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The paper discussed the influence of the forms of sediment accumulation on the surface of glaciers on their chemical and physicochemical properties. The materials sampled from the surface of five glaciers of the Svalbard Archipelago was analyzed. We studied such forms of sediment accumulation as dirt cones - the ice core covered with sediments and cryoconite holes - hollows on the glacier surface containing cryoconite material. Parameters such as total organic carbon content, microbiological activity, pH, the content of mobile forms of potassium and phosphorus, and concentrations of heavy and trace metals were studied. Also, mesomorphological studies were carried out and the polydisperse composition of the sediments was determined. According to the results of this work, it was found that the content of organic carbon in the material selected from dirt cones and cryoconite holes can be up to 2.5%, but the content of clay particles in it is mainly at the 10–15% level. Potassium concentrations are up to 250 mg/kg, and phosphorus is up to 800 mg/kg. The content of metals is typical or lower than in the previously published data. The main influence on the chemical composition of materials has a geographical factor of the sampling site, rather than the form of material accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enormous deglaciation in the polar and mountainous regions of the Earth is associated not only with large-scale climatic changes but also with the global transfer of black carbon (BC) microparticles, which accumulate on the surface of glaciers and lead to changes in albedo and the rate of degradation of ice. BC is the product of an incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires. The accumulation of organogenic microparticles leads to the formation of cryoconites, which are dust made of a combination of small rock particles and the result of anthropogenic activities (fossil fuel combustion) that play a special role in deglaciation. Here, we describe the content of trace metals and nutrients in accumulation of the BC from glaciers of Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Western Antarctica. The analysis of trace metals concentrations showed that most of the studied elements (Cr, Pb, Zn, Ni) have a volcanic origin; at the same time, Cd and Cu have been accumulated as a result of anthropogenic activity. The content of nutrients in BC are most similar with Technosols, which forms near the scientific station at King George Island. The particles of BC can be translocated into organisms, which could pose a significant risk for living organisms and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]