Publication Date:
2011-02-24
Description:
High-resolution records of nitrate (NO 3 – ), oxygen isotope ( 18 O) and non-sea salt sulphate (nssSO 4 2– ) were studied using an ice core collected from central Dronning Maud Land in East Antarctica to identify the influence of environmental variability on accumulation of NO 3 – over the past 450 years. The results confirmed that multiple processes were responsible for the production and preservation of NO 3 – in Antarctic ice. Correlation between NO 3 – and nssSO 4 2– peaks revealed that sulphate aerosols released during major volcanic eruptions might have activated the production of nitric acid, which was scavenged by ion-induced nucleation in polar ice sheets. The correlation between the nitrate and 18 O records further suggest that enhanced NO 3 – preservation in the ice occurred during periods of lower atmospheric temperature. Major shifts in the NO 3 – record of the ice core presently studied and its comparison with 10 Be record from a core collected from South Pole suggest that a reduction in solar activity influenced the NO 3 – accumulation in Antarctica through enhanced production of odd nitrogen species.
Print ISSN:
0959-6836
Electronic ISSN:
1477-0911
Topics:
Geography
,
Geosciences
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