Methanesulfonic Acid in Coastal Antarctic Snow Related to Sea‐ice Extent

• Main Authors: Welch, K. A., Mayewski, Paul Andrew, Whitlow, S. I.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@UMaine 1993
• Subjects: Geochemistry; Glaciology; Climate Change; Climate; Earth Sciences; Hydrology; Oceanography; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Victoria Land; Antarc*; Antarctica; ice core; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ers_facpub/189; https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1189&context=ers_facpub

Proxy records of biogenic sulfur gas obtained from ice cores suggest that variability in marine biogenic sulfur emissions may reflect changes in climate [Saigne and Legrand, 1987; Legrand et al., 1988, Legrand et al., 1991; Anderson and Charlson, 1991]. Increased sea‐ice extent has previously been proposed as one cause of relatively high methanesulfonic acid (MSA) in glacial‐age ice core samples [Gibson et al., 1990]. We have analyzed MSA, one of the oxidation products of the biogenic sulfur gas dimethylsulfide [Hatakeyama et al., 1985], from snowpit samples recovered from a coastal site in Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Time series of MSA correlate significantly with the longest continuous record available of Southern Ocean sea‐ice extent (two decades) [Jacka, 1990].