First continuous phosphate record from Greenland ice cores ...

A continuous and highly sensitive absorption method for detection of soluble phosphate in ice cores has been developed using a molybdate reagent and a 2m liquid waveg- uide (LWCC). The method is optimized to meet the low concentrations of phosphate in Greenland ice, it has a detection limit of aroun...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Schüpbach, S., Vallelonga, P., Bigler, M., Svensson, A., Kjær, H. A., Hansson, M. E., Steffensen, J. P., Kettner, E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.7892/boris.18151
http://boris.unibe.ch/18151/
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Summary:A continuous and highly sensitive absorption method for detection of soluble phosphate in ice cores has been developed using a molybdate reagent and a 2m liquid waveg- uide (LWCC). The method is optimized to meet the low concentrations of phosphate in Greenland ice, it has a detection limit of around 0.1ppb and a depth resolution of approximately 2cm. The new method has been applied to obtain phosphate concen- trations from segments of two Northern Greenland ice cores: from a shallow firn core covering the most recent 120yr and from the recently obtained deep NEEM ice core in which sections from the late glacial period have been analysed. Phosphate con- centrations in 20th century ice are around 0.32ppb with no indication of anthropogenic influence in the most recent ice. In the glacial part of the NEEM ice core concentra- tions in the cold stadial periods are significantly higher, in the range of 6–24ppb, while interstadial ice concentrations are around 2ppb. In the shallow firn core, a strong cor- relation ...