EPICA Dome C Sulfate Data 7-3190m ...

• Main Authors: Fudge, T. J., Severi, Mirko
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Data Center 2023
• Subjects: Cryosphere; EPICA; ice core
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.15784/601759; https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601759

Volcanic deposition of sulfuric acid in ice cores is important both for understanding past volcanic activity and for synchronizing ice core timescales. Sulfuric acid has a low eutectic point, so it can potentially exist in liquid at grain boundaries and veins, accelerating chemical diffusion. A high effective diffusivity would allow post-depositional diffusion to obscure the climate history and the peak matching among older portions of ice cores. Here, we use records of sulfate from the EPICA Dome C (EDC) ice core to estimate the effective diffusivity of sulfuric acid in ice. We focus on EDC because multiple glacial-interglacial cycles are preserved, allowing analysis for long timescales and deposition in similar climates. We calculate the mean concentration gradient and the width of prominent volcanic events, and analyze the evolution of each with depth/age. We find the effective diffusivities for interglacials and glacial maximums to be 5 ± 3 × 10-9 m2 a-1, an order of magnitude lower than a previous ...