A compilation of reliable data for sodium, nitrate, chloride and sulphate has been made. NO₃ concentrations arc remarkably consistent across Antarctica, though there appears to be some correlation with altitude and accumulation rate. Post-depositional loss of NO₃^- is important at low-accumulation sites. Cl concentration (either measured directly or calculated from Na⁺ via the sea salt ratio) decreases with distance from the coast, though the decline is less rapid if the coastal topography is not steep or mountainous. Excess sulphate (_xsSO₄²) concentration (here calculated from normal sea-salt ratios with Na⁺ or Cl) also declines with distance from the coast, though less quickly than Cl^-. Fractionation of sea-salt ions makes the calculation of SO₄^2- uncertain.