scholarly journals Differentiating bubble-free layers from melt layers in ice cores using noble gases

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (227) ◽  
pp. 585-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anais J. Orsi ◽  
Kenji Kawamura ◽  
John M. Fegyveresi ◽  
Melissa A. Headly ◽  
Richard B. Alley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reliable Method ◽  
Gas Transport ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Gas Composition ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Clathrate Formation ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
The Core ◽  
Visual Identification

AbstractMelt layers are clear indicators of extreme summer warmth on polar ice caps. The visual identification of refrozen meltwater as clear bubble-free layers cannot be used to study some past warm periods, because, in deeper ice, bubbles are lost to clathrate formation. We present here a reliable method to detect melt events, based on the analysis of Kr/Ar and Xe/Ar ratios in ice cores, and apply it to the detection of melt in clathrate ice from the Eemian at NEEM, Greenland. Additionally, melt layers in ice cores can compromise the integrity of the gas record by dissolving soluble gases, or by altering gas transport in the firn, which affects the gas chronology. We find that the easily visible 1 mm thick bubble-free layers in the WAIS Divide ice core do not contain sufficient melt to alter the gas composition in the core, and do not cause artifacts or discontinuities in the gas chronology. The presence of these layers during winter, and the absence of anomalies in soluble gases, suggests that these layers can be formed by processes other than refreezing of meltwater. Consequently, the absence of bubbles in thin crusts is not in itself proof of a melt event.

scholarly journals Polar ice stratigraphy from laser-light scattering: scattering from meltwater

1994 ◽  
Vol 40 (136) ◽  
pp. 504-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Ram ◽  
Matthias Illing
Keyword(s):  
Light Scattering ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Laser Light ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Laser Light Scattering ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
The Core ◽  
Considerable Success

Abstract We describe a new laser-light-scattering instrument for measuring variations in dust concentration along polar ice cores. We have used this instrument with considerable success on the GISP2 ice core from central Greenland. Reproducibility is excellent and the required ice-sample size is relatively small. When combined with visual stratigraphy and ECM, the distinct annual spring/ summer dust peaks we observe can be used to date the core with tree-ring-like precision.

scholarly journals Polar ice stratigraphy from laser-light scattering: scattering from meltwater

1994 ◽  
Vol 40 (136) ◽  
pp. 504-508
Author(s):  
Michael Ram ◽  
Matthias Illing
Keyword(s):  
Light Scattering ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Laser Light ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Laser Light Scattering ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
The Core ◽  
Considerable Success

AbstractWe describe a new laser-light-scattering instrument for measuring variations in dust concentration along polar ice cores. We have used this instrument with considerable success on the GISP2 ice core from central Greenland. Reproducibility is excellent and the required ice-sample size is relatively small. When combined with visual stratigraphy and ECM, the distinct annual spring/ summer dust peaks we observe can be used to date the core with tree-ring-like precision.

scholarly journals The Influence On Atmospheric Composition of Volcanic Eruptions as Derived From Ice-Core Analysis

1985 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 125-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.U. Hammer
Keyword(s):  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Core Analysis ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
The Past ◽  
Polar Ice Sheets

Polar ice cores offer datable past snow deposits in the form of annual ice layers, which reflect the past atmospheric composition. Trace substances in the cores are related to the past mid-tropospheric impurity load, this being due to the vast extent of the polar ice sheets (or ice caps), their surface elevations and remoteness from most aerosol sources. Volcanic eruptions add to the rather low background impurity load via their eruptive products. This paper concentrates on the widespread influence on atmospheric impurity loads caused by the acid gas products from volcanic eruptions. In particular the following subjects are discussed: acid volcanic signals in ice cores, latitude of eruptions as derived by ice-core analysis, inter-hemispheric dating of the two polar ice sheets by equatorial eruptions, volcanic deposits in ice cores during the last glacial period and climatic implications.

scholarly journals Chemical Evidence in Polar Ice Cores from Dielectric Profiling

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 195-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Moore ◽  
J.G. Paren ◽  
R. Mulvaney
Keyword(s):  
Dielectric Response ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Electrical Behaviour ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Dielectric Relaxation Process ◽  
The Core ◽  
Ice Lattice ◽  
Chemical Evidence

The dielectric stratigraphy of a 130 m ice core from Dolleman Island, Antarctic Peninsula, shows large variations in the dielectric relaxation process and in conductivity. A comparison with the chemical stratigraphy of the core demonstrates the decisive role played by both acids and salts in determining the electrical behaviour of natural ice. The dielectric response is sensitive both to the type of impurity and to its distribution within the ice fabric. The evidence supports other observations of the localization of sulphuric acid at three-grain boundaries: in contrast, the salt impurity appears to be largely incorporated into the ice lattice. The overriding importance of the dielectric profiling technique is that it is the only profiling tool so far developed that is sensitive to the presence of salt in polar ice cores.

scholarly journals The Influence On Atmospheric Composition of Volcanic Eruptions as Derived From Ice-Core Analysis

1985 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 125-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.U. Hammer
Keyword(s):  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Core Analysis ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
The Past ◽  
Polar Ice Sheets

Polar ice cores offer datable past snow deposits in the form of annual ice layers, which reflect the past atmospheric composition. Trace substances in the cores are related to the past mid-tropospheric impurity load, this being due to the vast extent of the polar ice sheets (or ice caps), their surface elevations and remoteness from most aerosol sources. Volcanic eruptions add to the rather low background impurity load via their eruptive products. This paper concentrates on the widespread influence on atmospheric impurity loads caused by the acid gas products from volcanic eruptions. In particular the following subjects are discussed: acid volcanic signals in ice cores, latitude of eruptions as derived by ice-core analysis, inter-hemispheric dating of the two polar ice sheets by equatorial eruptions, volcanic deposits in ice cores during the last glacial period and climatic implications.

scholarly journals Chemical Evidence in Polar Ice Cores from Dielectric Profiling

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 195-198
Author(s):  
J.C. Moore ◽  
J.G. Paren ◽  
R. Mulvaney
Keyword(s):  
Dielectric Response ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Electrical Behaviour ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Dielectric Relaxation Process ◽  
The Core ◽  
Ice Lattice ◽  
Chemical Evidence

The dielectric stratigraphy of a 130 m ice core from Dolleman Island, Antarctic Peninsula, shows large variations in the dielectric relaxation process and in conductivity. A comparison with the chemical stratigraphy of the core demonstrates the decisive role played by both acids and salts in determining the electrical behaviour of natural ice. The dielectric response is sensitive both to the type of impurity and to its distribution within the ice fabric. The evidence supports other observations of the localization of sulphuric acid at three-grain boundaries: in contrast, the salt impurity appears to be largely incorporated into the ice lattice. The overriding importance of the dielectric profiling technique is that it is the only profiling tool so far developed that is sensitive to the presence of salt in polar ice cores.

scholarly journals Post-coring entrapment of modern air in polar ice cores collected near the firn-ice transition: evidence from CFC-12 measurements in Antarctic firn air and shallow ice cores

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1631-1657 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aydin ◽  
S. A. Montzka ◽  
M. O. Battle ◽  
M. B. Williams ◽  
W. De Bruyn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Gas Composition ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Air Samples ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Core Samples ◽  
History Of

Abstract. In this study, we report the first measurements of CFC-12 (CCl2F2) in air extracted from shallow ice cores along with firn air CFC-12 measurements from three Antarctic sites. The firn air data are consistent with the known atmospheric history of CFC-12. In contrast, the ice core samples collected near the firn-ice transition exhibit anomalously high CFC-12 levels. Together, the ice core and firn air data provide evidence for presence of modern air entrapped in shallow ice core samples. We propose that this is due to closure of open pores after drilling, entrapping modern air and resulting in elevated CFC-12 mixing ratios. Our measurements reveal the presence of open porosity below the depth at which firn air samples can be collected and demonstrate how the composition of bubble air in shallow ice cores can be altered during the post-drilling period through purely physical processes. These results have implications for investigations involving trace gas composition of bubbles in shallow ice cores.

scholarly journals Methanesulphonic acid movement in solid ice cores

2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 540-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara T. Smith ◽  
Tas D. Van Ommen ◽  
Mark A. J. Curran
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Coefficient ◽  
Biological Activity ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Diffusion Mechanism ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
East Antarctica ◽  
The Core ◽  
Central Value

AbstractMethanesulphonic acid (MSA) is an important trace-ion constituent in ice cores, with connections to biological activity and sea-ice distribution. Post-depositional movement of MSA has been documented in firn, and this study investigates movement in solid ice by measuring variations in MSA distribution across several horizontal sections from an ice core after 14.5 years storage. The core used is from below the bubble close-off depth at Dome Summit South, Law Dome, East Antarctica. MSA concentration was studied at 3 and 0.5 cm resolution across the core widths. Its distribution was uniform through the core centres, but the outer 3 cm showed gradients in concentrations down to less than half of the central value at the core edge. This effect is consistent with diffusion to the surrounding air during its 14.5 year storage. The diffusion coefficient is calculated to be 2 ×10–13 m2 s–1, and the implications for the diffusion mechanism are discussed.

Dating of ice cores from temperate glaciers - Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Jenk ◽  
Daniela Festi ◽  
Margit Schwikowski ◽  
Valter Maggi ◽  
Klaus Oeggl
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Italian Alps ◽  
Accumulation Zone ◽  
The Core ◽  
Annual Layer ◽  
Significant Mass Loss ◽  
Carbon Concentrations ◽  
Significant Mass

<p>Dating glaciers is an arduous yet essential task in ice core studies, which becomes even more challenging for the dating of glaciers suffering from mass loss in the accumulation zone as result of climate warming. In this context, we present the dating of a 46 m deep ice core from the Central Italian Alps retrieved in 2016 from the Adamello glacier (Pian di Neve, 3100 m a.s.l.). We will show how the timescale for the core could be obtained by integrating results from the analyses of the radionuclides <sup>210</sup>Pb and <sup>137</sup>Cs with annual layer counting derived from pollen and refractory black carbon concentrations. Our results clearly indicate that the surface of the glacier is older than the drilling date of 2016 by about 20 years and that the 46 m ice core reaches back to around 1944. Despite the severe mass loss affecting this glacier even in the accumulation zone, we show that it is possible to obtain a reliable timescale for such a temperate glacier. These results are very encouraging and open new perspectives on the potential of such glaciers as informative palaeoarchives. We thus consider it important to present our dating approach to a broader audience.</p>

scholarly journals Towards radiocarbon dating of ice cores

2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (194) ◽  
pp. 985-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sigl ◽  
T.M. Jenk ◽  
T. Kellerhals ◽  
S. Szidat ◽  
H.W. Gäggeler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosol ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Bolivian Andes ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Dating Method

AbstractA recently developed dating method for glacier ice, based on the analysis of radiocarbon in carbonaceous aerosol particles, is thoroughly investigated. We discuss the potential of this method to achieve a reliable dating using examples from a mid- and a low-latitude ice core. Two series of samples from Colle Gnifetti (4450 m a.s.l., Swiss Alps) and Nevado Illimani (6300 m a.s.l., Bolivian Andes) demonstrate that the 14C ages deduced from the water-insoluble organic carbon fraction represent the age of the ice. Sample sizes ranged between 7 and 100 μg carbon. For validation we compare our results with those from independent dating. This new method is thought to have major implications for dating non-polar ice cores in the future, as it provides complementary age information for time periods not accessible with common dating techniques.

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