Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger
Asian aeolian dust is a primary factor in Northern Hemisphere atmospheric dynamics. Predicting past and future changes in atmospheric circulation patterns relies in part on sound knowledge of Central Asian dust properties and the dust cycle. Unfortunately for that region, data are too sparse to cons...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:03a2c2a693824a2da14278449a9f73e7 2023-05-15T16:38:11+02:00 Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger Emilie Beaudon Julia M. Sheets Ellen Martin M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández Ellen Mosley-Thompson Lonnie G. Thompson 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 https://doaj.org/article/03a2c2a693824a2da14278449a9f73e7 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/10/366 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-3263 doi:10.3390/geosciences12100366 2076-3263 https://doaj.org/article/03a2c2a693824a2da14278449a9f73e7 Geosciences, Vol 12, Iss 366, p 366 (2022) Tibetan ice core aeolian dust Sr-Nd isotopes trace elements clay loess Geology QE1-996.5 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 2022-12-30T21:28:51Z Asian aeolian dust is a primary factor in Northern Hemisphere atmospheric dynamics. Predicting past and future changes in atmospheric circulation patterns relies in part on sound knowledge of Central Asian dust properties and the dust cycle. Unfortunately for that region, data are too sparse to constrain the variation in dust composition over time. Here, we evaluate the potential of a Tibetan ice core to provide a comprehensive paleo-atmospheric dust record and thereby reduce uncertainties regarding mineral aerosols’ feedback on the climate system. We present the first datasets of the mineralogical, geochemical, and Sr-Nd isotope composition of aeolian dust preserved in pre-Holocene layers of two ice cores from the Guliya ice cap (Kunlun Mountains). The composition of samples from the Summit (GS; 6710 m a.s.l.) and Plateau (GP; 6200 m a.s.l.) cores reveals that the characteristics of the dust in the cores’ deepest ice layers are significantly different. The deepest GS layers reveal isotopic values that correspond to aeolian particles from the Taklimakan desert, contain a mix of fine and coarse grains, and include weathering-sensitive material suggestive of a dry climate at the source. The deep GP layers primarily consist of unusual nodules of well size-sorted grey clay enriched in weathering-resistant minerals and elements typically found in geothermal waters, suggesting that the dust preserved in the oldest GP layers originates from a wet and possibly anoxic source. The variability of the dust composition highlighted here attests to its relevance as a paleo-environmental messenger and warrants further exploration of the particularly heterogenous Guliya glacial dust archive. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice cap ice core Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Geosciences 12 10 366 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Tibetan ice core aeolian dust Sr-Nd isotopes trace elements clay loess Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Tibetan ice core aeolian dust Sr-Nd isotopes trace elements clay loess Geology QE1-996.5 Emilie Beaudon Julia M. Sheets Ellen Martin M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández Ellen Mosley-Thompson Lonnie G. Thompson Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
topic_facet |
Tibetan ice core aeolian dust Sr-Nd isotopes trace elements clay loess Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Asian aeolian dust is a primary factor in Northern Hemisphere atmospheric dynamics. Predicting past and future changes in atmospheric circulation patterns relies in part on sound knowledge of Central Asian dust properties and the dust cycle. Unfortunately for that region, data are too sparse to constrain the variation in dust composition over time. Here, we evaluate the potential of a Tibetan ice core to provide a comprehensive paleo-atmospheric dust record and thereby reduce uncertainties regarding mineral aerosols’ feedback on the climate system. We present the first datasets of the mineralogical, geochemical, and Sr-Nd isotope composition of aeolian dust preserved in pre-Holocene layers of two ice cores from the Guliya ice cap (Kunlun Mountains). The composition of samples from the Summit (GS; 6710 m a.s.l.) and Plateau (GP; 6200 m a.s.l.) cores reveals that the characteristics of the dust in the cores’ deepest ice layers are significantly different. The deepest GS layers reveal isotopic values that correspond to aeolian particles from the Taklimakan desert, contain a mix of fine and coarse grains, and include weathering-sensitive material suggestive of a dry climate at the source. The deep GP layers primarily consist of unusual nodules of well size-sorted grey clay enriched in weathering-resistant minerals and elements typically found in geothermal waters, suggesting that the dust preserved in the oldest GP layers originates from a wet and possibly anoxic source. The variability of the dust composition highlighted here attests to its relevance as a paleo-environmental messenger and warrants further exploration of the particularly heterogenous Guliya glacial dust archive. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Emilie Beaudon Julia M. Sheets Ellen Martin M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández Ellen Mosley-Thompson Lonnie G. Thompson |
author_facet |
Emilie Beaudon Julia M. Sheets Ellen Martin M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández Ellen Mosley-Thompson Lonnie G. Thompson |
author_sort |
Emilie Beaudon |
title |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_short |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_full |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_fullStr |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_full_unstemmed |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_sort |
aeolian dust preserved in the guliya ice cap (northwestern tibet): a promising paleo-environmental messenger |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 https://doaj.org/article/03a2c2a693824a2da14278449a9f73e7 |
genre |
Ice cap ice core |
genre_facet |
Ice cap ice core |
op_source |
Geosciences, Vol 12, Iss 366, p 366 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/10/366 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-3263 doi:10.3390/geosciences12100366 2076-3263 https://doaj.org/article/03a2c2a693824a2da14278449a9f73e7 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 |
container_title |
Geosciences |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
10 |
container_start_page |
366 |
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1766028475722891264 |