2600 years of stratospheric volcanism reconstruction through sulfate isotopes for Antarctic ice cores

• Main Authors: Gautier, Elsa, Savarino, Joël, Farquhar, James
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2018
• Subjects: DomeC; DRILL; Drilling/drill rig; Antarctic; Greenland; Antarc*; Antarctica; ice core
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.896238; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.896238

We present a 2600 year chronology of stratospheric volcanic events using isotopic signatures (Δ33S and in some cases Δ17O) of ice core sulfate. Five closely-located ice cores from Dome C, Antarctica, are used to reconstruct a record that differs subtly from recent reconstructions calibrated using synchronous volcanic sulfate deposition in Greenland and Antarctica to identify eruptions with global-scale sulfate distribution. Comparing the Dome C stratospheric reconstruction shows good agreement with the recent parts of these bipolar reconstructions, but diverges deeper in the record revealing tropospheric signals for some previously assigned bipolar events. The comparison also reveals several high latitude stratospheric events that are not bipolar. Finally, the Δ17O anomaly of sulfate collapses for the largest volcanic eruptions, showing a further change in atmospheric chemistry induced by large emissions, providing additional levels for climate-volcano connections and supporting the value of adding isotopic information to bipolar volcanic reconstructions.