Mysterious abrupt carbon-14 increase in coral contributed by a comet.

A large and sudden increase in radiocarbon ((14)C) around AD 773 are documented in coral skeletons from the South China Sea. The (14)C increased by ~ 15‰ during winter, and remain elevated for more than 4 months, then increased and dropped down within two months, forming a spike of 45‰ high in late spring, followed by two smaller spikes. The (14)C anomalies coincide with an historic comet collision with the Earth's atmosphere on 17 January AD 773. Comas are known to have percent-levels of nitrogen by weight, and are exposed to cosmic radiation in space. Hence they may be expected to contain highly elevated (14)C/(12)C ratios, as compared to the Earth's atmosphere. The significant input of (14)C by comets may have contributed to the fluctuation of (14)C in the atmosphere throughout the Earth's history, which should be considered carefully to better constrain the cosmic ray fluctuation.

[Composition and seasonal variations of carbon isotopes in aerosols of Lhasa, Tibet].

A total of 30 samples of total suspended particles were collected at an urban site in western of Lhasa city, Tibet from August 2006 to July 2007 for investigating carbonaceous aerosol features. 14C was taken as a reference to quantitatively distinguish the fossil and biogenic-derived origins along with the characteristics of seasonal variations of all carbonaceous materials in Lhasa are discussed. The results showed that the f(c) values in Lhasa ranged from 0.357 to 0.702, with an average of 0.493, which is higher than Beijing and Tokyo, but are far lower than that of remote/rural regions such as Launceston, indicating a major biogenic influence in Lhasa. Values of f(c) displayed clear seasonal variations with higher mean value in winter, a decreasing trend in spring, while relatively lower values in summer and autumn. Higher f(C) values in winter demonstrate that carbonaceous aerosol is mainly dominated by wood burning and incineration of agricultural wastes during the winter. The lower f(c) values in summer and autumn might be caused by increased diesel engines, motor vehicles emissions, which are related to the tourism in Lhasa. delta13C values ranged from -26.40% per hundred to approximately -25.10% per hundred, with an average of -25.8% per hundred, and showed no clear seasonal variation. The relative higher values in summer reflected the increment of fossil carbon emissions. 13C(TC) values are relatively homogeneous at -25.8% per hundred, considering the characteristics of seasonal variations of f(c) values, it can be concluded that carbonaceous aerosol of Lhasa was mainly influenced by a constant mixing of several pollution sources such as motor vehicles and wood burning emissions.