| 1. |
- Beaudon, Emilie, et al.
(author)
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Spatial and temporal variability of net accumulation from shallow cores from Vestfonna ice cap (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard)
- 2011
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In: Geografiska Annaler. Series A, Physical Geography. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0435-3676 .- 1468-0459. ; 93:4, s. 287-299
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We analyse ice cores from Vestfonna ice cap (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard). Oxygen isotopic measurements were made on three firn cores (6.0, 11.0 and 15.5 m deep) from the two highest summits of the glacier located on the SW–NE and NW–SE central ridges. Sub-annual δ18O cycles were preserved and could be counted visually in the uppermost parts of the cores, but deeper layers were affected by post-depositional smoothing. A pronounced δ18O minimum was found near the bottom of the three cores. We consider candidates for this δ18O signal to be a valuable reference horizon since it is also seen elsewhere in Nordaustlandet. We attribute it to isotopically depleted snow precipitation, which NCEP/NCAR reanalysis shows was unusual for Vestfonna, and came from northerly air during the cold winter of 1994/95. Finding the 1994/95 time marker allows establishment of a precise depth/age scale for the three cores. The derived annual accumulation rates indirectly fill a geographical gap in mass balance measurements and thus provide information on spatial and temporal variability of precipitation over the glacier for the period spanned by the cores (1992–2009). Comparing records at the two locations also reveals that the snow net accumulation at the easternmost part of Vestfonna was only half of that in the western part over the last 17 years.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Fischer, Hubertus, et al.
(author)
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Reconstruction of millennial changes in dust emission, transport and regional sea ice coverage using the deep EPICA ice cores from the Atlantic and Indian Ocean sector of Antarctica
- 2007
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In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0012-821X. ; 260, s. 340-354
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Continuous sea salt and mineral dust aerosol records have been studied on the two EPICA (European Project for Ice Coring inAntarctica) deep ice cores. The joint use of these records from opposite sides of the East Antarctic plateau allows for an estimate ofchanges in dust transport and emission intensity as well as for the identification of regional differences in the sea salt aerosolsource. The mineral dust flux records at both sites show a strong coherency over the last 150 kyr related to dust emission changes inthe glacial Patagonian dust source with three times higher dust fluxes in the Atlantic compared to the Indian Ocean sector of theSouthern Ocean (SO). Using a simple conceptual transport model this indicates that transport can explain only 40% of theatmospheric dust concentration changes in Antarctica, while factor 5–10 changes occurred. Accordingly, the main cause for the strong glacial dust flux changes in Antarctica must lie in environmental changes in Patagonia. Dust emissions, hence environmentalconditions in Patagonia, were very similar during the last two glacials and interglacials, respectively, despite 2–4 °C warmertemperatures recorded in Antarctica during the penultimate interglacial than today. 2–3 times higher sea salt fluxes found in bothice cores in the glacial compared to the Holocene are difficult to reconcile with a largely unchanged transport intensity and thedistant open ocean source. The substantial glacial enhancements in sea salt aerosol fluxes can be readily explained assuming sea iceformation as the main sea salt aerosol source with a significantly larger expansion of (summer) sea ice in the Weddell Sea than inthe Indian Ocean sector. During the penultimate interglacial, our sea salt records point to a 50% reduction of winter sea icecoverage compared to the Holocene both in the Indian and Atlantic Ocean sector of the SO. However, from 20 to 80 ka beforepresent sea salt fluxes show only very subdued millennial changes despite pronounced temperature fluctuations, likely due to thelarge distance of the sea ice salt source to our drill sites.
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| 4. |
- Jonsell, Ulf, et al.
(author)
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Comparison of northern and central Greenland ice core records of methanesulfonate covering the last glacial period
- 2007
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 112:D14, s. D14313-D14313.11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Methanesulfonate (MS-) is measured in ice cores with the objective to obtain a proxy record of marine phytoplankton production of dimethylsulfide (DMS). We present a continuous MS- record covering the last glacial period from the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) ice core and compare this record with the corresponding records previously presented from Greenland and, in particular, with the GISP2 ice core located 320 km south of NGRIP. Despite that the records have similar mean concentrations, their responses to climatic changes during the last glacial period are slightly different. NGRIP MS- concentrations were higher during the cold marine isotopic stages (MIS) 2 and 4 and lower during the warm MIS 5. This long-term trend in MS-, which is similar to the inverse of the corresponding trend in δ 18O, is not detected in the GISP2 MS- record. A systematic response in MS- concentrations to changes between Greenland stadials and interstadials is only detected in the GISP2 record. The different responses of the MS- signals to climate change during the last glacial period are possibly related to the partitioning of air masses reaching the two sites. In contrast to observations from Antarctic records, dust concentrations do not affect the MS- concentrations in the ice, whereas the deposition of sulfate probably is enhanced by high dust concentrations in the atmosphere. The MS- signal has a higher potential of being a proxy record of DMS production changes in Greenlandic compared to Antarctic ice cores.
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| 5. |
- Jonsell, Ulf, et al.
(author)
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Correlation between concentrations of acids and oxygen isotope ratios in polar surface snow caused by local redeposition
- 2007
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In: Tellus. Series B, Chemical and physical meteorology. - : Stockholm University Press. - 0280-6509 .- 1600-0889. ; 59:2, s. 326-335
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Investigation of centimeter-scale snow surface chemistry has been carried out at two polar sites with different site characteristics–in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica and on the Greenland ice sheet, respectively. Large variations in both impurity content and stable oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) were found on the submeter scale. δ18O and the concentration of nitrate correlated at both sites (r = 0.81 and 0.82, respectively). At the Antarctic site, δ18O is also correlated to concentrations of methanesulphonate (r = 0.84) and sulphate (r = 0.83) while no such correlation exists at the Greenland site. Instead, a strong anticorrelation (r = –0.85) between sulphate and methanesulphonate is found among the samples from the Greenland site. The ions correlating with δ18O at the two sites were probably deposited as acids. Our tentative explanation is that local redeposition of water vapour enriching the snow surface with the lighter isotopes is associated with simultaneous enhanced scavenging of the acids. The responsible process thereby significantly alters the chemical signals of the snow surface.
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| 6. |
- Jonsell, Ulf, et al.
(author)
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Correlations between concentrations of acids andoxygen isotope ratios in polar surface snow
- 2007
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In: Tellus. Series B, Chemical and physical meteorology. - : Stockholm University Press. - 0280-6509 .- 1600-0889. ; 59b, s. 326-335
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Investigation of centimeter-scale snow surface chemistry has been carried out at two polar sites with different site characteristics–in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica and on the Greenland ice sheet, respectively. Large variations in both impurity content and stable oxygen isotope ratios ( δ18O) were found on the submeter scale. δ18 O and the concentration of nitrate correlated at both sites (r = 0.81 and 0.82, respectively). At the Antarctic site, δ18 O is also correlated to concentrations of methanesulphonate (r = 0.84) and sulphate (r = 0.83) while no such correlation exists at the Greenland site. Instead, a strong anticorrelation (r = –0.85) between sulphate and methanesulphonate is found among the samples from the Greenland site. The ions correlating with δ18 O at the two sites were probably deposited as acids. Our tentative explanation is that local redeposition of water vapour enriching the snow surface with the lighter isotopes is associated with simultaneous enhanced scavenging of the acids. The responsible process thereby significantly alters the chemical signals of the snow surface.
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| 7. |
- Jonsell, Ulf, et al.
(author)
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Recent air and ground temperature increases at Tarfala Research Station, Sweden
- 2013
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In: Polar Research. - : Norwegian Polar Institute. - 0800-0395 .- 1751-8369. ; 32:UNSP 19807
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Long-term data records are essential to detect and understand environmental change, in particular in generally data-sparse high-latitude and high-altitude regions. Here, we analyse a 47-year air temperature record (1965 2011) at Tarfala Research Station (67 degrees 54.7'N, 18 degrees 36.7'E, 1135 m a.s.l.) in northern Sweden, and a nearby 11-year record of 100-m-deep ground temperature (2001-11; 1540 m a.s.l.). The air temperature record shows a mean annual air temperature of -3.5 +/- 0.9 degrees C (+/- 1 standard deviation sigma) and a linear warming trend of +/- 0.042 degrees C yr(-1). The warming trend shows large month-to-month variations with the largest trend in January followed by October. Also, the number of days with positive mean daily temperatures and positive degree-day sums has increased during the last two decades compared to the previous period. Temperature lapse rates derived from the mean daily Tarfala record and an air temperature record at the borehole site average 4.5 degrees C km(-1) and tend to be higher in summer than in winter. Mean summer air temperatures at Tarfala explain 76% of the variance of the summer glacier mass balance of nearby Storglaciaren. Consistent with the observed increase in Tarfala's air temperature, the ground temperature record shows significant permafrost warming with the largest trend (0.047 degrees C yr(-1)) found at 20 m depth.
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| 8. |
- Jonsell, Ulf, 1974-
(author)
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Sulfur in polar ice and snow : Interpretations of past atmosphere and climate through glacial archives
- 2006
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Snow contains information on the atmosphere it is deposited from. This information is stored in polar ice sheets (Antarctica and Greenland), which are unique geochronological archives of past climate and atmospheric composition. On time scales from annual to glacial cycles, this thesis deals with the signals of sulfur compounds in these archives. The objectives are to interpret the content and origin of sulfur aerosols in the atmosphere and their interactions with climate. By using sulfur isotopic signals, the sources of sulfate were apportioned from two shallow Antarctic ice cores covering the last 1200 years of deposition. Marine phytoplankton was shown to be the predominant source. A surprisingly stable sulfate flux signal over the last eight glacial cycles was obtained from the Antarctic EPICA Dome C ice core, which with a predominant marine biogenic sulfate origin implies that production of sulfur aerosols by phytoplankton neither forced nor was sensitive to glacial/interglacial shifts in climate. Methanesulfonate (MS-) originates solely from phytoplankton, but the record in Antarctic ice cores is biased by variations in atmospheric dust concentrations. In contrast to Antarctic conditions, enhanced dust concentrations on Greenland increase the deposition of sulfate but do not affect MS-. Thus, MS- remains in Greenlandic ice cores as a potential proxy record of marine biogenic sulfur aerosol production. Northern and central Greenland ice core signals of MS- displayed systematically different responses to climate variations during the last glacial period, possibly due to different portioning of air mass origin. Surface snow analyses indicate that sulfate on Greenland is at present mainly deposited as a salt in association with dust particles. On an Antarctic site where sulfate and possibly MS- are present as acids, their concentrations in the surface snow are suggested to be a result of a redeposition process altering the signals of the original snow fall.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Moeller, Marco, et al.
(author)
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Snowpack Characteristics of Vestfonna and De Geerfonna (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard) : A Spatiotemporal Analysis Based on Multiyear Snow-Pit Data
- 2011
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In: Geografiska Annaler. Series A, Physical Geography. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0435-3676 .- 1468-0459. ; 93A:4, s. 273-285
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Extensive glaciological field measurements were carried out on the ice cap Vestfonna as well as on the minor ice body De Geerfonna (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard) within the framework of IPY Kinnvika. Field campaigns were conducted during the period 20072010 in spring (April/May) and summer (August). In this study we compile and present snow cover information obtained from 22 snow pits that were dug on Vestfonna during this period. Locations are along two transects on the northwestern, land terminating slope of the ice cap, on its central summit, Ahlmann Summit, and at a set of several other locations in the eastern and northern part of the ice cap. Snow-cover information acquired from four snow pits on adjacent De Geerfonna is also incorporated in this study. Field data are analysed regarding snow stratigraphy, snow density, snow hardness and snow temperature. Results reveal mean snow densities of around 400 kg m-3 for the snowpack of Vestfonna with no apparent spatial or interannual variability. A distinctly higher value of more than 450 kg m-3 was obtained for De Geerfonna. A spatial comparison of snow water equivalents above the previous end-of-summer surface serves for obtaining insights into the spatial distribution of snow accumulation across Vestfonna. Altitude was found to be the only significant spatial parameter for controlling snow accumulation across the ice cap.
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| 11. |
- Möller, Marco, et al.
(author)
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Climatic mass balance of the ice cap Vestfonna, Svalbard : A spatially distributed assessment using ERA-Interim and MODIS data
- 2011
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 116:F3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ice cap Vestfonna in the northern Svalbard archipelago is one of the largest ice bodies of the European Arctic (similar to 2400 km(2)), but little is known about its mass balance. We model the climatic mass balance of the ice cap for the period September 2000 to August 2009 on a daily basis. Ablation is calculated by a spatially distributed temperature-radiation-index melt model. Air temperature forcing is provided by ERA-Interim data that is downscaled using data from an automatic weather station operated on the ice cap. Spatially distributed net shortwave radiation fluxes are obtained from standard trigonometric techniques combined with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer-based cloud cover and surface albedo information. Accumulation is derived from ERA-Interim precipitation data that are bias corrected and spatially distributed as a function of elevation. Refreezing is incorporated using the P(max) approach. Results indicate that mass balance years are characterized by short ablation seasons (June to August) and correspondingly longer accumulation periods (September to May). The modeled, annual climatic mass balance rate shows an almost balanced mean of -0.02 +/- 0.20 m w.e. yr(-1) (meters water equivalent per year) with an associated equilibrium line altitude of 383 +/- 54 m above sea level (mean +/- one standard deviation). The mean winter balance is +0.32 +/- 0.06 m w.e. yr(-1), and the mean summer balance -0.35 +/- 0.17 m w.e. yr(-1). Roughly one fourth of total surface ablation is retained by refreezing indicating that refreezing is an important component of the mass budget of Vestfonna.
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| 12. |
- Rasmussen, Sune Olander, et al.
(author)
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Ice-core data used for the construction of the Greenland Ice-Core Chronology 2005 and 2021 (GICC05 and GICC21)
- 2023
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In: Earth System Science Data. - 1866-3508 .- 1866-3516. ; 15:8, s. 3351-3364
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We here describe, document, and make available a wide range of data sets used for annual-layer identification in ice cores from DYE-3, GRIP, NGRIP, NEEM, and EGRIP. The data stem from detailed measurements performed both on the main deep cores and shallow cores over more than 40 years using many different setups developed by research groups in several countries and comprise both discrete measurements from cut ice samples and continuous-flow analysis data.The data series were used for counting annual layers 60 000 years back in time during the construction of the Greenland Ice-Core Chronology 2005 (GICC05) and/or the revised GICC21, which currently only reaches 3800 years back. Now that the underlying data are made available (listed in Table 1) we also release the individual annual-layer positions of the GICC05 timescale which are based on these data sets.We hope that the release of the data sets will stimulate further studies of the past climate taking advantage of these highly resolved data series covering a large part of the interior of the Greenland ice sheet.
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| 13. |
- Wolff, E. W., et al.
(author)
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Changes in environment over the last 800,000 years from chemical analysis of the EPICA Dome C ice core
- 2010
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 29:1-2, s. 285-295
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The EPICA ice core from Dome C extends 3259 m in depth, and encompasses 800 ka of datable and sequential ice. Numerous chemical species have been measured along the length of the cores. Here we concentrate on interpreting the main low-resolution patterns of major ions. We extend the published record for non-sea-salt calcium, sea-salt sodium and non-sea-salt sulfate flux to 800 ka. The non-sea-salt calcium record confirms that terrestrial dust originating from South America closely mirrored Antarctic climate, both at orbital and millennial timescales. A major cause of the main trends is most likely climate in southern South America, which could be sensitive to subtle changes in atmospheric circulation. Sea-salt sodium also follows temperature, but With a threshold at low temperature. We re-examine the use of sodium as a sea ice proxy, concluding that it is probably reflecting extent, with high salt concentrations reflecting larger ice extents. With this interpretation, the sodium flux record indicates low ice extent operating as an amplifier in warm interglacials. Non-sea-salt sulfate flux is almost constant along the core, confirming the lack of change in marine productivity (for sulfur-producing organisms) in the areas of the Southern Ocean contributing to the flux at Dome C. For the first time we also present long records of reversible species such as nitrate and chloride, and show that the pattern of post-depositional losses described for shallower ice is maintained in older ice. It appears possible to use these concentrations to constrain snow accumulation rates in interglacial ice at this site, and the results suggest a possible correction to accumulation rates in one early interglacial. Taken together the chemistry records offer a number of constraints on the way the Earth system combined to give the major climate fluctuations of the late Quaternary period.
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| 14. |
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