Sulfate spikes in the deep layers of EPICA-Dome C ice core: evidence of glaciological artifacts.

A detailed ionic component record was performed on EPICA Dome C ice core (East Antarctica) to a depth of 3190 m using Ion Chromatography and Fast Ion Chromatography (FIC). At depths greater than 2800 m, the sulfate profile shows intense, sharp spikes which are not expected due to the smoothing of sulfate peaks by diffusion processes. Moreover, these spikes show an "anomalous" chemical composition (e.g., unusually low acidity, high Mg(2+) concentration and high Mg(2+)/Ca(2+) ratio). These peaks and the surrounding layers also exhibit good Mg(2+) vs SO(4)(2-) and Cl(-) vs Na(+) correlations through both glacial and interglacial periods. Furthermore, the high-resolution analysis of two horizontally contiguous ice sections showed that some fraction of the impurities are characterized by a heterogeneous distribution. Altogether, these results suggest the occurrence of long-term postdepositional processes involving a rearrangement of impurities via migration in the vein network, characterized by sulfuric acidity and leading to the formation of soluble particles of magnesium sulfate salts, along with ionic association of ions in the liquid films along boundaries. This evidence should be taken into consideration when inferring information on for rapid climatic and environmental changes from ice core chemical records at great depths. At Dome C, the depth threshold was found to be 2800 m.

High-resolution Greenland ice core data show abrupt climate change happens in few years.

The last two abrupt warmings at the onset of our present warm interglacial period, interrupted by the Younger Dryas cooling event, were investigated at high temporal resolution from the North Greenland Ice Core Project ice core. The deuterium excess, a proxy of Greenland precipitation moisture source, switched mode within 1 to 3 years over these transitions and initiated a more gradual change (over 50 years) of the Greenland air temperature, as recorded by stable water isotopes. The onsets of both abrupt Greenland warmings were slightly preceded by decreasing Greenland dust deposition, reflecting the wetting of Asian deserts. A northern shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone could be the trigger of these abrupt shifts of Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation, resulting in changes of 2 to 4 kelvin in Greenland moisture source temperature from one year to the next.

Stable carbon cycle-climate relationship during the Late Pleistocene.

A record of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations measured on the EPICA (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica) Dome Concordia ice core extends the Vostok CO2 record back to 650,000 years before the present (yr B.P.). Before 430,000 yr B.P., partial pressure of atmospheric CO2 lies within the range of 260 and 180 parts per million by volume. This range is almost 30% smaller than that of the last four glacial cycles; however, the apparent sensitivity between deuterium and CO2 remains stable throughout the six glacial cycles, suggesting that the relationship between CO2 and Antarctic climate remained rather constant over this interval.

Eight glacial cycles from an Antarctic ice core.

The Antarctic Vostok ice core provided compelling evidence of the nature of climate, and of climate feedbacks, over the past 420,000 years. Marine records suggest that the amplitude of climate variability was smaller before that time, but such records are often poorly resolved. Moreover, it is not possible to infer the abundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from marine records. Here we report the recovery of a deep ice core from Dome C, Antarctica, that provides a climate record for the past 740,000 years. For the four most recent glacial cycles, the data agree well with the record from Vostok. The earlier period, between 740,000 and 430,000 years ago, was characterized by less pronounced warmth in interglacial periods in Antarctica, but a higher proportion of each cycle was spent in the warm mode. The transition from glacial to interglacial conditions about 430,000 years ago (Termination V) resembles the transition into the present interglacial period in terms of the magnitude of change in temperatures and greenhouse gases, but there are significant differences in the patterns of change. The interglacial stage following Termination V was exceptionally long--28,000 years compared to, for example, the 12,000 years recorded so far in the present interglacial period. Given the similarities between this earlier warm period and today, our results may imply that without human intervention, a climate similar to the present one would extend well into the future.