Sulfur cycle at Last Glacial Maximum: Model results versus Antarctic ice core data

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: Castebrunet, H., Genthon, C., Martinerie, P.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2006
• Subjects: [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; [SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; East Antarctica; ice core; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01871521; https://hal.science/hal-01871521/document; https://hal.science/hal-01871521/file/Castebrunet%20GRL%202006.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027681

International audience For the first time, an atmospheric general circulation and sulfur chemistry model is used to simulate sulfur deposition in Antarctica at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Dimethylsulfide (DMS), emitted by phytoplankton, is the dominant source of atmospheric sulfur in Antarctica. Once in the atmosphere, it is oxidized into sulfur aerosols which are measured in ice cores. Such measurements allow for validating climate and chemistry models for glacial‐interglacial changes. Our glacial simulations test the effect of a recent re‐evaluation of glacial sea‐ice coverage on DMS sources and sulfur aerosol deposition. Using the present‐day oceanic concentrations of DMS, the model reproduces observed glacial and interglacial sulfur concentrations in the ice. This result suggests that climate change at the LGM did not greatly impact on DMS production in the oceanic sectors where sulfur aerosols deposited in central East Antarctica originate from.