Abstract
AbstractDissolved and particulate sodium, magnesium and calcium are analyzed in ice cores to determine past changes in sea ice extent, terrestrial dust variability and atmospheric aerosol transport efficiency. They are also used to date ice cores if annual layers are visible. Multiple methods have been developed to analyze these important compounds in ice cores. Continuous flow analysis (CFA) is implemented with instruments that sample the meltstream continuously. In this study, CFA with ICP-MS (inductively coupled-plasma mass spectrometry) and fast ion chromatography (FIC) methods are compared for analysis of sodium and magnesium. ICP-MS, FIC and fluorescence methods are compared for analysis of calcium. Respective analysis of a 10 m section of the Antarctic WACSWAIN Skytrain Ice Rise ice core shows that all of the methods result in similar levels of the compounds. The ICP-MS method is the most suitable for analysis of the Skytrain ice core due to its superior precision (relative standard deviation: 1.6% for Na, 1.3% for Mg and 1.2% for Ca) and sampling frequency compared to the FIC method. The fluorescence detection method may be preferred for calcium analysis due to its higher depth resolution (1.4 cm) relative to the ICP-MS and FIC methods (~4 cm).
Highlights
The chemical content of ice cores has been extensively used as a proxy for environmental change
The methods utilized in this study were successfully used to detect sodium, magnesium and calcium in the Skytrain ice core
A segment of the Skytrain ice core from 295 to 305 m along with several standards and blanks are used to demonstrate the capability of the Continuous flow analysis (CFA) system and compare the methods
Summary
The chemical content of ice cores has been extensively used as a proxy for environmental change. The aim of the WArm Climate Stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet in the last INterglacial (WACSWAIN) project is to determine if the West Antarctic ice sheet and its surrounding ice shelves collapsed during the Last Interglacial (∼120 000 years before present) Chemicals, such as sodium, magnesium and calcium, that can originate from marine sources are of particular interest to this project because the levels of these components can be used to determine the proximity of an ice core drilling site to a marine environment in the past (Minikin and others, 1994; Guelle and others, 2001; Abram and others, 2013). Annual layer counts of sea-salt aerosol, of sodium, could be used to date the shallower sections of the ice core This project requires reliable measurements of chemical species that can be used to infer the vicinity of the site to a marine environment and date the ice core
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
