Advances and limitations in establishing a contiguous high-resolution atmospheric radiocarbon record derived from subfossil kauri tree rings for the interval 60–27 cal kyr BP

Radiocarbon dating is the most widely applied and reliable dating technique for providing chronological control during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3; ∼60–27 cal kyr BP). Past variations in the atmospheric concentration of radiocarbon mean a calibration curve is required. IntCal20 and SHCal20 calibration curves covering MIS3 are presently largely based on non-atmospheric records which, in combination with larger radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dating uncertainties, results in significant smoothing and reduced resolution in calibration curve structure. Floating tree ring radiocarbon chronologies that are wiggle-matched to other palaeo records (particularly to Hulu Cave speleothems) have the potential to provide detailed structure to the MIS3 portion of extant calibration curves. New Zealand subfossil kauri (Agathis australis) trees are long-lived and are useful for constructing temporally-floating MIS3 atmospheric radiocarbon datasets. This paper presents extant and emerging data from several important Northland subfossil kauri locations (Omaha, Babylon Coast, Bream Bay, Kai Iwi Lakes, Mangawhai). We show the span of seven floating MIS3 kauri sequences (individual trees and chronologies) from which sequential radiocarbon series covering a total of 7556 years is now in development (representing 23% of the period 60–27 cal kyr BP). We also report radiocarbon dates for an additional 34 ancient kauri from MIS3 that can provide additional coverage. After these floating subfossil wood sequences have been produced, close to 40% of MIS3 (12,420 years) will be covered by contiguous subfossil kauri radiocarbon measurements. Based on our findings, we discuss the prospects and limitations for obtaining a highly resolved and precise atmospheric radiocarbon calibration curve comprehensively covering MIS3 using subfossil kauri.     

Bayesian estimates of marine radiocarbon reservoir effect in northern Iberia during the Early and Middle Holocene

Reconstructing the past variability of marine radiocarbon reservoir effects (MRE) is crucial for generating reliable chronologies for marine species and their consumers. We investigated the temporal MRE variability at the Early-to Mid-Holocene site of El Mazo (Asturias, northern Spain) by using a combination of new and previously published radiocarbon measurements on marine and terrestrial samples. The El Mazo site is characterized by overall well-defined archaeological layers of unknown occupation length with the predominant presence of two mollusc species (Patella vulgata Linnaeus, 1758 and topshell Phorcus lineatus [da Costa, 1778]) which were analysed for radiocarbon measurements. We employed the recently released IntCal20 calibration curve for the northern hemisphere and Bayesian modelling to reconstruct the site's chronology and temporal variability in MREs according to mollusc species. Obtained radiocarbon modelling results, although the estimate precision is not high, reveal a temporal variability in MREs that can be interpreted in view of known past climatic and environmental events such as the 8.2 ka event. The results also revealed differences in MREs according to mollusc species, which need to be taken into account in future chronological modelling. Overall, our results provide reference MRE values for the study of chronologies in northern Iberia during the Early-to Mid-Holocene. In this respect, a non-conservative ΔR reference for local marine samples dating earlier than c. 8.1 ka cal BP is −238 ± 28 ¹⁴C years.     

Radiocarbon: A chronological tool for the recent past

The past few hundred years have seen large fluctuations in atmospheric ¹⁴C concentration. In part, these have been the result of natural factors, including the climatic changes of the Little Ice Age, and the Spörer and Maunder solar activity minima. In addition, however, changes in human activity since the middle of the 19th century have released ¹⁴C-free CO₂ to the atmosphere. Moreover, between c. 1955 and c. 1963, atmospheric nuclear weapon testing resulted in a dramatic increase in the concentration of ¹⁴C in the atmosphere. This was followed by a significant decrease in atmospheric ¹⁴C as restrictions on nuclear weapon testing began to take effect and as rapid exchange occurred between the atmosphere and other carbon reservoirs. The large fluctuations in atmospheric ¹⁴C that occurred prior to 1955 mean that a single radiocarbon date may yield an imprecise calibrated age consisting of several possible age ranges. This difficulty may be overcome by obtaining a series of ¹⁴C dates from a sequence and either wiggle-matching these dates to a radiocarbon calibration curve or using additional information on dated materials and their surrounding environment to narrow the calibrated age ranges associated with each ¹⁴C date. For the period since 1955 (the bomb-pulse period), significant differences in atmospheric ¹⁴C levels between consecutive years offer the possibility of dating recent samples with a resolution of from one to a few years. These approaches to dating the recent past are illustrated using examples from peats, lake and salt marsh sediments, tree rings, marine organisms and speleothems.     

Sequential radiocarbon measurement of bulk peat for high-precision dating of tsunami deposits

Dates of tsunami deposits have been used to estimate paleotsunami recurrence intervals in areas affected by these natural events. The depositional age of tsunami deposits is commonly constrained by the radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dating of sediments above and below the geological event. However, because of calibration curve fluctuations, the depositional age sometimes has a wide error range. In this study, we conducted millimeter-scale high-resolution radiocarbon measurements of tsunami deposits at Urahoro in southern Hokkaido, Japan. The site faces the Pacific Ocean along the Kuril Trench. Eight event deposits were identified within peat at this site. We took sequential measurements for ¹⁴C dating using bulk peat samples. The results were validated based on comparison with the absolute and radiometric ages of tephra layers. Dating results were further constrained by stratigraphic order using statistical methods. We constrained the depositional age of the paleotsunami deposits better using this method than we did when using conventional methods. We proposed an efficient measurement strategy with respect to the radiocarbon calibration curve. This method is also applicable for other deposits formed by any natural hazard if bulk peat is obtainable so it can contribute to better hazard assessment worldwide.     

An automated method for varve interpolation and its application to the Late Glacial chronology from Lake Suigetsu,Japan

The Lake Suigetsu sediment has been recognised for its potential to create a wholly terrestrial (i.e. non-reservoir-corrected) ¹⁴C calibration dataset, as it exhibits annual laminations (varves) for much of its depth and is rich in terrestrial leaf fossils, providing a record of atmospheric radiocarbon. Microscopic analysis revealed that the varve record is curtailed due to the incomplete formation or preservation of annual laminae, necessitating interpolation. The program for varve interpolation presented here analyses the seasonal layer distribution and automatically derives a sedimentation rate estimate, which is the basis for interpolation, and applies it to complement the original varve count. As the interpolation is automated it largely avoids subjectivity, which manual interpolation approaches often suffer from. Application to the Late Glacial chronology from Lake Suigetsu demonstrates the implementation and the limits of the method. To evaluate the reliability of the technique, the interpolation result is compared with the ¹⁴C chronology from Lake Suigetsu, calibrated with the tree-ring derived section of the IntCal09 calibration curve. The comparison shows that the accuracy of the interpolation result is well within the 68.2% probability range of the calibrated ¹⁴C dates and that it is therefore suitable for calibration beyond the present tree-ring limit.     

Radiocarbon wiggle-match dating of proglacial lake sediments – Implications for the 8.2 ka event

The problem of insufficient age-control limits the utilisation of the 8.2 ka BP event for modelling freshwater forcing in climate change studies. High-resolution radiocarbon dates, magnetic susceptibility and lithostratigraphic evidence from a lake sediment core from Nedre Hervavatnet located at Sygnefjell in western Norway provide a record of the early Holocene. We use the method of radiocarbon wiggle-match dating of the lake sediments using the non-linear relationship between the ¹⁴C calibration curve and the consecutive accumulation order of the sample series in order to build a high-resolution age-model. The timing and duration of Holocene environmental changes is estimated using 38 AMS radiocarbon dates on terrestrial macrofossils, insects and chironomids covering the time period from 9750 to 1180 cal BP. Chironomids, Salix and Betula leaves produce the most consistent results. Sedimentological and physical properties of the core suggest that three meltwater events with high sedimentation rates are superimposed on a long-term trend with glacier retreat between 9750 and 8000 cal BP. The lake sediment sequence of Nedre Hervavatnet demonstrates the following: only a reliable high-resolution geochronology based on carefully selected terrestrial macrofossils allows the reconstruction of a more refined and complex environmental change history before and during the 8.2 ka event.     

Progress in refining the global radiocarbon calibration curve using New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) tree-ring series from Oxygen Isotope Stage 3

Ancient kauri (Agathis australis) buried in bogs across Northland, New Zealand, provide potential for a continuous high-precision radiocarbon calibration curve that extends to the full chronologic range of the dating method. Here we report four new tree-ring series which in addition to previous work represent some 5312 years across Oxygen Isotope Stage 3, a period during which human evolution, migration and extinction took place against a backdrop of extreme and abrupt global climate and environmental change. We compare our radiocarbon-dated series against three different calibration datasets and find considerable differences in the wiggle-matched solutions, demonstrating the difficulty in undertaking high-precision correlation between ice, marine and terrestrial sequences. One way around the apparent impasse is the use of ¹⁰Be in the Greenland and Antarctic ice cores to precisely link to kauri ¹⁴C from which a decadally/bidecadally-resolved floating ‘calibration’ dataset can be generated.     

Towards radiocarbon calibration beyond 28 ka using speleothems from the Bahamas

We present a new speleothem record of atmospheric Δ¹⁴C between 28 and 44 ka that offers considerable promise for resolving some of the uncertainty associated with existing radiocarbon calibration curves for this time period. The record is based on a comprehensive suite of AMS ¹⁴C ages, using new low-blank protocols, and U–Th ages using high precision MC-ICPMS procedures. Atmospheric Δ¹⁴C was calculated by correcting ¹⁴C ages with a constant dead carbon fraction (DCF) of 22.7 ± 5.9%, based on a comparison of stalagmite ¹⁴C ages with the IntCal04 (Reimer et al., 2004) calibration curve between 15 and 11 ka. The new Δ¹⁴C speleothem record shows similar structure and amplitude to that derived from Cariaco Basin foraminifera (Hughen et al., 2004, 2006), and the match is further improved if the latter is tied to the most recent Greenland ice core chronology (Svensson et al., 2008). These data are however in conflict with a previously published ¹⁴C data set for a stalagmite record from the Bahamas — GB-89-24-1 (Beck et al., 2001), which likely suffered from ¹⁴C analytical blank subtraction issues in the older part of the record. The new Bahamas speleothem ?¹⁴C data do not show the extreme shifts between 44 and 40 ka reported in the previous study (Beck et al., 2001). Causes for the observed structure in derived atmospheric Δ¹⁴C variation based on the new speleothem data are investigated with a suite of simulations using an earth system model of intermediate complexity. Data-model comparison indicates that major fluctuations in atmospheric ?¹⁴C during marine isotope stage 3 is primarily a function of changes in geomagnetic field intensity, although ocean–atmosphere system reorganisation also played a supporting role.     

Accurate chronological construction for two young stalagmites from the tropical South Pacific

Modern to Holocene tropical Pacific stalagmites are commonly difficult to date with the U-series, the most commonly used dating method for speleothems. When U-series does not provide robust age models, due to multiple sources of ²³⁰Th or little U, radiocarbon is, potentially, the best alternative. The ¹⁴C content of two stalagmites (Pu17 and Nu16) collected from Pouatea and Nurau caves in the Cook Island Archipelago of the South Pacific were measured to obtain accurate chronology for their most modern parts. The bomb-pulse soil continuum modelling indicates that bomb radiocarbon in Pu17 onsets in 1956 and reaches its maximum in 1966 CE, suggesting a fast transfer of atmospheric carbon to the stalagmite of <1 year. The modelling for Pu17 suggests a 20% contribution from C₁ - an instantaneous carbon source, which renders possible an immediate transfer of atmospheric signal into the cave. Nu16 shows a slower transfer of atmospheric carbon to the stalagmite than Pu17, with bomb radiocarbon onsetting in 1957 CE and peaking in 1972 CE. The less negative δ¹³C values in Nu16 than Pu17, and also the modelling corroborated this, which points out no contribution from the instantaneous carbon source. The radiocarbon age models and laminae counting age models were then spliced to achieve a single master chronology for the top part of each stalagmite. This study is an example of ¹⁴C age modelling combined with visible physical and chemical laminae counting and how it can improve the accuracy and precision of dating for otherwise hard-to-date tropical Pacific speleothems. Such accurate and precise age models pave the way to obtain sub-annually resolved paleoclimate records by further improving the calibration of climate proxy data with the current and instrumental weather parameters.     

Revised ΔR values for the Barents Sea and its archipelagos as a pre-requisite for accurate and robust marine-based 14C chronologies

The calibration of marine ¹⁴C dates requires the incorporation of regionally specific marine reservoir offsets known as ΔR, essential for accurate and meaningful inter-archive comparisons. Revised, regional ΔR (‘ΔR_R’) values for the Barents Sea are presented for molluscs and cetaceans for the two latest iterations of the marine calibration curve, based on previously published pre-bomb live-collected and radiocarbon-dated samples (‘ΔR_L’; molluscs: n = 16; cetaceans: n = 18). Molluscan ΔR_R, determined for four broad regional oceanographic settings, are: western Svalbard (including Bjørnøya), −61 ± 37 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine20), 94 ± 38 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine13); Franz Josef Land, −277 ± 57 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine20), −122 ± 38 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine13); Novaya Zemlya, −156 ± 73 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine20), 0 ± 76 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine13); northern Norway, −86 ± 39 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine20), 74 ± 24 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine13). Molluscan ΔR_R values are considered applicable to other marine carbonate materials (e.g., foraminifera, ostracods). Cetacean ΔR_R are determined for toothed (n = 10) and baleen (n = 8) whales, and a combined toothed-baleen group (n = 18): toothed, −161 ± 41 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine20), 1 ± 41 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine13); baleen, −158 ± 43 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine20), 8 ± 41 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine13); combined baleen-toothed whales, −160 ± 41 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine20), 4 ± 49 ¹⁴C yrs (Marine13). Where identification and separation of baleen and toothed whales is impossible the combined ΔR_R term may be used. However, we explicitly discourage the application of existing cetacean ΔR_R terms to other marine mammals. Our new ΔR_R values are applicable for as long as those broad oceanographic conditions (circulation and ventilation) have persisted, i.e., through the Holocene. We recommend using the latest iteration of the marine calibration curve, Marine20, which seems to better capture the time-variant nature of R compared to Marine13. More ΔR_L datapoints for both molluscs and cetaceans would improve the accuracy and precision of ΔR_R. In the meantime, our new ΔR terms facilitate the calibration of marine ¹⁴C dates across the region, paving the way for meaningful and accurate late Quaternary histories and inter-regional comparisons.     

Annual growth rings in a sample of Paraná pine (Araucaria angustifolia): Toward improving the 14C calibration curve for the Southern Hemisphere

This work reports the first high-precision ¹⁴C-AMS dating of holocellulose from a Brazilian subtropical species for the period 1927–1997, with the goal to identify suitable Southern American tree species that will serve as benchmarks for improving the calibration of the ¹⁴C time-scale for the Southern Hemisphere (SH). The tree rings analyzed here came from a single tree of Paraná pine (Araucaria angustifolia) growing at 22°50′S, 46°04′W (Camanducaia, Minas Gerais, Brazil). A slight depletion of atmospheric ¹⁴C after 1927 AD was observed, due to the Suess effect. Our ¹⁴C results also showed the rise and rapid decrease of atmospheric ¹⁴C concentrations associated with the detonation of nuclear weapons during the late 50s, and its subsequent uptake by other large C sinks. Current ¹⁴C data can be used for the study of the global carbon cycle, forensic sciences applications, and the determination of the age and growth rate of tropical trees without annual ring patterns. The remarkable overall agreement of our tree-ring/¹⁴C data with the SH Zone 1–2 compilation dataset shows this subtropical tree species' potential to refine the ¹⁴C calibration curve.     

Methods and codes for reservoir–atmosphere 14C age offset calculations

Reservoir ¹⁴C age offsets are invaluable tracers for past changes in carbon cycle and oceanic circulation. Reconstruction of reservoir age offsets with time is also required for calibration purposes (reconstruction of atmospheric calibration curve, calibration of non-atmospheric radiocarbon ages). Thus, properly propagating the various uncertainties linked to reservoir age offset is important for proper interpretation. However, approaches for reservoir age offset calculation – especially when considering pairs of reservoir-derived ¹⁴C and calendar ages – are usually not detailed and inadequate for proper propagation of uncertainties. Here, the various ways to properly calculate reservoir age offsets are described with a focus on a new approach when considering pairs of ¹⁴C and calendar ages. This approach maps the calendar age distribution onto the ¹⁴C time scale prior to reservoir age offset calculation – the “uncalibration-convolution process”. R codes computing reservoir age offsets based on available data are presented. Finally, a case study focusing on the reconstruction of the speleothem-atmosphere ¹⁴C age offsets of speleothem ¹⁴C data used in the latest release of the atmospheric calibration curve is discussed.     

Optimizing radiocarbon chronologies in peat profiles with examples from Xinjiang,China

Reliable chronological frameworks are crucial to paleoenvironmental studies, and high precision ¹⁴C dating is the foundation, but many factors, such as dating materials, surficial deposition (influenced by nuclear bomb), and the ¹⁴C age plateau, will affect the reliability of the ¹⁴C ages and chronology frameworks. In this paper, we present 87 ¹⁴C dates of different peat fractions from three peat sites in Xinjiang, China. Plant macrofossils, rootlets, the fine fraction of <90 μm, the mid-size fraction of 90–250 μm and the coarse fraction of >250 μm from selected peat samples were measured to investigate the alternative suitable fraction for dating except for plant macrofossils. We discovered that the 90–250 μm component of peat can provide alternative and reliable results in case of plant macrofossils are not available. Additionally, more dating samples from surficial peat deposition were collected, and accurate surface chronological control points were produced by comparing ¹⁴C results of plant macrofossils with atmospheric ¹⁴C bomb data. Furthermore, multiple data sets with wiggle matching were used along the radiocarbon age plateau to minimize calibrated errors when dates on the ¹⁴C age plateau were shown. Finally, radiocarbon chronology frameworks in peat profiles were optimized. In conclusion, we not only focus on the reliable dating materials, but also highlight that the importance of surficial deposition (after 1950AD) and the anomalous ¹⁴C dates when establishing the dating framework in peat profiles. Furthermore, we propose that the obtaining chronological control points of surficial peat is an important part of the establishing and improving of peat chronological framework in future research.     

Regional beryllium-10 production rate calibration for late-glacial northeastern North America

The major uncertainty in relating cosmogenic-nuclide exposure ages to ages measured by other dating methods comes from extrapolating nuclide production rates measured at globally scattered calibration sites to the sites of unknown age that are to be dated. This uncertainty can be reduced by locating production rate calibration sites that are similar in location and age to the sites to be dated. We use this strategy to reconcile exposure age and radiocarbon deglaciation chronologies for northeastern North America by compiling ¹⁰Be production rate calibration measurements from independently dated late-glacial and early Holocene ice-marginal landforms in this region. ¹⁰Be production rates measured at these sites are 6–12% lower than predicted by the commonly accepted global ¹⁰Be calibration data set used with any published production rate scaling scheme. In addition, the regional calibration data set shows significantly less internal scatter than the global calibration data set. Thus, this calibration data set can be used to improve both the precision and accuracy of exposure dating of regional late-glacial events. For example, if the global calibration data set is used to calculate exposure ages, the exposure-age deglaciation chronology for central New England is inconsistent with the deglaciation chronology inferred from radiocarbon dating and varve stratigraphy. We show that using the regional data set instead makes the exposure age and radiocarbon chronologies consistent. This increases confidence in correlating exposure ages of ice-marginal landforms in northeastern North America with glacial and climate events dated by other means.     

Preliminary Archaeomagnetic Results from a Floor Sequence of a Bread Kiln in Lübeck (Germany)

A sequence of 25 bread-kiln floors was sampled for archaeomagnetic measurements in a bakehouse in the old town of Lübeck, Germany. Due to archaeological dating this kiln floor sequence has been built up presumably from the late 13 ^th to the 18 ^th century. The primary magnetisation component is carried by magnetite (maghemite) and is very stable. Small viscous magnetisation components could be removed easily. The preliminary results of characteristic remanent magnetisation for 23 of the kiln-floor layers show clearly the trend of the geomagnetic secular variation expected for that time interval. By comparison with French and British master curves, the kiln-floor sequence started around 1425 and lasted until 1775 AD. Presently, confidence circles are relatively large and need refineing by measuring more samples, which have already been collected. Together with ¹⁴ C dating that can be determined from the charcoals found in the lowest layers and thermoluminescence dating of the layers, we expect to obtain, for the first time, a secular variation curve for Northern Germany covering the time interval from 1400 to 1800 years AD.     

Holocene moist period recorded by the chronostratigraphy of a lake sedimentary sequence from Lake Tangra Yumco on the south Tibetan Plateau

Palaeolimnological studies together with geomorphological investigations of exposed lacustrine sections on the Tibetan Plateau provided valuable palaeoclimate records. Radiocarbon dating is the most commonly used method for establishing chronologies of lake sediments. However, ¹⁴C dating of such sediments could be problematic due to the lack of organic matter or a reservoir effect, which commonly appears in radiocarbon ages of lacustrine sediments from the Tibetan Plateau. OSL dating is an alternative for dating the lake sediments and also provides the opportunity to independently test radiocarbon chronologies. The current study tries to compare OSL and ¹⁴C dating results in order to evaluate the reservoir effect of ¹⁴C dating, and then based on quartz OSL dating and stratigraphic analysis, to construct the chronostratigraphy of a lacustrine sedimentary sequence (TYC section), an offshore profile from Tangra Yumco lake on the southern Tibetan Plateau. Results suggest that: (1) it is possible to obtain robust OSL age estimates for these lake sediments and the OSL ages of the three samples range from ca. 7.6 ka to ca. 2.3 ka; (2) The discrepancy between the OSL and ¹⁴C ages is ca. 4–5 ka, which possibly results from the age overestimate of ¹⁴C dating due to a reservoir effect in the studied lake; (3) the chronostratigraphy of TYC section and sedimentological environmental analysis show a large lake with a lake level distinctively above the present during ca. 7.6–2.7 ka indicating a wet mid-Holocene in the study area.     

Temperature calibration of amino acid racemization age implications for the Yuha skeleton

D/L of aspartic acid ranged from 0.52 to 0.56 for femur samples of the Yuha skeleton. Subsurface temperature measurements made at the burial site indicate average annual temperature is 18°C and diagenetic temperature is 21.6°C. These data and a relation derived for the dependence of the aspartic acid rate constant on diagenetic temperature indicate an age of 23,600. The result is consistent with¹⁴C and²³⁰Th dating of calcrete found coating the bones.     

Lower Groundwater 14C Age by Atmospheric CO2 Uptake During Sampling and Analysis

Uptake of atmospheric CO₂ during sample collection and analysis, and consequent lowering of estimated ages, has rarely been considered in radiocarbon dating of groundwater. Using field and laboratory experiments, we show that atmospheric CO₂ can be easily and rapidly absorbed in hyperalkaline solutions used for the extraction of dissolved inorganic carbon, resulting in elevated ¹⁴C measurements. Kinetic isotope fractionation during atmospheric CO₂ uptake may also result in decrease of δ¹³C, leading to insufficient corrections for addition of dead carbon by geochemical processes. Consequently, measured ¹⁴C values of groundwater should not be used for age estimation without corresponding δ¹³C values, and historical ¹⁴C data in the range of 1 to 10% modern Carbon should be re‐evaluated to ensure that samples with atmospheric contamination are recognized appropriately. We recommend that samples for ¹⁴C analysis should be collected and processed in the field and the laboratory without exposure to the atmosphere. These precautions are considered necessary even if ¹⁴C measurements are made with an accelerator mass spectrometer.     

Production rate calculations for cosmic-ray-muon-produced 10Be and 26Al benchmarked against geological calibration data

First, I benchmark existing methods of calculating subsurface ²⁶Al, ¹⁰Be, and ¹⁴C production rates due to cosmic-ray muons against published calibration data from bedrock cores and mine excavations. This shows that methods based on downward propagation of the surface muon energy spectrum fit calibration data adequately. Of these methods, one that uses a simpler geographic scaling method based on energy-dependent attenuation of muons in the atmosphere appears to fit calibration data better than a more complicated one that uses the results of a global particle transport model to estimate geographic variation in the surface muon energy spectrum. Second, I show that although highly simplified and computationally much cheaper exponential function approximations for subsurface production rates are not globally adequate for accurate production rate estimates at arbitrary location and depth, they can be used with acceptable accuracy for many exposure-dating and erosion-rate-estimation applications.     

Seasonal radiocarbon reservoir ages for the 17th century James River,Virginia estuary

This study utilizes a combined stable isotope and ¹⁴C dating approach to determine the radiocarbon reservoir age correction, ΔR, for the James River, Virginia estuary from 17th century Crassostrea virginica shells of known collection dates. ΔR, which can vary spatially and temporally, is a locality-specific adjustment applied to the global ocean reservoir, R, to further account for the offset between the atmospheric and marine ¹⁴C calibration curves. To assess the temporal variability in ΔR, continuous δ¹⁸O sampling along the oyster shell hinge provides a seasonal record throughout the oyster's life. This is then used to identify sampling locations for ¹⁴C measurements based on calcite precipitated during the Summer (>19 °C) and Fall through Spring (F-Sp, <15 °C) months. The resulting seasonal ΔR values range from −151 ± 46 to +109 ± 55 ¹⁴C years (260 years) due to changes in the contribution and age of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from marine and freshwater sources in the James River estuary. The F-Sp samples display a larger ΔR range than the Summer samples, as do the shells precipitated during drought conditions (1606–1612) when compared to shells from the remainder of the 17th century. The largest intrashell ΔR variability, 195 ¹⁴C years, is similarly found in a drought shell and is attributed to variability caused by the extreme regional 1606–1612 drought. Early land use changes related to European development and farming practices also altered the age of DIC in the James River estuary. We estimate that the soil inorganic carbon (SIC) contributing to freshwater DIC ranged from 0 to ∼1800 years old and reflected both the drought and land use changes that occurred during the 17th century. Using only the Summer samples, which represent the majority of shell calcite, we obtain a mean ΔR = −32 ± 11 ¹⁴C years (1σ) for 17th century James River estuary ΔR at the very onset of European colonization. Employing a seasonally resolved sampling method will provide the greatest constraint on ¹⁴C measurements in an estuarine environment where multiple carbon sources can fluctuate on seasonal timescales and as a result of large scale environmental change.