Ice-core records of global climate and environment changes |
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Authors: | Robert J Delmas |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement du CNRS associated to Université Joseph Fourier (Grenoble-1), B.P. 96, 38402 Saint Martin d’Hères-Cedex, France |
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Abstract: | Precipitation accumulating on the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets records several key parameters (temperature, accumulation,
composition of atmospheric gases and aerosols) of primary interest for documenting the past global environment over recent
climatic cycles and the chemistry of the preindustrial atmosphere. Several deep ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland have
been studied over the last fifteen years. In both hemispheres, temperature records (based on stable isotope measurements in
water) show the succession of glacial and interglacial periods. However, detailed features of the climatic stages are not
identical in Antarctica and in Greenland. A tight link between global climate and greenhouse gas concentrations was discovered,
CO2 and CH4 concentrations being lower in glacial conditions by about 80 and 0.3 ppmv, respectively, with respect to their pre-industrial
levels of 280 and 0.65 ppmv. Coldest stages are also characterized by higher sea-salt and crustal aerosol concentrations.
In Greenland, contrary to Antarctica, ice-age ice is alkaline. Gas-derived aerosol (in particular, sulfate) concentrations
are generally higher for glacial periods, but not similar in both the hemispheres. Marine and continental biomass-related
species are significant in Antarctica and Greenland ice, respectively. Finally, the growing impact of anthropogenic activities
on the atmospheric composition is well recorded in both polar regions for long-lived compounds (in particular greenhouse gases),
but mostly in Greenland for short-lived pollutants. |
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Keywords: | Pal?oclimatology ice core Antarctica Greenland global change |
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