Bomb radiocarbon in metabolically inert tissues from terrestrial and marine mammals

Jeffrey L Bada,Christian D Vrolijk,Robert E M Hedges,Stephen Brown,Ellen R M Druffel

doi:10.1029/gl014i010p01065

Abstract

We report here radiocarbon measurements of monkey eye lens nucleus proteins and a narwhal tusk, biological tissues which have sampled the bomb radiocarbon signal in different ways. The results confirm the metabolic inertness of eye lens nucleus proteins and demonstrate the feasibility of measuring radiocarbon in small samples of biological tissue using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The narwhal tusk provides a unique record of the radiocarbon activity in Arctic Ocean waters over most of the 20th century.

Highlights

The detonationof thermonuclearweaponsin the atmonumber of post-translationalmodifications are detectable with increasingmammalianage in the lensnucleusproteins and these have been attributed to their metabolic isolation sphereduringthe 1950sandearly 1960snearlydoubledthe radiocarb(1o4nCa)ctivitoyftroposphcearircbodnioxidbey
This bomb radiocarbon signal has steadily decreased since the ratificationof the limited atmospherictest ban treaty in October 1963, the current radiocarbonactivity of atmosphericcarbonstillexceedspre-bomblevelsby about15-20% [Levin et al, 1985]
As the quantitiesof amino acids increased,but more slowly and to a much smallerextent whichwereobtained(1.0 to 1.6 mg) weretoo smallfor [Broeckeret al., 1985]

Summary

Introduction

The detonationof thermonuclearweaponsin the atmonumber of post-translationalmodifications are detectable with increasingmammalianage in the lensnucleusproteins and these have been attributed to their metabolic isolation sphereduringthe 1950sandearly 1960snearlydoubledthe radiocarb(1o4nCa)ctivitoyftroposphcearircbodnioxidbey1964 [Nydal and Logseth, 1983]. The amino acidsin the hydrolysateswere isolatedby cationexchange chromatography,and further purified by treatment with activatedcharcoalto remove a black-tarrymaterial which inorganic carbon (DIC) in ocean surface waters remainedafter desalting. Delayedthe peak maximumin the oceannearly 10 years A narwhaltuskwasusedto examinetheincorporatioonf [Druffel and Suess,1983].

Results

Conclusion