of community structure among culturable bacteria in different glacial samples on Chongce Ice Cap].

Objective: We studied the difference of bacterial community composition among glacial snow, moraine deposits and glacial soil on Chongce Ice Cap of West Kunlun Mountains.

Methods: Based on traditional culturedependent and 16S rRNA sequence analysis, we analyzed the community structure of bacteria on the level of genus and phylum.

Results: Results show that glacial bacteria were composed of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes on the phylum level.

Seasonal variations in the sources of natural and anthropogenic lead deposited at the East Rongbuk Glacier in the high-altitude Himalayas.

Lead (Pb) isotopic compositions and concentrations, and barium (Ba) and indium (In) concentrations have been analysed at sub-annual resolution in three sections from a <110 m ice core dated to the 18th and 20th centuries, as well as snow pit samples dated to 2004/2005, recovered from the East Rongbuk Glacier in the high-altitude Himalayas. Ice core sections indicate that atmospheric chemistry prior to ~1,953 was controlled by mineral dust inputs, with no discernible volcanic or anthropogenic contributions. Eighteenth century monsoon ice core chemistry is indicative of dominant contributions from local Himalayan sources; non-monsoon ice core chemistry is linked to contributions from local (Himalayan), regional (Indian/Thar Desert) and long-range (North Africa, Central Asia) sources.

Culturable bacteria isolated from snow cores along the 1300 km traverse from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, East Antarctica.

The abundance and community composition of culturable bacteria in four snow cores along the 1300 km traverse from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, East Antarctica, were investigated through the combination of liquid and solid media and small subunit 16S rRNA sequences. Under aerobic cultivation conditions, the average concentrations of bacterial colonies from each snow core varied from 0.008 to 0.

Isotopic signatures for natural versus anthropogenic Pb in high-altitude Mt. Everest ice cores during the past 800 years.

A long-term record, extending back 800 years (1205 to 2002 AD), of the Pb isotopic composition ((206)Pb/(207)Pb and (208)Pb/(207)Pb) as well as Pb concentrations from high altitude Mt. Everest ice cores has the potential to identify sources and source regions affecting natural and anthropogenic Pb deposition in central Asia. The results show that the regional natural background Pb isotope signature (~1.

Abundance and community of snow bacteria from three glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau.

Bacterial abundance and diversity in snow of East Rongbuk, Laohugou and Hailuogou glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau were investigated through epifluorescence microscope and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Cell abundance ranged from 4.0 x 10(3) to 290.

An 800-year record of atmospheric As, Mo, Sn, and Sb in central Asia in high-altitude ice cores from Mt. Qomolangma (Everest), Himalayas.

As, Mo, Sn, and Sb have been determined by inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) in 143 depth intervals of high-altitude ice cores from Mt. Everest, covering an 800-year time period from 1205 to 2002 AD. The results clearly demonstrate the long-term historical record of atmospheric transport and deposition of As, Mo, Sn, and Sb that has prevailed at high altitudes in the central Himalayas.

Atmospheric pollution for trace elements in the remote high-altitude atmosphere in central Asia as recorded in snow from Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) of the Himalayas.

A series of 42 snow samples covering over a one-year period from the fall of 2004 to the summer of 2005 were collected from a 2.1-m snow pit at a high-altitude site on the northeastern slope of Mt. Everest.

[Study on microbial diversity and community in Miaoergou snow of East Tianshan Mountains and their relation to climatic and environmental changes].

The different depth snow samples were collected from the Miaoergou glacier in East Tianshan Mountains regions, China. Total bacteria counts were established by 4',6- diamino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), were used to examine the bacterial diversity and community structure.