Segregation, transport, and interaction of climate proxies in polycrystalline ice

Abstract

The most detailed records of the Earth's climate during the past few hundred millennia are derived from ice cores retrieved from Greenland and Antarctica. The analyses of these records assume that the distributions of the trace constituents that are used as proxies for past climate have not significantly altered since deposition at the surface, and yet careful studies, at high spatial resolution, have identified core segments where appreciable post-depositional changes have occurred. To improve the reliability and resolution of paleoclimate interpretations, we have examined the mechanisms underlying the transport and interaction of climate proxies in polycrystalline ice, many of which are soluble impurities that are found principally in premelted liquid that lines the boundaries between ice grains. We find that the rate of post-depositional alteration depends critically on where the trace constituents reside; whether in the premelted liquid, in which case they exert a controlling influence on the total volume fraction of liquid that is present, or in the grains themselves. In the former case, the premelted liquid reservoir contains the principle conduits through which many of the impurities are transported and interact, and in the latter case, the temporal evolution of impurity concentration is both slower and more complex. We provide quantitative models that describe these processes and highlight the importance of impurity segregation for our understanding of past climates. PACS Nos.: 66.30Jt, 91.60Ed, 92.40Sn, 92.40Vq, 92.70-j