AbstractTo investigate the environmental and climatic significance of the ice-core records from the Tien Shan, central Asia, the characteristics of ionic concentration and oxygen isotopic ratio (δ¹⁸O) as well as their variability are assessed from surface-snow samples as well as old-snow samples collected year-round at weekly intervals from November 2002 to October 2005 on Ürümqi glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan. The results indicate that the δ¹⁸O in surface-snow samples is reversely coincident with air temperature and insignificantly affected by post-depositional processes. Ionic concentrations in the wet-season (1 November to 31 March) snow are overall higher than those in dry-season (1 April to 31 October) snow, while the variability of relative ionic composition between dry seasons is slightly less than that between wet seasons. During dry seasons, surface-snow chemistry was mostly controlled by the chemical content entrained in some sporadic precipitations. When precipitation is absent, the effect of all post-depositional processes together elevated the ionic concentrations in surface snow. During wet seasons, the snow chemistry is determined mainly by the input of aerosols entrained in precipitation and the elution process from percolation of meltwater.