Sites In Greenland Research Articles

Modeling insights into deuterium excess as an indicator of water vapor source conditions

Deuterium excess (d) is interpreted in conventional paleoclimate reconstructions as a tracer of oceanic source region conditions, such as temperature, where precipitation originates. Previous studies have adopted coisotopic approaches (using both δ18O and d) to estimate past changes in both site and oceanic source temperatures for ice core sites using empirical relationships derived from conceptual distillation models, particularly Mixed Cloud Isotopic Models (MCIMs). However, the relationship between d and oceanic surface conditions remains unclear in past contexts. We investigate this climate‐isotope relationship for sites in Greenland and Antarctica using multiple simulations of the water isotope‐enabled Goddard Institute for Space Studies ModelE‐R general circulation model and apply a novel suite of model vapor source distribution (VSD) tracers to assess d as a proxy for source temperature variability under a range of climatic conditions. Simulated average source temperatures determined by the VSDs are compared to synthetic source temperature estimates calculated using MCIM equations linking d to source region conditions. We show that although deuterium excess is generally a faithful tracer of source temperatures as estimated by the MCIM approach, large discrepancies in the isotope‐climate relationship occur around Greenland during the Last Glacial Maximum simulation, when precipitation seasonality and moisture source regions were notably different from the present. This identified sensitivity in d as a source temperature proxy suggests that quantitative climate reconstructions from deuterium excess should be treated with caution for some sites when boundary conditions are significantly different from the present day. Also, the exclusion of the influence of humidity and other evaporative source changes in MCIM regressions may be a limitation of quantifying source temperature fluctuations from deuterium excess in some instances.

Comparative analysis of morphological, mineralogical and spectral properties of cryoconite in Jakobshavn Isbræ, Greenland, and Canada Glacier, Antarctica

AbstractWe report the results of a comparative analysis focusing on grain size, mineralogical composition and spectral reflectance values (400-2500 nm) of cryoconite samples collected from Jakobshavn Isbræ, West Greenland, and Canada Glacier, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. The samples from the Greenland site were composed of small particles clumped into larger rounded agglomerates, while those from the site in Antarctica contained fragments of different sizes and shapes. Mineralogical analysis indicates that the samples from Jakobshavn Isbræ contained a higher percentage of quartz and albite, whereas those from Canada Glacier contained a higher percentage of amphibole, augite and biotite. Spectral measurements confirmed the primary role of organic material in reducing the reflectance over the measured spectrum. The reflectance of the samples from the Antarctic site remained low after the removal of organic matter because of the higher concentration of minerals with low reflectance. The reflectance of dried cryoconite samples in the visible region was relatively low (e.g. between ∼0.1 and ∼0.4) favouring increased absorbed solar radiation. Despite high reflectance values in the shortwave infrared region, the effect of the presence of cryoconite is negligible at infrared wavelengths where ice reflectance is low.

An Isotopic Analysis of the Diet of the Greenland Norse

Abstract Our understanding of the Norse dietary adaptations to their Greenlandic home comes primarily from sparse historical records, from what is known of the Norse dietary economy in other North Atlantic lands, and from zooarchaeological examinations of the animal bones found in the various excavations of Norse Greenlandic sites which have taken place over the past century. To obtain more detailed information on the diets of the Norse settlers in Greenland, measures of the stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) values of human bone collagen have been made for 80 individuals from an existing collection of Norse skeletal material. The material is from five churchyards in the Norse Eastern Settlement and two churchyards in the Western Settlement. These data are interpreted with the aid of similar data obtained for the wild fauna of Greenland, for the Norse domestic animals and for a number of Thule Culture individuals of about the same time period. It is clear that application of the isotopic dietary met...

Late Holocene environmental change in southwest Greenland – fossil insect assemblages from Tasiusaq

Palaeoecological research based on insect remains from the vicinity of a Norse farm at Tasiusaq in southwest Greenland provides information on the area surrounding the farm and new information on extirpations attributed to human impact. Anthropochorous species (spread by people) from the farm faunas are lacking in the assemblages, and the natural faunas provide evidence of moderate exploitation of the landscape as a result of activities related to livestock. The gaps in the stratigraphic sequence of the site are interpreted to be the result of peat‐cutting for structural turfs or fuel, and the implications of this activity are discussed. Insect assemblages from Tasiusaq, and studies from Norse sites in Greenland, do not provide clear evidence for any distinct climatic event during the medieval period. In contrast to what happened on other islands of the North Atlantic, insects introduced to Greenland by the Norse did not find suitable natural habitats and did not survive after the demise of the farms. However, the landscape did not return entirely to its pre‐Landnám biota after the human colonizers disappeared from it. Our findings provide new evidence for the consequences of the Norse and their agricultural practices on the Greenlandic environment and additional information on the fate of insect introductions in the area during the late Holocene.

Response of an arctic predator guild to collapsing lemming cycles

Alpine and arctic lemming populations appear to be highly sensitive to climate change, and when faced with warmer and shorter winters, their well-known high-amplitude population cycles may collapse. Being keystone species in tundra ecosystems, changed lemming dynamics may convey significant knock-on effects on trophically linked species. Here, we analyse long-term (1988-2010), community-wide monitoring data from two sites in high-arctic Greenland and document how a collapse in collared lemming cyclicity affects the population dynamics of the predator guild. Dramatic changes were observed in two highly specialized lemming predators: snowy owl and stoat. Following the lemming cycle collapse, snowy owl fledgling production declined by 98 per cent, and there was indication of a severe population decline of stoats at one site. The less specialized long-tailed skua and the generalist arctic fox were more loosely coupled to the lemming dynamics. Still, the lemming collapse had noticeable effects on their reproductive performance. Predator responses differed somewhat between sites in all species and could arise from site-specific differences in lemming dynamics, intra-guild interactions or subsidies from other resources. Nevertheless, population extinctions and community restructuring of this arctic endemic predator guild are likely if the lemming dynamics are maintained at the current non-cyclic, low-density state.

Variability of 10Be and δ18O in snow pits from Greenland and a surface traverse from Antarctica

To examine temporal variability of 10Be in glacial ice, we sampled snow to a depth of 160cm at the NEEM (North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling) drilling site in Greenland. The samples span three years between the summers of 2006 and 2009. At the same time, spatial variability of 10Be in glacial ice was explored through collection of the upper ∼5cm of surface snow in Antarctica during part of the Swedish–Japanese traverse from Svea to Syowa station during the austral summer in 2007–2008. The results of the Greenlandic 10Be snow suggested variable concentrations that apparently do not clearly reflect the seasonal change as indicated by the δ18O data. The 10Be concentration variability most likely reflects also effects of aerosol loading and deposition pathways, possibly in combination with post-depositional processes.The Antarctic traverse data expose a negative correlation between 10Be and δ18O, while there are weaker but still significant correlations to altitude and distance to the coast (approximated by the distance to the 70th latitude). These relationships indicate that geographical factors, mainly the proximity to the coast, may strongly affect 10Be concentrations in snow in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica.

A new approach to quantifying soil temperature responses to changing air temperature and snow cover

Seasonal snow cover provides an effective insulating barrier, separating shallow soil (0.25 m) from direct localized meteorological conditions. The effectiveness of this barrier is evident in a lag in the soil temperature response to changing air temperature. The causal relationship between air and soil temperatures is largely because of the presence or absence of snow cover, and is frequently characterized using linear regression analysis. However, the magnitude of the dampening effect of snow cover on the temperature response in shallow soils is obscured in linear regressions. In this study the author used multiple linear regression (MLR) with dummy predictor variables to quantify the degree of dampening between air and shallow soil temperatures in the presence and absence of snow cover at four Greenland sites. The dummy variables defining snow cover conditions were z = 0 for the absence of snow and z = 1 for the presence of snow cover. The MLR was reduced to two simple linear equations that were analyzed relative to z = 0 and z = 1 to enable validation of the selected equations. Compared with ordinary linear regression of the datasets, the MLR analysis yielded stronger coefficients of multiple determination and less variation in the estimated regression variables.

Gas transport in firn: multiple-tracer characterisation and model intercomparison for NEEM, Northern Greenland

Abstract. Air was sampled from the porous firn layer at the NEEM site in Northern Greenland. We use an ensemble of ten reference tracers of known atmospheric history to characterise the transport properties of the site. By analysing uncertainties in both data and the reference gas atmospheric histories, we can objectively assign weights to each of the gases used for the depth-diffusivity reconstruction. We define an objective root mean square criterion that is minimised in the model tuning procedure. Each tracer constrains the firn profile differently through its unique atmospheric history and free air diffusivity, making our multiple-tracer characterisation method a clear improvement over the commonly used single-tracer tuning. Six firn air transport models are tuned to the NEEM site; all models successfully reproduce the data within a 1σ Gaussian distribution. A comparison between two replicate boreholes drilled 64 m apart shows differences in measured mixing ratio profiles that exceed the experimental error. We find evidence that diffusivity does not vanish completely in the lock-in zone, as is commonly assumed. The ice age- gas age difference (Δage) at the firn-ice transition is calculated to be 182+3−9 yr. We further present the first intercomparison study of firn air models, where we introduce diagnostic scenarios designed to probe specific aspects of the model physics. Our results show that there are major differences in the way the models handle advective transport. Furthermore, diffusive fractionation of isotopes in the firn is poorly constrained by the models, which has consequences for attempts to reconstruct the isotopic composition of trace gases back in time using firn air and ice core records.

Grain-size evolution of polar firn: a new empirical grain growth parameterization based on X-ray microcomputer tomography measurements

AbstractFirn microstructure properties from six different sites in Greenland and Antarctica are investigated by means of X-ray microcomputer tomography. The optical effective radius is calculated from the specific surface area (SSA) and used as a measure of grain size. It is shown that the recently introduced spherical approximation of firn grains using the effective radius Reff is representative of grain size in the microwave frequency region. The measured profiles show the well-known increase of grain size with depth at all sites, where the increase is largest at near-surface depths. A large variability in grain size on the decimeter-to-centimeter scale as a result of different grain properties of single layers is superimposed on the overall trend at each site. A simple empirical parameterization of grain-size evolution is developed which allows the rapid grain growth in the uppermost layers of the firn to be predicted. The growth is driven by strong seasonal and diurnal temperature gradients. The model can be used to simulate grain-size profiles required by models of firn/microwave interaction (e.g. for retrieval of accumulation rates from satellite microwave sensors) in a more realistic fashion.

Century-scale relative sea-level changes in West Greenland — A plausibility study to assess contributions from the cryosphere and the ocean

This paper interprets high resolution relative sea-level (RSL) reconstructions obtained from recently deposited salt-marsh sediments in Greenland. The primary aim of this study is to determine the relative contribution to the RSL observations from local to regional ice mass changes as well as density-related (steric) variations in the adjacent ocean. At sites in west Greenland, RSL rise slows from ~3mm/yr to ~0mm/yr at 400years BP and is stable thereafter. In south Greenland, a similar RSL slowdown is also observed but this occurs approximately 200yrs later. Substantial contributions from oceanographic changes are ruled out as dominant drivers of the RSL slowdown in western Greenland but could be more important at Nanortalik. Model sensitivity tests indicate that the RSL data are not compatible with a dominant dynamic ice loss via the Jakobshavn Isbrae outlet glacier as the region of ice loss and the resulting sea-level trends are too localised. Regional changes in ice thickness related to surface mass balance changes can explain the observed RSL signals but only if there is dominant mass loss during the period 400years BP to present. This conclusion is unaffected even when uncertainties in Earth viscosity structure are taken into account. However, it is plausible that some of the RSL fall may be due to reduced ice growth at the onset of the Little Ice Age. A high resolution mass balance history of the Greenland Ice Sheet over the past few millennia and the influence of lateral Earth structure on predictions of RSL change are identified as priority areas of study in order to confidently separate local, ‘transient’ (e.g. elastic and gravitational) RSL changes from the long-term viscous contribution associated primarily with deglacial changes.

Multi-Decadal Changes in Tundra Environments and Ecosystems: Synthesis of the International Polar Year-Back to the Future Project (IPY-BTF)

Understanding the responses of tundra systems to global change has global implications. Most tundra regions lack sustained environmental monitoring and one of the only ways to document multi-decadal change is to resample historic research sites. The International Polar Year (IPY) provided a unique opportunity for such research through the Back to the Future (BTF) project (IPY project #512). This article synthesizes the results from 13 papers within this Ambio Special Issue. Abiotic changes include glacial recession in the Altai Mountains, Russia; increased snow depth and hardness, permafrost warming, and increased growing season length in sub-arctic Sweden; drying of ponds in Greenland; increased nutrient availability in Alaskan tundra ponds, and warming at most locations studied. Biotic changes ranged from relatively minor plant community change at two sites in Greenland to moderate change in the Yukon, and to dramatic increases in shrub and tree density on Herschel Island, and in subarctic Sweden. The population of geese tripled at one site in northeast Greenland where biomass in non-grazed plots doubled. A model parameterized using results from a BTF study forecasts substantial declines in all snowbeds and increases in shrub tundra on Niwot Ridge, Colorado over the next century. In general, results support and provide improved capacities for validating experimental manipulation, remote sensing, and modeling studies.

Relative sea-level change in Greenland during the last 700 yrs and ice sheet response to the Little Ice Age

This paper presents new evidence regarding relative sea-level (RSL) changes and vertical land motions at three sites in Greenland since 1300A.D., a time interval that spans the later part of the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and the Little Ice Age (LIA). We observe RSL rise at two sites in central west Greenland from c. −0.80±0.20m at c. 1300A.D. to c. −0.20m±0.25m at c. 1600A.D., after which RSL slowed and then stabilised. At a third site in south Greenland, we observe RSL rise from c. −1.40±0.20m at c. 1400A.D. until c. 1750A.D., after which RSL slowed and was stable during at least the latter part of the 20th century. The c. 1600A.D. RSL slow-down seen at the two former sites is surprising because it occurs during the LIA when one might expect the ice sheet to be gaining mass and causing RSL to rise. We interpret this RSL slowdown to indicate a period of enhanced regional mass loss from central west Greenland since c. 1600A.D. and propose two hypotheses for this loss: first, a reduction in precipitation during cold and dry conditions and second, higher air temperatures and increased peripheral surface melt of the ice sheet from this date onwards. The latter hypothesis is compatible with a well-established temperature seesaw between western Greenland and northern Europe and, potentially, a previously identified shift from a positive to generally more negative NAO conditions around 1400 to 1600A.D. Our study shows how RSL data from Greenland can provide constraints on the timing of ice sheet fluctuations in the last millennium and challenges the notion that during cold periods in northern Europe the ice sheet in west Greenland gained mass.

Nothing is wasted: The ideal “nothing is wasted” and divergence in past and present among caribou hunters in Greenland

The 75 year old Greenlandic huntress Agnethe Rosing, is one of the last living persons who went hunting far inland in her youth. In 2003 she told about the ideal concept that “nothing is wasted” of a hunted caribou, and she demonstrated how the meat and the bones were handled as it was done “in the old days”. For the bones it meant that they were smashed to small pieces and cooked afterwards. It was possible to recognise this ideal in the surface bone distribution at numerous Thule archaeological sites in central West Greenland. However, this paper also shows that the ideal has not always been applied, and that “the old days” were not always the same. A test excavation in a midden at the site L 14 dated to 1600–1700s AD contained whole intact spinal columns and many complete, not smashed bones, and bones in anatomical order, suggesting a departure from the ideal and a dramatic change in hunting and economic strategies.

Seasonal variations of snow chemistry at NEEM, Greenland

AbstarctWe conducted a pit study in July 2009 at the NEEM (North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling) deep ice-coring site in northwest Greenland. To examine the seasonal variations of snow chemistry and characteristics of the drill site, we collected snow/firn samples from the wall of a 2 m deep pit at intervals of 0.03 m and analyzed them for electric conductivity, pH, Cl–, NO3–, SO42–, CH3SO3– (MSA), Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and stable isotopes of water (δ18O and δD). Pronounced seasonal variations in the stable isotopes of water were observed, which indicated that the snow had accumulated regularly during the past 4 years. Concentrations of Na+, Cl– and Mg2+, which largely originate from sea salt, peaked in winter to early spring, while Ca2+, which mainly originates from mineral dust, peaked in late winter to spring, slightly later than Na+, Cl– and Mg2+. Concentrations of NO3– showed double peaks, one in summer and the other in winter to spring, whereas those of SO42– peaked in winter to spring. The winter-to-spring concentrations of NO3– and SO42– seem to have been strongly influenced by anthropogenic inputs. Concentrations of MSA showed double peaks, one in spring and the other in late summer to autumn. Our study confirms that the NEEM deep ice core can be absolutely dated to a certain depth by counting annual layers, using the seasonal variations of stable isotopes of water and those of ions. We calculated the annual surface mass balance for the years 2006–08. The mean annual balance was 176 mm w.e., and the balances for winter-to-summer and summer-to-winter halves of the year were 98 and 78 mm, respectively. Snow deposition during the winter-to-summer half of the year was greater than that during the summer-to-winter half by 10–20mm for all three years covered by this study.

Paleoclimates: what do we learn from deep ice cores?

AbstractSince the early 1960s, the ice core community has produced a wealth of scientific results from a still relatively limited number of deep drilling sites in Greenland and Antarctica with the longest record extending back to the last interglacial in Greenland and covering eight glacial–interglacial cycles in Antarctica. Although measurements performed on the first ice cores, Camp Century and Byrd, largely focused on the isotopic composition of the ice as an indicator of climate change, the number of studied parameters has steadily increased encompassing numerous measurements performed on the entrapped air bubbles, on various impurities as well as on the ice itself. The climatic information provided by these various paleodata time is extremely rich. The relationships between forcing factors and climate, about the importance of carbon cycle feedbacks, about the occurrence of abrupt climate variability, and about the interplay between polar climate, ice sheet dynamics, and sea‐level variations are examples that are highly relevant to future climate change. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This article is categorized under: Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Paleoclimate

Rapid quantification of cryoconite: granule geometry and in situ supraglacial extents, using examples from Svalbard and Greenland

AbstractSupraglacial dust (cryoconite) is an important but poorly understood component of the glacial system. There is a lack of primary data on cryoconite form, extent and dynamics. Here we present a suite of rapid, low-cost methodologies for quantification of granule geometry and supraglacial cryoconite coverage using image data captured by commercially available digital cameras. We develop robust, transferable protocols for analysis of (1) cryoconite granule geometry (major axis, Feret diameter, circularity); (2) centimetre–metre scale supraglacial extent (m2cryoconite m−2surface); and (3) temporal change in supraglacial extent at hourly intervals over several days. Image-processing methodologies were developed using the public domain software ImageJ. Manual (supervised) controls were used to estimate sources of error, and measurements then automated using simple scripting tools (macros). Fully automated processing successfully identified ∼90% of a sample of isolated granules ranging between 2.5 and 39.2 mm, with uncertainties of <20%. Particle sphericity (inferred from circularity) decreased as particle size increased. Supraglacial cryoconite extent was obtained with a mean uncertainty of 37% and 22% for data from field sites in Greenland and Svalbard, respectively. These methods will facilitate acquisition and analysis of datasets for cryoconite across a range of spatial scales, supporting research into cryoconite impacts on supraglacial hydrological connections, nutrient and carbon cycling, and initiation of primary succession in deglaciating environments.

Multi-year temperature measurements of the middle atmosphere at Chatanika, Alaska (65°N, 147°W)

Abstract Over an eight-year period (1997–2005) Rayleigh lidar temperature measurements of the stratosphere and mesosphere (40–80 km) have been made at Poker Flat Research Range, Chatanika, Alaska (65°N, 147°W). The Rayleigh lidar measurements have been made between mid-August and mid-May. These measurements have yielded a total of approximately 904 hours of temperature measurements of the middle atmosphere over 116 nights. The seasonal evolution of the middle atmosphere shows an annual cycle with maximum in summer below 60 km and a reversal of the cycle with minimum in summer above 60 km. The monthly mean stratopause has a highest temperature of 273 K at an altitude of 47.5 km in May and a lowest temperature of 243 K at an altitude of 54.7 km in January. However, nightly stratopause temperatures in January and December are sometimes warmer than those in May and August. An elevated stratopause (>65 km) is observed on 5 occasions in 41 observations in January and February. The Chatanika measurements are compared with five other Arctic data sets and models. The upper stratosphere at this site is slightly colder than the zonal mean as well as sites in Greenland and Scandinavia with the largest differences found in January. We discuss the wintertime temperatures in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere in terms of the position of the polar vortex and the increased occurrence of stratospheric warming events during the 1997–2005 observation period.

A 600‐year annual 10Be record from the NGRIP ice core, Greenland

Despite the extensive use of 10Be as the most significant information source on past solar activity, there has been only one record (Dye‐3, Greenland) providing annual resolution over several centuries. Here we report a new annual resolution 10Be record spanning the period 1389–1994 AD, measured in an ice core from the NGRIP site in Greenland. NGRIP and Dye‐3 10Be exhibits similar long‐term variability, although occasional short term differences between the two sites indicate that at least two high resolution 10Be records are needed to assess local variations and to confidently reconstruct past solar activity. A comparison with sunspot and neutron records confirms that ice core 10Be reflects solar Schwabe cycle variations, and continued 10Be variability suggests cyclic solar activity throughout the Maunder and Spörer grand solar activity minima. Recent 10Be values are low; however, they do not indicate unusually high recent solar activity compared to the last 600 years.

Fluxes of microbes, organic aerosols, dust, sea-salt Na ions, non-sea-salt Ca ions, and methanesulfonate onto Greenland and Antarctic ice

Abstract. Using a spectrofluorimeter with 224-nm laser excitation and six emission bands from 300 to 420 nm to measure fluorescence intensities at 0.3-mm depth intervals in ice cores, we report results of the first comparative study of concentrations of microbial cells (using the spectrum of protein-bound tryptophan (Trp) as a proxy) and of aerosols with autofluorescence spectra different from Trp (denoted "non-Trp") as a function of depth in ice cores from West Antarctica (WAIS Divide and Siple Dome) and Greenland (GISP2). The ratio of fluxes of microbial cells onto West Antarctic (WAIS Divide) versus Greenland sites is 0.13±0.06; the ratio of non-Trp aerosols onto WAIS Divide versus Greenland sites is 0.16±0.08; and the ratio of non-sea-salt Ca2+ ions (a proxy for dust grains) onto WAIS Divide versus Greenland sites is 0.06±0.03. All of these are roughly comparable to the ratio of fluxes of dust onto Antarctic versus Greenland sites (0.08±0.05). By contrast to those values, which are considerably lower than unity, the ratio of fluxes of methanesulfonate (MSA) onto Antarctic versus Greenland sites is 1.9±0.4 and the ratio of sea-salt Na2+ ions onto WAIS Divide versus Greenland sites is 3.0±2. These ratios are more than an order of magnitude higher than those in the first grouping. We infer that the correlation of microbes and non-Trp aerosols with non-sea-salt Ca and dust suggests a largely terrestrial rather than marine origin. The lower fluxes of microbes, non-Trp aerosols, non-sea-salt Ca and dust onto WAIS Divide ice than onto Greenland ice may be due to the smaller areas of their source regions and less favorable wind patterns for transport onto Antarctic ice than onto Greenland ice. The correlated higher relative fluxes of MSA and marine Na onto Antarctic versus Greenland ice is consistent with the view that both originate largely on or around sea ice, with the Antarctic sea ice being far more extensive than that around Greenland.

On the common solar signal in different cosmogenic isotope data sets

In this article, we aim to determine frequency ranges and intervals of time in which the solar signal dominates in different cosmogenic isotope data. From a 14C‐based reconstruction of cosmic ray intensity over the last millennia, we computed expected 10Be variations in two Antarctic sites (Dom Fuji and South Pole) and two Greenland sites (Dye‐3 and GISP‐2) and compared them with the actually measured 10Be abundance at the sites. By applying different methods of analysis, such as bivariate correlation, conventional FFT coherence, and wavelet coherence, we found the following: (1) The modeled series, on the basis of 14C data, are in good agreement with the measured 10Be data sets, on different timescales and at different locations, confirming the existence of a common solar signal in both isotope data. (2) The 10Be data are driven by the solar signal on timescales from about 100 years up to 1000 years or even to multimillennial scales (at the longer scales, paleomagnetism plays an increasingly important role). (3) The local climate dominates the 10Be data mostly on short (<100 years) timescales, but the solar signal becomes important even at short scales during periods of Grand minima of solar activity. (4) There is an indication of a possible systematic uncertainty in the early Holocene, likely due to a not‐perfectly‐stable thermohaline circulation, which requires additional studies. We have shown that both 14C‐ and 10Be‐based records are consistent with each other over a wide range of timescales and time intervals. They form a robust basis for quantitative reconstructions of solar activity variations in the past.