Articles | Volume 19, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1373-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-19-1373-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
27 Mar 2025
Research article |
| 27 Mar 2025
| 27 Mar 2025
What does the impurity variability at the microscale represent in ice cores? Insights from a conceptual approach
Piers Larkman
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
Rachael H. Rhodes
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Nicolas Stoll
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
Carlo Barbante
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council (CNR-ISP), Venice Mestre, Italy
Pascal Bohleber
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
Department of Geosciences, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Related authors
Pascal Bohleber, Nicolas Stoll, Piers Larkman, Rachael H. Rhodes, and David Clases
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-355, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-355, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
To avoid misinterpretation of impurity signals in ice cores, post-depositional changes need to be identified. Peak broadening with depth observed especially for S was previously related to diffusion in ice veins, but the exact physical mechanisms remain unclear. Our two-dimensional impurity maps by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were extended for the first time to S and Cl and support a view on diffusion not only through veins but also along grain boundaries.
Nicolas Angelo Stoll, David Clases, Raquel Gonzalez de Vega, Matthias Elinkmann, Piers Michael Larkman, and Pascal Bohleber
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-61, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-61, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We analyse nine samples from the EGRIP ice core, Greenland, using an underexplored method: single particle time of flight analysis. For the first time, we investigated thousands of particles from different climatic stages while applying a new approach to estimate particle sizes based on previous measurements. We characterise particles and provide new insights on trace elements in the Greenland Ice Sheet. This approach has an enormous potential for analysing million-year-old ice from Antarctica.
Paolo Gabrielli, Theo M. Jenk, Michele Bertó, Giuliano Dreossi, Daniela Festi, Werner Kofler, Mai Winstrup, Klaus Oeggl, Margit Schwikowski, Barbara Stenni, and Carlo Barbante
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2174, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2174, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
A low latitude-high altitude Alpine ice core record was obtained in 2011 from the glacier Alto dell’Ortles (Eastern Alps, Italy) and provided evidence of one of the oldest Alpine ice core records spanning the last ~7000 years, back to the last Northern Hemisphere Climatic Optimum. Here we provide a new Alto dell’Ortles chronology of improved accuracy that will allow to constrain Holocene climatic and environmental histories emerging from this high-altitude glacial archive of Central Europe.
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
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.
Niccolò Maffezzoli, Eric Rignot, Carlo Barbante, Troels Petersen, and Sebastiano Vascon
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 2545–2568, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-2545-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-2545-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In this work we introduce IceBoost, a machine learning framework to model the ice thickness distribution of all the world's glaciers with greater accuracy than state-of-the-art methods. The model is trained on 3.7 million measurements globally available and provides skilful estimates across all regions. This advancement will help in better assessing future sea level changes and freshwater resources, with significance for both the scientific community and society at large.
Andrea Securo, Costanza Del Gobbo, Giovanni Baccolo, Carlo Barbante, Michele Citterio, Fabrizio De Blasi, Marco Marcer, Mauro Valt, and Renato R. Colucci
The Cryosphere, 19, 1335–1352, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1335-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1335-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We have reconstructed the multi-decadal (1980s–2023) ice mass changes for all the current mountain glaciers in the Dolomites. We used historical aerial photographs, drone surveys, and lidar to fill the glaciological data gap for the region. We observed an alarming decline in both glacier area and volume, with some of the glaciers showing smaller losses due to local topography and debris cover feedback. We strongly recommend more specific monitoring of these glaciers.
Pascal Bohleber, Nicolas Stoll, Piers Larkman, Rachael H. Rhodes, and David Clases
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-355, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-355, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
To avoid misinterpretation of impurity signals in ice cores, post-depositional changes need to be identified. Peak broadening with depth observed especially for S was previously related to diffusion in ice veins, but the exact physical mechanisms remain unclear. Our two-dimensional impurity maps by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were extended for the first time to S and Cl and support a view on diffusion not only through veins but also along grain boundaries.
Qinggang Gao, Emilie Capron, Louise C. Sime, Rachael H. Rhodes, Rahul Sivankutty, Xu Zhang, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, and Martin Werner
Clim. Past, 21, 419–440, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-419-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-419-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Marine sediment and ice core records suggest a warmer Southern Ocean and Antarctica at the early last interglacial, ~127 000 years ago. However, when only forced by orbital parameters and greenhouse gas concentrations during that period, state-of-the-art climate models do not reproduce the magnitude of warming. Here we show that much of the warming at southern middle to high latitudes can be reproduced by a UK climate model, HadCM3, with a 3000-year freshwater forcing over the North Atlantic.
Nicolas Angelo Stoll, David Clases, Raquel Gonzalez de Vega, Matthias Elinkmann, Piers Michael Larkman, and Pascal Bohleber
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-61, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-61, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We analyse nine samples from the EGRIP ice core, Greenland, using an underexplored method: single particle time of flight analysis. For the first time, we investigated thousands of particles from different climatic stages while applying a new approach to estimate particle sizes based on previous measurements. We characterise particles and provide new insights on trace elements in the Greenland Ice Sheet. This approach has an enormous potential for analysing million-year-old ice from Antarctica.
Xavier Faïn, Sophie Szopa, Vaishali Naïk, Patricia Martinerie, David M. Etheridge, Rachael H. Rhodes, Cathy M. Trudinger, Vasilii V. Petrenko, Kévin Fourteau, and Philip Place
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1105–1119, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1105-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1105-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Carbon monoxide (CO) plays a crucial role in the atmosphere's oxidizing capacity. In this study, we analyse how historical (1850–2014) [CO] outputs from state-of-the-art global chemistry–climate models over Greenland and Antarctica are able to capture both absolute values and trends recorded in multi-site ice archives. A disparity in [CO] growth rates emerges in the Northern Hemisphere between models and observations from 1920–1975 CE, possibly linked to uncertainties in CO emission factors.
Paul Dirk Bons, Yuanbang Hu, Maria-Gema Llorens, Steven Franke, Nicolas Stoll, Ilka Weikusat, Julien Wetshoff, and Yu Zhang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3817, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3817, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
What causes folds in ice layers from the km-scale down to the scale visible in drill core? Classical buckle folding due to variations in viscosity between layers, or the effect of mechanical anisotropy of ice due to an alignment of the crystal-lattice planes? Comparison of power spectra of folds in ice, a biotite schist, and numerical simulations show that folding in ice is due to the mechanical anisotropy, as there is no characteristic fold scale that would result from buckle folding.
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.
Nicolas Stoll, Ilka Weikusat, Daniela Jansen, Paul Bons, Kyra Darányi, Julien Westhoff, Mária-Gema Llorens, David Wallis, Jan Eichler, Tomotaka Saruya, Tomoyuki Homma, Martyn Drury, Frank Wilhelms, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, and Johanna Kerch
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2653, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2653, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A better understanding of ice flow requires more observational data. The EastGRIP core is the first ice core through an active ice stream. We discuss crystal orientation data to determine the present deformation regimes. A comparison with other deep ice cores shows the unique properties of EastGRIP and that deep ice originates from the Eemian. We further show that the overall plug flow of NEGIS is characterised by many small-scale variations, which remain to be considered in ice-flow models.
Rachael H. Rhodes, Yvan Bollet-Quivogne, Piers Barnes, Mirko Severi, and Eric W. Wolff
Clim. Past, 20, 2031–2043, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2031-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2031-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Some ionic components slowly move through glacier ice by diffusion, but the rate of this diffusion, its exact mechanism(s), and the factors that might influence it are poorly understood. In this study, we model how peaks in sulfate, deposited at Dome C on the Antarctic ice sheet after volcanic eruptions, change with depth and time. We find that the sulfate diffusion rate in ice is relatively fast in young ice near the surface, but the rate is markedly reduced over time.
Giuliano Dreossi, Mauro Masiol, Barbara Stenni, Daniele Zannoni, Claudio Scarchilli, Virginia Ciardini, Mathieu Casado, Amaëlle Landais, Martin Werner, Alexandre Cauquoin, Giampietro Casasanta, Massimo Del Guasta, Vittoria Posocco, and Carlo Barbante
The Cryosphere, 18, 3911–3931, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3911-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3911-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes have been extensively used to reconstruct past temperatures, with precipitation representing the input signal of the isotopic records in ice cores. We present a 10-year record of stable isotopes in daily precipitation at Concordia Station: this is the longest record for inland Antarctica and represents a benchmark for quantifying post-depositional processes and improving the paleoclimate interpretation of ice cores.
Azzurra Spagnesi, Elena Barbaro, Matteo Feltracco, Federico Scoto, Marco Vecchiato, Massimiliano Vardè, Mauro Mazzola, François Yves Burgay, Federica Bruschi, Clara Jule Marie Hoppe, Allison Bailey, Andrea Gambaro, Carlo Barbante, and Andrea Spolaor
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1393, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1393, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Svalbard is a relevant area to evaluate changes in local environmental processes induced by Arctic Amplification (AA). By comparing the snow chemical composition of the 2019–20 season with 2018–19 and 2020–21, we provide an overview of the potential impacts of AA on the Svalbard snowpack, and associated changes in aerosol production process, influenced by a complex interplay between atmospheric patterns, local and oceanic conditions that jointly drive snowpack impurity amounts and composition.
Susanne Preunkert, Pascal Bohleber, Michel Legrand, Adrien Gilbert, Tobias Erhardt, Roland Purtschert, Lars Zipf, Astrid Waldner, Joseph R. McConnell, and Hubertus Fischer
The Cryosphere, 18, 2177–2194, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2177-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2177-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ice cores from high-elevation Alpine glaciers are an important tool to reconstruct the past atmosphere. However, since crevasses are common at these glacier sites, rigorous investigations of glaciological conditions upstream of drill sites are needed before interpreting such ice cores. On the basis of three ice cores extracted at Col du Dôme (4250 m a.s.l; French Alps), an overall picture of a dynamic crevasse formation is drawn, which disturbs the depth–age relation of two of the three cores.
Qinggang Gao, Louise C. Sime, Alison J. McLaren, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Emilie Capron, Rachael H. Rhodes, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Xiaoxu Shi, and Martin Werner
The Cryosphere, 18, 683–703, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-683-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-683-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic precipitation is a crucial component of the climate system. Its spatio-temporal variability impacts sea level changes and the interpretation of water isotope measurements in ice cores. To better understand its climatic drivers, we developed water tracers in an atmospheric model to identify moisture source conditions from which precipitation originates. We find that mid-latitude surface winds exert an important control on moisture availability for Antarctic precipitation.
Xavier Faïn, David M. Etheridge, Kévin Fourteau, Patricia Martinerie, Cathy M. Trudinger, Rachael H. Rhodes, Nathan J. Chellman, Ray L. Langenfelds, Joseph R. McConnell, Mark A. J. Curran, Edward J. Brook, Thomas Blunier, Grégory Teste, Roberto Grilli, Anthony Lemoine, William T. Sturges, Boris Vannière, Johannes Freitag, and Jérôme Chappellaz
Clim. Past, 19, 2287–2311, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2287-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2287-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We report on a 3000-year record of carbon monoxide (CO) levels in the Southern Hemisphere's high latitudes by combining ice core and firn air measurements with modern direct atmospheric samples. Antarctica [CO] remained stable (–835 to 1500 CE), decreased during the Little Ice Age, and peaked around 1985 CE. Such evolution reflects stable biomass burning CO emissions before industrialization, followed by growth from CO anthropogenic sources, which decline after 1985 due to improved combustion.
Nicolas Stoll, Matthias Wietz, Stephan Juricke, Franziska Pausch, Corina Peter, Miriam Seifert, Jana C. Massing, Moritz Zeising, Rebecca A. McPherson, Melissa Käß, and Björn Suckow
Polarforschung, 91, 31–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-91-31-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-91-31-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Global crises, such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, show the importance of communicating science to the public. We introduce the YouTube channel "Wissenschaft fürs Wohnzimmer", which livestreams presentations on climate-related topics weekly and is accessible to all. The project encourages interaction between scientists and the public and has been running successfully for over 2 years. We present the concept, what we have learnt, and the challenges after 100 streamed episodes.
Azzurra Spagnesi, Pascal Bohleber, Elena Barbaro, Matteo Feltracco, Fabrizio De Blasi, Giuliano Dreossi, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Daniela Festi, Jacopo Gabrieli, Andrea Gambaro, Andrea Fischer, and Carlo Barbante
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1625, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1625, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
We present new data from a 10 m ice core drilled in 2019 and a 8.4 m parallel ice core drilled in 2021 at the summit of Weißseespitze glacier. In a new combination of proxies, we discuss profiles of stable water isotopes, major ion chemistry as well as a full profile of microcharcoal and levoglucosan. We find that the chemical and isotopic signals are preserved, despite the ongoing surface mass loss. This is not be to expected considering what has been found at other glaciers at similar locations.
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.
Robert Mulvaney, Eric W. Wolff, Mackenzie M. Grieman, Helene H. Hoffmann, Jack D. Humby, Christoph Nehrbass-Ahles, Rachael H. Rhodes, Isobel F. Rowell, Frédéric Parrenin, Loïc Schmidely, Hubertus Fischer, Thomas F. Stocker, Marcus Christl, Raimund Muscheler, Amaelle Landais, and Frédéric Prié
Clim. Past, 19, 851–864, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-851-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-851-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present an age scale for a new ice core drilled at Skytrain Ice Rise, an ice rise facing the Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Various measurements in the ice and air phases are used to match the ice core to other Antarctic cores that have already been dated, and a new age scale is constructed. The 651 m ice core includes ice that is confidently dated to 117 000–126 000 years ago, in the last interglacial. Older ice is found deeper down, but there are flow disturbances in the deeper ice.
Ole Zeising, Tamara Annina Gerber, Olaf Eisen, M. Reza Ershadi, Nicolas Stoll, Ilka Weikusat, and Angelika Humbert
The Cryosphere, 17, 1097–1105, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1097-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1097-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The flow of glaciers and ice streams is influenced by crystal fabric orientation. Besides sparse ice cores, these can be investigated by radar measurements. Here, we present an improved method which allows us to infer the horizontal fabric asymmetry using polarimetric phase-sensitive radar data. A validation of the method on a deep ice core from the Greenland Ice Sheet shows an excellent agreement, which is a large improvement over previously used methods.
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.
François Burgay, Rafael Pedro Fernández, Delia Segato, Clara Turetta, Christopher S. Blaszczak-Boxe, Rachael H. Rhodes, Claudio Scarchilli, Virginia Ciardini, Carlo Barbante, Alfonso Saiz-Lopez, and Andrea Spolaor
The Cryosphere, 17, 391–405, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-391-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-391-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The paper presents the first ice-core record of bromine (Br) in the Antarctic plateau. By the observation of the ice core and the application of atmospheric chemical models, we investigate the behaviour of bromine after its deposition into the snowpack, with interest in the effect of UV radiation change connected to the formation of the ozone hole, the role of volcanic deposition, and the possible use of Br to reconstruct past sea ice changes from ice core collect in the inner Antarctic plateau.
Xavier Crosta, Karen E. Kohfeld, Helen C. Bostock, Matthew Chadwick, Alice Du Vivier, Oliver Esper, Johan Etourneau, Jacob Jones, Amy Leventer, Juliane Müller, Rachael H. Rhodes, Claire S. Allen, Pooja Ghadi, Nele Lamping, Carina B. Lange, Kelly-Anne Lawler, David Lund, Alice Marzocchi, Katrin J. Meissner, Laurie Menviel, Abhilash Nair, Molly Patterson, Jennifer Pike, Joseph G. Prebble, Christina Riesselman, Henrik Sadatzki, Louise C. Sime, Sunil K. Shukla, Lena Thöle, Maria-Elena Vorrath, Wenshen Xiao, and Jiao Yang
Clim. Past, 18, 1729–1756, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1729-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1729-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Despite its importance in the global climate, our knowledge of Antarctic sea-ice changes throughout the last glacial–interglacial cycle is extremely limited. As part of the Cycles of Sea Ice Dynamics in the Earth system (C-SIDE) Working Group, we review marine- and ice-core-based sea-ice proxies to provide insights into their applicability and limitations. By compiling published records, we provide information on Antarctic sea-ice dynamics over the past 130 000 years.
Xavier Faïn, Rachael H. Rhodes, Philip Place, Vasilii V. Petrenko, Kévin Fourteau, Nathan Chellman, Edward Crosier, Joseph R. McConnell, Edward J. Brook, Thomas Blunier, Michel Legrand, and Jérôme Chappellaz
Clim. Past, 18, 631–647, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-631-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-631-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a regulated pollutant and one of the key components determining the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. In this study, we analyzed five ice cores from Greenland at high resolution for CO concentrations by coupling laser spectrometry with continuous melting. By combining these new datasets, we produced an upper-bound estimate of past atmospheric CO abundance since preindustrial times for the Northern Hemisphere high latitudes, covering the period from 1700 to 1957 CE.
Paolo Gabrielli, Theo Manuel Jenk, Michele Bertó, Giuliano Dreossi, Daniela Festi, Werner Kofler, Mai Winstrup, Klaus Oeggl, Margit Schwikowski, Barbara Stenni, and Carlo Barbante
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2022-20, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2022-20, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
We present a methodology that reduces the chronological uncertainty of an Alpine ice core record from the glacier Alto dell’Ortles, Italy. This chronology will allow the constraint of the Holocene climatic and environmental histories emerging from this archive of Central Europe. This method will allow to obtain accurate chronologies also from other ice cores from-low latitude/high-altitude glaciers that typically suffer from larger dating uncertainties compared with well dated polar records.
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.
Federico Dallo, Daniele Zannoni, Jacopo Gabrieli, Paolo Cristofanelli, Francescopiero Calzolari, Fabrizio de Blasi, Andrea Spolaor, Dario Battistel, Rachele Lodi, Warren Raymond Lee Cairns, Ann Mari Fjæraa, Paolo Bonasoni, and Carlo Barbante
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6005–6021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6005-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6005-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Our work showed how the adoption of low-cost technology could be useful in environmental research and monitoring. We focused our work on tropospheric ozone, but we also showed how to make a general purpose low-cost sensing system which may be adapted and optimised to be used in many other case studies. Given the importance of providing quality data, we put a lot of effort in the sensor's calibration, and we believe that our results show how to exploit the potential of the low-cost technology.
Michele Bertò, David Cappelletti, Elena Barbaro, Cristiano Varin, Jean-Charles Gallet, Krzysztof Markowicz, Anna Rozwadowska, Mauro Mazzola, Stefano Crocchianti, Luisa Poto, Paolo Laj, Carlo Barbante, and Andrea Spolaor
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12479–12493, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12479-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12479-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present the daily and seasonal variability in black carbon (BC) in surface snow inferred from two specific experiments based on the hourly and daily time resolution sampling during the Arctic spring in Svalbard. These unique data sets give us, for the first time, the opportunity to evaluate the associations between the observed surface snow BC mass concentration and a set of predictors corresponding to the considered meteorological and snow physico-chemical parameters.
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.
Delia Segato, Maria Del Carmen Villoslada Hidalgo, Ross Edwards, Elena Barbaro, Paul Vallelonga, Helle Astrid Kjær, Marius Simonsen, Bo Vinther, Niccolò Maffezzoli, Roberta Zangrando, Clara Turetta, Dario Battistel, Orri Vésteinsson, Carlo Barbante, and Andrea Spolaor
Clim. Past, 17, 1533–1545, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1533-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1533-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Human influence on fire regimes in the past is poorly understood, especially at high latitudes. We present 5 kyr of fire proxies levoglucosan, black carbon, and ammonium in the RECAP ice core in Greenland and reconstruct for the first time the fire regime in the high North Atlantic region, comprising coastal east Greenland and Iceland. Climate is the main driver of the fire regime, but at 1.1 kyr BP a contribution may be made by the deforestation resulting from Viking colonization of Iceland.
Paul D. Bons, Tamara de Riese, Steven Franke, Maria-Gema Llorens, Till Sachau, Nicolas Stoll, Ilka Weikusat, Julien Westhoff, and Yu Zhang
The Cryosphere, 15, 2251–2254, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2251-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2251-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The modelling of Smith-Johnson et al. (The Cryosphere, 14, 841–854, 2020) suggests that a very large heat flux of more than 10 times the usual geothermal heat flux is required to have initiated or to control the huge Northeast Greenland Ice Stream. Our comparison with known hotspots, such as Iceland and Yellowstone, shows that such an exceptional heat flux would be unique in the world and is incompatible with known geological processes that can raise the heat flux.
François Burgay, Andrea Spolaor, Jacopo Gabrieli, Giulio Cozzi, Clara Turetta, Paul Vallelonga, and Carlo Barbante
Clim. Past, 17, 491–505, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-491-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-491-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present the first Fe record from the NEEM ice core, which provides insight into past atmospheric Fe deposition in the Arctic. Considering the biological relevance of Fe, we questioned if the increased eolian Fe supply during glacial periods could explain the marine productivity variability in the Fe-limited subarctic Pacific Ocean. We found no overwhelming evidence that eolian Fe fertilization triggered any phytoplankton blooms, likely because other factors play a more relevant role.
Cited articles
Abram, N., Wolff, E., and Curran, M.: A review of sea ice proxy information from polar ice cores, Quat. Sci. Rev., 79, 168–183, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.01.011, 2013. a
Alley, R., Perepezko, J., and Bentley, C.: Grain Growth in Polar Ice: I. Theory, J. Glaciol., 32, 415–424, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000012120, 1986. a
Barnes, P., Wolff, E., Mader, H., Udisti, R., Castellano, E., and Röthlisberger, R.: Evolution of chemical peak shapes in the Dome C, Antarctica, ice core, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4126, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002538, 2003. a
Bendel, V., Ueltzhöffer, K., Freitag, J., Kipfstuhl, S., Kuhs, W., Garbe, C., and Faria, S.: High-resolution variations in size, number and arrangement of air bubbles in the EPICA DML (Antarctica) ice core, J. Glaciol., 59, 972–980, https://doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J245, 2013. a
Bohleber, P., Roman, M., Šala, M., and Barbante, C.: Imaging the impurity distribution in glacier ice cores with LA-ICP-MS, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 35, 2204–2212, https://doi.org/10.1039/D0JA00170H, 2020. a, b, c
Bohleber, P., Roman, M., Šala, M., Delmonte, B., Stenni, B., and Barbante, C.: Two-dimensional impurity imaging in deep Antarctic ice cores: snapshots of three climatic periods and implications for high-resolution signal interpretation, The Cryosphere, 15, 3523–3538, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3523-2021, 2021. a, b, c, d
Bohleber, P., Stoll, N., Rittner, M., Roman, M., Weikusat, I., and Barbante, C.: Geochemical Characterization of Insoluble Particle Clusters in Ice Cores Using Two-Dimensional Impurity Imaging, Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 24, e2022GC010595, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gc010595, 2023. a
Bohleber, P., Larkman, P., Stoll, N., Clases, D., Gonzalez de Vega, R., Šala, M., Roman, M., and Barbante, C.: Quantitative insights on impurities in ice cores at the micro‐scale from calibrated LA‐ICP‐MS imaging, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 25, e2023GC011425, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GC011425, 2024a. a, b, c, d, e, f, g
Bohleber, P., Larkman, P., Stoll, N., Clases, D., Gonzalez de Vega, R., Šala, M., Roman, M., and Barbante, C.: Supporting data for manuscript “Quantitative Insights on Impurities in Ice Cores at the Micro-scale from Calibrated LA-ICP-MS Imaging” (1.0), Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10680251, 2024b. a
Bouchet, M., Landais, A., Grisart, A., Parrenin, F., Prié, F., Jacob, R., Fourré, E., Capron, E., Raynaud, D., Lipenkov, V. Y., Loutre, M.-F., Extier, T., Svensson, A., Legrain, E., Martinerie, P., Leuenberger, M., Jiang, W., Ritterbusch, F., Lu, Z.-T., and Yang, G.-M.: The Antarctic Ice Core Chronology 2023 (AICC2023) chronological framework and associated timescale for the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) Dome C ice core, Clim. Past, 19, 2257–2286, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2257-2023, 2023. a
Bourne, D., Kok, P., Roper, S. M., and Spanjer, W.: Laguerre tessellations and polycrystalline microstructures: a fast algorithm for generating grains of given volumes, Philos. Mag., 100, 2677–2707, https://doi.org/10.1080/14786435.2020.1790053, 2020. a
Breton, D., Koffman, B., Kurbatov, A., Kreutz, K., and Hamilton, G.: Quantifying Signal Dispersion in a Hybrid Ice Core Melting System, Environ. Sci. Technol., 46, 11922–11928, https://doi.org/10.1021/es302041k, 2012. a
Brook, E. and Buizert, C.: Antarctic and global climate history viewed from ice cores, Nature, 558, 200–208, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0172-5, 2018. a
Chung, A., Parrenin, F., Steinhage, D., Mulvaney, R., Martín, C., Cavitte, M. G. P., Lilien, D. A., Helm, V., Taylor, D., Gogineni, P., Ritz, C., Frezzotti, M., O'Neill, C., Miller, H., Dahl-Jensen, D., and Eisen, O.: Stagnant ice and age modelling in the Dome C region, Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 17, 3461–3483, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3461-2023, 2023. a
Dallmayr, R., Goto-Azuma, K., Astrid KjÆr, H., Azuma, N., Takata, M., Schüpbach, S., and Hirabayashi, M.: A high-resolution continuous flow analysis system for polar ice cores, Bull. Glaciol. Res., 34, 11–20, https://doi.org/10.5331/bgr.16R03, 2016. a
Della Lunga, D., Müller, W., Rasmussen, S. O., Svensson, A., and Vallelonga, P.: Calibrated cryo-cell UV-LA-ICPMS elemental concentrations from the NGRIP ice core reveal abrupt, sub-annual variability in dust across the GI-21.2 interstadial period, The Cryosphere, 11, 1297–1309, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1297-2017, 2017. a, b, c, d, e
Durand, G., Svensson, A., Persson, A., Gagliardini, O., Gillet-Chaulet, F., Sjolte, J., Montagnat, M., and Dahl-Jensen, D.: Evolution of the texture along the EPICA Dome C ice core, LowTemp. Sci., 91–105, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255608492_Evolution_of_the_texture_along_the_EPICA_Dome_C_ice_core (last access: 19 March 2025), 2009. a
EPICA community members, .: Eight glacial cycles from an Antarctic ice core, Nature, 429, 623–628, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02599, 2004. a, b
Erhardt, T., Jensen, C. M., Adolphi, F., Kjær, H. A., Dallmayr, R., Twarloh, B., Behrens, M., Hirabayashi, M., Fukuda, K., Ogata, J., Burgay, F., Scoto, F., Crotti, I., Spagnesi, A., Maffezzoli, N., Segato, D., Paleari, C., Mekhaldi, F., Muscheler, R., Darfeuil, S., and Fischer, H.: High-resolution aerosol data from the top 3.8 kyr of the East Greenland Ice coring Project (EGRIP) ice core, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 5079–5091, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5079-2023, 2023. a
Ferenc, J.-S. and Néda, S.: On the size distribution of Poisson Voronoi cells, Physica A, 385, 518–526, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2007.07.063, 2007. a
Hallberg, H.: Approaches to modeling of recrystallization, Metals, 1, 16–48, https://doi.org/10.3390/met1010016, 2011. a
Kaufmann, P., Federer, U., Hutterli, M., Bigler, M., Schüpbach, S., Ruth, U., Schmitt, J., and Stocker, T.: 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. a
Larkman, P.: Piers-Larkman/Ice_Impurities: Ice_Impurities_Framework for EGUSPHERE-2024-1723 (IIF_2024-1723), Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15050615, 2025. a
Larkman, P., Rhodes, R., Stoll, N., Barbante, C., and Bohleber, P.: Supporting data for manuscript “What does the impurity variability at the microscale represent in ice cores? Insights from a conceptual approach”, Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14763826, 2025. a
Legrand, M. and Mayewski, P.: Glaciochemistry of polar ice cores: A review, Rev, Geophys,, 35, 219–243, https://doi.org/10.1029/96RG03527, 1997. a
Loulergue, L., Schilt, A., Spahni, R., Masson-Delmotte, V., Blunier, T., Lemieux, B., Barnola, J.-M., Raynaud, D., S, T. F., and Chappellaz, J.: Orbital and millennial-scale features of atmospheric CH4 over the past 800,000 years, Nature, 453, 383–386, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06950, 2008. a
Mervič, K., van Elteren, J. T., Bele, M., and Šala, M.: Utilizing ablation volume for calibration in LA-ICP-MS mapping to address variations in ablation rates within and between matrices, Talanta, 269, 125379, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2023.125379, 2024. a
Miliszkiewicz, N., Walas, S., and Tobiasz, A.: Current approaches to calibration of LA-ICP-MS analysis, J. Anal. Atom. Spectrom., 30, 327–338, https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ja00325j, 2015. a
Müller, W., Shelley, J., and Rasmussen, S.: Direct chemical analysis of frozen ice cores by UV-laser ablation ICPMS, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 26, 2391–2395, https://doi.org/10.1039/C1JA10242G, 2011. a
Ng, F. S. L.: Pervasive diffusion of climate signals recorded in ice-vein ionic impurities, The Cryosphere, 15, 1787–1810, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1787-2021, 2021. a
Reinhardt, H., Kriews, M., Miller, H., Schrems, O., Lüdke, C., Hoffmann, E., and Skole, J.: Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: a new tool for trace element analysis in ice cores, Fresen. J. Anal. Chem., 370, 629–636, 2001. a
Simone, F., Jiawei, J., De Cola, F., and Petrinic, N.: Generation of 3D polycrystalline microstructures with a conditioned Laguerre-Voronoi tessellation technique, Comp. Mater. Sci., 136, 20–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2017.04.018, 2017. a
Simonsen, M., Baccolo, G., Blunier, T., Borunda, A., Delmonte, B., Frei, R., Goldstein, S., Grinsted, A., Kjær, H., Sowers, T., Svensson, A., Vinther, B., Vladimirova, D., Winckler, G., Winstrup, M., and Vallelonga, P.: East Greenland ice core dust record reveals timing of Greenland ice sheet advance and retreat, Nat. Commun., 10, 4494, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12546-2, 2019. a, b, c
Sneed, S., Mayewski, P., Sayre, W., Handley, M., Kurbatov, A., Taylor, K., Bohleber, P., Wagenbach, D., Erhardt, T., and Spaulding, N.: New LA-ICP-MS cryocell and calibration technique for sub-millimeter analysis of ice cores, J. Glaciol., 61, 233–242, https://doi.org/10.3189/2015JoG14J139, 2015. a, b
Spaulding, N., Sneed, S., Handley, M., Bohleber, P., Kurbatov, A., Pearce, N., Erhardt, T., and Mayewski, P.: A new multielement method for LA-ICP-MS data acquisition from glacier ice cores, Environ. Sci. Technol., 51, 13282–13287, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b03950, 2017. a, b, c
Stauffer, B., Flückiger, J., Wolff, E., and Barnes, P.: The EPICA deep ice cores: first results and perspectives, Ann. Glaciol., 39, 93–100, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756404781814500, 2004. a, b
Stoll, N., Eichler, J., Hörhold, M., Shigeyama, W., and Weikusat, I.: A review of the microstructural location of impurities in polar ice and their impacts on deformation, Frontiers in Earth Science, 8, 615613, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.615613, 2021. a
Stoll, N., Bohleber, P., Dallmayr, R., Wilhelms, F., Barbante, C., and Weikusat, I.: The new frontier of microstructural impurity research in polar ice, Ann. Glaciol., 64, 63–66, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2023.61, 2023. a, b, c
Stoll, N., Weikusat, I., Jansen, D., Bons, P., Darányi, K., Westhoff, J., Llorens, M.-G., Wallis, D., Eichler, J., Saruya, T., Homma, T., Drury, M., Wilhelms, F., Kipfstuhl, S., Dahl-Jensen, D., and Kerch, J.: EastGRIP ice core reveals the exceptional evolution of crystallographic preferred orientation throughout the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2653, 2024. a
van Nuland, T., van Dommelen, J., and Geers, M.: An anisotropic Voronoi algorithm for generating polycrystalline microstructures with preferred growth directions, Comp. Mater. Sci., 186, 109947, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2020.109947, 2021. a
Weikusat, I., Gebhardt, L., Jansen, D., Stoll, N., and Kipfstuhl, S.: Crystal c-axes (fabric analyser G50) of ice core samples (vertical thin sections) collected from the polar ice core RECAP, 115–534 m depth, PANGAEA [data set], https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.971529, 2024. a, b
Zheng, X., Sun, T., Zhou, J., Zhang, R., and Ming, P.: Modeling of Polycrystalline Material Microstructure with 3D Grain Boundary Based on Laguerre and Voronoi Tessellation, Materials, 15, 1996, https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15061996, 1996. a, b
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.
Impurities in ice cores can be preferentially located at the boundaries between crystals of ice,...
