Oxygen- and hydrogen-isotope variations in a firn core, Eights station, western Antarctica

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research
• Main Authors: Epstein, Samuel, Sharp, Robert P.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Geophysical Union 1967
• Subjects: Bellingshausen Sea; Antarc*; Antarctica; Antarctica Journal
• Online Access: https://authors.library.caltech.edu/51471/; https://authors.library.caltech.edu/51471/1/jgr5593.pdf; https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20141107-162828342

Oxygen- and hydrogen-isotope analyses of samples from a firn core at Eights station indicate that annual accumulation over a 10-year interval was 39–40 g/cm² of water, confirming a condition of relatively heavy precipitation in the Bellingshausen Sea coastal area. The mean δ value (−26.6) of the O^(18)/O^(16) ratios is consistent with the relatively low elevation (452 meters) and near-coastal location of Eights station. These data support an earlier suggestion that a cyclical variation of particulate matter recognized in the firn occurs with an approximate 2-year period. No other interrelationship between variations in particulate matter and hydrogen or oxygen isotopes was found.