| Summary: | A detailed analysis of the particles within a 101-meter firn core from Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station Antarctica, was conducted. 6218 samples were analyzed for particle concentration and size distribution. Individual particles within selected sections of the core were examined for morphology and elemental constituents using a scanning electron microscope and an X-ray energy dispersive system. A 911-year time scale was constructed using the annual cycle of particle concentration. Accurate dating of firn and ice cores is essential if appropriate climatic interpretations are to be obtained from the isotopic species and gases contained within these cores. This investigation demonstrated that the microparticle variations provide a method for dating cores from regions of low annual accumulation. This is exceedingly important as the longest cores, and hence the longest paleoclimatic records, will come from East Antarctica where accumulation rates are low. Division of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation (Grant OPP76-07745).
|
|---|