High-Resolution Tritium Profile in an Ice Core from Camp Century, Greenland

• Published in: Environmental Science & Technology
• Main Authors: Qiao, Jixin, Colgan, William, Jakobs, Gunnar, Nielsen, Sven
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Camp Century; Ice core; Source; Tracer application; Tritium; Arctic; Greenland; ice core
• Online Access: https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/9e9695b0-134b-4448-bd28-caa28d477aa0; https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c01975; https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/files/259144488/acs.est.1c01975_1_.pdf

We measure 3 H in an ice core from Camp Century. The temporal distribution of 3 H concentration in the ice core corresponds generally well with the historical record of explosive yields of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. Maximum 3 H values observed in 1962–1963 are comparable to those in ice core or precipitation in many other locations in the Northern Hemisphere. There is no indication that significant 3 H contamination was locally released into the air during the operation of the Camp Century reactor. It is, however, somewhat surprising that several prominent 3 H peaks are still observed after 1980. We suggest that these are associated with airborne 3 H releases from the civil nuclear industry. A wavelet analysis during 1970–2017 indicates the primary frequency of variability in the 3 H record is annual 3 H peaks. These annual peaks can be combined with the 3 H spikes from global fallout of known nuclear weapons tests to benchmark and evaluate theoretical ice core dating scales back to the 1950s. A positive correlation is observed between annual 3 H average concentration and variability of Arctic Oscillation (AO). This highlights the value of 3 H as a potential tracer for air masses and airborne pollutants in the Arctic.