Variations in atmospheric trace elements in Dome C (East Antarctica) ice over the last two climatic cycles

• Published in: Atmospheric Environment
• Main Authors: Gabrielli, Paolo, Barbante, Carlo, Boutron, Claude F., Cozzi, Gulio, Gaspari, Vania, Planchon, Frédéric, Ferrari, Christophe P., Turetta, Clara, Hong, Sungmin, Cescon, Paolo
• Other Authors: Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Environmental Sciences Department, University of Ca’ Foscari Venice, Italy, Institute for the Dynamics of Environmental Processes-CNR, Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Polytech' Grenoble, Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF), Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI), European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2005
• Subjects: Trace elements; Antarctica; Ice; Climatic cycles; [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; Antarctic; East Antarctica; Antarc*; EPICA; ice core
• Online Access: https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00374316; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2005.07.025

International audience Concentrations of Li, Mg, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, As, Rb, Cd, Ba and Bi have been determined by inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) in various sections of the new Dome C EPICA Antarctic ice core, down to the depth of 2193 m, covering a time period of two climatic cycles. The time resolution of these records is at least twice as good as previously published ultra trace elements profiles obtained from the Vostok ice core. During the 217 kyr period spanned by this record, a high variability in concentrations is observed for most elements, with low values during warm periods and high values during cold periods. The highest concentrations are recorded at the times of the last two glacial maxima (20 and 140 kyr BP). The timing and the amplitude of the main concentration peaks match remarkably well the insoluble dust concentration profile. It confirms that dust was the main carrier of atmospheric trace elements to East Antarctica during the cold periods. For Ba, Co, Cu and Rb the crustal contribution was also dominant during warm periods. For other elements the situation is more complex during interglacial periods, when other sources such as volcanic quiescent emissions, became possibly significant for several trace elements such as Cd and Bi. Peculiarly high concentration values are observed for Cd and Bi for a short depth interval dated at 18 kyr BP. It is the same depth interval in which elevated F− values were previously observed. These very high concentrations are attributed to fallout from major local volcanic emissions at that time.