10Be Concentrations in Antarctic Ice

Measurements of the cosmogenic isotope 10Be (T½ = 1.5 Ma) on Greenland ice cores produced interesting results. Variations in the 10Be concentrations can be interpreted in terms of changes in the production rate and in atmospheric circulation and deposition. During the Holocene, good agreement between short-term variations in 10Be and 14C indicates that the production rate of both isotopes was changing, probably due to solar modulation.During the last ice age, periods with significantly higher 10Be concentrations are observed. The good anti-correlation between 10Be and δ18O suggests that these intervals correspond to periods of low precipitation rates.Work on Antarctic ice cores is in progress, but only relatively few 10Be data have been published yet. 10 Be results from Antarctic ice cores are presented and compared with data from Greenland.

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Atmospheric Lead in Antarctic Ice during the Last Climatic Cycle

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/s0260305500004079 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 5-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Claude F. Boutron ◽

Clair C. Patterson ◽

Claude Lorius ◽

V.N. Petrov ◽

N.I. Barkov

Keyword(s):

Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Ice Age ◽

Crustal Rock ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

Toxic Heavy Metal ◽

Mass Spectrometry Technique ◽

Spectrometry Technique ◽

Last Ice Age ◽

The Antarctic

Concentrations of lead (Pb) have been measured by the ultra-clean isotope dilution mass spectrometry technique in various sections of the Antarctic Dome C and Vostok deep ice cores, whose ages range from 3.85 to 155 ka B.P., in order to assess the natural, pre-human, sources of this toxic heavy metal in the global troposphere. Pb concentrations were very low, as low as about 0.3 pg Pb/g during the Holocene and probably during the last interglacial and part of the last ice age. On the other hand, they were quite high, up to about 40 pg Pb/g, during the Last Glacial Maximum and at the end of the penultimate ice age. Wind-blown dust from crustal rock and soil appears to be the main natural source of Pb in the global troposphere. Pb contribution from volcanoes is significant during periods of low Pb only. Contribution from the oceans is insignificant.

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The past 5000 years history of solar modulation of cosmic radiation from 10 Be and 14 C studies

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences ◽

10.1098/rsta.1990.0028 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 330 (1615) ◽

pp. 471-480 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Keyword(s):

Cosmic Radiation ◽

Ice Core ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Solar Modulation ◽

Short Term ◽

The Past ◽

History Of ◽

Long Term Trends ◽

Terrestrial Biomass

10 Be is produced in a similar way as 14 C by the interaction of cosmic radiation with the nuclei in the atmosphere. Assuming that the 10 Be and 14 C variation are proportional and considering the different behaviour in the Earth system, the 10 Be concentrations in ice cores can be compared with the 14 C variations in tree rings. A high correlation is found for the short-term variations ( 14 C-Suess-wiggles). They reflect with a high probability production rate variations. More problematic is the interpretation of the long-term trends of 14 C and 10 Be. Several explanations are discussed. The reconstructed CO 2 concentrations in ice cores indicate a rather constant value (280 ± 10 p.p.m. by volume) during the past few millenia. Measurements on the ice core from Byrd Station, Antarctica, during the period 9000 to 6000 years BP indicate a decrease that might be explained by the extraction of CO 2 from the atmosphere-ocean system to build the terrestrial biomass pool during the climatic optimum.

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Ice cores and climatic change

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.1977.0103 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 280 (972) ◽

pp. 143-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 141

Keyword(s):

Ice Sheets ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Ice Age ◽

Isotopic Ratios ◽

Temperature Profiles ◽

Physical Processes ◽

Similar Relation ◽

Stable Isotopic ◽

Last Ice Age ◽

Glacial Periods

The paper deals primarily with the use of stable isotopic ratios to determine the former climate of ice sheets. Studies of temperature profiles throughout ice sheets have shown that for at least several thousand years, changes of isotopic δ ratios have been proportional to changes of surface temperatures; this relationship is discussed in terms of the physical processes involved. It is considered reasonable to use a similar relation for earlier periods in Antarctica, but in Greenland the relation may have varied with time. When determining past climates from the isotopic record, allowances have to be made for changes in the flow and thickness of ice sheets during major glacial periods. These factors are considered in relation to major ice cores from Vostok and Byrd stations in Antarctica and from Camp Century in Greenland. Vostok is the simplest case glaciologically, Camp Century the most complex. On purely glaciological grounds it appears that the ice age gave way to present-day climates some 10 000 ± 1000 a B.P., the coldest period being 20 000 + 3000 a B.P., when the climate in Antarctica was 6-8 °C colder than at present. Glaciological data suggest a duration of 50 000 to 100 000 years for the last ice age. Before this period, climates in Greenland and Antarctica appear to have been around 2-3 °C warmer than at present.

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A Detailed Analysis of the Rapid Changes in Ice-Core Parameters During the last Ice Age

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/s0260305500004377 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 167-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T. Staffelbach ◽

B. Stauffer ◽

H. Oeschger

Keyword(s):

Molecular Diffusion ◽

Ice Core ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Ice Age ◽

Small Scale ◽

Last Glaciation ◽

Rapid Changes ◽

Last Ice Age ◽

Most Probable Explanation ◽

Equal Density

Results from deep Greenland ice cores show rapid changes in several parameters in the deepest part. The most probable explanation for these variations is a fast-changing climate during part of the last glaciation. The question arises, however, of whether the observed changes in the ice cores could also be due to, or at least be influenced by, discontinuities in the stratigraphy. We present new CO2 and δ18O data from the Camp Century and Dye 3 deep ice cores. The data show rapid changes in CO2 and δ18O in both cores. One transition which was investigated in detail seems to be more rapid in the ice core from Dye 3 than in the Camp Century core. The broadening of a sharp δ18O transition due to molecular diffusion is discussed. Since this broadening is larger than the observed width of the transition, we discuss the possibility of a mechanism that can produce stratigraphic disturbances on a small scale. This mechanism is based on a calculation of the compression of horizontal layers which have equal density but different viscosities.

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Climate history of the principality of Transylvania during the Maunder Minimum (MM) years (1645–1715 CE)

10.5194/cp-2021-117 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Stangl ◽

Ulrich Foelsche

Keyword(s):

Solar Activity ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Maunder Minimum ◽

Ice Age ◽

Climate History ◽

History Of ◽

Solar Influence ◽

First Time ◽

Good Agreement

Abstract. This paper deals with the climate in the former Grand Duchy of Transylvania, now one of the three major geographical provinces of Romania, within the so-called Maunder Minimum (MM) (1645–1715), an astrophysically defined part of the Little Ice Age (LIA), which was characterized by reduced solar activity. The historical data from Transylvania are compared with that from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This comparison for the period 1645–1715 shows good agreement but also reveals geographic characteristics of the region. For the first time, we present here a comparison between the four geographic areas in text and tabular form. Quotes from mostly German-language sources are reproduced in English translation. Furthermore, we examine for a longer period (1500–1950) the extent to which the climate of Transylvania might have been affected by long-term fluctuations in solar activity, as deduced from isotopic reconstructions from ice cores. This comparison suggests a certain solar influence but the agreement is not very pronounced. Future investigation in a pan-European context is needed to reach reliable statements. Some results are unexpected – like an unusually small number of severe winters during the last decades of the MM, where extreme cold was restricted to a few years, like the extreme winters 1699/1700 and 1708/1709.

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Volcanic dust in the atmosphere; with a chronology and assessment of its meteorological significance

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences ◽

10.1098/rsta.1970.0010 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 266 (1178) ◽

pp. 425-533 ◽

Cited By ~ 515

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Circulation ◽

Volcanic Eruptions ◽

Ice Age ◽

Polar Regions ◽

Particle Sizes ◽

Direct Effects ◽

Northwest Europe ◽

Circulation Parameters ◽

Last Ice Age ◽

Main Influence

After defining the terms commonly used in reporting volcanic eruptions and noting previous approaches to assessment of their magnitudes, this study proceeds to examine aspects of importance, or possible importance, to meteorology―principally the dust veils created in the atmosphere, particle sizes and distribution, heights, fall speeds and atmospheric residence times. Later sections deal with spread of the dust by the atmospheric circulation and the direct effects apparent upon radiation, surface temperature and extent of ice in the polar regions. These effects, as well as various crude measures of the total quantity of solid matter thrown up, are used to arrive at numerical assessments of volcanic eruptions in terms of a dust veil index (d. v. i.). The latitude of origin of the dust (latitude of the volcano) receives some attention, and apparently affects the course of development of the atmospheric circulation over the three or four years following, at least in the case of great eruptions (d. v. i. > 100 over one hemisphere). Effects upon the extent of ice on the polar seas may be of somewhat longer duration, and thereby influence the atmospheric circulation over a longer period of years, since there seems to be some association with the cumulative d.v.i. values when successive great eruptions occur with only few years between. The time distribution of volcanic dust since the last Ice Age, and since a. d. 1500, are indicated in as much detail as the evidence permits. Some associations with changes of climate are suggested, but it is clear that volcanic dust is not the only, and probably not the main, influence in this. The appendices give a chronology of eruptions (including those which it seems possible to dismiss as regards any effect on world weather or climate) and a chronology of d. v. i. values. A third appendix displays by means of graphs the variation of some circulation parameters in January and July in the region of northwest Europe over the years immediately following forty of the greatest eruptions since 1680.

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Atmospheric Lead in Antarctic Ice during the Last Climatic Cycle

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/s0260305500004079 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 5-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Claude F. Boutron ◽

Clair C. Patterson ◽

Claude Lorius ◽

V.N. Petrov ◽

N.I. Barkov

Keyword(s):

Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Ice Age ◽

Crustal Rock ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

Toxic Heavy Metal ◽

Mass Spectrometry Technique ◽

Spectrometry Technique ◽

Last Ice Age ◽

The Antarctic

Concentrations of lead (Pb) have been measured by the ultra-clean isotope dilution mass spectrometry technique in various sections of the Antarctic Dome C and Vostok deep ice cores, whose ages range from 3.85 to 155 ka B.P., in order to assess the natural, pre-human, sources of this toxic heavy metal in the global troposphere. Pb concentrations were very low, as low as about 0.3 pg Pb/g during the Holocene and probably during the last interglacial and part of the last ice age. On the other hand, they were quite high, up to about 40 pg Pb/g, during the Last Glacial Maximum and at the end of the penultimate ice age. Wind-blown dust from crustal rock and soil appears to be the main natural source of Pb in the global troposphere. Pb contribution from volcanoes is significant during periods of low Pb only. Contribution from the oceans is insignificant.

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Lagged atmospheric circulation response in the Black Sea region to Greenland Interstadial 10

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2005520117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (46) ◽

pp. 28649-28654

Author(s):

Markus Czymzik ◽

Norbert R. Nowaczyk ◽

Olaf Dellwig ◽

Antje Wegwerth ◽

Raimund Muscheler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Production Rate ◽

Atmospheric Circulation ◽

Black Sea ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Dominant Mode ◽

The Black Sea ◽

Black Sea Region ◽

Proxy Records ◽

Northern Hemispheric ◽

The Last Glacial

Northern Hemispheric high-latitude climate variations during the last glacial are expected to propagate globally in a complex way. Investigating the evolution of these variations requires a precise synchronization of the considered environmental archives. Aligning the globally common production rate variations of the cosmogenic radionuclide10Be in different archives provides a tool for such synchronizations. Here, we present a10Be record at <40-y resolution along with subdecadal proxy records from one Black Sea sediment core around Greenland Interstadial 10 (GI-10) ∼41 ka BP and the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion. We synchronized our10Be record to that from Greenland ice cores based on its globally common production rate variations. The synchronized environmental proxy records reveal a bipartite climate response in the Black Sea region at the onset of GI-10. First, in phase with Greenland warming, reduced sedimentary coastal ice rafted detritus contents indicate less severe winters. Second, and with a lag of 190 (± 44) y, an increase in the detrital K/Ti ratio and authigenic Ca precipitation point to enhanced regional precipitation and warmer lake surface temperatures. We explain the lagged climatic response by a shift in the dominant mode of atmospheric circulation, likely connected with a time-transgressive adjustment of the regional thermal ocean interior to interstadial conditions.

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High-resolution records of the beryllium-10 solar activity proxy in ice from Law Dome, East Antarctica: measurement, reproducibility and principal trends

Climate of the Past ◽

10.5194/cp-7-707-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 707-721 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

J. B. Pedro ◽

A. M. Smith ◽

K. J. Simon ◽

T. D. van Ommen ◽

M. A. J. Curran

Keyword(s):

Ice Core ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Cosmic Ray ◽

East Antarctica ◽

Solar Modulation ◽

Core Data ◽

Accelerator Mass Spectrometer ◽

Sharp Concentration ◽

Cosmic Ray Flux ◽

Good Agreement

Abstract. Three near-monthly resolution 10Be records are presented from the Dome Summit South (DSS) ice core site, Law Dome, East Antarctica. The chemical preparation and Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) measurement of these records is described. The reproducibility of 10Be records at DSS is assessed through intercomparison of the ice core data with data from two previously published and contemporaneous snow pits. We find generally good agreement between the five records, comparable to that observed between other trace chemical records from the site. This result allays concerns raised by a previous Antarctic study (Moraal et al., 2005) about poor reproducibility of ice core 10Be records. A single composite series is constructed from the three ice cores providing a monthly-resolved record of 10Be concentrations at DSS over the past decade (1999 to 2009). To our knowledge, this is the first published ice core data spanning the recent exceptional solar minimum of solar cycle 23. 10Be concentrations are significantly correlated to the cosmic ray flux recorded by the McMurdo neutron monitor (rxy = 0.64, with 95 % CI of 0.53 to 0.71), suggesting that solar modulation of the atmospheric production rate may explain up to ~40 % of the variance in 10Be concentrations at DSS. Sharp concentration peaks occur in most years during the summer-to-autumn, possibly caused by stratospheric incursions. Our results underscore the presence of both production and meteorological signals in ice core 10Be data.

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