Evaluation of Solar Flares and Electron Precipitation by Nitrate Distribution in Antarctica

• Main Authors: Dreschhoff, Gisela A., Zeller, Edward J.
• Other Authors: KANSAS UNIV LAWRENCE DEPT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1991
• Subjects: Atmospheric Physics; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *POLAR REGIONS; DISTRIBUTION; FLUX(RATE); SEQUENCES; ELECTRONS; PRECIPITATION; ICE; VERTICAL ORIENTATION; MELTING; SAMPLING; IONIZATION; SOUTH(DIRECTION); ANTARCTIC REGIONS; SOLAR FLARES; LAND ICE; ROSS SEA; SEASONS; NITRATES; CORES; *ELECTRON PRECIPITATION; *POLAR CAP; PE61102F; WUAFOSR2311A1; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Ross Sea; Ross Ice Shelf; Windless Bight; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice; Ice Shelf; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA243026; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA243026

Most of the time devoted to project research was spent in Antarctica. A firm core was drilled by hand to a depth of 29 meters at Windless Bight on the Ross Ice Shelf. The main result is that all of the major peaks identified as resulting from ionization caused by SPEs that were found in the 1988-89 core could also be identified in the analytical sequence from the 1990-91 core. Following the Antarctic field season, a set of snow samples were obtained that had been collected by the International Trans-Antarctica Expedition. The analysis of these samples showed nitrate flux that correlates closely with known spatial distribution of electron precipitation in the south polar region. A new apparatus has been build for field analysis on a continuous basis of nitrate and conductivity in a melt derived from the vertical melting of ice cores.