CO2 concentration in air extracted from Greenland ice samples

• Main Authors: Stauffer, B., Neftel, A., Oeschger, H., Schwander, J.
• Other Authors: Langway Jr.,, C.C., Dansgaard, W.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: American Geophysical Union 1985
• Subjects: 530 Physics; Greenland; Dye 3; Dye-3; ice core
• Online Access: https://boris.unibe.ch/160969/1/Stauffer_CO2_concentration_in_air_extracted_from_Greenland_ice_samples.pdf; https://boris.unibe.ch/160969/

The principal aim of the analyses of the CO2 concentration in air extracted from ice samples is to reconstruct the CO2 concentration of the atmosphere during the last millenia. For this purpose ice from very cold regions is best suited. Ice samples from Dye 3, where the mean annual air temperature is −20°C and summer melting is frequent, are not very well suited from this point of view. The results of CO2 analyses give however very valuable information on a possible temperature effect on the CO2 concentration of air in the bubbles. The CO2 content show's seasonal variations with an annual maximum value in the summer melt layer. The annual minimum values correspond approximately to the estimated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Based on this experience, in spite of the complications due to the melt features, we try to reconstruct the history of the CO2 concentrations of the atmosphere. of special interest are the fast climatic transitions in the course and especially at the end of the last glaciation which are represented in the ice core by changes of parameters like acidity, dust, and istopic ratios in short depth intervals. In this respect we discuss the time lag between the climatic warming at the end of the last glaciation and the increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration. Finally results of gas content and gas composition of two ice samples from the lowest, silty part of the ice core are discussed.