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Ionic composition of terrestrial surface waters in Maritime Antarctic and the processes involved in formation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2014

Arkadiusz Nędzarek ,
Agnieszka Tórz  and
Joanna Podlasińska
Arkadiusz Nędzarek*
Affiliation:
Department of Aquatic Sozology, West Pomeranian University of Technology, K. Królewicza 4, 71-550, Szczecin, Poland Department of Antarctic Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Ustrzycka 10-12, 02-141 Warsaw, Poland
Agnieszka Tórz
Affiliation:
Department of Antarctic Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Ustrzycka 10-12, 02-141 Warsaw, Poland
Joanna Podlasińska
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Protection and Management, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Słowackiego 17, 71-434 Szczecin, Poland
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

The qualitative and quantitative composition of major ions and nutrient compounds in surface waters and soils of the west coast of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, West Antarctica) was investigated together with the effect of soil-forming processes and atmospheric precipitation on the ionic composition of surface waters. In the water bodies studied, Cl- and Na+ were dominant major ions (average concentrations: 1102.2 and 930.9 μM, respectively). Average concentrations of the other major anions ranged from 2.80 μM (F-) to 81.64 μM (SO42-) and major cations ranged from 12.46 μM (K+) to 130.76 μM (Mg2+). Average concentrations of total reactive phosphorus, N-NO2-, N-NO3- and N-NH4+ amounted to 1.374, 0.410, 6.299 and 1.490 μM, respectively. Average concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, K, N and P in the surface layer of the soil equalled 16.8, 15.9, 6.4, 3.6, 0.646 and 0.744 g kg-1, respectively. The calculated Na+/Cl-, Ca2+/Mg2+, Ca2+/Na+ and HCO3-/Cl- ratios revealed that atmospheric precipitation was the main source of major ions. We conclude that the ionic composition of the waters of the western coast of Admiralty Bay differ from surface waters of Continental Antarctica.

Keywords

major ionsmeltwater streamnutrientssoilsSouth Shetland Islands
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , April 2015 , pp. 150 - 161
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2014 

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