A 780-year record of explosive volcanism from DT263 ice core in east Antarctica

Ice cores recovered from polar ice sheet received and preserved sulfuric acid fallout from explosive volcanic eruptions. DT263 ice core was retrieved from an east Antarctic location. The ice core is dated using a combination of annual layer counting and volcanic time stratigraphic horizon as 780 years (1215-1996 A.D.). The ice core record demonstrates that during the period of approximately 1460-1800 A.D., the accumulation is sharply lower than the levels prior to and after this period. This period coincides with the most recent neoglacial climatic episode, the "Little Ice Age (LIA)", that has been found in numerous Northern Hemisphere proxy and historic records. The non-sea-salt SO42- concentrations indicate seventeen volcanic events in DT263 ice core. Compared with those from previous Antarctic ice cores, significant discrepancies are found between these records in relative volcanic flux of several well-known events. The discrepancies among these records may be explained by the differences in surface topography, accumulation rate, snow drift and distribution which highlight the potential impact of local glaci-ology on ice core volcanic records, analytical techniques used for sulfate measurement, etc. Volcanic eruptions in middle and high southern latitudes affect volcanic records in Antarctic snow more intensively than those in the low latitudes.     

Records of volcanic events since AD 1800 in the East Rongbuk ice core from Mt. Qomolangma

Continuous Bi profile of the East Rongbuk (ER) ice core near Mt. Qomolangma reveals nine major volcanic events since AD 1800. Compared with Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), it shows that the concentrations of Bi in the ER ice core can reflect the major volcanic events within the key areas. This provides a good horizon layer for ice core dating, as well as a basis for reconstructing a long sequence of volcanic records from the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau ice cores. Supported jointly by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB411501), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 90411003), Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-344) and Hundred Talents Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences     

Climatological significance of an ice core net-accumulation record at Mt. Qomolangma (Everest)

An ice core record at Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) since 1954 reveals a sharp decline in net-accumulation in the 1960s, and the annual net-accumulation during the 1970s to the beginning of the 1990s is only half of that at the end of the 1950s. The decreased net-accumulation is coincident with glacier retreat, which is associated with recent temperature increase in the region that intensified the ablation. Under the background of global warming, such glacier variation trends will aggravate.     

Relationship between calcium and atmospheric dust recorded in Guliya ice core

By the analyses of Guliya ice core on the Tibetan Plateau, it was found that the calcium (Ca^2 ) originated from the terrestrial source is the main cation of soluble aerosol and a good proxy of the atmospheric component and environment in the mountain ice core located in the mid-low latitude arid regions. Evident variation of Ca^2 concentration has been found in the Guliya ice core since the Last lnterglaciation with two relatively strong increase periods and two weak increase periods. These variations are generally related to climatic changes: high Ca^2 concentration periods coincide with cold periods and low Ca^2 concentration periods coincide with warm periods. However, Ca^2 concentration does not always decrease (increase) with climate warming (cooling). The magnitude and phase of Ca^2 concentration does not always match temperature either. The changes of atmospheric circulation, land surface condition and atmospheric humidity might be important factors which influence Ca^2 concentration besides temperature.     

Signals of Antarctic Circum-polar Wave over the Southern Indian Ocean as recorded in an Antarctica ice core

Oxygen stable isotopic and ionic records, covering a period of 1745--1996, are recovered in DT001 ice core drilled in Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica.Using empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of the annually resolved glaciochemical time series, we find the first EOF (EOFI) represents sea-salt aerosols and is the proxy of sea level pressure (SLP) over a quasi-stationary low in the Southern Indian Ocean (SIO). δ^18O represents the sea surface temperature (SST) of the same ocean area. In the past two decades, four climatic waves as represented by SLP and SST proxies are found in the DT001 ice core, which in coincident with four Antarctic Circum-polar Waves (ACW) as revealed by NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. The phase difference between SST and SLP in the ice core is also coincident with that in ACW. Both ice-core record and reanalysis suggestthat there were no signals of ACW during 1958--1980, none during the overall recording period between 1745--1996, as there is no regular phase difference between SST and SLP.The ACW signal after early 1980s is probably attributable to the climate shift occurring over Antarctic Peninsula-Drake Passage region.     

Organic acids: Differences in ice core records between Glacier 1, Tianshan, China and the polar areas

Formate (HCOO-), acetate (CH₃COO-), oxalate (C₂O₄^2-) and pyruvate ((CO)C₂O₄^2-) are detected in a 14.08-m-long ice core recovered in Glacier 1 at the Urumqi riverhead, Tianshan, China, which is a mid-latitude alpine glacier (43°06′N, 86°49′E). the mean concentrations for the four organic acids in recent four decades are (102.8±147.3), (392.3±390.8), (6.9±14.8) and (4.2±8.3) ng/g, respectively, with the ratio for HCOO^-/CH₃COO^- of 0.34 ± 0.43. They represent the major acid components, and originate mainly from anthropogenic emission in the nearby industrial cities. Compared with Greenland and Antarctica, Glacier 1 is much higher in carboxylic acids, which were not subjected to long distance transportation as well as complicated atmospheric reactions. The alpine glacier can be, therefore, useful to reconstructing human pollution scenario to the regional atmosphere.     

Formate and acetate records in the Muztagata ice core, Northwest Tibetan Plateau

Formic and acetic acids (HCOOH, CH3COOH), originating mainly from biosphere (release by plants, combustion of biomass, motor exhaust and oxidation of organism, etc.), are two simple organic chemical com- pounds in troposphere. Though the concentration of these two organic acids is low in atmosphere, they are the main [1] sources of free acidity in precipitation of remote regions , and contribute minor chemical constituents to the balance between anions and cations, especially to some atm…     

Atmospheric Pb variations in Central Asia since 1955 from Muztagata ice core record, eastern Pamirs

Measurements of Pb in the well-preserved and dated snow and ice layers in glaciers can be used to recon- struct the past changes of atmospheric lead concentra- tions and to determine the trends of atmospheric pollu- tion. The lead data obtained from Greenland ice cap revealed severe air pollution in the Northern Hemi- sphere over the past three millennia. This lead pollution started from as early as Rome times[1], and increased remarkably from the Industrial Revolution to the end of the 1960…     

Carbonaceous particles in Muztagh Ata ice core,West Kunlun Mountains,China

Carbonaceous particles concentrations of OC and EC are determined using a two-step gas chroma- tography system in Muztagh Ata ice core covering the time period of 1955--2000. Over the period represented by the core, OC and EC concentrations appear to have changed significantly, varied in the range of 17.7--216.7 and 6.5--124.6, and averaged 61.8, 32.9 ng·g^-1, respectively. The average concentration of EC in Muztagh Ata ice core is much lower than that in an Alpine ice core record （100--300 ng·g^-1） during the same period, but it is a factor of 14 in Greenland ice core （2.3 ng·g^-1）, this may induce a strong impact on the snow albedo in the last 46 years in our study area. Observations indicate two periods with obviously high deposition concentrations （1955--1965 and 1974--1989） and two periods with low concentrations （1966--1973 and 1990--1995）, as well as a recent increasing trend. By comparing EC and SO4^2- concentration variations and deciphering OC/EC ratios recorded in the same ice core, we can judge roughly that the carbonaceous particles deposited in Muztagh Ata ice core were attributed to fossil fuel combustion sources.     

Tracing the sources of particles in the East Rongbuk ice core from Mt. Qomolangma

Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic tracer was applied, for the first time, to identifying the sources of the particles in the East Rongbuk ice core from Mt. Qomalangma （Everest）. The results show that the particles in the dirty layers originate mainly from local sources, while the particles in the non-dirty layers are consistent with the features of dust from the arid regions in northwestern India. The HYSPLIT model shows that the air trajectory goes first through northwestern India before reaching the drilling site of ice core when dust storms occur in northwestern India, confirming northwestern India as a possible source of dust in the East Rongbuk ice core.     

Concentration of nitrate in the Guliya ice core from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the solar activity

The variations of NO\+-\-3 concentration in the Guliya ice core are reconstructed for recent about 1 000 a. Spectrum analysis of NO\+-\-3 indicates significant periodicities in the variations of NO\+-\-3 concentration, which coincide with the periodicities of the solar activity. Therefore, a positive correlation between the variations of NO\+-\-3 concentration and the solar activity is found.     

Microparticle record in the Guliya ice core and its comparison with polar records since the last interglacial

Based on the study of oxygen isotope and microparticle in the Guliya ice core,atmospheric dust and environmental changes in the northwest Tibetan Plateau since the last interglacial were revealed.The microparticle record indicates that low dust load on the Plateau in the interglacial.Particle concentration increased rapidly when the climate turned into the last glacial and reached the maximum during the MIS 4.In the Last Glacial Maximum, however,the enhancement of microparticle concentration was slight,differing to those in the Antarctic and Greenland.On the orbital timescale,both the temperature on the Tibetan Plateau and summer solar insolation in the Northern Hemisphere had their impact on the microparticle record,but the difference in phase and amplitude also existed. Though having the same dust source, microparticle records in the ice cores on the Tibetan Plateau and the Greenland seem to have different significance.     

Decrease trend of dust event frequency over the past 200 years recorded in the Malan ice core from the northern Tibetan Plateau

By analyses of the dust layers in the Malan ice core from the northern Tibetan Plateau, it was found that dirty ratio in this core might be a good proxy for dust event frequency. The variations in the dirty ratio displayed a decrease trend over the past 200 years, which implies that dust events became less frequent during the study period. The decrease trend in the variations in dust event frequency might be caused mostly by the natural processes, including increasing precipitation and weakening westerly which might be related with global warming. Furthermore, significant negative correlation was found between the dirty ratio and δ^18O in the Malan ice core. This is highly important for studying the effect of atmospheric dust on climate change.     

Evidence for cold events in the early Holocene from the Guliya ice core, Tibetan Plateau, China

Evidence for the “8.2 ka cold event” has been provided mostly from the circum-North Atlantic area. However, whether this cold event occurred in other places is a key to understanding its cause. Here, we provide the evidence for the “8.2 ka cold event” from the Guliya ice core in the northwest Tibetan Plateau, and it was found that the peak cooling (~8.3—8.2 ka) in this ice core was about 7.8—10℃, which was larger than the cooling in the North Atlantic region. The primary causes for this episode were diminished solar activity and weakened thermohaline circulation. Moreover, another weak cold event, centered about 9.4 ka, was also recorded in the Guliya ice core record. These two cold events were concurrent with the ice-rafting episodes in the North Atlantic during the early Holocene, which implies that the millennial-scale climatic cyclicity might exist in the Tibetan Plateau as well as in the North Atlantic.     

Change of bacterial community in the Malan Ice Core and its relation to climate and environment

In order to understand the relationship between the community structure of bacteria in ice core and the past climate and environment, we initiated the study on the microorganisms in the three selected ice samples from the Malan ice core drilled from the Tibetan Plateau. The 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) molecules were directly amplified from the melt water samples, and three 16S rDNA clone libraries were established. Among 94 positive clones, eleven clones with unique restriction pattern were used for partial sequence and compared with eight reported sequences from the same ice core. The phylotypes were divided into 5 groups: alpha, beta, gamma proteobacteria; CFB, and other eubacteria group. Among them, there were many “typical Malan glacial bacteria“ pertaining to psychrophilies and new bacteria found in the ice core. At a longer time scale, the concentration distribution of “typical Malan glacial bacteria“ with depth showed negative correlation with temperature variations and was coincident with dirty layer. It implied the influence of temperature on the microbial record through impact on the concentrations of the “typical Malan glacial bacteria“. In addition, the nutrition contained in ice was another important factor controlling the distribution of microbial population in ice core section. Moreover, the result displayed an apparent layer distribution of bacterial community in the ice core section, which reflected the microbial response to the past climatic and environmental conditions at the time of deposition.     

玉龙山温北川浅冰芯内气候环境信息的初步剖析

稳定同位素和离子分析结果表明,我国青藏高原东缘玉龙山温冰川的一支浅冰芯的大部分气候环境信息有良好的对应关系,可揭示近期若干年冰川净积累时期内的气候变化趋势和冰川的净积累量,且与当地实测资料相对应,该线冰芯的研究也揭示出冬夏季风和融水渗浸作用对冰芯气候记录的影响过程,表明温冰川气候环境信息的时间序列有限,温性冰川浅冰芯现代过程的分析为研究西南季风环流的动态变化提供了一个新的重要途径。     

2012年秋季黄山地区大气冰核的观测分析

本文利用2012年9月至10月在黄山光明顶气象站使用自行搭建的新型静力真空水汽扩散云室对大气冰核进行观测的资料分析,结果表明：在活化温度为-20℃、相对冰面过饱和度为8%的实验条件下,黄山山顶的大气冰核平均浓度为2.03个/L,最大浓度是最小浓度的5倍左右。不同活化温度下的冰核浓度具有一致的逐日变化特征,并且冰核浓度随时间的变化与较大气溶胶粒子浓度的变化相一致。冰核浓度在下午14:00时明显高于上午08:00,这可能是与太阳辐射的作用有关。冰核浓度随着活化温度的降低呈现很好的指数式增加的趋势,并且发现在活化温度为-19℃左右时冰核浓度达1个/L。 本文还建立了冰核浓度与活化温度及粒径大于0.5μm的气溶胶数浓度之间的参数化关系,并且发现加入气溶胶浓度后的参数化关系式相对于仅仅依赖于温度的参数化关系式要更为合理。冰核浓度随活化湿度的增加而增加,并且当水汽条件从冰面饱和增加到水面饱和时,冰核浓度会急剧增加。黄山山顶降水对大气冰核具有明显的清除作用