Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger
Asian aeolian dust is a primary factor in Northern Hemisphere atmospheric dynamics. Predicting past and future changes in atmospheric circulation patterns relies in part on sound knowledge of Central Asian dust properties and the dust cycle. Unfortunately for that region, data are too sparse to cons...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2076-3263/12/10/366/ 2023-08-20T04:07:10+02:00 Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger Emilie Beaudon Julia M. Sheets Ellen Martin M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández Ellen Mosley-Thompson Lonnie G. Thompson agris 2022-09-30 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Cryosphere https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Geosciences; Volume 12; Issue 10; Pages: 366 Tibetan ice core aeolian dust Sr-Nd isotopes trace elements clay loess weathering provenance Text 2022 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 2023-08-01T06:42:50Z Asian aeolian dust is a primary factor in Northern Hemisphere atmospheric dynamics. Predicting past and future changes in atmospheric circulation patterns relies in part on sound knowledge of Central Asian dust properties and the dust cycle. Unfortunately for that region, data are too sparse to constrain the variation in dust composition over time. Here, we evaluate the potential of a Tibetan ice core to provide a comprehensive paleo-atmospheric dust record and thereby reduce uncertainties regarding mineral aerosols’ feedback on the climate system. We present the first datasets of the mineralogical, geochemical, and Sr-Nd isotope composition of aeolian dust preserved in pre-Holocene layers of two ice cores from the Guliya ice cap (Kunlun Mountains). The composition of samples from the Summit (GS; 6710 m a.s.l.) and Plateau (GP; 6200 m a.s.l.) cores reveals that the characteristics of the dust in the cores’ deepest ice layers are significantly different. The deepest GS layers reveal isotopic values that correspond to aeolian particles from the Taklimakan desert, contain a mix of fine and coarse grains, and include weathering-sensitive material suggestive of a dry climate at the source. The deep GP layers primarily consist of unusual nodules of well size-sorted grey clay enriched in weathering-resistant minerals and elements typically found in geothermal waters, suggesting that the dust preserved in the oldest GP layers originates from a wet and possibly anoxic source. The variability of the dust composition highlighted here attests to its relevance as a paleo-environmental messenger and warrants further exploration of the particularly heterogenous Guliya glacial dust archive. Text Ice cap ice core MDPI Open Access Publishing Geosciences 12 10 366 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
Tibetan ice core aeolian dust Sr-Nd isotopes trace elements clay loess weathering provenance |
spellingShingle |
Tibetan ice core aeolian dust Sr-Nd isotopes trace elements clay loess weathering provenance Emilie Beaudon Julia M. Sheets Ellen Martin M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández Ellen Mosley-Thompson Lonnie G. Thompson Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
topic_facet |
Tibetan ice core aeolian dust Sr-Nd isotopes trace elements clay loess weathering provenance |
description |
Asian aeolian dust is a primary factor in Northern Hemisphere atmospheric dynamics. Predicting past and future changes in atmospheric circulation patterns relies in part on sound knowledge of Central Asian dust properties and the dust cycle. Unfortunately for that region, data are too sparse to constrain the variation in dust composition over time. Here, we evaluate the potential of a Tibetan ice core to provide a comprehensive paleo-atmospheric dust record and thereby reduce uncertainties regarding mineral aerosols’ feedback on the climate system. We present the first datasets of the mineralogical, geochemical, and Sr-Nd isotope composition of aeolian dust preserved in pre-Holocene layers of two ice cores from the Guliya ice cap (Kunlun Mountains). The composition of samples from the Summit (GS; 6710 m a.s.l.) and Plateau (GP; 6200 m a.s.l.) cores reveals that the characteristics of the dust in the cores’ deepest ice layers are significantly different. The deepest GS layers reveal isotopic values that correspond to aeolian particles from the Taklimakan desert, contain a mix of fine and coarse grains, and include weathering-sensitive material suggestive of a dry climate at the source. The deep GP layers primarily consist of unusual nodules of well size-sorted grey clay enriched in weathering-resistant minerals and elements typically found in geothermal waters, suggesting that the dust preserved in the oldest GP layers originates from a wet and possibly anoxic source. The variability of the dust composition highlighted here attests to its relevance as a paleo-environmental messenger and warrants further exploration of the particularly heterogenous Guliya glacial dust archive. |
format |
Text |
author |
Emilie Beaudon Julia M. Sheets Ellen Martin M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández Ellen Mosley-Thompson Lonnie G. Thompson |
author_facet |
Emilie Beaudon Julia M. Sheets Ellen Martin M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández Ellen Mosley-Thompson Lonnie G. Thompson |
author_sort |
Emilie Beaudon |
title |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_short |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_full |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_fullStr |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_full_unstemmed |
Aeolian Dust Preserved in the Guliya Ice Cap (Northwestern Tibet): A Promising Paleo-Environmental Messenger |
title_sort |
aeolian dust preserved in the guliya ice cap (northwestern tibet): a promising paleo-environmental messenger |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Ice cap ice core |
genre_facet |
Ice cap ice core |
op_source |
Geosciences; Volume 12; Issue 10; Pages: 366 |
op_relation |
Cryosphere https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100366 |
container_title |
Geosciences |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
10 |
container_start_page |
366 |
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1774718618842431488 |