Nitrate records of a shallow ice core from East Antarctica: Atmospheric processes, preservation and climatic implications
High-resolution records of nitrate (NO 3 − ), oxygen isotope (δ 18 O) and non-sea salt sulphate (nssSO 4 2− ) were studied using an ice core collected from central Dronning Maud Land in East Antarctica to identify the influence of environmental variability on accumulation of NO 3 − over the past 450...
Published in: | The Holocene |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
SAGE Publications
2010
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959683610374886 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0959683610374886 |
Summary: | High-resolution records of nitrate (NO 3 − ), oxygen isotope (δ 18 O) and non-sea salt sulphate (nssSO 4 2− ) were studied using an ice core collected from central Dronning Maud Land in East Antarctica to identify the influence of environmental variability on accumulation of NO 3 − over the past 450 years. The results confirmed that multiple processes were responsible for the production and preservation of NO 3 − in Antarctic ice. Correlation between NO 3 − and nssSO 4 2− peaks revealed that sulphate aerosols released during major volcanic eruptions might have activated the production of nitric acid, which was scavenged by ion-induced nucleation in polar ice sheets. The correlation between the nitrate and δ 18 O records further suggest that enhanced NO 3 − preservation in the ice occurred during periods of lower atmospheric temperature. Major shifts in the NO 3 − record of the ice core presently studied and its comparison with 10 Be record from a core collected from South Pole suggest that a reduction in solar activity influenced the NO 3 − accumulation in Antarctica through enhanced production of odd nitrogen species. |
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