Temperature shifts in Central Antarctica after major volcanic eruptions in the second millennium of the Common Era

• Main Authors: A. A. Ekaykin, A. N. Veres, А. А. Екайкин, А. Н. Верес
• Other Authors: This study has been completed with the financial support from the Russian Science Foundation, grant 21-17-00246. The authors thank the Russian Antarctic Expedition for the logistical support of the research activity in the vicinity of Vostok. We are grateful to our colleagues from St. Petersburg Mining University, and personally to Dr. A.V. Bolshunov, for providing us with VK22AB core. We also thank the Editor, as well as two anonymous referees for the constructive criticism that allowed us to improve the manuscript significantly., Исследование выполнено в рамках проекта 21-17-00246 Российского научного фонда. Авторы благодарят Российскую антарктическую экспедицию за логистическое обеспечение научных исследований в районе станции Восток. Мы также признательны сотрудникам Санкт-Петербургского горного университета и лично А.В. Большунову за предоставление керна VK22AB. Мы благодарны редакции журнала, а также двум анонимным рецензентам за конструктивные замечания, которые позволили существенно улучшить статью.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Russian
• Published: Государственный научный центр Российской Федерации Арктический и антарктический научно-исследовательский институт 2023
• Subjects: температура воздуха; Antarctica; volcanic forcing; Vostok station; water isotopes; вулканический форсинг; изотопы воды; станция Восток; Antarc*; Antarctic; Arctic; Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute; East Antarctica; ice core
• Online Access: https://www.aaresearch.science/jour/article/view/549; https://doi.org/10.30758/0555-2648-2023-69-3-374-385

Volcanic forcing is one of the major drivers of climatic variability on Earth during the last millennium before the beginning of the industrial era, combined with solar activity, Milanković orbital forcing and greenhouse gas concentration. Large volcanic eruptions (with Volcanic Explosivity Index of 6 or more) eject a huge amount of sulfur dioxide into stratosphere thus reducing the amount of incoming solar radiation. The corresponding cooling may exceed 1 °C and lasts about 5 years. The identification of the volcanic events is carried out with the use of firn and ice core data drilled in the polar ice sheets, while the climatic response to the eruptions is studied with the use of dendrochronology and other terrestrial data, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, the reaction of the Southern Hemisphere’s climate to the volcanic forcing is understood to a lesser extent. Here we use stable water isotope data (δ18O and dxs parameter, dxs = δD – 8 · δ18O) from 4 firn cores in order to study the temperature change in central Antarctica (in the vicinity of Vostok Station) after 5 major eruptions of the 2nd millennium of the Common Era: Samalas (1257), Unknown Event 1459 CE, Huaynaputina (1600), Parker (1641) and Tambora (1815). The isotopic composition of the cores was measured in the Climate and Environmental Research Laboratory of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (St. Petersburg) with the use of Picarro L2130-i and L2140-i laser analyzers. We show that a post-eruption cooling in central East Antarctica is about 0.52 °C and lasts for about 5 years. At the same time, the temperature in the moisture source decreases to a lesser extent (0.46 °C), but the cooling lasts longer. We need to emphasize that only through using 4 parallel cores was it possible to significantly reduce the amount of the “deposition noise” in the isotopic records and detect the post-volcanic cooling in central East Antarctica. Вулканическая активность является одним из важнейших факторов естественной климатической изменчивости ...