Abstract
Airborne dust extracted from deep ice core perforations can provide chemical and mineralogical insight into the history of the climate and atmospheric conditions, with unrivalled temporal resolution, time span and richness of information. The availability of material for research and the natural complexity of the particulate, however, pose significant challenges to analytical methods. We present the developments undertaken to optimize the experimental techniques, materials and protocols for synchrotron radiation-based analysis, in particular for the acquisition of combined Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Fluorescence and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy data.
Highlights
The same phenomena that make deep ice cores precious archives of environmental information are at the source of the technical challenges that studies of chemical, isotopic, mineralogical composition face
Lab-based instrumentation makes it possible to detect trace element concentrations in particular, with the Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence configuration, exploiting the advantage that such a configuration minimizes the contribution from sample supports and enhances the signal coming from the materials deposited on flat surfaces
The analysis of the insoluble fraction deposited in deep ice cores requires the development of techniques and protocols which are specific to this field
Summary
The same phenomena that make deep ice cores precious archives of environmental information are at the source of the technical challenges that studies of chemical, isotopic, mineralogical composition face. This is true where ice cores are used for the acquisition of data aiming at accurate reconstructions of the temporal evolution of atmospheric conditions. The provenance of solid material found in ice is atmospheric or meteoric, so Antarctic ice collects non-local information
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