Collaborative Research: Asian Ice Core Array (AICA)--Reconstruction of Past Physical and Chemical Climate over Asia

• Main Authors: Mayewski, Paul, Kreutz, Karl J., Kurbatov, Andrei V.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@UMaine 2011
• Subjects: Ice cores; Asia; Climate change; Climate; Arctic; Pacific; Antarc*; Antarctica; ice core
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/orsp_reports/388; https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1400&context=orsp_reports

Funding is provided to help the researchers build on success using ice cores for understanding past physical and chemical climate change from Antarctica, Arctic, North Pacific and Asia by analyzing and interpreting a new array of Asian ice cores. The researchers plan to use five existing ice cores and collect one new ice core to enhance the reconstruction of environmental conditions over Asia. The primary research questions for the Asian Ice Core Array (AICA) research include: (1) Asian climate variability - How do major Asian circulation features (i.e., Asian monsoon, Westerlies, polar air masses, Siberian and Tibetan Highs) vary on annual to longer scales? What factors (i.e., solar variability, volcanic activity, greenhouse gases) control changes in the major circulation features impacting Asia? What is the association between Asian climate and global circulation features? Can Asian climate be simulated and predicted from the state of past atmospheric circulation patterns (analog modeling)? How does the interaction between tropical and extra-tropical circulation impact climate over Asia? What are the regional climatic changes to be expected in near future based on trends? Are Asian climate change events related to climate change in other regions?(2) Environmental change over Asia - How have natural versus anthropogenic sources for chemical species notably sulfate, nitrate, and select heavy metals and trace and major elements varied in the atmosphere over central Asia? Are spatial and temporal variations in contaminants related to changes in contaminant source areas or production? Have changes in atmospheric circulation impacted distribution of chemical species in the atmosphere over central Asia?Scientifically, ice cores from Asian glaciers could provide a source of high-resolution records of seasonal to millennial climate dynamics and atmospheric chemistry. This is important because the Eurasian continent is the largest landmass in the World and exerts substantial influence on atmospheric and terrestrial ...