DOI : 10. 1051/jp4 : 20030333 First mercury determination in snow and firn from high — mountain glaciers in the Siberian Altai by CV-ICP-MS S. Eyrikh, M. Schwikowski1, H. W. Gäggeler1, 2, L. Tobler1 and T. Papina Institute for Water and Environmental Problems, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Molodezhnaya St., 656038 Barnaul, Russia 1 Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland 2 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Switzerland Abstract. High-altitude mountain glaciers are well suited as palcoarchives of tiattirai and anthropogenic émission both on a global and on local scale. Ice core records from Altai will permit to asscss thc present air pollution level in ihe Central Eurasia and to reconstmct its historical development. The Altai mountain region is especially interesting for Hg study. since it's located close to the large Hg mine in Aktash. South Siberia and to major sources of air pollution in East Kazakhstan and South Siberia. Thus, local, rogional and long-range transport is assumed to coninbute to Hg contamination in this area. The potential of Cold Vapour lCP-MS using a Hydrogen Generator for Hg determination was studied. The preliminary data is the first data on Hg levels in snow and ice ever obtained for the Altai region. The lowest Hg concentration we obtained was from snow from Belukha glacier. Hg concentrations in snow from thé Jungfraujoch (Swiss Atps) are comparable with those recently reported for Hg Ul snos froi s French Alps. 1. INTRODUCTION The very low Hg concentrations in snow and ice core require an extremely sensitive and accurate analytical technique as well as a contamination-free methodology. As generally agreed, problems arising in the analysis of Hg in environment samples are not due to limited instrumental sensitivity, but rather due to difficulties associated with contamination-free sampling and analyses [1], and due to potential lasses of Hg during storage and analysis. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP — MS) is a commonly used, convenient and very sensitive analytical method for multi-element analysis. in case of Hg, it is used only occasionally over interfering influences and is necessary to use addition equipment. The aim ofthis study is to establish the analytical method using CV-ICP-MS with hydrogel Generator HG and to apply this method to samples of snow and ice core from Altai to assess the present air pollution level. 2. STUDY AREA Thé Aitai mountain région is located close to the large Hg mine in Aktash, South Siberia and ta major sources of air pollution in East Kazakhstan and South Siberia. Thus, local, regional and iong — range transport is assumed to contribute to Hg contamination in this area. Our studies were conducted in the Aitai Mountains in Ju ! y 2000, where a 6 m ice core was drilled and srow sarnples were collected froni, 3 S rm deep snow pit on the Belukha glacier (3895 rz asl) and from 0. 7 m snow pit on the Aktru glacier (3 50 il ZD rr, asl, . For the methodical part of work, the high — mountain site Jungfraujoch (3500 m in the Swiss c