A decade of in situ cosmogenic 14 C in Antarctica

• Published in: Annals of Glaciology
• Main Author: Nichols, Keir Alexander
• Other Authors: Natural Environment Research Council
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2022
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Weddell; Weddell Sea; Annals of Glaciology; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/aog.2023.13; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0260305523000137

Abstract Cosmogenic nuclide measurements in glacial deposits extend our knowledge of glacier chronologies beyond the observational record. The short half-life of in situ cosmogenic 14 C makes it particularly useful for studying glacier chronologies, as resulting exposure ages are less sensitive to nuclide inheritance when compared with more commonly measured, long-lived nuclides. An increasing number of laboratories using an automated process to extract carbon from quartz has led to in situ 14 C measurements in Antarctic samples at an accelerating rate over the past decade, shedding light on deglaciation in Antarctica. In situ 14 C has had the greatest impact in the Weddell Sea Embayment, where inferences on the thickness of ice and timing of deglaciation were limited by inheritance in other cosmogenic nuclide systems. Future subglacial measurements of the nuclide hold much potential as they can provide direct evidence of proposed Holocene thinning and subsequent re-thickening of parts of the Antarctic ice sheets.