| Abstract
| - Measurement of trace chemical impurities in ice corescontributes to the reconstruction of records of the atmosphericenvironment and of the climate system. Ion chromatography(IC) is an effective analytical technique for ionic speciesin ice cores but has been used on discretely prepared icesamples, resulting in extensive and slow sample preparationand potential for contamination. A new technique hasbeen developed that utilizes IC as the online detectiontechnique in a melter-based continuous flow system forquantitative determination of major ionic chemical impurities.The system, called CFA-IC for continuous flow analysiswith ion chromatography detection, consists of an ice coremelter, several ion chromatographs, and an interfacethat distributes meltwater to the IC instruments. The CFA-IC technique combines the accuracy, precision, andease of use of IC measurement with the enhanced speedand depth resolution of continuous melting systems andis capable of virtually continuous, high-speed and high-resolution chemical analysis of long ice cores. The newtechnique and operating procedures have been tested andvalidated with the analysis of over 100 m of ice coresfrom Antarctica. The current CFA-IC system provides an all-major-ion analysis speed of up to 8 m a day at a depthresolution of approximately 2 cm.
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