Reconstructing Antarctic snow accumulation using nitrogen isotopes of nitrate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pete D. Akers ◽  
Joël Savarino ◽  
Nicolas Caillon ◽  
Mark Curran ◽  
Tas Van Ommen
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
East Antarctica ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Antarctic Snow ◽  
Parallel Reconstruction

<p>Precise Antarctic snow accumulation estimates are needed to understand past and future changes in global sea levels, but standard reconstructions using water isotopes suffer from competing isotopic effects external to accumulation. We present here an alternative accumulation proxy based on the post-depositional photolytic fractionation of nitrogen isotopes (d<sup>15</sup>N) in nitrate. On the high plateau of East Antarctica, sunlight penetrating the uppermost snow layers converts snow-borne nitrate into nitrogen oxide gas that can be lost to the atmosphere. This nitrate loss favors <sup>14</sup>NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> over <sup>15</sup>NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>, and thus the d<sup>15</sup>N of nitrate remaining in the snow will steadily increase until the nitrate is eventually buried beneath the reach of light. Because the duration of time until burial is dependent upon the rate of net snow accumulation, sites with lower accumulation rates have a longer burial wait and thus higher d<sup>15</sup>N values. A linear relationship (r<sup>2</sup> = 0.86) between d<sup>15</sup>N and net accumulation<sup>-1</sup> is calculated from over 120 samples representing 105 sites spanning East Antarctica. These sites largely encompass the full range of snow accumulation rates observed in East Antarctica, from 25 kg m-<sup>2</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup> at deep interior sites to >400 kg m-<sup>2</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup> at near coastal sites. We apply this relationship as a transfer function to an Aurora Basin ice core to produce a 700-year record of accumulation changes. Our nitrate-based estimate compares very well with a parallel reconstruction for Aurora Basin that uses volcanic horizons and ice-penetrating radar. Continued improvements to our database may enable precise independent estimates of millennial-scale accumulation changes using deep ice cores such as EPICA Dome C and Beyond EPICA-Oldest Ice.</p>

scholarly journals Ice core evidence for a recent increase in snow accumulation in coastal Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgane Philippe ◽  
Jean-Louis Tison ◽  
Karen Fjøsne ◽  
Bryn Hubbard ◽  
Helle A. Kjær ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
East Antarctica ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Annual Layer ◽  
Dronning Maud Land ◽  
Δ18o And Δd

Abstract. Ice cores provide temporal records of snow accumulation, a crucial component of Antarctic mass balance. Coastal areas are particularly under-represented in such records, despite their relatively high and sensitive accumulation rates. Here we present records from a 120 m ice core drilled on Derwael Ice Rise, coastal Dronning Maud Land (DML), East Antarctica in 2012. We date the ice core bottom back to 1745 ± 2 AD. δ18O and δD stratigraphy is supplemented by discontinuous major ion profiles, and verified independently by electrical conductivity measurements (ECM) to detect volcanic horizons. The resulting annual layer history is combined with the core density profile to calculate accumulation history, corrected for the influence of ice deformation. The mean long-term accumulation is 0.425 ± 0.035 m water equivalent (w.e.) a−1 (average corrected value). Reconstructed annual accumulation rates show an increase from 1955 onward to a mean value of 0.61 ± 0.02 m w.e. a−1 between 1955 and 2012. This trend is compared to other reported accumulation data in Antarctica, generally showing a high spatial variability. Output of the fully coupled Community Earth System Model demonstrates that sea ice and atmospheric patterns largely explain the accumulation variability. This is the first and longest record from a coastal ice core in East Antarctica showing a steady increase during the 20th and 21st centuries, thereby supporting modelling predictions.

scholarly journals Enhanced Moisture Delivery into Victoria Land, East Antarctica During the Early Last Interglacial: Implications for West Antarctic Ice Sheet Stability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuzhen Yan ◽  
Nicole E. Spaulding ◽  
Michael L. Bender ◽  
Edward J. Brook ◽  
John A. Higgins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
East Antarctica ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Victoria Land

Abstract. The S27 ice core, drilled in the Allan Hills Blue Ice Area of East Antarctica, is located in Southern Victoria Land ~80 km away from the present-day northern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. Here, we utilize the reconstructed accumulation rate of S27 covering the Last Interglacial (LIG) period between 129 and 116 thousand years before present (ka) to infer moisture transport into the region. The accumulation rate is based on the ice age-gas age differences calculated from the ice chronology, which is constrained by the stable water isotopes of the ice, and an improved gas chronology based on measurements of oxygen isotopes of O2 in the trapped gases. The peak accumulation rate in S27 occurred at 128.2 ka, near the peak LIG warming in Antarctica. Even the most conservative estimate yields a six-fold increase in the accumulation rate in the LIG, whereas other Antarctic ice cores are typically characterized by a glacial-interglacial difference of a factor of two to three. While part of the increase in S27 accumulation rates must originate from changes in the large-scale atmospheric circulation, additional mechanisms are needed to explain the large changes. We hypothesize that the exceptionally high snow accumulation recorded in S27 reflects open-ocean conditions in the Ross Sea, created by reduced sea ice extent and increased polynya size, and perhaps by a southward retreat of the Ross Ice Shelf relative to its present-day position near the onset of LIG. The proposed ice shelf retreat would also be compatible with a sea-level high stand around 129 ka significantly sourced from West Antarctica. The peak in S27 accumulation rates is transient, suggesting that if the Ross Ice Shelf had indeed retreated during the early LIG, it would have re-advanced by 125 ka.

Atmospheric history of carbon monoxide since preindustrial times reconstructed from multiple Greenland ice cores

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Faïn ◽  
Rachael Rhodes ◽  
Philip Place ◽  
Vasilii Petrenko ◽  
Kévin Fourteau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Absolute Calibration ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Enhanced Absorption

<p>Carbon monoxide (CO) is a regulated pollutant and one of the key components determining the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. Obtaining a reliable record of atmospheric CO mixing ratios since pre-industrial times is necessary to evaluate climate-chemistry models in conditions different from today. We present high-resolution measurements of CO mixing ratios from ice cores drilled at five different sites on the Greenland ice sheet which experience a range of snow accumulation rates, mean surface temperatures, and different chemical compositions. An optical-feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometer (OF-CEAS) was coupled to continuous melter systems and operated during four analytical campaigns conducted between 2013 and 2019. The CFA-based CO measurements exhibit excellent external precision (ranging 3.3 - 6.6 ppbv, 1σ), and achieve consistently low blanks (ranging from 4.1±1.2 to 12.6±4.4 ppbv). Good accuracy and absolute calibration of CFA-based CO records enable paleo-atmospheric interpretations. The five CO records all exhibit variability in CO mixing ratios that is too large and rapid to reflect past atmospheric mixing ratio changes. Complementary tests conducted on discrete ice samples demonstrate that such patterns are not related to the analytical process (i.e., production of CO from organics in the ice during melting), but very likely are related to in situ CO production within the ice before analyses. Evaluation of signal resolution and co-investigation of high-resolution records of CO and TOC show that past atmospheric CO concentration can be extracted from the records’ baselines at four sites with accumulation rates higher than 20 cm water equivalent per year (weq yr<sup>-1</sup>). However, such baselines should be taken as upper bounds of past atmospheric CO burden. CO records from four sites are combined to produce a multisite average ice core reconstruction of past atmospheric CO for the Northern Hemisphere high latitudes, covering the period from 1700 to 1957 CE. From 1700 to 1875 CE, this record reveals stable or slightly increasing values remaining in the 100-115 ppbv range. From 1875 to 1957 CE, the record indicates a monotonic increase from 114±4 ppbv to 147±6 ppbv. The ice-core multisite CO record exhibits an excellent overlap with the atmospheric CO record from Greenland firn air which span the 1950-2010 time period. The combined ice-core and firn air CO history, spanning 1700-2010 CE, largely exhibits patterns that are consistent with the recent anthropogenic and biomass burning CO emission inventories. This brand new time series will be compared with the most recent results from Earth System Models involved in the CMIP6-AerChemMIP multi-model exercise.</p>

scholarly journals Iron in ice cores from Law Dome, East Antarctica: implications for past deposition of aerosol iron

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 365-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Edwards ◽  
P. N. Sedwick ◽  
Vin Morgan ◽  
C. F. Boutron ◽  
S. Hong
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
East Antarctica ◽  
Iron Deposition ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Preliminary Estimate

Total-dissolvable iron has been measured in sections of three ice cores from Law Dome, East Antarctica, and the results used to calculate atmospheric iron deposition over this region during the late Holocene and to provide a preliminary estimate of aerosol iron deposition during the Last Glaciol Maximum I LGM). Ice-core sections dating from 56-2730 BP (late Holocene) and ~18000 BP (LGM) were decontaminated using trace-metal clean techniques, and total-dissolvable iron was determined in the acidified meltwatcrs by flow-injection analysis. Our results suggest that the atmospheric iron flux onto the Law Dome region has varied significantly over time-scales ranging from seasonal to Glaciol-interglaciol. The iron concentrations in ice-core sections from the past century suggest (1) a 2 4-fold variation in the atmospheric iron flux over a single annual cycle, with the highest flux occurring during the spring and summer, and (2) a nearly 7-fold variation in the annual maximum atmospheric iron flux over a 14 year period. The average estimated atmospheric iron flux calculated from our late-Holocene samples is 0.056-0.14 mg m a−1, which agrees well with Holocene flux estimates derived from aluminium measurements in inland Antarctic ice cores and a recent order-of-magnitude estimate of present-day atmospheric iron deposition over the Southern Ocean. The iron concentration of an ice-corc section dating from the LGM was more than 50 times higher than in the late-Holocene ice samples. Using a snow-accumulation rate estimate of 130 kg m −2 a−1 for this period, we calculate 0.87 mgm −2 a−1 as a preliminary estimate of atmospheric iron deposition during the LGM, which is 6-16 times greater than our average late-Holocene iron flux. Our data are consistent with the suggestion that there was a significantly greater flux of atmospheric iron onto the Southern Ocean during the LGM than during then Holocene.

scholarly journals Topographic control of regional accumulation rate variability at South Pole and implications for ice-core interpretation

2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 214-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon S. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Topographic Effects ◽  
South Pole ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Surface Slope ◽  
Ice Dynamics

AbstractSnow-accumulation rates are known to be sensitive to local changes in ice-sheet surface slope because of the effect of katabatic winds. These topographic effects can be preserved in ice cores that are collected at non-ice-divide locations. The trajectory of an ice-core site at South Pole is reconstructed using measurements of ice-sheet motion to show that snow was probably deposited at places of different surface slope during the past 1000 years. Recent accumulation rates, derived from shallow firn cores, vary along this trajectory according to surface topography, so that on a relatively steep flank mean annual accumulation is ∼18% smaller than on a nearby topographic depression. These modern accumulation rates are used to reinterpret the cause of accumulation rate variability with time in the long ice-core record as an ice-dynamics effect and not a climate-change signal. The results highlight the importance of conducting ancillary ice-dynamics measurements as part of ice-coring programs so that topographic effects can be deconvolved from potential climate signals.

Snow accumulation rate and atmospheric oxidation pathway proxies from nitrate isotopes in East Antarctica

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pete Akers ◽  
Joël Savarino ◽  
Nicolas Caillon
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
East Antarctica ◽  
Atmospheric Oxidation ◽  
High Accumulation ◽  
Antarctic Snow ◽  
History Of

<p>Nitrate is naturally deposited in Antarctic snow and is detectable at low concentrations throughout our deepest ice cores. However, nitrate is photoreactive under ultraviolet light and experiences significant post-depositional loss. This nitrate loss favors 14NO3- over 15NO3-, and the resulting isotopic fractionation can be used as a proxy for duration of sunlight exposure. Here, we present nitrate isotope data (δ15N, δ18O, Δ17O) sampled from shallow snow cores and pits across East Antarctica. Our >30 sampling sites extend from coastal Adélie Land onto the high East Antarctic Plateau at Dome C and beyond, covering annual snow mass balances that range from 240 mm/yr to less than 30 mm/yr (water equivalent). The δ15N of nitrate at these sites show an inverse relationship with snow accumulation rate, with δ15N ≈ 20‰ at the coastal sites with the highest accumulations and δ15N ≈ 150-250‰ at the driest inland sites. This relationship develops because newly deposited nitrate is buried below the level of light penetration by new snow relatively quickly at high accumulation sites, but nitrate at drier sites can be exposed to sunlight for several years. After burial below the reach of sunlight, the δ15N signature of nitrate is preserved and thus offers a new proxy for snow accumulation rate in East Antarctic ice cores. In contrast, the oxygen isotopes of nitrate isotopically exchange with surrounding ice after burial, which complicates their interpretation. However, our large sample set allows an estimation of the rate of isotopic exchange at various sites, and the original isotopic values at the time of deposition may be approximated after correcting for this rate of exchange. These oxygen isotope values likely reflect in part the atmospheric oxidation history of the nitrate and its nitrogen oxide progenitor, but further study is needed to fully understand nitrate oxygen isotope dynamics.</p>

scholarly journals The impact of snow nitrate photolysis on boundary layer chemistry and the recycling and redistribution of reactive nitrogen across Antarctica and Greenland in a global chemical transport model

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 2819-2842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Zatko ◽  
Lei Geng ◽  
Becky Alexander ◽  
Eric Sofen ◽  
Katarina Klein
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Reactive Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Recycling ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Global Chemical Transport Model

Abstract. The formation and recycling of reactive nitrogen (NO, NO2, HONO) at the air–snow interface has implications for air quality and the oxidation capacity of the atmosphere in snow-covered regions. Nitrate (NO3−) photolysis in snow provides a source of oxidants (e.g., hydroxyl radical) and oxidant precursors (e.g., nitrogen oxides) to the overlying boundary layer, and alters the concentration and isotopic (e.g., δ15N) signature of NO3− preserved in ice cores. We have incorporated an idealized snowpack with a NO3− photolysis parameterization into a global chemical transport model (Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) Chemistry model, GEOS-Chem) to examine the implications of snow NO3− photolysis for boundary layer chemistry, the recycling and redistribution of reactive nitrogen, and the preservation of ice-core NO3− in ice cores across Antarctica and Greenland, where observations of these parameters over large spatial scales are difficult to obtain. A major goal of this study is to examine the influence of meteorological parameters and chemical, optical, and physical snow properties on the magnitudes and spatial patterns of snow-sourced NOx fluxes and the recycling and redistribution of reactive nitrogen across Antarctica and Greenland. Snow-sourced NOx fluxes are most influenced by temperature-dependent quantum yields of NO3− photolysis, photolabile NO3− concentrations in snow, and concentrations of light-absorbing impurities (LAIs) in snow. Despite very different assumptions about snowpack properties, the range of model-calculated snow-sourced NOx fluxes are similar in Greenland (0.5–11 × 108 molec cm−2 s−1) and Antarctica (0.01–6.4 × 108 molec cm−2 s−1) due to the opposing effects of higher concentrations of both photolabile NO3− and LAIs in Greenland compared to Antarctica. Despite the similarity in snow-sourced NOx fluxes, these fluxes lead to smaller factor increases in mean austral summer boundary layer mixing ratios of total nitrate (HNO3+ NO3−), NOx, OH, and O3 in Greenland compared to Antarctica because of Greenland's proximity to pollution sources. The degree of nitrogen recycling in the snow is dependent on the relative magnitudes of snow-sourced NOx fluxes versus primary NO3− deposition. Recycling of snow NO3− in Greenland is much less than in Antarctica Photolysis-driven loss of snow NO3− is largely dependent on the time that NO3− remains in the snow photic zone (up to 6.5 years in Antarctica and 7 months in Greenland), and wind patterns that redistribute snow-sourced reactive nitrogen across Antarctica and Greenland. The loss of snow NO3− is higher in Antarctica (up to 99 %) than in Greenland (up to 83 %) due to deeper snow photic zones and lower snow accumulation rates in Antarctica. Modeled enrichments in ice-core δ15N(NO3−) due to photolysis-driven loss of snow NO3− ranges from 0 to 363 ‰ in Antarctica and 0 to 90 ‰ in Greenland, with the highest fraction of NO3− loss and largest enrichments in ice-core δ15N(NO3−) at high elevations where snow accumulation rates are lowest. There is a strong relationship between the degree of photolysis-driven loss of snow NO3− and the degree of nitrogen recycling between the air and snow throughout all of Greenland and in Antarctica where snow accumulation rates are greater than 130 kg m−2 a−1 in the present day.

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal variability of snow accumulation using ground-penetrating radar and ice cores on a Svalbard glacier

2002 ◽  
Vol 48 (162) ◽  
pp. 417-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Pälli ◽  
Jack C. Kohler ◽  
Elisabeth Isaksson ◽  
John C. Moore ◽  
Jean Francis Pinglot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Radar Reflection ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Horizontal Layers

AbstractA 50 MHz ground-penetrating radar was used to detect horizontal layers in the snowpack along a longitudinal profile on Nordenskjöldbreen, a Svalbard glacier. The profile passed two shallow and one deep ice-core sites. Two internal radar reflection layers were dated using parameters measured in the deep core. Radar travel times were converted to water equivalent, yielding snow-accumulation rates along the profile for three time periods: 1986–99, 1963–99 and 1963–86. The results show 40–60% spatial variability in snow accumulation over short distances along the profile. The average annual accumulation rate for 1986–99 was found to be about 12% higher than for the period 1963–86, which indicates increased accumulation in the late 1980s and 1990s.

scholarly journals Stratigraphic analysis of Dome Fuji Antarctic ice core using an optical scanner

2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 467-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morimasa Takata ◽  
Yoshinori Iizuka ◽  
Takeo Hondoh ◽  
Shuji Fujita ◽  
Yoshiyuki Fujii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Scattered Light ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Core Sample ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Scanning Method ◽  
Scattering Intensity ◽  
Optical Scanner

AbstractLong-term changes of snow-accumulation rate in Antarctica are a major uncertainty in our understanding of past climate. Because the visible strata in polar ice are due to variations in the sizes and concentrations of air inclusions and microparticles, the scattered light intensity from an ice core yields valuable information on the stratification, which is likely to provide estimates of the annual accumulation rates. Identification of each layer is therefore necessary, and we developed an optical scanner apparatus to record detailed visible strata of ice cores. The apparatus records the two-dimensional distribution of light-scattering intensity along ice-core samples and produces an image of the whole ice-core sample by an image analysis process. These images showed that ice from Dome Fuji ice core contained a large number of layers. Volcanic layers were also well identified. We processed the scattering intensity on the enhanced intensity images to produce an intensity profile. This profile showed that the period of the intensity variations is consistent with a core-dating model applied to the Dome Fuji ice core. We also found that the intensity peaks are closely correlated to peaks in Ca2+ ion concentrations. Thus, our scanning method is a promising approach to measuring annual-layer thickness and, as a result, may be used to infer past accumulation rates in Antarctica.

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal distributions of surface mass balance between Concordia and Vostok stations, Antarctica, from combined radar and ice core data: first results and detailed error analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1831-1850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Le Meur ◽  
Olivier Magand ◽  
Laurent Arnaud ◽  
Michel Fily ◽  
Massimo Frezzotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Error Analysis ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Time Averaging ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Accumulation Pattern ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
First Results

Abstract. Results from ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurements and shallow ice cores carried out during a scientific traverse between Dome Concordia (DC) and Vostok stations are presented in order to infer both spatial and temporal characteristics of snow accumulation over the East Antarctic Plateau. Spatially continuous accumulation rates along the traverse are computed from the identification of three equally spaced radar reflections spanning about the last 600 years. Accurate dating of these internal reflection horizons (IRHs) is obtained from a depth–age relationship derived from volcanic horizons and bomb testing fallouts on a DC ice core and shows a very good consistency when tested against extra ice cores drilled along the radar profile. Accumulation rates are then inferred by accounting for density profiles down to each IRH. For the latter purpose, a careful error analysis showed that using a single and more accurate density profile along a DC core provided more reliable results than trying to include the potential spatial variability in density from extra (but less accurate) ice cores distributed along the profile. The most striking feature is an accumulation pattern that remains constant through time with persistent gradients such as a marked decrease from 26 mm w.e. yr−1 at DC to 20 mm w.e. yr−1 at the south-west end of the profile over the last 234 years on average (with a similar decrease from 25 to 19 mm w.e. yr−1 over the last 592 years). As for the time dependency, despite an overall consistency with similar measurements carried out along the main East Antarctic divides, interpreting possible trends remains difficult. Indeed, error bars in our measurements are still too large to unambiguously infer an apparent time increase in accumulation rate. For the proposed absolute values, maximum margins of error are in the range 4 mm w.e. yr−1 (last 234 years) to 2 mm w.e. yr−1 (last 592 years), a decrease with depth mainly resulting from the time-averaging when computing accumulation rates.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document