Source and environmental significance of oxalate in Laohugou Glacier No. 12, Qilian Mountains, Western China

Retrieval of oxalate from snow and ice provides information on past environmental changes. In recent years, records of organic acids in middle- and low-latitude glaciers have attracted the attention of researchers globally. In this study, we analyzed oxalates in an ice core from Laohugou Glacier No. 12 on the Qilian Mountains at an elevation of 5,040 m a.s.l. in 2006. Average oxalate concentration was 18.5±2.4 ng/g over the prior 46 years. Oxalate values showed a significantly increasing trend since 1985. From 1985 to 1995, oxalate concentrations had large fluctuations, peaking in about 1987 and exhibiting a slightly decreasing trend since 1995. The result shows that the abrupt increase of oxalate concentration in the ice core since the mid-1980s reflects atmospheric environmental pollution by human and industrial activities.