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A method for the simultaneous determination of levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan at trace levels in snow samples is reported by using GC/MS. This method is an improvement on previous aerosol studies. The required sample volume for this method is a mere 5.00 mL of melt water. Discrimination of three isomers is analyzed on the basis of different retention time and fragmentation patterns. The limit of detection is 0.070, 0.058 and 0.046 ng mL(-1) ice melt water for three isomers. This method has the advantage of simultaneous determination of three monosaccharide anhydrides at trace concentration levels in small sample volumes. The relatively high extraction efficiency and low limit of detection will facilitate further studies on biomass burning recorded in snow and ice samples.