Bomb-test 36 Cl measurements in Vostok snow (Antarctica) and the use of 36 Cl as a dating tool for deep ice cores
A large pulse of atmospheric 36 Cl generated by a limited number of nuclear tests peaked in the late 1950s to early 1960s. The corresponding enhanced 36 Cl deposition is seen in various glaciological archives in the Northern Hemisphere. The profile of the bomb spike recorded in firn layers at Vostok...
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2004
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v56i5.16454 |
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fteawag:oai:dora:eawag_4816 2023-05-15T13:42:14+02:00 Bomb-test 36 Cl measurements in Vostok snow (Antarctica) and the use of 36 Cl as a dating tool for deep ice cores Delmas, R.J. Beer, J. Synal, H.-A. Muscheler, R. Petit, J.-R. Pourchet, M. 2004 https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v56i5.16454 eng eng Taylor & Francis Tellus, Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology--Tellus B--journals:2790--0280-6509--1600-0889 eawag:4816 journal id: journals:2790 issn: 0280-6509 e-issn: 1600-0889 ut: 000225463000009 local: 9919 doi:10.3402/tellusb.v56i5.16454 scopus: 2-s2.0-9444267622 Text Journal Article 2004 fteawag https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v56i5.16454 2023-04-09T04:48:01Z A large pulse of atmospheric 36 Cl generated by a limited number of nuclear tests peaked in the late 1950s to early 1960s. The corresponding enhanced 36 Cl deposition is seen in various glaciological archives in the Northern Hemisphere. The profile of the bomb spike recorded in firn layers at Vostok Station, central East Antarctica, has been measured by employing accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The records obtained from two well-dated data sets collected in snow pits in 1997 and 1998 show a broad 36 Cl peak, beginning as early as the 1940s and reaching its maximum in the 1960s. The signal is followed by a long-lasting tail up to the surface. This pattern is totally unexpected. We show that the results, unlike the Greenland data, can be explained by a mobility of HCl in the Antarctic firn. This experiment demonstrates the instability of gaseous Cl − deposits, a phenomenon which has important implications for the use of natural cosmogenic 36 Cl radionuclides as a reliable dating tool for deep ice cores from low-accumulation areas. However, during glacial times, under favourable atmospheric chemistry conditions this dating method may still be applicable. Snow metamorphism and ventilation are assumed to be the two main physical processes responsible for the observed patterns. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Greenland DORA Eawag Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica Greenland Vostok Station ENVELOPE(106.837,106.837,-78.464,-78.464) Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology 56 5 492 498 |
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English |
description |
A large pulse of atmospheric 36 Cl generated by a limited number of nuclear tests peaked in the late 1950s to early 1960s. The corresponding enhanced 36 Cl deposition is seen in various glaciological archives in the Northern Hemisphere. The profile of the bomb spike recorded in firn layers at Vostok Station, central East Antarctica, has been measured by employing accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The records obtained from two well-dated data sets collected in snow pits in 1997 and 1998 show a broad 36 Cl peak, beginning as early as the 1940s and reaching its maximum in the 1960s. The signal is followed by a long-lasting tail up to the surface. This pattern is totally unexpected. We show that the results, unlike the Greenland data, can be explained by a mobility of HCl in the Antarctic firn. This experiment demonstrates the instability of gaseous Cl − deposits, a phenomenon which has important implications for the use of natural cosmogenic 36 Cl radionuclides as a reliable dating tool for deep ice cores from low-accumulation areas. However, during glacial times, under favourable atmospheric chemistry conditions this dating method may still be applicable. Snow metamorphism and ventilation are assumed to be the two main physical processes responsible for the observed patterns. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Delmas, R.J. Beer, J. Synal, H.-A. Muscheler, R. Petit, J.-R. Pourchet, M. |
spellingShingle |
Delmas, R.J. Beer, J. Synal, H.-A. Muscheler, R. Petit, J.-R. Pourchet, M. Bomb-test 36 Cl measurements in Vostok snow (Antarctica) and the use of 36 Cl as a dating tool for deep ice cores |
author_facet |
Delmas, R.J. Beer, J. Synal, H.-A. Muscheler, R. Petit, J.-R. Pourchet, M. |
author_sort |
Delmas, R.J. |
title |
Bomb-test 36 Cl measurements in Vostok snow (Antarctica) and the use of 36 Cl as a dating tool for deep ice cores |
title_short |
Bomb-test 36 Cl measurements in Vostok snow (Antarctica) and the use of 36 Cl as a dating tool for deep ice cores |
title_full |
Bomb-test 36 Cl measurements in Vostok snow (Antarctica) and the use of 36 Cl as a dating tool for deep ice cores |
title_fullStr |
Bomb-test 36 Cl measurements in Vostok snow (Antarctica) and the use of 36 Cl as a dating tool for deep ice cores |
title_full_unstemmed |
Bomb-test 36 Cl measurements in Vostok snow (Antarctica) and the use of 36 Cl as a dating tool for deep ice cores |
title_sort |
bomb-test 36 cl measurements in vostok snow (antarctica) and the use of 36 cl as a dating tool for deep ice cores |
publisher |
Taylor & Francis |
publishDate |
2004 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v56i5.16454 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(106.837,106.837,-78.464,-78.464) |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica Greenland Vostok Station |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica Greenland Vostok Station |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Greenland |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Greenland |
op_relation |
Tellus, Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology--Tellus B--journals:2790--0280-6509--1600-0889 eawag:4816 journal id: journals:2790 issn: 0280-6509 e-issn: 1600-0889 ut: 000225463000009 local: 9919 doi:10.3402/tellusb.v56i5.16454 scopus: 2-s2.0-9444267622 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v56i5.16454 |
container_title |
Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology |
container_volume |
56 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
492 |
op_container_end_page |
498 |
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1766165761310588928 |