Characteristics of salt inclusions in polar ice from Dome Fuji, East Antarctica

We studied the depth profile of the chemical properties, number concentration and average diameter of micro‐inclusions in Antarctic ice from Dome Fuji. Analysis of the data indicated that the distribution of inclusions was not significantly modified during ice sheet flow, although a main constituent Na2SO4·10H2O changed into another solid phase in the deep ice. In the chemical form, sodium sulfate and magnesium sulfate were dominant in the interglacial and early‐glacial ice, but were not detected in the glacial‐maximum ice. Instead, the sulfate in the glacial‐maximum ice was mainly in the form of calcium sulfate. This is strong support for the hypothesis that the neutralization regime of acid aerosols in the atmosphere and snowpack dramatically changed from chemical reaction with sea salt to that with dust during glacial maxima.