Antarctic ice core nitrate (NO3-) can provide a unique record of the atmospheric reactive nitrogen cycle. However, the factors influencing the deposition and preservation of NO3- at the ice sheet surface must first be understood. Therefore, an intensive program of snow and atmospheric sampling was made on a traverse from the coast to the ice sheet summit, Dome A, East Antarctica. Snow samples in this observation include 120 surface snow samples (top ∼ 3 cm), 20 snow pits with depths of 150 to 300 cm, and 6 crystal ice samples (the topmost needle-like layer on Dome A plateau). The main purpose of this investigation is to characterize the distribution pattern and preservation of NO3- concentrations in the snow in different environments. Results show that an increasing trend of NO3- concentrations with distance inland is present in surface snow, and NO3- is extremely enriched in the topmost crystal ice (with a maximum of 16.1 µeq L ⁻¹ ). NO3- concentration profiles for snow pits vary between coastal and inland sites. On the coast, the deposited NO3- was largely preserved, and the archived NO3- fluxes are dominated by snow accumulation. The relationship between the archived NO3- and snow accumulation rate can be depicted well by a linear model, suggesting a homogeneity of atmospheric NO3- levels. It is estimated that dry deposition contributes 27–44 % of the archived NO3- fluxes, and the dry deposition velocity and scavenging ratio for NO3- were relatively constant near the coast. Compared to the coast, the inland snow shows a relatively weak correlation between archived NO3- and snow accumulation, and the archived NO3- fluxes were more dependent on concentration. The relationship between NO3- and coexisting ions (nssSO42-, Na ⁺ and Cl ⁻ ) was also investigated, and the results show a correlation between nssSO42- (fine aerosol particles) and NO3- in surface snow, while the correlation between NO3- and Na ⁺ (mainly associated with coarse aerosol particles) is not significant. In inland snow, there were no significant relationships found between NO3- and the coexisting ions, suggesting a dominant role of NO3- recycling in determining the concentrations.

To better understand snow chemistry in different environments across the Antarctic ice sheet, we investigated snow ions on a traverse from the coast to Dome A. Results show that the non-sea-salt (nss) fractions of K ⁺ , Mg ²⁺ , and Ca ²⁺ are mainly from terrestrial particle mass and nssCl ⁻ is associated with HCl. Spatially, the non-sea-salt fractions of ions to the totals are higher in the interior areas than on the coast, and seasonally, the proportions are higher in summer than in winter. Negative nssSO42- on the coast indicates sea salts from the sea ice, and marine biogenic emissions dominate snow SO42- in interior areas throughout the year.

Water stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δD) in Antarctic snow pits and ice cores are extensively applied in paleoclimate reconstruction. However, their interpretation varies over some climate change processes that can alter isotope signals after deposition, especially at sites with a low snow accumulation rate (<30 mm w.e. year⁻¹). To investigate post-depositional effects during the archival processes of snow isotopes, we first analyzed δ¹⁸O and δD variations in summer precipitation, surface snow and snow pit samples collected at Dome A. Then, the effects of individual post-depositional processes were evaluated from the results of field experiments, spectral analysis and modeling simulations. It was found that the sublimation–condensation cycle and isotopic diffusion were likely the dominant processes that modified the δ¹⁸O at and under the snow–air interface, respectively. The sublimation–condensation cycle can cause no significant isotopic modification of δ¹⁸O from field experiments with ~3 cm snow. The diffusion process can significantly erase the original seasonal variation of δ¹⁸O driven by atmospheric temperature, leading to an apparent cycle of ~20 cm average wavelength present in the δ¹⁸O profile. Through the comparison with the artificial isotopic profile, the noise input from the diffusion process was the dominant component in the δ¹⁸O signal. Although some other processes (such as drifting, ventilation and metamorphism) were not fully considered, the quantitative understanding for the sublimation–condensation and diffusion processes will contribute to the paleoclimate construction using the ice core water isotope records at Dome A.

Ice-core water isotopes contain valuable information on past climate changes. However, such information can be altered by post-depositional processing after snow deposition. Atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange is one such process, but its influence remains poorly constrained. Here we constructed a box model to quantify the atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange fluxes and the associated isotope effects at sites with low snow accumulation rates, where the effects of atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange are suspected to be large. The model reproduced the observed diurnal variations in δ¹⁸O, δD, and deuterium excess (d-excess) in water vapor at Dome C, East Antarctica. According to the same model framework, we found that under average summer clear-sky conditions, atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange at Dome A can cause diurnal variations in atmospheric water vapor δ¹⁸O and δD of 4.8 ‰ ± 2.6 ‰ and 29 ‰ ± 19 ‰, with corresponding diurnal variations in surface snow δ¹⁸O and δD of 0.80 ‰ ± 0.35 ‰ and 1.6 ‰ ± 2.7 ‰. The modeled results under summer cloudy conditions display similar patterns to those under clear-sky conditions but with much smaller magnitudes of diurnal variations. However, under winter conditions at Dome A, the model predicts few to no diurnal changes in snow isotopes, consistent with the stable boundary condition in winter that inhibits effective vapor exchange between the atmosphere and snow. In addition, after 24 h and continuous simulations of 11 d, the model predicts significant enrichments in snow isotopes under summer conditions, while in winter, the depletions also accumulate after each 24 h simulation but with a much smaller magnitude of change compared to the results from summer simulations. If the modeled snow isotope enrichments in summer conditions and the depletions in winter conditions represent the general situation at Dome A, this likely suggests that atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange tends to increase snow isotope seasonality, and the annual net effect would be overall enrichments in snow isotopes since the effects in summer appear to be greater than those in winter. This trend will need to be further explored in the future with more comprehensive model studies and/or field observations and experiments.

The study of the fabric and microstructure of ice at the shear margin of the Antarctic ice sheet is of great significance for understanding the ice flow and its contributions to sea level rise. In this study, twenty-three one-meter-long ice cores were drilled from blue ice areas at the shear margin of the Dalk Glacier, Antarctica. The ice fabric and microstructure of these ice cores are analyzed using a G50 fabric analyzer. This study shows that the shallow ice cores in this region present a cluster fabric as a consequence of shear stress. The grain size decreases following the direction of the ice flow towards the exposed bedrock at the end of the glacier, due to the blocking and squeezing by the bedrock. The formation mechanism of the shallow ice layers is that the ice from the original accumulation area flows here, lifted by the bedrock and shaped by the summer ablation and denudation. The basal ice at the shear margin of the Dalk Glacier is strongly rubbed by the bedrock and demonstrates a cluster fabric. The analysis of stable water isotopes shows a weak negative correlation between shallow ice fabric and stable water isotopes with depth. Bedrock topography and shear stress have a greater influence on grain microstructure among different ice cores over long distances at shear margins.