[A-CC32_29PM2] Past environmental changes through ice core studies

[ACC32-P01_PG] Chemical compositions of non-volatile particles in NEEM (Greenland) ice core over the last 100,000 years

3-min talk in an oral session

*Ikumi OYABU¹, Yoshinori IIZUKA², Torbjorn KARLIN³, Manabu FUKUI², Margareta HANSSON³ (1.Graduate school of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, 2.Institute of Low Temperature Science, 3.Department of Physical Geograohy and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, Sweden)

Keywords:ice core, aerosol, paleo climate, greenland, ice sheet, NEEM

The polar ice cores provide us with information of past atmospheric aerosols. Soluble aerosols in polar ice cores are well discussed by using proxies of ion concentration/flux, however, there are few studies about chemical compositions of soluble aerosols in ice cores. Using a sublimation method, we show differences in the compositions of non-volatile aerosols over the last 100,000 years in the NEEM ice core, which was drilled during 2008?2012 on the northwest ridge line of Greenland ice sheet (77′27″N, 51′03″W). A total of 86 samples were distributed from NEEM ice core sections from 220 to 2195 m, which covers from late Holocene to Dansgaard-Oeschger event 24. Non-volatile particles were extracted from the ice by sublimation system [Iizuka et al., 2009]. Constituent elements of each non-volatile particle were measured by a scanning electron micro scope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. We made a classification of non-volatile particles into insoluble dust, soluble sulfate salts and soluble chloride salts as following; if Si found in a particle, we regard the particle as dust (Silicates); if S found, we regard the particle as sulfate; if Cl found, we regard the particle as chloride salt. For the sulfate salt, we did further classification that a particle containing Ca and S are assumed as CaSO4, Na and S are Na2SO4, Mg and S are MgSO4, K and S are K2SO4, the residual sulfate particles are “the other sulfate salt (other-S)“. In the same way, for chloride salts, we assumed NaCl, CaCl2, MgCl2, KCl and the other chloride salt (other-Cl). The number ratio of soluble salts to total particles is 9±6 % during Dansgaard?Oeschger (DO) events. In Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the ratio decreased in 3±2%. In Bolling-Allerod (BA), ratio of soluble salts slightly increased (10±5%). In Younger Dryas (YD), the ratio decreased again (6±3%). After Holocene, the ratio increased (16±10 %). In summary, more than 90 % of particles contain insoluble dust during the cold stages. These ratios suggest that during cold periods, insoluble dust concentration is higher contribution to total non-volatile particles than that in warm periods.We examined chemical characteristics of non-volatile particles by dividing into 7 climatic stages (Late Holocene; LH, Early Holocene; EH, YD, BA, LGM, DO events-warm; DO-W and DO events-cold; DO-C). The 7 stages can be sorted into 2 types; interglacial-type (LH, EH and BA) and glacial-type (YD, LGM, DO-W and DO-C). For the interglacial-type, number of Na-containing particles is larger than that of Ca-containing particles (Na:Ca = 4:3). On the other hand, for the glacial-type, number of Ca-containing particles is larger than that of Na-containing particles (Na:Ca = 5:9). Ca-containing particles is suggested to mainly comes from terrestrial materials and Na-containing particles is mainly comes from sea-salt [Steffense et al., 1997]. Our results of the ratio of Ca and Na particles may be explained by not only absolute concentration of dust and sea-salt but also relative valance of those concentrations. In the three interglacial-type, the ratio of other-S and other-Cl, those are sulfate and chloride salts without Na, Mg, K, nor Ca, during the LH are relatively higher than the other stages. Since NH4+ concentration increased due to increasing of vegetation area and biological activity by warming in LH [Fuhrer and Legrand, 1997], other-S and ?Cl might be ammonium sulfate and ammonium chloride, respectively. Focusing on Ca-particles more in detail in the four glacial-type, number of Ca-containing particles without S and Cl is higher in LGM (11%) and DO-C (12%) than that in YD (6%) and DO-W (7%). Since the X-ray spectroscopy cannot detect carbon, the Ca-containing particles may be CaCO3 in the LGM and DO-C because CaCO3 was founded during the LGM by single particle measurement in the GRIP (Greenland) ice core [Sakurai et al., 2009].