Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period
In order to understand atmospheric methane (CH4) biogeochemistry now and in the future, we must apprehend its natural variability, without anthropogenic influence. Samples of ancient air trapped within ice cores provide the means to do this. Here we analyze the ultrahigh‐resolution CH4 record of the...
Published in: | Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
American Geophysical Union
2017
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37605/ https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005570 https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37605/1/Rhodes_et_al-2017-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf |
id |
ftunivnorthumb:oai:nrl.northumbria.ac.uk:37605 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivnorthumb:oai:nrl.northumbria.ac.uk:37605 2023-05-15T13:56:54+02:00 Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period Rhodes, Rachael H. Brook, Edward J. McConnell, Joseph R. Blunier, Thomas Sime, Louise C. Faïn, Xavier Mulvaney, Robert 2017-03 text https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37605/ https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005570 https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37605/1/Rhodes_et_al-2017-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf en eng American Geophysical Union https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37605/1/Rhodes_et_al-2017-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf Rhodes, Rachael H., Brook, Edward J., McConnell, Joseph R., Blunier, Thomas, Sime, Louise C., Faïn, Xavier and Mulvaney, Robert (2017) Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 31 (3). pp. 575-590. ISSN 0886-6236 F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences Article PeerReviewed 2017 ftunivnorthumb https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005570 2022-09-25T06:08:59Z In order to understand atmospheric methane (CH4) biogeochemistry now and in the future, we must apprehend its natural variability, without anthropogenic influence. Samples of ancient air trapped within ice cores provide the means to do this. Here we analyze the ultrahigh‐resolution CH4 record of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core 67.2–9.8 ka and find novel, atmospheric CH4 variability at centennial time scales throughout the record. This signal is characterized by recurrence intervals within a broad 80–500 year range, but we find that age‐scale uncertainties complicate the possible isolation of any periodic frequency. Lower signal amplitudes in the Last Glacial relative to the Holocene may be related to incongruent effects of firn‐based signal smoothing processes. Within interstadial and stadial periods, the peak‐to‐peak signal amplitudes vary in proportion to the underlying millennial‐scale oscillations in CH4 concentration—the relative amplitude change is constant. We propose that the centennial CH4 signal is related to tropical climate variability that influences predominantly low‐latitude wetland CH4 emissions. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic ice core Ice Sheet Northumbria University, Newcastle: Northumbria Research Link (NRL) Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet Global Biogeochemical Cycles 31 3 575 590 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Northumbria University, Newcastle: Northumbria Research Link (NRL) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnorthumb |
language |
English |
topic |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences |
spellingShingle |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences Rhodes, Rachael H. Brook, Edward J. McConnell, Joseph R. Blunier, Thomas Sime, Louise C. Faïn, Xavier Mulvaney, Robert Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period |
topic_facet |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences |
description |
In order to understand atmospheric methane (CH4) biogeochemistry now and in the future, we must apprehend its natural variability, without anthropogenic influence. Samples of ancient air trapped within ice cores provide the means to do this. Here we analyze the ultrahigh‐resolution CH4 record of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core 67.2–9.8 ka and find novel, atmospheric CH4 variability at centennial time scales throughout the record. This signal is characterized by recurrence intervals within a broad 80–500 year range, but we find that age‐scale uncertainties complicate the possible isolation of any periodic frequency. Lower signal amplitudes in the Last Glacial relative to the Holocene may be related to incongruent effects of firn‐based signal smoothing processes. Within interstadial and stadial periods, the peak‐to‐peak signal amplitudes vary in proportion to the underlying millennial‐scale oscillations in CH4 concentration—the relative amplitude change is constant. We propose that the centennial CH4 signal is related to tropical climate variability that influences predominantly low‐latitude wetland CH4 emissions. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rhodes, Rachael H. Brook, Edward J. McConnell, Joseph R. Blunier, Thomas Sime, Louise C. Faïn, Xavier Mulvaney, Robert |
author_facet |
Rhodes, Rachael H. Brook, Edward J. McConnell, Joseph R. Blunier, Thomas Sime, Louise C. Faïn, Xavier Mulvaney, Robert |
author_sort |
Rhodes, Rachael H. |
title |
Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period |
title_short |
Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period |
title_full |
Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period |
title_fullStr |
Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period |
title_full_unstemmed |
Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period |
title_sort |
atmospheric methane variability: centennial-scale signals in the last glacial period |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37605/ https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005570 https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37605/1/Rhodes_et_al-2017-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf |
geographic |
Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic ice core Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic ice core Ice Sheet |
op_relation |
https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/37605/1/Rhodes_et_al-2017-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf Rhodes, Rachael H., Brook, Edward J., McConnell, Joseph R., Blunier, Thomas, Sime, Louise C., Faïn, Xavier and Mulvaney, Robert (2017) Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 31 (3). pp. 575-590. ISSN 0886-6236 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005570 |
container_title |
Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
container_volume |
31 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
575 |
op_container_end_page |
590 |
_version_ |
1766264502382231552 |