ИСТИНА

Due to the general and local circulation of air masses, mineral dust is constantly transported over long distances and deposited on the surface of glaciers. The presence of these impurities in the snowpack of the glacier affects the glacier, the environment and its components. To understand these influences clearer, a study of mineral dust was carried out, ranging from their physical parameters to quantitative estimates. Data on dust were obtained from four geographically different key sites: Western plateau of Elbrus (5100 m), Eastern summit of Elbrus (5600 m), Kazbek (4500 m) and Bezengi (4600 m), where ice core drilling was performed. We analyzed ice core samples for chemistry, concentrations, particle size distribution and the seasonal deposition fluxes of mineral dust from these cores. In this study for the first time, we present the full composition on the dust for the entire Caucasus region over ⁓ 250 years. This study was supported by the International Scientific Cooperation Megagrant Program (agreement no. 075-15-2021-599 of 08.06.2021).