Geochemical ice-core constraints on the timing and climatic impact of Aniakchak II (1628 BCE) and Thera (Minoan) volcanic eruptions
Abstract Decades of research have focused on establishing the exact year and climatic impact of the Minoan eruption of Thera, Greece (c.1680 to 1500 BCE). Ice cores offer key evidence to resolve this controversy, but attempts have been hampered by a lack of multivolcanic event synchronization betwee...
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Oxford University Press (OUP)
2022
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac048 https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac048/43801201/pgac048.pdf https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article-pdf/1/2/pgac048/53406133/pgac048.pdf |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac048 2024-06-23T07:47:51+00:00 Geochemical ice-core constraints on the timing and climatic impact of Aniakchak II (1628 BCE) and Thera (Minoan) volcanic eruptions Pearson, Charlotte Sigl, Michael Burke, Andrea Davies, Siwan Kurbatov, Andrei Severi, Mirko Cole-Dai, Jihong Innes, Helen Albert, Paul G Helmick, Meredith Foufoula-Georgiou, Efi European Research Council Horizon 2020 Framework Programme 2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac048 https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac048/43801201/pgac048.pdf https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article-pdf/1/2/pgac048/53406133/pgac048.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ PNAS Nexus volume 1, issue 2 ISSN 2752-6542 journal-article 2022 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac048 2024-06-11T04:17:42Z Abstract Decades of research have focused on establishing the exact year and climatic impact of the Minoan eruption of Thera, Greece (c.1680 to 1500 BCE). Ice cores offer key evidence to resolve this controversy, but attempts have been hampered by a lack of multivolcanic event synchronization between records. In this study, Antarctic and Greenland ice-core records are synchronized using a double bipolar sulfate marker, and calendar dates are assigned to each eruption revealed within the ‘Thera period’. From this global-scale sequence of volcanic sulfate loading, we derive indications toward each eruption’s latitude and potential to disrupt the climate system. Ultrafine sampling for sulfur isotopes and tephra conclusively demonstrate a colossal eruption of Alaska’s Aniakchak II as the source of stratospheric sulfate in the now precisely dated 1628 BCE ice layer. These findings end decades of speculation that Thera was responsible for the 1628 BCE event, and place Aniakchak II (52 ± 17 Tg S) and an unknown volcano at 1654 BCE (50 ± 13 Tg S) as two of the largest Northern Hemisphere sulfur injections in the last 4,000 years. This opens possibilities to explore widespread climatic impacts for contemporary societies and, in pinpointing Aniakchak II, confirms that stratospheric sulfate can be globally distributed from eruptions outside the tropics. Dating options for Thera are reduced to a series of precisely dated, constrained stratospheric sulfur injection events at 1611 BCE, 1561/1558/1555BCE, and c.1538 BCE, which are all below 14 ± 5 Tg S, indicating a climatic forcing potential for Thera well below that of Tambora (1815 CE). Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Greenland Greenland ice core ice core Oxford University Press Antarctic Greenland PNAS Nexus 1 2 |
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Open Polar |
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Oxford University Press |
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croxfordunivpr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Decades of research have focused on establishing the exact year and climatic impact of the Minoan eruption of Thera, Greece (c.1680 to 1500 BCE). Ice cores offer key evidence to resolve this controversy, but attempts have been hampered by a lack of multivolcanic event synchronization between records. In this study, Antarctic and Greenland ice-core records are synchronized using a double bipolar sulfate marker, and calendar dates are assigned to each eruption revealed within the ‘Thera period’. From this global-scale sequence of volcanic sulfate loading, we derive indications toward each eruption’s latitude and potential to disrupt the climate system. Ultrafine sampling for sulfur isotopes and tephra conclusively demonstrate a colossal eruption of Alaska’s Aniakchak II as the source of stratospheric sulfate in the now precisely dated 1628 BCE ice layer. These findings end decades of speculation that Thera was responsible for the 1628 BCE event, and place Aniakchak II (52 ± 17 Tg S) and an unknown volcano at 1654 BCE (50 ± 13 Tg S) as two of the largest Northern Hemisphere sulfur injections in the last 4,000 years. This opens possibilities to explore widespread climatic impacts for contemporary societies and, in pinpointing Aniakchak II, confirms that stratospheric sulfate can be globally distributed from eruptions outside the tropics. Dating options for Thera are reduced to a series of precisely dated, constrained stratospheric sulfur injection events at 1611 BCE, 1561/1558/1555BCE, and c.1538 BCE, which are all below 14 ± 5 Tg S, indicating a climatic forcing potential for Thera well below that of Tambora (1815 CE). |
author2 |
Foufoula-Georgiou, Efi European Research Council Horizon 2020 Framework Programme |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pearson, Charlotte Sigl, Michael Burke, Andrea Davies, Siwan Kurbatov, Andrei Severi, Mirko Cole-Dai, Jihong Innes, Helen Albert, Paul G Helmick, Meredith |
spellingShingle |
Pearson, Charlotte Sigl, Michael Burke, Andrea Davies, Siwan Kurbatov, Andrei Severi, Mirko Cole-Dai, Jihong Innes, Helen Albert, Paul G Helmick, Meredith Geochemical ice-core constraints on the timing and climatic impact of Aniakchak II (1628 BCE) and Thera (Minoan) volcanic eruptions |
author_facet |
Pearson, Charlotte Sigl, Michael Burke, Andrea Davies, Siwan Kurbatov, Andrei Severi, Mirko Cole-Dai, Jihong Innes, Helen Albert, Paul G Helmick, Meredith |
author_sort |
Pearson, Charlotte |
title |
Geochemical ice-core constraints on the timing and climatic impact of Aniakchak II (1628 BCE) and Thera (Minoan) volcanic eruptions |
title_short |
Geochemical ice-core constraints on the timing and climatic impact of Aniakchak II (1628 BCE) and Thera (Minoan) volcanic eruptions |
title_full |
Geochemical ice-core constraints on the timing and climatic impact of Aniakchak II (1628 BCE) and Thera (Minoan) volcanic eruptions |
title_fullStr |
Geochemical ice-core constraints on the timing and climatic impact of Aniakchak II (1628 BCE) and Thera (Minoan) volcanic eruptions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Geochemical ice-core constraints on the timing and climatic impact of Aniakchak II (1628 BCE) and Thera (Minoan) volcanic eruptions |
title_sort |
geochemical ice-core constraints on the timing and climatic impact of aniakchak ii (1628 bce) and thera (minoan) volcanic eruptions |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac048 https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac048/43801201/pgac048.pdf https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article-pdf/1/2/pgac048/53406133/pgac048.pdf |
geographic |
Antarctic Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Greenland |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Greenland Greenland ice core ice core |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Greenland Greenland ice core ice core |
op_source |
PNAS Nexus volume 1, issue 2 ISSN 2752-6542 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac048 |
container_title |
PNAS Nexus |
container_volume |
1 |
container_issue |
2 |
_version_ |
1802638066437849088 |