Formate and acetate records in the Muztagata ice core, Northwest Tibetan Plateau

Formic and acetic acids (HCOOH, CH3COOH), originating mainly from biosphere (release by plants, combustion of biomass, motor exhaust and oxidation of organism, etc.), are two simple organic chemical com- pounds in troposphere. Though the concentration of these two organic acids is low in atmosphere, they are the main [1] sources of free acidity in precipitation of remote regions , and contribute minor chemical constituents to the balance between anions and cations, especially to some atm…

Formate and acetate records in the Muztagata ice core,Northwest Tibetan Plateau

Formate and acetate concentrations are meas- ured in a 22.56 m-depth ice core recovered in Mt. Muztagata Glacier, northwest Tibetan Plateau. The mean concentrations for formate and acetate in this ice core are 186.6±160.1 and 136.4±133.9 ng/g, respectively. Study shows that there is a positive correlation between formate and nitrate, suggesting both continental origins. However, no significant relationship has been found between formate and acetate, though they both have obvious periodical variations. Because Mt. Muz- tagata lies in the mid-latitude and is correlative to the nearby human activities, formate and acetate concentrations are higher than those in Greenland and Antarctica. During re- cent decades, the increase of formate concentration in the Muztagata ice core and formaldehyde production shows a close correlation. We preliminarily presume that the high formate concentration in the Muztagata ice core is concerned with the thriving of house decoration in which excess for- maldehyde was used.