Articles | Volume 15, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1787-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1787-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
13 Apr 2021
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 13 Apr 2021
| 13 Apr 2021
Pervasive diffusion of climate signals recorded in ice-vein ionic impurities
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Related authors
Felix S. L. Ng, Rachael H. Rhodes, Tyler J. Fudge, and Eric W. Wolff
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1566, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1566, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
Impurity diffusion in ice causes loss of climate history. We give a new method of finding the diffusion rate from ice-core records. Its use on sulphate data from the EPICA Dome C core reveals rapid diffusion in snow that suggests H2SO4 vapour diffusion in air pores, and much slower diffusion in the ice below that indicates signal relocation between crystal interfaces. We estimate a maximum sulphate diffusion length of 2 cm for ice 1–2 Myr old sought by the ice-coring projects on Little Dome C.
Felix S. L. Ng
The Cryosphere, 18, 4645–4669, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4645-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4645-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Liquid veins and grain boundaries in ice can accelerate the decay of climate signals in δ18O and δD by short-circuiting the slow isotopic diffusion in crystal grains. This theory for "excess diffusion" has not been confirmed experimentally. We show that, if the mechanism occurs, then distinct isotopic patterns must form near grain junctions, offering a testable prediction of the theory. We calculate the patterns and describe an experimental scheme for testing ice-core samples for the mechanism.
Robert G. Bingham, Julien A. Bodart, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Ailsa Chung, Rebecca J. Sanderson, Johannes C. R. Sutter, Olaf Eisen, Nanna B. Karlsson, Joseph A. MacGregor, Neil Ross, Duncan A. Young, David W. Ashmore, Andreas Born, Winnie Chu, Xiangbin Cui, Reinhard Drews, Steven Franke, Vikram Goel, John W. Goodge, A. Clara J. Henry, Antoine Hermant, Benjamin H. Hills, Nicholas Holschuh, Michelle R. Koutnik, Gwendolyn J.-M. C. Leysinger Vieli, Emma J. Mackie, Elisa Mantelli, Carlos Martín, Felix S. L. Ng, Falk M. Oraschewski, Felipe Napoleoni, Frédéric Parrenin, Sergey V. Popov, Therese Rieckh, Rebecca Schlegel, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Xueyuan Tang, Thomas O. Teisberg, Kate Winter, Shuai Yan, Harry Davis, Christine F. Dow, Tyler J. Fudge, Tom A. Jordan, Bernd Kulessa, Kenichi Matsuoka, Clara J. Nyqvist, Maryam Rahnemoonfar, Matthew R. Siegfried, Shivangini Singh, Verjan Višnjević, Rodrigo Zamora, and Alexandra Zuhr
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The ice sheets covering Antarctica have built up over millenia through successive snowfall events which become buried and preserved as internal surfaces of equal age detectable with ice-penetrating radar. This paper describes an international initiative to work together on this archival data to build a comprehensive 3-D picture of how old the ice is everywhere across Antarctica, and how this will be used to reconstruct past and predict future ice and climate behaviour.
Felix S. L. Ng
The Cryosphere, 17, 3063–3082, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3063-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3063-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in ice cores are routinely analysed for the climate signals which they carry. It has long been known that the system of water veins in ice facilitates isotopic diffusion. Here, mathematical modelling shows that water flow in the veins strongly accelerates the diffusion and the decay of climate signals. The process hampers methods using the variations in signal decay with depth to reconstruct past climatic temperature.
Stephen J. Livingstone, Emma L. M. Lewington, Chris D. Clark, Robert D. Storrar, Andrew J. Sole, Isabelle McMartin, Nico Dewald, and Felix Ng
The Cryosphere, 14, 1989–2004, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1989-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1989-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We map series of aligned mounds (esker beads) across central Nunavut, Canada. Mounds are interpreted to have formed roughly annually as sediment carried by subglacial rivers is deposited at the ice margin. Chains of mounds are formed as the ice retreats. This high-resolution (annual) record allows us to constrain the pace of ice retreat, sediment fluxes, and the style of drainage through time. In particular, we suggest that eskers in general record a composite signature of ice-marginal drainage.
Adam J. Hepburn, Tom Holt, Bryn Hubbard, and Felix Ng
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 8, 293–313, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-293-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-293-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Currently, there exist thousands of unprocessed stereo pairs of satellite imagery which can be used to create models of the surface of Mars. This paper sets out a new open–source and free to use pipeline for creating these models. Our pipeline produces models of comparable quality to the limited number released to date but remains free to use and easily implemented by researchers, who may not necessarily have prior experience of DEM creation.
A. E. Jowett, E. Hanna, F. Ng, P. Huybrechts, and I. Janssens
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-9-5327-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-9-5327-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
Felix S. L. Ng, Rachael H. Rhodes, Tyler J. Fudge, and Eric W. Wolff
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1566, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1566, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
Impurity diffusion in ice causes loss of climate history. We give a new method of finding the diffusion rate from ice-core records. Its use on sulphate data from the EPICA Dome C core reveals rapid diffusion in snow that suggests H2SO4 vapour diffusion in air pores, and much slower diffusion in the ice below that indicates signal relocation between crystal interfaces. We estimate a maximum sulphate diffusion length of 2 cm for ice 1–2 Myr old sought by the ice-coring projects on Little Dome C.
Felix S. L. Ng
The Cryosphere, 18, 4645–4669, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4645-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4645-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Liquid veins and grain boundaries in ice can accelerate the decay of climate signals in δ18O and δD by short-circuiting the slow isotopic diffusion in crystal grains. This theory for "excess diffusion" has not been confirmed experimentally. We show that, if the mechanism occurs, then distinct isotopic patterns must form near grain junctions, offering a testable prediction of the theory. We calculate the patterns and describe an experimental scheme for testing ice-core samples for the mechanism.
Robert G. Bingham, Julien A. Bodart, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Ailsa Chung, Rebecca J. Sanderson, Johannes C. R. Sutter, Olaf Eisen, Nanna B. Karlsson, Joseph A. MacGregor, Neil Ross, Duncan A. Young, David W. Ashmore, Andreas Born, Winnie Chu, Xiangbin Cui, Reinhard Drews, Steven Franke, Vikram Goel, John W. Goodge, A. Clara J. Henry, Antoine Hermant, Benjamin H. Hills, Nicholas Holschuh, Michelle R. Koutnik, Gwendolyn J.-M. C. Leysinger Vieli, Emma J. Mackie, Elisa Mantelli, Carlos Martín, Felix S. L. Ng, Falk M. Oraschewski, Felipe Napoleoni, Frédéric Parrenin, Sergey V. Popov, Therese Rieckh, Rebecca Schlegel, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Xueyuan Tang, Thomas O. Teisberg, Kate Winter, Shuai Yan, Harry Davis, Christine F. Dow, Tyler J. Fudge, Tom A. Jordan, Bernd Kulessa, Kenichi Matsuoka, Clara J. Nyqvist, Maryam Rahnemoonfar, Matthew R. Siegfried, Shivangini Singh, Verjan Višnjević, Rodrigo Zamora, and Alexandra Zuhr
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The ice sheets covering Antarctica have built up over millenia through successive snowfall events which become buried and preserved as internal surfaces of equal age detectable with ice-penetrating radar. This paper describes an international initiative to work together on this archival data to build a comprehensive 3-D picture of how old the ice is everywhere across Antarctica, and how this will be used to reconstruct past and predict future ice and climate behaviour.
Felix S. L. Ng
The Cryosphere, 17, 3063–3082, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3063-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3063-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in ice cores are routinely analysed for the climate signals which they carry. It has long been known that the system of water veins in ice facilitates isotopic diffusion. Here, mathematical modelling shows that water flow in the veins strongly accelerates the diffusion and the decay of climate signals. The process hampers methods using the variations in signal decay with depth to reconstruct past climatic temperature.
Stephen J. Livingstone, Emma L. M. Lewington, Chris D. Clark, Robert D. Storrar, Andrew J. Sole, Isabelle McMartin, Nico Dewald, and Felix Ng
The Cryosphere, 14, 1989–2004, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1989-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1989-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We map series of aligned mounds (esker beads) across central Nunavut, Canada. Mounds are interpreted to have formed roughly annually as sediment carried by subglacial rivers is deposited at the ice margin. Chains of mounds are formed as the ice retreats. This high-resolution (annual) record allows us to constrain the pace of ice retreat, sediment fluxes, and the style of drainage through time. In particular, we suggest that eskers in general record a composite signature of ice-marginal drainage.
Adam J. Hepburn, Tom Holt, Bryn Hubbard, and Felix Ng
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 8, 293–313, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-293-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-293-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Currently, there exist thousands of unprocessed stereo pairs of satellite imagery which can be used to create models of the surface of Mars. This paper sets out a new open–source and free to use pipeline for creating these models. Our pipeline produces models of comparable quality to the limited number released to date but remains free to use and easily implemented by researchers, who may not necessarily have prior experience of DEM creation.
A. E. Jowett, E. Hanna, F. Ng, P. Huybrechts, and I. Janssens
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-9-5327-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-9-5327-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Ice Cores
A 350,000-year-old blue ice identified at the surface of the Elephant Moraine region, East Antarctica
What does the impurity variability at the microscale represent in ice cores? Insights from a conceptual approach
Brief Communication: The Danish Replicate Drilling System – Results from the First Field Test
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry measurements for high-resolution chemical ice core analyses with a first application to an ice core from Skytrain Ice Rise (Antarctica)
The grain-scale signature of isotopic diffusion in ice
Combining traditional and novel techniques to increase our understanding of the lock-in depth of atmospheric gases in polar ice cores – results from the EastGRIP region
Scientific history, sampling approach, and physical characterization of the Camp Century subglacial material, a rare archive from beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet
Novel approach to estimate the water isotope diffusion length in deep ice cores with an application to Marine Isotope Stage 19 in the Dome C ice core
The potential of in situ cosmogenic 14CO in ice cores as a proxy for galactic cosmic ray flux variations
Characterization of in situ cosmogenic 14CO production, retention and loss in firn and shallow ice at Summit, Greenland
Research into mechanical modeling based on characteristics of the fracture mechanics of ice cutting for scientific drilling in polar regions
Development of deformational regimes and microstructures in the deep sections and overall layered structures of the Dome Fuji ice core, Antarctica
Millennial and orbital-scale variability in a 54 000-year record of total air content from the South Pole ice core
Investigating the spatial representativeness of East Antarctic ice cores: a comparison of ice core and radar-derived surface mass balance over coastal ice rises and Dome Fuji
Greenland and Canadian Arctic ice temperature profiles database
Isotopic diffusion in ice enhanced by vein-water flow
A one-dimensional temperature and age modeling study for selecting the drill site of the oldest ice core near Dome Fuji, Antarctica
Chemical and visual characterisation of EGRIP glacial ice and cloudy bands within
Detection of ice core particles via deep neural networks
Development of crystal orientation fabric in the Dome Fuji ice core in East Antarctica: implications for the deformation regime in ice sheets
Gas isotope thermometry in the South Pole and Dome Fuji ice cores provides evidence for seasonal rectification of ice core gas records
Microstructure, micro-inclusions, and mineralogy along the EGRIP (East Greenland Ice Core Project) ice core – Part 2: Implications for palaeo-mineralogy
Microstructure, micro-inclusions, and mineralogy along the EGRIP ice core – Part 1: Localisation of inclusions and deformation patterns
Fractionation of O2∕N2 and Ar∕N2 in the Antarctic ice sheet during bubble formation and bubble–clathrate hydrate transition from precise gas measurements of the Dome Fuji ice core
Two-dimensional impurity imaging in deep Antarctic ice cores: snapshots of three climatic periods and implications for high-resolution signal interpretation
Brief communication: New radar constraints support presence of ice older than 1.5 Myr at Little Dome C
Multi-tracer study of gas trapping in an East Antarctic ice core
Very old firn air linked to strong density layering at Styx Glacier, coastal Victoria Land, East Antarctica
Glaciological characteristics in the Dome Fuji region and new assessment for “Oldest Ice”
Giyoon Lee, Jinho Ahn, Hyeontae Ju, Ikumi Oyabu, Florian Ritterbusch, Songyi Kim, Jangil Moon, Joohan Lee, Yeongcheol Han, Soon Do Hur, Kenji Kawamura, Zheng-Tian Lu, Wei Jiang, and Guo-Min Yang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1436, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1436, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigated ancient ice in the Elephant Moraine, East Antarctica. Using geophysical surveys and chemical analyses, we found surface ice around 350,000 years old and ice thickness ranging from 200 to 800 meters. These findings suggest the Elephant Moraine region may preserve ice over one million years old at depths of several hundred meters. Recovering such ice is a key goal in paleoclimate research to better understand the climate history of Earth.
Piers Larkman, Rachael H. Rhodes, Nicolas Stoll, Carlo Barbante, and Pascal Bohleber
The Cryosphere, 19, 1373–1390, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1373-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1373-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Impurities in ice cores can be preferentially located at the boundaries between crystals of ice, impacting the interpretation of high-resolution data collected from ice core samples. Through use of a modelling framework, we demonstrate that one-dimensional signals can be significantly affected by this association, meaning high-resolution measurements must be carefully designed. Accounting for this effect is important for interpreting ice core data, especially for deep ice samples.
Julien Westhoff, Grant Vernon Boeckmann, Nicholas Mossor Rathmann, and Steffen Bo Hansen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3081, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3081, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We report on the successful test of a new replicate drilling system for ice cores. This system allows us to deviate the ice core drill from the parent, the original, borehole, and drill into the side of the wall. Thus, we can produce a second ice core from any desired depth, increasing the amount of sample available for scientific purposes. In the manuscript, we present the results from the first field tests and the challenges we encountered.
Helene Hoffmann, Jason Day, Rachael H. Rhodes, Mackenzie Grieman, Jack Humby, Isobel Rowell, Christoph Nehrbass-Ahles, Robert Mulvaney, Sally Gibson, and Eric Wolff
The Cryosphere, 18, 4993–5013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4993-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4993-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ice cores are archives of past atmospheric conditions. In deep and old ice, the layers containing this information get thinned to the millimetre scale or below. We installed a setup for high-resolution (182 μm) chemical impurity measurements in ice cores using the laser ablation technique at the University of Cambridge. In a first application to the Skytrain ice core from Antarctica, we discuss the potential to detect fine-layered structures in ice up to an age of 26 000 years.
Felix S. L. Ng
The Cryosphere, 18, 4645–4669, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4645-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4645-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Liquid veins and grain boundaries in ice can accelerate the decay of climate signals in δ18O and δD by short-circuiting the slow isotopic diffusion in crystal grains. This theory for "excess diffusion" has not been confirmed experimentally. We show that, if the mechanism occurs, then distinct isotopic patterns must form near grain junctions, offering a testable prediction of the theory. We calculate the patterns and describe an experimental scheme for testing ice-core samples for the mechanism.
Julien Westhoff, Johannes Freitag, Anaïs Orsi, Patricia Martinerie, Ilka Weikusat, Michael Dyonisius, Xavier Faïn, Kevin Fourteau, and Thomas Blunier
The Cryosphere, 18, 4379–4397, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4379-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4379-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We study the EastGRIP area, Greenland, in detail with traditional and novel techniques. Due to the compaction of the ice, at a certain depth, atmospheric gases can no longer exchange, and the atmosphere is trapped in air bubbles in the ice. We find this depth by pumping air from a borehole, modeling, and using a new technique based on the optical appearance of the ice. Our results suggest that the close-off depth lies at around 58–61 m depth and more precisely at 58.3 m depth.
Paul R. Bierman, Andrew J. Christ, Catherine M. Collins, Halley M. Mastro, Juliana Souza, Pierre-Henri Blard, Stefanie Brachfeld, Zoe R. Courville, Tammy M. Rittenour, Elizabeth K. Thomas, Jean-Louis Tison, and François Fripiat
The Cryosphere, 18, 4029–4052, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4029-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4029-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In 1966, the U.S. Army drilled through the Greenland Ice Sheet at Camp Century, Greenland; they recovered 3.44 m of frozen material. Here, we decipher the material’s history. Water, flowing during a warm interglacial when the ice sheet melted from northwest Greenland, deposited the upper material which contains fossil plant and insect parts. The lower material, separated by more than a meter of ice with some sediment, is till, deposited by the ice sheet during a prior cold period.
Fyntan Shaw, Andrew M. Dolman, Torben Kunz, Vasileios Gkinis, and Thomas Laepple
The Cryosphere, 18, 3685–3698, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3685-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3685-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fast variability of water isotopes in ice cores is attenuated by diffusion but can be restored if the diffusion length is accurately estimated. Current estimation methods are inadequate for deep ice, mischaracterising millennial-scale climate variability. We address this using variability estimates from shallower ice. The estimated diffusion length of 31 cm for the bottom of the Dome C ice core is 20 cm less than the old method, enabling signal recovery on timescales previously considered lost.
Vasilii V. Petrenko, Segev BenZvi, Michael Dyonisius, Benjamin Hmiel, Andrew M. Smith, and Christo Buizert
The Cryosphere, 18, 3439–3451, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3439-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3439-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This manuscript presents the concept for a new proxy for past variations in the galactic cosmic ray flux (GCR). Past variations in GCR flux are important to understand for interpretation of records of isotopes produced by cosmic rays; these records are used for reconstructing solar variations and past land ice extent. The proxy involves using measurements of 14CO in ice cores, which should provide an uncomplicated and precise estimate of past GCR flux variations for the past few thousand years.
Benjamin Hmiel, Vasilii V. Petrenko, Christo Buizert, Andrew M. Smith, Michael N. Dyonisius, Philip Place, Bin Yang, Quan Hua, Ross Beaudette, Jeffrey P. Severinghaus, Christina Harth, Ray F. Weiss, Lindsey Davidge, Melisa Diaz, Matthew Pacicco, James A. Menking, Michael Kalk, Xavier Faïn, Alden Adolph, Isaac Vimont, and Lee T. Murray
The Cryosphere, 18, 3363–3382, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3363-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3363-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The main aim of this research is to improve understanding of carbon-14 that is produced by cosmic rays in ice sheets. Measurements of carbon-14 in ice cores can provide a range of useful information (age of ice, past atmospheric chemistry, past cosmic ray intensity). Our results show that almost all (>99 %) of carbon-14 that is produced in the upper layer of ice sheets is rapidly lost to the atmosphere. Our results also provide better estimates of carbon-14 production rates in deeper ice.
Xinyu Lv, Zhihao Cui, Ting Wang, Yumin Wen, An Liu, and Rusheng Wang
The Cryosphere, 18, 3351–3362, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3351-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3351-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, the formation process of ice chips was observed and the fracture mechanics characteristics of the ice during the cutting process were analyzed. Additionally, a mechanical model for the cutting force was established based on the observation and analysis results. Finally, influencing factors and laws of the cutting force were verified by cutting force test results generated under various experimental conditions.
Tomotaka Saruya, Atsushi Miyamoto, Shuji Fujita, Kumiko Goto-Azuma, Motohiro Hirabayashi, Akira Hori, Makoto Igarashi, Yoshinori Iizuka, Takao Kameda, Hiroshi Ohno, Wataru Shigeyama, and Shun Tsutaki
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3146, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3146, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Crystal orientation fabrics (COF) and microstructures in the deep sections of the Dome Fuji ice core were investigated using innovative methods with unprecedentedly high statistical significance and dense depth coverage. Together with our previous studies, we have obtained a whole layer profile of the COF and physical properties of the Dome Fuji ice core. COF profile and its fluctuation were found to be highly dependent on impurities concentrations and recrystallization processes.
Jenna A. Epifanio, Edward J. Brook, Christo Buizert, Erin C. Pettit, Jon S. Edwards, John M. Fegyveresi, Todd A. Sowers, Jeffrey P. Severinghaus, and Emma C. Kahle
The Cryosphere, 17, 4837–4851, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4837-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4837-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The total air content (TAC) of polar ice cores has long been considered a potential proxy for past ice sheet elevation. This study presents a high-resolution record of TAC from the South Pole ice core. The record reveals orbital- and millennial-scale variability that cannot be explained by elevation changes. The orbital- and millennial-scale changes are likely a product of firn grain metamorphism near the surface of the ice sheet, due to summer insolation changes or local accumulation changes.
Marie G. P. Cavitte, Hugues Goosse, Kenichi Matsuoka, Sarah Wauthy, Vikram Goel, Rahul Dey, Bhanu Pratap, Brice Van Liefferinge, Thamban Meloth, and Jean-Louis Tison
The Cryosphere, 17, 4779–4795, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4779-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4779-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The net accumulation of snow over Antarctica is key for assessing current and future sea-level rise. Ice cores record a noisy snowfall signal to verify model simulations. We find that ice core net snowfall is biased to lower values for ice rises and the Dome Fuji site (Antarctica), while the relative uncertainty in measuring snowfall increases rapidly with distance away from the ice core sites at the ice rises but not at Dome Fuji. Spatial variation in snowfall must therefore be considered.
Anja Løkkegaard, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Christian Zdanowicz, Gary D. Clow, Martin P. Lüthi, Samuel H. Doyle, Henrik H. Thomsen, David Fisher, Joel Harper, Andy Aschwanden, Bo M. Vinther, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Harry Zekollari, Toby Meierbachtol, Ian McDowell, Neil Humphrey, Anne Solgaard, Nanna B. Karlsson, Shfaqat A. Khan, Benjamin Hills, Robert Law, Bryn Hubbard, Poul Christoffersen, Mylène Jacquemart, Julien Seguinot, Robert S. Fausto, and William T. Colgan
The Cryosphere, 17, 3829–3845, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3829-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3829-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a database compiling 95 ice temperature profiles from the Greenland ice sheet and peripheral ice caps. Ice viscosity and hence ice flow are highly sensitive to ice temperature. To highlight the value of the database in evaluating ice flow simulations, profiles from the Greenland ice sheet are compared to a modeled temperature field. Reoccurring discrepancies between modeled and observed temperatures provide insight on the difficulties faced when simulating ice temperatures.
Felix S. L. Ng
The Cryosphere, 17, 3063–3082, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3063-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3063-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in ice cores are routinely analysed for the climate signals which they carry. It has long been known that the system of water veins in ice facilitates isotopic diffusion. Here, mathematical modelling shows that water flow in the veins strongly accelerates the diffusion and the decay of climate signals. The process hampers methods using the variations in signal decay with depth to reconstruct past climatic temperature.
Takashi Obase, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Fuyuki Saito, Shun Tsutaki, Shuji Fujita, Kenji Kawamura, and Hideaki Motoyama
The Cryosphere, 17, 2543–2562, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2543-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2543-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We use a one-dimensional ice-flow model to examine the most suitable core location near Dome Fuji (DF), Antarctica. This model computes the temporal evolution of age and temperature from past to present. We investigate the influence of different parameters of climate and ice sheet on the ice's basal age and compare the results with ground radar surveys. We find that the local ice thickness primarily controls the age because it is critical to the basal melting, which can eliminate the old ice.
Nicolas Stoll, Julien Westhoff, Pascal Bohleber, Anders Svensson, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Carlo Barbante, and Ilka Weikusat
The Cryosphere, 17, 2021–2043, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2021-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2021-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Impurities in polar ice play a role regarding its climate signal and internal deformation. We bridge different scales using different methods to investigate ice from the Last Glacial Period derived from the EGRIP ice core in Greenland. We characterise different types of cloudy bands, i.e. frequently occurring milky layers in the ice, and analyse their chemistry with Raman spectroscopy and 2D imaging. We derive new insights into impurity localisation and deposition conditions.
Niccolò Maffezzoli, Eliza Cook, Willem G. M. van der Bilt, Eivind N. Støren, Daniela Festi, Florian Muthreich, Alistair W. R. Seddon, François Burgay, Giovanni Baccolo, Amalie R. F. Mygind, Troels Petersen, Andrea Spolaor, Sebastiano Vascon, Marcello Pelillo, Patrizia Ferretti, Rafael S. dos Reis, Jefferson C. Simões, Yuval Ronen, Barbara Delmonte, Marco Viccaro, Jørgen Peder Steffensen, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, and Carlo Barbante
The Cryosphere, 17, 539–565, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-539-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-539-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Multiple lines of research in ice core science are limited by manually intensive and time-consuming optical microscopy investigations for the detection of insoluble particles, from pollen grains to volcanic shards. To help overcome these limitations and support researchers, we present a novel methodology for the identification and autonomous classification of ice core insoluble particles based on flow image microscopy and neural networks.
Tomotaka Saruya, Shuji Fujita, Yoshinori Iizuka, Atsushi Miyamoto, Hiroshi Ohno, Akira Hori, Wataru Shigeyama, Motohiro Hirabayashi, and Kumiko Goto-Azuma
The Cryosphere, 16, 2985–3003, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2985-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2985-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Crystal orientation fabrics (COF) of the Dome Fuji ice core were investigated with an innovative method with unprecedentedly high statistical significance and dense depth coverage. The COF profile and its fluctuation were found to be highly dependent on concentrations of chloride ion and dust. The data suggest deformation of ice at the deepest zone is highly influenced by COF fluctuations that progressively develop from the near-surface firn toward the deepest zone within ice sheets.
Jacob D. Morgan, Christo Buizert, Tyler J. Fudge, Kenji Kawamura, Jeffrey P. Severinghaus, and Cathy M. Trudinger
The Cryosphere, 16, 2947–2966, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2947-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2947-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The composition of air bubbles in Antarctic ice cores records information about past changes in properties of the snowpack. We find that, near the South Pole, thinner snowpack in the past is often due to steeper surface topography, in which faster winds erode the snow and deposit it in flatter areas. The slope and wind seem to also cause a seasonal bias in the composition of air bubbles in the ice core. These findings will improve interpretation of other ice cores from places with steep slopes.
Nicolas Stoll, Maria Hörhold, Tobias Erhardt, Jan Eichler, Camilla Jensen, and Ilka Weikusat
The Cryosphere, 16, 667–688, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-667-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-667-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We mapped and analysed solid inclusion in the upper 1340 m of the EGRIP ice core with Raman spectroscopy and microstructure mapping, based on bulk dust content derived via continuous flow analysis. We observe a large variety in mineralogy throughout the core and samples. The main minerals are sulfates, especially gypsum, and terrestrial dust minerals, such as quartz, mica, and feldspar. A change in mineralogy occurs around 900 m depth indicating a climate-related imprint.
Nicolas Stoll, Jan Eichler, Maria Hörhold, Tobias Erhardt, Camilla Jensen, and Ilka Weikusat
The Cryosphere, 15, 5717–5737, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5717-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5717-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We did a systematic analysis of the location of inclusions in the EGRIP ice core, the first ice core from an ice stream. We combine this with crystal orientation and grain size data, enabling the first overview about the microstructure of this unique ice core. Micro-inclusions show a strong spatial variability and patterns (clusters or horizontal layers); roughly one-third is located at grain boundaries. More holistic approaches are needed to understand deformation processes in the ice better.
Ikumi Oyabu, Kenji Kawamura, Tsutomu Uchida, Shuji Fujita, Kyotaro Kitamura, Motohiro Hirabayashi, Shuji Aoki, Shinji Morimoto, Takakiyo Nakazawa, Jeffrey P. Severinghaus, and Jacob D. Morgan
The Cryosphere, 15, 5529–5555, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5529-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5529-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present O2/N2 and Ar/N2 records from the Dome Fuji ice core through the bubbly ice, bubble–clathrate transition, and clathrate ice zones without gas-loss fractionation. The insolation signal is preserved through the clathrate formation. The relationship between Ar/Ν2 and Ο2/Ν2 suggests that the fractionation for the bubble–clathrate transition is mass independent, while the bubble close-off process involves a combination of mass-independent and mass-dependent fractionation for O2 and Ar.
Pascal Bohleber, Marco Roman, Martin Šala, Barbara Delmonte, Barbara Stenni, and Carlo Barbante
The Cryosphere, 15, 3523–3538, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3523-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3523-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) offers micro-destructive, micrometer-scale impurity analysis of ice cores. For improved understanding of the LA-ICP-MS signals, novel 2D impurity imaging is applied to selected glacial and interglacial samples of Antarctic deep ice cores. This allows evaluating the 2D impurity distribution in relation to ice crystal features and assessing implications for investigating highly thinned climate proxy signals in deep polar ice.
David A. Lilien, Daniel Steinhage, Drew Taylor, Frédéric Parrenin, Catherine Ritz, Robert Mulvaney, Carlos Martín, Jie-Bang Yan, Charles O'Neill, Massimo Frezzotti, Heinrich Miller, Prasad Gogineni, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 15, 1881–1888, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1881-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1881-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We collected radar data between EDC, an ice core spanning ~800 000 years, and BELDC, the site chosen for a new
oldest icecore at nearby Little Dome C. These data allow us to identify 50 % older internal horizons than previously traced in the area. We fit a model to the ages of those horizons at BELDC to determine the age of deep ice there. We find that there is likely to be 1.5 Myr old ice ~265 m above the bed, with sufficient resolution to preserve desired climatic information.
Kévin Fourteau, Patricia Martinerie, Xavier Faïn, Christoph F. Schaller, Rebecca J. Tuckwell, Henning Löwe, Laurent Arnaud, Olivier Magand, Elizabeth R. Thomas, Johannes Freitag, Robert Mulvaney, Martin Schneebeli, and Vladimir Ya. Lipenkov
The Cryosphere, 13, 3383–3403, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3383-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3383-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding gas trapping in polar ice is essential to study the relationship between greenhouse gases and past climates. New data of bubble closure, used in a simple gas-trapping model, show inconsistency with the final air content in ice. This suggests gas trapping is not fully understood. We also use a combination of high-resolution measurements to investigate the effect of polar snow stratification on gas trapping and find that all strata have similar pores, but that some close in advance.
Youngjoon Jang, Sang Bum Hong, Christo Buizert, Hun-Gyu Lee, Sang-Young Han, Ji-Woong Yang, Yoshinori Iizuka, Akira Hori, Yeongcheol Han, Seong Joon Jun, Pieter Tans, Taejin Choi, Seong-Joong Kim, Soon Do Hur, and Jinho Ahn
The Cryosphere, 13, 2407–2419, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2407-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2407-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We can learn how human activity altered atmospheric air from the interstitial air in the porous snow layer (firn) on top of glaciers. However, old firn air (> 55 years) was observed only at sites where surface temperatures and snow accumulation rates are very low, such as the South Pole. In this study, we report an unusually old firn air with CO2 age of 93 years from Styx Glacier, near the Ross Sea coast in Antarctica. We hypothesize that the large snow density variations increase firn air ages.
Nanna B. Karlsson, Tobias Binder, Graeme Eagles, Veit Helm, Frank Pattyn, Brice Van Liefferinge, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 12, 2413–2424, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2413-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2413-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we investigate the probability that the Dome Fuji region in East Antarctica contains ice more than 1.5 Ma old. The retrieval of a continuous ice-core record extending beyond 1 Ma is imperative to understand why the frequency of ice ages changed from 40 to 100 ka approximately 1 Ma ago.
We use a new radar dataset to improve the ice thickness maps, and apply a thermokinematic model to predict basal temperature and age of the ice. Our results indicate several areas of interest.
Cited articles
Alley, R. B., Perepezko, J. H., and Bentley, C. R.: Grain growth in polar
ice: I. Theory, J. Glaciol., 32, 415–424, 1986a.
Alley, R. B., Perepezko, J. H., and Bentley, C. R.: Grain growth in polar
ice: II. Application, J. Glaciol., 32, 425–433, 1986b.
Alley, R. B. and Woods, G. A.: Impurity influence on normal grain growth in
the GISP2 ice core, Greenland, J. Glaciol., 42, 255–260, 1996.
Barletta, R. E., Priscu, J. C., Mader, H. M., Jones, W. L., and Roe, C. W.:
Chemical analysis of ice vein microenvironments: II. Analysis of glacial
samples from Greenland and the Antarctic, J. Glaciol., 58, 1109–1118,
https://doi.org/10.3189/2012JoG12J112, 2012.
Barnes, P. R. F. and Wolff, E. W.: Distribution of soluble impurities in
cold glacial ice, J. Glaciol., 170, 311–324, 2004.
Barnes, P. R. F., Mader, H. M., Röthlisberger, R., Udisti, R., and
Wolff, E. W.: The evolution of chemical peak shapes in the Dome C ice core,
Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4126, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002538, 2003.
Bigler, M., Svensson, A., Kettner, E., Vallelonga, P., Nielsen, M. E., and
Steffensen, J. P.: Optimization of high-resolution continuous flow analysis
for transient climate signals in ice cores, Environ. Sci. Technol., 45,
4483–4489, https://doi.org/10.1021/es200118j, 2011.
Chapman, S. and Cowling, T. G.: The Mathematical Theory of Non-Uniform
Gases, Cambridge University Press, London, 1953.
Cuffey, K. M. and Paterson, W. S. B.: The Physics of Glaciers, 4th
edn., Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 2010.
Dani, K. G., Mader, H. M., Wolff, E. W., and Wadham, J. L.: Modelling the
liquid-water vein system within polar ice sheets as a potential microbial
habitat, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 333–334, 238–249,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.04.009, 2012.
Durand, G. and Weiss, J.: EPICA Dome C Ice Cores Grain Radius Data, IGBP
PAGES/World Data Center for Paleoclimatology, Data Contribution Series No.
2004-039, NOAA/NGDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder CO, USA, 2004.
Duval, P.: Grain growth and mechanical behaviour of polar ice, Ann.
Glaciol., 6, 79–82, 1985.
Duval, P. and Castelnau, O.: Dynamic recrystallization of ice in polar ice
sheets, J. Phys. IV [Paris], 5, 197–205, https://doi.org/10.1051/jp4:1995317, 1995.
Eichler, J., Weikusat, C., Wegner, A., Twarloh, B., Behrens, M., Fischer,
H., Hörhold, M., Jansen, D., Kipfstuhl, S., Ruth, U., Wilhelms, F., and
Weikusat, I.: Impurity Analysis and microstructure along the climatic
transition from MIS 6 into 5e in the EDML ice core using cryo-Raman
microscopy, Front. Earth Sci., 7, 20, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00020, 2019.
EPICA community members: Eight glacial cycles from an Antarctic ice core,
Nature, 429, 623–628, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02599, 2004.
Faria, S. H., Weikusat, I., and Azuma, N.: The microstructure of polar ice.
Part II: state of the art, J. Struct. Geol., 61, 21–49,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2013.11.003, 2014.
Fujita, S., Parrenin, F., Severi, M., Motoyama, H., and Wolff, E. W.: Volcanic synchronization of Dome Fuji and Dome C Antarctic deep ice cores over the past 216 kyr, Clim. Past, 11, 1395–1416, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-1395-2015, 2015.
Gautier, E., Savarino, J., Erbland, J., Lanciki, A., and Possenti, P.: Variability of sulfate signal in ice core records based on five replicate cores, Clim. Past, 12, 103–113, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-103-2016, 2016.
Glen, J. W., Homer, D. R., and Paren, J. G.: Water at grain boundaries: its
role in the purification of temperate glacier ice, Int. Assoc. Hydrogeol.,
118, 263–271, 1977.
Gow, A. J.: On the rates of growth of grains and crystals in South Polar
firn, J. Glaciol., 8, 241–252, 1969.
Hillert, M.: On the theory of normal and abnormal grain growth, Acta
Metall., 13, 227–238, 1965.
Iizuka, Y., Takata, M., Hondoh, T., and Fujii, Y.: High-time-resolution
profiles of soluble ions in the last glacial period of a Dome Fuji
(Antarctica) deep ice core, Ann. Glaciol., 39, 452–456, 2004.
Johnsen, S. J., Dahl-Jensen, D., Dansgaard, W., and Gundestrup, N.:
Greenland palaeotemperatures derived from GRIP bore hole temperature and ice
core isotope profiles, Tellus, 47B, 624–629, 1995.
Kaufmann, P. R., Federer, U., Hutterli, M. A., Bigler, M., Schüpbach,
S., Ruth, U., Schmitt, J., and Stocker, T. F.: An improved continuous flow
analysis system for high-resolution field measurements on ice cores,
Environ. Sci. Technol., 42, 8044–8050, https://doi.org/10.1021/es8007722, 2008.
Legrand, M. and Mayewski, P.: Glaciochemistry of polar ice cores: a review,
Rev. Geophys., 35, 219–243, 1997.
Mader, H. M.: Observations of the water-vein system in polycrystalline ice,
J. Glaciol., 38, 333–347, 1992a.
Mader, H. M.: The thermal behaviour of the water-vein system in
polycrystalline ice, J. Glaciol., 38, 359–374, 1992b.
Mayewski, P. A., Meeker, L. D., Twickler, M. S., Whitlow, S. I., Yang, Q.,
Lyons, W. B., and Prentice, M.: Major features and forcing of high-latitude
northern hemisphere atmospheric circulation using a 110,000-year-long
glaciochemical series, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 26345–26366, 1997.
Mulvaney, R., Wolff, E. W., and Oates, K.: Sulphuric acid at grain
boundaries in Antarctic ice, Nature, 331, 247–249, 1988.
Ng, F. S. L.: Statistical mechanics of normal grain growth in one dimension:
A partial integro-differential equation model, Acta Mater., 120, 453–462,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2016.08.033, 2016.
Ng, F.: Computer code and simulated data of the paper “Pervasive diffusion of climate signals recorded in ice-vein ionic impurities” [code], https://doi.org/10.15131/shef.data.12735191, 2021.
Ng, F. and Jacka, T. H.: A model of crystal-size evolution in polar ice
masses, J. Glaciol., 60, 463–477, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J173, 2014.
Nye, J. F.: The geometry of water veins and nodes in polycrystalline ice, J.
Glaciol., 35, 17–22, 1989.
Nye, J. F.: Thermal behaviour of glacier and laboratory ice, J. Glaciol.,
37, 401–413, 1991.
Ohno, H., Igarashi, M., and Hondoh, T.: Salt inclusions in polar ice core:
location and chemical form of water-soluble impurities, Earth Planet. Sc.
Lett., 232, 171–178, 2005.
Osman, M., Das, S. B., Marchal, O., and Evans, M. J.: Methanesulfonic acid (MSA) migration in polar ice: data synthesis and theory, The Cryosphere, 11, 2439–2462, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2439-2017, 2017.
Parrenin, F., Barnola, J.-M., Beer, J., Blunier, T., Castellano, E., Chappellaz, J., Dreyfus, G., Fischer, H., Fujita, S., Jouzel, J., Kawamura, K., Lemieux-Dudon, B., Loulergue, L., Masson-Delmotte, V., Narcisi, B., Petit, J.-R., Raisbeck, G., Raynaud, D., Ruth, U., Schwander, J., Severi, M., Spahni, R., Steffensen, J. P., Svensson, A., Udisti, R., Waelbroeck, C., and Wolff, E.: The EDC3 chronology for the EPICA Dome C ice core, Clim. Past, 3, 485–497, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-3-485-2007, 2007.
Pol, K., Masson-Delmotte, V., Johnsen, S., Bigler, M., Cattani, O., Durand,
G., Falourd, S., Jouzel, J., Minster, B., Parrenin, F., Ritz, C.,
Steen-Larsen, H. C., and Stenni, B.: New MIS 19 EPICA Dome C high resolution
deuterium data: Hints for a problematic preservation of climate variability
at sub-millennial scale in the “oldest ice”, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett.,
298, 95–103, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.07.030, 2010.
Rasmussen, S. O., Bigler, M., Blockley, S. P., Blunier, T., Buchardt, S. L.,
Clausen, H. B., Cvijanovic, I., Dahl-Jensen, D., Johnsen, S. J., Fischer,
H., Gkinis, V., Guillevic, M., Hoek, W. Z., Lowe, J. J., Pedro, J. B., Popp,
T., Seierstad, I. K., Steffensen, J. P., Svensson, A. M., Vallelonga, P.,
Vinther, B. M., Walker, M. J. C., Wheatley, J. J., and Winstrup, M.: A
stratigraphic framework for abrupt climatic changes during the Last Glacial
period based on three synchronized Greenland ice-core records: refining and
extending the INTIMATE event stratigraphy, Quat. Sci. Rev., 106, 14–28,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.09.007, 2014.
Rempel, A. W. and Wettlaufer, J. S.: Segregation, transport, and interaction
of climate proxies in polycrystalline ice, Can. J. Phys., 81, 89–97, 2003.
Rempel, A. W., Waddington, E. D., Wettlaufer, J. S., and Worster, M. G.:
Possible displacement of the climate signal in ancient ice by premelting and
anomalous diffusion, Nature, 411, 568–571, https://doi.org/10.1038/35079043, 2001.
Rempel, A. W., Wettlaufer, J. S., and Waddington, E. D.: Anomalous diffusion
of multiple impurity species: Predicted implications for the ice core
climate records, J. Geophys. Res., 107, 2330, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JB001857,
2002.
Ritz, C.: Un modèle thermo-mécanique d'évolution pour le basin
glaciaire Antarctique Vostok-Glacier Byrd: Sensibilité aux valeurs des
paramètres mal connus, PhD thesis, Laboratoire de Glaciologie et
Géophysique de l'Environnement, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble,
377 pp., 1992.
Röthlisberger, R., Mudelsee, M., Bigler, M., de Angelis, M., Fischer, H., Hansson, M., Lambert, F., Masson-Delmotte, V., Sime, L., Udisti, R., and Wolff, E. W.: The Southern Hemisphere at glacial terminations: insights from the Dome C ice core, Clim. Past, 4, 345–356, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-4-345-2008, 2008.
Schüpbach, S. Fischer, H., Bigler, M., Erhardt, T., Gfeller, G.,
Leuenberger, D., Mini, O., Mulvaney, R., Abram, N. J., Fleet, L., Frey, M.
M., Thomas, E., Svensson, A., Dahl-Jensen, D., Kettner, E., Kjaer, H.,
Seierstad, I., Steffensen, J. P., Rasmussen, S. O., Vallelonga, P.,
Winstrup, M., Wegner, A., Twarloh, B., Wolff, K., Schmidt, K., Goto-Azuma,
K., Kuramoto, T., Hirabayashi, M., Uetake, J., Zheng, J., Bourgeois, J.,
Fisher, D., Zhiheng, D., Xiao, C., Legrand, M., Spolaor, A., Gabrieli, J.,
Barbante, C., Kang, J.-H., Hur, S. D., Hong, S. B., Hwang, H. J., Hong, S.,
Hansson, M., Iizuka, Y., Oyabu, I., Muscheler, R., Adolphi, F., Maselli, O.,
McConnell, J., and Wolff, E. W.: Greenland records of aerosol source and
atmospheric lifetime changes from the Eemian to the Holocene, Nat. Commun.,
9, 1476, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03924-3, 2018.
Seierstad, I. K., Abbott, P. M., Bigler, M., Blunier, T., Bourne, A. J.,
Brook, E., Buchardt, S. L., Buizert, C., Clausen, H. B., Cook, E.,
Dahl-Jensen, D., Davies, S. M., Guillevic, M., Johnsen, S. J., Pedersen, D.
S., Popp, T. J., Rasmussen, S. O., Severinghaus, J. P., Svensson, A., and
Vinther, B. M.: Consistently dated records from the Greenland GRIP, GISP2
and NGRIP ice cores for the past 104 ka reveal regional millennial-scale
δ18O gradients with possible Heinrich event imprint, Quat. Sci.
Rev., 106, 29–46, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.10.032, 2014.
Severi, M., Becagli, S., Castellano, E., Morganti, A., Traversi, R., Udisti, R., Ruth, U., Fischer, H., Huybrechts, P., Wolff, E., Parrenin, F., Kaufmann, P., Lambert, F., and Steffensen, J. P.: Synchronisation of the EDML and EDC ice cores for the last 52 kyr by volcanic signature matching, Clim. Past, 3, 367–374, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-3-367-2007, 2007.
Svensson, A., Bigler, M., Blunier, T., Clausen, H. B., Dahl-Jensen, D., Fischer, H., Fujita, S., Goto-Azuma, K., Johnsen, S. J., Kawamura, K., Kipfstuhl, S., Kohno, M., Parrenin, F., Popp, T., Rasmussen, S. O., Schwander, J., Seierstad, I., Severi, M., Steffensen, J. P., Udisti, R., Uemura, R., Vallelonga, P., Vinther, B. M., Wegner, A., Wilhelms, F., and Winstrup, M.: Direct linking of Greenland and Antarctic ice cores at the Toba eruption (74 ka BP), Clim. Past, 9, 749–766, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-749-2013, 2013.
Thorsteinsson, T., Kipfstuhl, J., Eicken, H., Johnsen, S. J., and Fuhrer,
K.: Crystal size variations in Eemian-age ice from the GRIP ice core,
Central Greenland, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 131, 381–394, 1995.
Thorsteinsson, T., Kipfstuhl, J., and Miller, H.: Textures and fabrics in
the GRIP ice core, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 26583–26599, 1997.
Tison, J.-L., de Angelis, M., Littot, G., Wolff, E., Fischer, H., Hansson, M., Bigler, M., Udisti, R., Wegner, A., Jouzel, J., Stenni, B., Johnsen, S., Masson-Delmotte, V., Landais, A., Lipenkov, V., Loulergue, L., Barnola, J.-M., Petit, J.-R., Delmonte, B., Dreyfus, G., Dahl-Jensen, D., Durand, G., Bereiter, B., Schilt, A., Spahni, R., Pol, K., Lorrain, R., Souchez, R., and Samyn, D.: Retrieving the paleoclimatic signal from the deeper part of the EPICA Dome C ice core, The Cryosphere, 9, 1633–1648, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1633-2015, 2015.
Traversi, R., Becagli, S., Castellano, E., Marino, F., Rugi, F., Severi, M.,
de Angelis, M., Fischer, H., Hansson, M., Stauffer, B., Steffensen, J. P.,
Bigler, M., and Udisti, R.: Sulfate spikes in the deep layers of EPICA-Dome
C ice core: Evidence of glaciological artifacts, Environ. Sci. Technol., 43,
8737–8743, https://doi.org/10.1021/es901426y, 2009.
Wolff, E. W., Mulvaney, R., and Oates, K.: The location of impurities in
Antarctic ice, Ann. Glaciol., 11, 194–197, 1988.
Wolff, E. W., Cook, E., Barnes, P. R. F., and Mulvaney, R.: Signal
variability in replicate ice cores, J., Glaciol., 51, 462–468, 2005.
Wolff, E. W., Fisher, H., Fundel, F., Ruth, U., Twarloh, B., Littot, G. C.,
Mulvaney, R., Röthlisberger, R., de Angelis, M., Boutron, C. F.,
Hansson, M., Jonsell, U., Hutterli, M. A., Lambert, F., Kaufmann, P.,
Stauffer, B., Stocker, T. F., Steffensen, J. P., Bigler, M.,
Siggaard-Andersen, M. L., Udisti, R., Becagli, S., Castellano, E., Severi,
M., Wagenbach, D., Barbante, C., Gabrielli, P., and Gaspari, V.: Southern
Ocean sea-ice extent, productivity and iron flux over the past eight glacial
cycles, Nature, 440, 491–496, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04614, 2006.
Short summary
Current theory predicts climate signals in the vein chemistry of ice cores to migrate, hampering their dating. I show that the Gibbs–Thomson effect, which has been overlooked, causes fast diffusion that prevents signals from surviving into deep ice. Hence the deep climatic peaks in Antarctic and Greenlandic ice must be due to impurities in the ice matrix (outside veins) and safe from migration. These findings reset our understanding of postdepositional changes of ice-core climate signals.
Current theory predicts climate signals in the vein chemistry of ice cores to migrate, hampering...
