200-year ice core bromine reconstruction at Dome C (Antarctica): observational and modelling results

Bromine enrichment (Br enr ) has been proposed as an ice core proxy for past sea-ice reconstruction. Understanding the processes that influence bromine preservation in the ice is crucial to achieve a reliable interpretation of ice core signals and to potentially relate them to past sea-ice variabili...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Cryosphere
Main Authors: F. Burgay, R. P. Fernández, D. Segato, C. Turetta, C. S. Blaszczak-Boxe, R. H. Rhodes, C. Scarchilli, V. Ciardini, C. Barbante, A. Saiz-Lopez, A. Spolaor
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2023
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-391-2023
https://doaj.org/article/8317d124e484495bb98af4b6743f3311
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Summary:Bromine enrichment (Br enr ) has been proposed as an ice core proxy for past sea-ice reconstruction. Understanding the processes that influence bromine preservation in the ice is crucial to achieve a reliable interpretation of ice core signals and to potentially relate them to past sea-ice variability. Here, we present a 210 years bromine record that sheds light on the main processes controlling bromine preservation in the snow and ice at Dome C, East Antarctic plateau. Using observations alongside a modelling approach, we demonstrate that the bromine signal is preserved at Dome C and it is not affected by the strong variations in ultraviolet radiation reaching the Antarctic plateau due to the stratospheric ozone hole. Based on this, we investigate whether the Dome C Br enr record can be used as an effective tracer of past Antarctic sea ice. Due to the limited time window covered by satellite measurements and the low sea-ice variability observed during the last 30 years in East Antarctica, we cannot fully validate Br enr as an effective proxy for past sea-ice reconstructions at Dome C.