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Chemistry for Sustainable Development

2009 year, number 1

High-Performance Technique on the Base of ICP-MS for Obtaining High-Resolution Records of Climate-Sensitive Elements in Bottom Sediments of Lake Hovsgol (Mongolia)

Tserentsegmid Oyunchimeg, E. P. Chebykin
Keywords: ICP-MS, Lake Hovsgol sediments, sequential extraction, paleoenvironmental change proxies
Pages: 97-110

Abstract

To obtain high-resolution records of elemental paleoenvironmental change proxies in the bottom sediments of Lake Hovsgol (Mongolia), a high-performance technique is proposed. It consists of extraction of sediment samples with 1 % HNO3 followed by multi-elemental ICP-MS measurements of extracts. In comparison with the complete decomposition of bulk samples, this method provides a maximal number (44) of climate-sensitive elemental signals (variation of contents of extractable elements along sediment core depth) and, at the same time, their maximal response to the global paleoclimate change. The highest sensitivity (variability >100 %) to climate change is characteristic for Сinorg, P, Ca, V, Ni, Se, Br, Sr, Mo, Sb, I, W and U, and the lowest one (25-30 %) - for As, Rb and Pb. On the basis of memory effect studies, an algorithm of ICP-MS measurement (VG PlasmaQuad II quadruple spectrometer) is proposed; this method does not require intermediate rinsing of spectrometer measuring path between core samples analysed subsequently. It allows increasing the output of serial analysis up to 200 samples per day.