Organic Compounds in Surface and Deep Antarctic Snow

Abstract

Abstract Eight surface snow samples taken during the 1987/88, 1988/89 and 1990/91 Italian Antarctic Expeditions and six samples collected at different depths from two dissimilar sites during the 1990/91 Expedition, were analyzed for the non-chlorinated organic content using the GC capillary columns technique and GC-MS. Several biogenic and anthropogenic classes of organic compounds were identified and quantitatively determined. The data obtained give a more complete picture of the pollution level in Antarctica.