Clearwater Mesa (James Ross Island, northeast Antarctic Peninsula) provides a unique opportunity to study solute dynamics and geochemical weathering in the pristine lacustrine systems of a high latitude environment. In order to determine major controls on the solute composition of these habitats, a geochemical survey was conducted on 35 lakes. Differences between lakes were observed based on measured physico-chemical parameters, revealing neutral to alkaline waters with total dissolved solids (TDS) < 2500 mg L-1. Katerina and Trinidad-Tatana systems showed an increase in their respective TDS, total organic carbon values, and finner sediments from external to internal lakes, indicating an accumulation of solutes due to weathering. Norma and Florencia systems exhibited the most diluted and circumneutral waters, likely from the influence of glacier and snow melt. Finally, isolated lakes presented large variability in TDS values, indicating weathering and meltwater contributions at different proportions. Trace metal abundances revealed a volcanic mineral weathering source, except for Pb and Zn, which could potentially indicate atmospheric inputs. Geochemical modelling was also conducted on a subset of connected lakes to gain greater insight into processes determining solute composition, resulting in the weathering of salts, carbonates and silicates with the corresponding generation of clays. We found CO2 consumption accounted for 20-30% of the total species involved in weathering reactions. These observations allow insights into naturally occurring geochemical processes in a pristine environment, while also providing baseline data for future research assessing the impacts of anthropogenic pollution and the effects of climate change.

Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra CONICET Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Av Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016CGA Córdoba Argentina

Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra CONICET Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Av Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016CGA Córdoba Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Av Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016CGA Córdoba Argentina

Department of Ecology Faculty of Science Charles University Viničná 7 128 44 Praha 2 Czech Republic

Department of Ecology Faculty of Science Charles University Viničná 7 128 44 Praha 2 Czech Republic; Current Address Stream Biofilm and Ecosystem Research Laboratory School of Architecture Civil and Environmental Engineering École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne CH 1015 Lausanne Switzerland

Department of Geography Faculty of Science Masaryk University Kotlářská 2 611 37 Brno Czech Republic

Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Av Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016CGA Córdoba Argentina

Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Av Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016CGA Córdoba Argentina; Institute of Geosciences Potsdam University Karl Liebknecht Straße 24 25 14476 Potsdam Golm Germany; Climate Dynamics and Landscape Evolution German Research Centre for Geoscience GFZ Telegrafenberg 14473 Potsdam Germany

Instituto Antártico Argentino 25 de Mayo 1143 San Martín Prov Buenos Aires Argentina

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Data set of dissolved major and trace elements from the lacustrine systems of Clearwater Mesa, Antarctica