Spatial distribution of mean winter air temperatures in Siberian permafrost at 20−18 ka BP using oxygen isotope data

Palaeotemperature reconstruction for the period of 20?18 ka BP in Siberia is here based on δ¹⁸O analysis and ¹⁴C dating of large syngenetic ice wedges. Dozens of yedoma exposures, from Yamal Peninsula to Chukotka, have been studied. Snow meltwater is considered to be the main source of ice‐wedge ice. The modern relationship between δ¹⁸O composition of ice‐wedge ice and winter temperature is used as a base for reconstruction. In modern ice wedges (elementary veins that have accumulated during the last 60–100 years) δ¹⁸O fluctuates between ?14 and ?20‰ in western Siberia and between ?23 and ?28‰ in northern Yakutia. The trend in δ¹⁸O distribution in ice wedges dated at 20?18 ka BP is similar to the modern one. For example, the δ¹⁸O values in Late Pleistocene wedges are more negative going from west to east by 8–10‰, i.e. from ?19 to ?25‰ in western Siberian ice wedges to ?30 to ?35‰ in northern Yakutia. However, values are as high as ?28 to ?33‰ in north Chukotka and the central areas of the Magadan Region and even as high as ?23 to ?29‰ in the east of Chukotka. The same difference between the oxygen isotope composition of ice wedges in the eastern and western regions of Siberian permafrost (about 8–10‰) is also preserved from 20?18 ka BP to the present: δ¹⁸O values obtained from large ice wedges from the Late Pleistocene vary from ?19 to ?25‰ in western Siberia to ?30 to ?35‰ in northern Yakutia. We conclude that, at 20?18 ka BP, mean January temperatures were about 8–12°C lower (in Chukotka up to 17–18°C) than at present.     

南极科考断面水汽同位素观测与模拟及其反映的水循环信息

大气水汽同位素实时监测为水循环和区域大气环流分析提供了新的定量化方法. 依托雪龙号考察船, 利用水同位素激光光谱仪(PICARRO L1102-i)完成了38° N~69° S海表大气水汽氢氧稳定同位素的观测, 结合表层海水和GNIP降水同位素分析了多相水同位素纬向特征. 结果表明: 水汽、降水和表层海水同位素比率(δ¹⁸O, δD)随纬度呈明显的递变性规律, 赤道最低, 副热带升高, 而在南极大陆外围高纬区域则急剧降低;过量氘(d-excess)变化与此相反, 反映出副热带下沉气流对同位素富集影响以及高纬度极地气团经过洋面时过饱和分馏的剧烈变化. 实测水汽同位素与LMDZ4-iso和ECHAM5-wiso模型对比表明了模拟结果较好, 根据模拟进一步分析了南极内陆Dome A水汽同位素反映的水汽源区. 结果显示, 除了中纬度印度洋海区之外, 中低纬东太平洋海域也是冰盖内陆的重要水汽源区.     

Oxygen isotope records of goethite from ferricrete deposits indicate regionally varying Holocene climate change in the Rocky Mountain region, U.S.A.

Oxygen isotopes of goethite from ferricrete deposits were measured from both northern and southern Rocky Mountain localities to assess geographic variability in regional Holocene paleoclimate change. A ∼3.7‰ increase in oxygen isotope values of ¹⁴C-dated goethites in the northern Rocky Mountains suggests a regional-scale relative increase in amounts of isotopically heavy summer precipitation since the early Holocene. In contrast, oxygen isotope values from the southern Rocky Mountains increase abruptly ∼2.1‰ at ∼6200 ¹⁴C yr B.P., then decrease ∼2.4‰ between ∼2000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. and the present. We interpret this period of relatively high δ¹⁸O values as evidence for a middle Holocene warm period combined with a relatively strong summer monsoon. These variable climate records suggest that the Rocky Mountains of the western United States have had a spatially heterogeneous Holocene climate history.     

Palaeotemperature reconstructions of the European permafrost zone during marine oxygen isotope Stage 3 compared with climate model results

A palaeotemperature reconstruction based on periglacial phenomena in Europe north of approximately 51 °N, is compared with high‐resolution regional climate model simulations of the marine oxygen isotope Stage 3 (Stage 3) palaeoclimate. The experiments represent Stage 3 warm (interstadial), Stage 3 cold (stadial) and Last Glacial Maximum climatic conditions. The palaeotemperature reconstruction deviates considerably for the Stage 3 cold climate experiments, with mismatches up to 11 °C for the mean annual air temperature and up to 15 °C for the winter temperature. However, in this reconstruction various factors linking climate and permafrost have not been taken into account. In particular a relatively thin snow cover and high climatic variability of the glacial climate could have influenced temperature limits for ice‐wedge growth. Based on modelling the 0 °C mean annual ground temperature proves to be an appropriate upper temperature limit. Using this limit, mismatches with the Stage 3 cold climate experiments have been reduced but still remain. We therefore assume that the Stage 3 ice wedges were generated during short (decadal time‐scale) intervals of extreme cold climate, below the mean temperatures indicated by the Stage 3 cold climate model simulations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ambiguity in the altitude effect of precipitation isotopes for estimating groundwater recharge elevation and paleoelevation reconstruction in the leeward side of a mountain

The altitude effect of isotopes in precipitation is not as significant on the leeward side of a mountain as it is on the windward side, which makes it difficult to use isotopes at leeward sites, especially if estimating elevation of groundwater recharge or reconstructing paleoelevations. Samples of precipitation were taken at three stations with different elevations—2,306–3,243 m above mean sea level (asl)—on the leeward side of the Meili Snow Mountains on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau from August 2017 to July 2018. The isotope vs. altitude gradients were calculated based on two adjacent stations at the daily, monthly, and annual scales. Most of the gradients are beyond the global ranges of –0.5 to –0.1‰ per 100 m for δ¹⁸O and –5 to –1‰ per 100 m for δ²H, and some of the gradients are even positive. Local processes of sub-cloud evaporation and mixing with recycled moisture are identified for the ambiguous altitude effect, while regional atmospheric circulation processes dominate the major patterns of stable isotope variation at the three stations. The groundwater recharge elevation is estimated to be in a very large range, 2,562–6,321 m asl, which could be caused by the differences in isotope vs. altitude gradient in the studied catchments. Considering the complex atmospheric processes affecting precipitation isotopes, sampling of event-based/monthly precipitation at more than two altitudes for at least one complete hydrological year is a minimum requirement to establish a reasonable isotope vs. altitude gradient.

     

东亚水循环中水稳定同位素的GCM模拟和相互比较

利用引入稳定同位素循环的ECHAM4、GISS E和HadCM3模式的模拟,对东亚降水中年平均δD和过量氘d的空间分布以及大气水线（MWL）进行了分析.根据模拟的空间分布,降水同位素在很大程度上反映不同气团的地理背景以及它们之间的相互作用,模拟结果很好地再现了由GNIP实测资料得到的降水稳定同位素的纬度效应、大陆效应和...     

Optical dating of sand wedges and ice‐wedge casts from Qinghai Lake area on the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau and its palaeoenvironmental implications

Sand wedges and ice‐wedge casts in the Qinghai Lake area on the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP) occur within alluvial gravel or river terrace deposits. In this study, we report the results of quartz Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of the infill of five relict sand wedges and one ice‐wedge cast. Combining our dating results with previously published luminescence ages of permafrost wedges in the Qinghai Lake area, we show that sand/ice wedges formed at c. 62 ka, c. 45 ka and between 30 and 15 ka, and that the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) was depressed by at least ～3°C relative to present during the sand/ice‐wedge formation periods. This new work is partially corroborated by post‐LGM proxy records from lakes and aeolian deposits reported from the northeastern QTP. It also significantly extends the palaeoenvironmental record in the region in the period before the LGM, when other proxy records are rare, allowing a better understanding of the palaeoenvironmental conditions on the northeastern QTP.     

Early Holocene climate signals from stable isotope composition of ice wedges in the Chara Basin,northern Transbaikalia,Russia

Stable isotope composition of syngenetic and epigenetic ice wedges, radiocarbon age, and pollen spectra of the surrounding deposits were studied during long term investigations at the "Belyi Klyuch" site on the first(6-8 m height) terrace of the Chara River(720 m.a.s.l.) in northern Transbaikalia to assess climatic conditions during ice-wedge formation. It was revealed that Holocene ice wedges had been formed from 10 to 7.5 ka 14 C BP. The isotope composition(δ~(18)O, δ~2 H) of relict ice wedges is the lightest and amounts-23‰ and-185‰, correspondingly. The isotopic compositions of ice lenses from sandy loam above ice wedges are-15.7‰, and-133‰; of small ice wedge in peat and sand are-15.3‰ and-117.9‰, accordingly.Interpretation of the ice wedge isotope composition has yielded that mean winter temperatures during cold stages of Holocene optimum were lower than today, during warm stages they were close to modern ones. During the coldest stages of Holocene optimum the total annual freezing index varied from-5100 to-5700 ℃ degree days, i.e. 300-600 ℃ degree days colder than during extremely severe modern winters. The total annual thawing index varied from 1300 to 1800 ℃ degree days, which was slightly higher than modern ones.     

Ground ice recharge via brine transport in frozen soils of Victoria Valley, Antarctica: Insights from modeling δO and δD profiles

Soils in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica contain ice and considerable amounts of salt. Ice often occurs at shallow depth throughout the Dry Valleys and other areas of hyperarid permafrost, notably on Mars. This common occurrence of shallow ice is enigmatic; however, since according to published sublimation models it should disappear relatively quickly (at rates of order 0.1 mm a⁻¹) due to vapor loss to the atmosphere. This loss may be offset by recharge from snowmelt infiltrating and freezing in the soil. Herein, we present a first quantitative estimate of this recharge based on measured vertical profiles of δD and δ¹⁸O that reveal considerable detail about the sources and sinks of ice. We model these profiles, taking into account the salt content and a soil temperature record along a 1.6 m depth profile of ∼10 ka old ice-cemented soils in Victoria Valley, Antarctica. The stable isotopes of ice are enriched in heavy isotopes at the top of the ice cement (20 cm depth); both δD and δ¹⁸O values plotted against depth exhibit a concave upward curve. At depth, the isotope composition is similar to that of Lake Victoria and modern meteoric water. The concave shape of the isotope profile is suggestive of downward advection-dispersion of snowmelt water enriched in heavy isotopes into the ice cement. Our advection-dispersion model, coupled with field data, enables us to quantify the advective flux and dispersion of melt water into the ice. The advective velocity and dispersion coefficient depend on the time since advection began and the ice-to-brine ratio; they are, respectively, of the order of 10⁻¹¹-10⁻¹⁰ m s⁻¹ and 10⁻¹²-10⁻¹¹ m² s⁻¹. These values suggest that over the ∼10 ka time period, a total of 190 mm water infiltrated into the ice-cemented ground. The isotope composition and deuterium excess values of the uppermost ice cement can be modeled from snowmelt water enriched in salts using open system-Rayleigh fractionation. To develop the isotopic signature of the upper ice cement requires evaporation of ∼95% of the snowmelt water. Based on 190 mm brine infiltrating into the soil requires an initial total of ∼4 m of snowmelt water. This corresponds to ∼0.4 mm a⁻¹ suggesting that, under the current climate condition, water from snowmelt is sufficient to compensate modeled sublimation rates, and therefore conserve ground ice in Victoria Valley.     

中国东北第四纪冰川研究新进展：遗迹厘定、新发现与冰期模式

东北是否发育第四纪冰川及其范围、性质与冰期问题,始终没有定论。在对长白山及大兴安岭冰川遗迹厘定基础上,进行了专项调查,并采用地理信息系统（GIS）、遥感（RS）及全球定位系统（GPS）的3S技术,采取钻探测图、孢粉、泥砾粒度与渗透性分析及14C定年等方法,在长白山及大兴安岭发现了冰蚀谷及泥砾堆积等新的冰川遗迹,进一步肯定了两座山地第四纪冰川的存在及其多期性。在小兴安岭首次发现冰蚀岩墙等冰川遗迹,填补了研究空白,证明小兴安岭也曾发育第四纪冰川。综合多种信息,确定长白山与大兴安岭分别有4次冰期和3次间冰期,小兴安岭至少有1次冰期。最后构建了可以与国际对比的冰期序列,重建了区域第四纪冰川环境演化模式：早更新世早期冷干,中晚期偏暖湿;中更新世早期冷湿,中晚期暖湿;晚更新世早期冷稍湿,中期暖湿,晚期冷干。     

锆石U-Pb定年对大兴安岭东北部“兴华渡口群”形成时代和组成的约束

兴华渡口群等大兴安岭北部前寒武纪变质岩系的组成和演化对于确定额尔古纳和兴安地块的构造属性具有重要意义,是近年大兴安岭北部基础地质研究的热点之一。本次工作通过对黑河北部石灰窑—明智山一带的兴华渡口群二云石英片岩和"混合岩"进行锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb定年发现该变质岩系并非前寒武纪变质岩,而是由早古生代碎屑沉积岩(或变质岩)和晚古生代岩浆岩经后期构造岩浆作用改造而形成的构造杂岩。其中二云石英片岩中具有岩浆成因特征的碎屑锆石核部年龄主要存在401~427 Ma、442~448 Ma、473~517 Ma、639~714 Ma、757~818Ma、896~933 Ma和1704~1751 Ma 7个年龄组,其中473~517 Ma段碎屑锆石的峰最明显,与早古生代多宝山组岛弧火山岩等早古生代岩浆作用形成时间相一致,其他年龄组亦在区域上其他地区有报道,这表明该变质岩的原岩物源来源较广泛,不仅有元古宙岩浆岩和变质岩系,还有大量的早古生代岩浆岩,因此其原岩形成时代不应是前寒武纪,而是早古生代。根据碎屑锆石最小峰值年龄,本次工作推断该二云石英片岩原岩的最大沉积年龄应不早于416Ma,另外大量的元古宙碎屑锆石表明区域上可能存在前寒武纪变质基底。对所谓混合岩的调查发现其应为发生动力变质的糜棱岩化二长花岗岩,其中岩浆锆石(304.5±3.1)Ma的206Pb/238U加权平均年龄反映花岗岩形成于晚石炭世晚期,该期花岗岩为晚古生代兴安地块东缘花岗岩带的一部分。     

Ice wedge casts and past permafrost distribution in North AmericaFossile eiskeile und dauerfrost in der vergangenheit in NordamerikaPseudomorphoses des coins de glace et distribution du permafrost au passé en Amérique du Nord

Ice wedge casts are the most accurate and widespread indicators of past permafrost. Many ice wedge casts exist in Alaska, some in areas of existing ice wedges. In addition to indicating paleotemperature conditions and a wider distribution of permafrost in Wisconsinan time than now, casts in Alaska also indicate permafrost in Iliinoian and pre-lllinoian time. Hundreds of ice wedge casts are now known in temperate North America and are described from about 22 widespread localities coast to coast in Canada and United States. Permafrost existed in late Wisconsinan time, 20,000 to 10,000 years ago, along the glacial border in temperate United States. Later permafrost formed north of the glacial border as the continental ice sheet withdrew exposing drift to the rigorous periglacial climate. Ice wedge casts indicate that the ? 7 °C mean annual air isotherm was about 2000 km farther south in late Wisconsinan time than now.     

下垫面蒸发和云中凝结分馏对降水稳定同位素影响的数值试验——空间分布的比较

利用稳定同位素大气水平衡模式（iAWBM）,在一个水平衡和水稳定同位素平衡的框架下以及在相同的气象驱动下,模拟在不同的下垫面蒸发和不同的云中凝结分馏条件下降水中稳定同位素效应的空间分布特征,并通过与GNIP实测数据的比较以及模拟试验结果之间的相互比较,揭示云中的稳定同位素分馏和从下垫面蒸发的水汽同位素δ_e对降水中稳定同位素变化的可能影响,增进对全球水循环中稳定同位素效应的理解和认识。结果显示：iAWBM的4个模拟试验均很好地再现了全球降水中平均δ¹⁸O和平均δ¹⁸O季节差的空间分布特征;很好地模拟了降水同位素的温度效应、降水量效应的分布特点以及全球的大气水线MWL;比较而言,平衡分馏假设下模拟的全球降水中平均δ¹⁸O的空间分布与根据GNIP数据得到的实际空间分布以及模拟的全球MWL与实际MWL最接近,且模拟效果亦最好;动力分馏假设下模拟的降水中δ¹⁸O平均季节差的空间分布与根据GNIP数据得到的实际分布之间的相关程度较好,且拟合水平明显提高;在动力分馏和δ_e季节性的假设下,iAWBM再现全球δ¹⁸O-T和δ¹⁸O-P相关关系空间分布的能力较强。     

大兴安岭南段多金属成矿带硫、铅同位素组成及其地质意义

大兴安岭南段是我国北方重要的多金属矿床成矿带,对其成矿物质来源的分析研究有利于区域成矿规律的总结。在前人的工作基础上,对典型矿床的矿石矿物进行了硫、铅同位素研究。结果表明:闪锌矿、方铅矿、毒砂、黄铜矿、辉钼矿等硫化物的δ34S值主要变化范围为-6‰～4‰,平均值为0‰,峰值出现在0‰～2‰,呈塔式分布;无明显的重硫、轻硫富集,说明硫源较单一;矿石矿物及岩石的206 Pb/204 Pb、207Pb/204Pb、208Pb/204Pb值的变化范围主要集中在18.13～18.74、15.38～15.68和37.1～38.93,其平均值分别为18.38、15.54和38.09。同时,数据结果显示:成矿带的东部与西部存在较为明显的铅同位素差异,西部矿床中铅的分布主要集中在造山带演化线附近,而东部矿床中铅主要集中分布在上地幔和造山带演化曲线附近。     

Proposal for an International Molybdenum Isotope Measurement Standard and Data Representation

Molybdenum isotopes are increasingly widely applied in Earth Sciences. They are primarily used to investigate the oxygenation of Earth's ocean and atmosphere. However, more and more fields of application are being developed, such as magmatic and hydrothermal processes, planetary sciences or the tracking of environmental pollution. Here, we present a proposal for a unifying presentation of Mo isotope ratios in the studies of mass‐dependent isotope fractionation. We suggest that the δ^98/95Mo of the NIST SRM 3134 be defined as +0.25‰. The rationale is that the vast majority of published data are presented relative to reference materials that are similar, but not identical, and that are all slightly lighter than NIST SRM 3134. Our proposed data presentation allows a direct first‐order comparison of almost all old data with future work while referring to an international measurement standard. In particular, canonical δ^98/95Mo values such as +2.3‰ for seawater and ?0.7‰ for marine Fe–Mn precipitates can be kept for discussion. As recent publications show that the ocean molybdenum isotope signature is homogeneous, the IAPSO ocean water standard or any other open ocean water sample is suggested as a secondary measurement standard, with a defined δ^98/95Mo value of +2.34 ± 0.10‰ (2s).     

祁连山北坡稳定同位素生态水文学研究的初步进展与成果应用

2012年以来祁连山北坡稳定同位素生态水文学研究的初步进展包括：（1）云下蒸发和水汽再循环是降水稳定同位素演化的重要因子;（2）各水体稳定同位素年内变化指示了地表水和地下水的不同转化模态;（3）海拔2 000 m以上山区水汽再循环贡献了约24%的降水;（4）冰雪冻土带贡献了出山径流的80%左右。上述结果为祁连山国家公园范围区划和生态保护提供了科技支撑。     

Stable isotopes in a stalagmite from NW Sweden document environmental changes over the past 4000 years

Sundqvist, H. S., Holmgren, K., Moberg, A., Spötl, C. & Mangini, A. 2009: Stable isotopes in a stalagmite from NW Sweden document environmental changes over the past 4000 years. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00099.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. This study of a 4000‐year‐old stalagmite from Korallgrottan in northwestern Sweden highlights the potentials and challenges when using stable isotopes in stalagmites as climate proxies, as well as the fact that the relationship between climate and proxy may change through time. Both the oxygen and the carbon isotopes display an overall trend of enrichment together with decreasing growth rates over the time period covered by the stalagmite, which is considered a generally cooling period according to current palaeoclimate understanding. The stable isotope records show enriched isotopic values during the, for Scandinavia, comparatively cold period AD 1300–1700 and depleted values during the warmer period AD 800–1000. The indication of a negative relationship between measured δ¹⁸O and surface temperature concurs with earlier reported stalagmite records from regions with a seasonal snow cover and is further supported by the fact that the stalagmite δ¹⁸O record shows general similarities with both regional and hemispheric temperature reconstructions available for the past 500 and 2000 years, respectively. Compared with a stable isotope record of lacustrine carbonates from northern Sweden, however, shifting correlations over time between the two records indicate that a local hydrological change may have taken place at Korallgrottan, or at the lake, compared with around 1000 years ago. The earlier part of the stalagmite δ¹⁸O might thus be influenced, to some extent, by another process than the later part, which means that a negative relationship between δ¹⁸O and surface temperature might not hold for the entire 4000‐year‐old record.     

An Intercomparison Study of the Germanium Isotope Composition of Geological Reference Materials

Recent analytical developments in germanium stable isotope determination by multicollector ICP‐MS have provided new perspectives for the use of Ge isotopes as geochemical tracers. Here, we report the germanium isotope composition of the NIST SRM 3120a elemental reference solution that has been calibrated relative to internal isotopic standard solutions used in the previous studies. We also intercalibrate several geological reference materials as well as geological and meteoritic samples using different techniques, including online hydride generation and a spray chamber for sample introduction to MC‐ICP‐MS, and different approaches for mass bias corrections such as sample–calibrator bracketing, external mass bias correction using Ga isotopes and double‐spike normalisation. All methods yielded relatively similar precisions at around 0.1‰ (2s) for δ^74/70Ge values. Using igneous and mantle‐derived rocks, the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) δ^74/70Ge value was re‐evaluated to be 0.59 ± 0.18‰ (2s) relative to NIST SRM 3120a. Several sulfide samples were also analysed and yielded very negative values, down to ?4.3‰, consistent with recent theoretical study of Ge isotope fractionation. The strong heavy isotope depletion in ore deposits also contrasts with the generally positive Ge isotope values found in many modern and ancient marine sediments.     

The snowball Earth hypothesis: testing the limits of global change

The gradual discovery that late Neoproterozoic ice sheets extended to sea level near the equator poses a palaeoenvironmental conundrum. Was the Earth's orbital obliquity > 60° (making the tropics colder than the poles) for 4.0 billion years following the lunar‐forming impact, or did climate cool globally for some reason to the point at which runaway ice‐albedo feedback created a `snowball' Earth? The high‐obliquity hypothesis does not account for major features of the Neoproterozoic glacial record such as the abrupt onsets and terminations of discrete glacial events, their close association with large (> 10‰) negative δ<sup>13</sup>C shifts in seawater proxies, the deposition of strange carbonate layers (`cap carbonates') globally during post‐glacial sea‐level rise, and the return of large sedimentary iron formations, after a 1.1 billion year hiatus, exclusively during glacial events. A snowball event, on the other hand, should begin and end abruptly, particularly at lower latitudes. It should last for millions of years, because outgassing must amass an intense greenhouse in order to overcome the ice albedo. A largely ice‐covered ocean should become anoxic and reduced iron should be widely transported in solution and precipitated as iron formation wherever oxygenic photosynthesis occurred, or upon deglaciation. The intense greenhouse ensures a transient post‐glacial regime of enhanced carbonate and silicate weathering, which should drive a flux of alkalinity that could quantitatively account for the world‐wide occurrence of cap carbonates. The resulting high rates of carbonate sedimentation, coupled with the kinetic isotope effect of transferring the CO₂ burden to the ocean, should drive down the δ¹³C of seawater, as is observed. If cap carbonates are the `smoke' of a snowball Earth, what was the `gun'? In proposing the original Neoproterozoic snowball Earth hypothesis, Joe Kirschvink postulated that an unusual preponderance of land masses in the middle and low latitudes, consistent with palaeomagnetic evidence, set the stage for snowball events by raising the planetary albedo. Others had pointed out that silicate weathering would most likely be enhanced if many continents were in the tropics, resulting in lower atmospheric CO₂ and a colder climate. Negative δ¹³C shifts of 10–20‰ precede glaciation in many regions, giving rise to speculation that the climate was destabilized by a growing dependency on greenhouse methane, stemming ultimately from the same unusual continental distribution. Given the existing palaeomagnetic, geochemical and geological evidence for late Neoproterozoic climatic shocks without parallel in the Phanerozoic, it seems inevitable that the history of life was impacted, perhaps profoundly so.     

Oxygen isotope and palaeotemperature records from six Greenland ice‐core stations: Camp Century,Dye‐3, GRIP,GISP2, Renland and NorthGRIP

Oxygen isotope variations spanning the last glacial cycle and the Holocene derived from ice‐core records for six sites in Greenland (Camp Century, Dye‐3, GRIP, GISP2, Renland and NorthGRIP) show strong similarities. This suggests that the dominant influence on oxygen isotope variations reflected in the ice‐sheet records was regional climatic change. Differences in detail between the records probably reflect the effects of basal deformation in the ice as well as geographical gradients in atmospheric isotope ratios. Palaeotemperature estimates have been obtained from the records using three approaches: (i) inferences based on the measured relationship between mean annual δ¹⁸O of snow and of mean annual surface temperature over Greenland; (ii) modelled inversion of the borehole temperature profile constrained either by the dated isotopic profile, or (iii) by using Monte Carlo simulation techniques. The third of these approaches was adopted to reconstruct Holocene temperature variations for the Dye 3 and GRIP temperature profiles, which yields remarkably compatible results. A new record of Holocene isotope variations obtained from the NorthGRIP ice‐core matches the GRIP short‐term isotope record, and also shows similar long‐term trends to the Dye‐3 and GRIP inverted temperature data. The NorthGRIP isotope record reflects: (i) a generally stronger isotopic signal than is found in the GRIP record; (ii) several short‐lived temperature fluctuations during the first 1500 yr of the Holocene; (iii) a marked cold event at ca. 8.2 ka (the ‘8.2 ka event’); (iv) optimum temperatures for the Holocene between ca. 8.6 and 4.3 ka, a signal that is 0.6‰ stronger than for the GRIP profile; (v) a clear signal for the Little Ice Age; and (vi) a clear signal of climate warming during the last century. These data suggest that the NorthGRIP stable isotope record responded in a sensitive manner to temperature fluctuations during the Holocene. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.