Spatial variations in the ion composition were studied in 55 surface snow samples collected along three transects in the Ingrid Christensen Coast of East Antarctica. The sea-salt ion constituents revealed a drastic reduction from the ice edge to inland sites. The computed sea-salt sodium and non-seasalt calcium concentrations suggest that while sea spray primarily contributes to the Na 1 , the crustal contribution dominates the Ca 21 in snow samples. The Cl -/ssNa 1 ratios of the snow samples

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... om the Larsemann transect varied between 4.7 and 1.05, indicating that additional Clsources like soil dust are important in the inland sites. The enrichment factors (Ef) confirm a dominant crustal source for Ca 21 in all transects. The Ef(K 1 ) values indicate a dominant sea spray source for K 1 in the coastal stations of the Larsemann and Publications transects. The Ef(Mg 21 ) values indicate the absence of any significant Mg 21 enrichment compared to seawater values. Secondary sulphur species (nssSO 4 2and MSA) within the snow samples suggest that both vary independently of each other, possibly influenced by the local biological activities. The nssSO 4 2data revealed that several summer snow deposits in the study region are significantly fractionated, apparently related to the sea ice existence during summer.