In the framework of the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) a glacio-chemical pre-sitesurvey was carried out in Dronning Maud Land (DML), Antarctica. Up to now three intermediate deep icecores and twelve snow pits have been analysed by ion chromatography. The spatial and seasonal variationsof the snow chemistry in DML, covering the time period 1997 to 1865, are presented. Summer maxima insulphate and winter maxima in sea-salt components are well archived in the area under investigation,while for nitrate and methanesulphonic acid (MSA) seasonal variations could not be unambiguouslydetected due to postdepositional changes. Average concentrations of sea-salt components and nitrateare spatially uniform in the plateau region, however sea salt shows an exponential decline with altitudefor elevations below 2800 m a.s.l. Non-seasalt sulphate shows a 40% increase with lower snowaccumulation, while MSA shows a 50% decline with higher elevation and lower accumulation. The outcomeof this study supports that the data of the new EPICA deep drilling site in DML (0°04.07' E, 75°00.10' S)will be geographical representative for this region. High-resolution analytical methods will allow accuratestratigraphic dating of the core, at least for the Holocene period.