Chemical characteristics of the snow pits at Murododaira, Mount Tateyama, Japan

Measurements of the chemical composition of the snow pits at Murododaira (2450 m a.s.l.), Mount Tateyama, near the coast of the Japan Sea in central Japan, were performed each spring from 2005 through 2008. The mean concentrations of nssSO(4)(2-) and NO(3)(-) are higher than those in snowpack in the 1990s. The pH and nssCa(2+) were usually high in the upper parts of 2-3 m of snow deposited in the spring, when Asian dust (Kosa) particles are frequently transported. High concentrations of nssSO(4)(2-) were detected in both the spring and winter layers. The high-nssCa(2+) layers usually contained high concentrations of nssSO(4)(2-). The results show that not only Kosa particles but also air pollutants might have been transported long-range from the continent of Asia. The concentrations of peroxides were high in the new snow (precipitation particles) and granular snow (coarse grain, melt forms) layers. The peroxide concentrations in the snow layers were negatively correlated with the nssCa(2+) concentrations. High peroxide concentrations may be preserved in granular snow layers having low concentrations of nssCa(2+).