10Be Concentration in the Queen Maud Land Ice Shelf, Antarctica

• Main Authors: H. Moraala, R. Muschelerb, L. Du Plessis A, P. W. Kubikc, J. Beerd, K. G. Mccrackene, F. B. Mcdonalde
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Queen Maud Land; SANAE; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Shelf
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.578.4665; http://www.icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp/can/icrc2005/Proceedings/Vol-12/12405-saf-moraal-H-abs2-sh35-poster.pdf

The radionuclide 10Be is produced in the atmosphere by cosmic rays. When it filters out and settles in polar ice, it becomes a powerful tool to study the variations of the cosmic ray intensity in the distant past and, from that, solar activity before the era of systematic solar observations [6]. The relationship between the cosmic ray intensity and the 10Be concentration is, however, an inferred one, because cosmic rays have only been observed during the past 50 years or so, while there are only a few 10Be records for this period. We report here on a pilot experiment to cut ice from the exposed ice shelf near the South African base, SANAE, in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, from which this 10Be/cosmic ray relationship may be established better. 1.