Isotopic tracing (Sr, Nd, U, and Hf) of continental and marine aerosols in an 18th century section of the Dye-3 ice core (Greenland)

Determining the sources and pathways of atmospheric mineral dust and marine aerosols remains a difficult problem. In order to address this problem, the radiogenic isotopic composition of the dust and soluble ice components of Greenland ice has been determined and used as a source tracer for mineral dust and marine aerosols. Sr and Nd isotopic composition was measured, with a yearly to seasonal resolution, on both the bulk dust and soluble fractions of a section of the Dye-3 (1988) ice core from Greenland in the age range of 1786–1793 A.D. Hf isotopic composition was also measured for three of the dust samples as a complementary tracer of dust origin, the first direct measurement of Hf in paleo-atmospheric dust. Measured Nd and Sr isotopic composition of the dust corrected for carbonate contributions are compared to literature potential source area (PSA) data (6 ε units) and are decoupled from dust composition, indicating that the Nd composition of seawater is preserved in the ice. The εNd of the ice suggests variable mixing of aerosols from Arctic sea salts with another, more radiogenic, source during transport

The impact of glacier retreat from the Ross Sea on local climate: Characterization of mineral dust in the Taylor Dome ice core, EastAntarctica

Recent declines in ice shelf and sea ice extent experienced in polar regions highlight the importance of evaluating variations in local weather patterns in response to climate change. Airborne mineral particles (dust) transported through the atmosphere and deposited on ice sheets and glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland can provide a robust set of tools for resolving the evolution of climatic systems through time. Here we present the first high time resolution radiogenic isotope (strontium and neodymium) data for Holocene dust in a coastal East Antarctic ice core, accompanied by rare earth element composition, dust concentration, and particle size distribution during the last deglaciation. We aim to use these combined ice core data to determine dust provenance, with variations indicative of shifts in either dust production, sources, and/or transport pathways. We analyzed a series of 17 samples from the Taylor Dome (77◦47'47''S, 158◦43'26''E) ice core, 113–391m in depth from 1.1–31.4ka. Radiogenic isotopic and rare earth element compositions of dust during the last glacial period are in good agreement with previously measured East Antarctic ice core dust records. In contrast, the Holocene dust dataset displays a broad range in isotopic and rare earth element compositions, suggesting a shift from long-range transported dust to a more variable, local input that may be linked to the retreat of the Ross Ice Shelf during the last deglaciation. Observed changes in the dust cycle inferred from a coastal East Antarctic ice core can thus be used to infer an evolving local climate

Combined U-Th/He and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of post-shield lavas from the Mauna Kea and Kohala volcanoes, Hawaii

Late Quaternary, post-shield lavas from the Mauna Kea and Kohala volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii have been dated using the {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar and U-Th/He methods. The objective of the study is to compare the recently demonstrated U-Th/He age method, which uses basaltic olivine phenocrysts, with {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar ages measured on groundmass from the same samples. As a corollary, the age data also increase the precision of the chronology of volcanism on the Big Island. For the U-Th/He ages, U, Th and He concentrations and isotopes were measured to account for U-series disequilibrium and initial He. Single analyses U-Th/He ages for Hamakua lavas from Mauna Kea are 87 {+-} 40 ka to 119 {+-} 23 ka (2{sigma} uncertainties), which are in general equal to or younger than {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar ages. Basalt from the Polulu sequence on Kohala gives a U-Th/He age of 354 {+-} 54 ka and a {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar age of 450 {+-} 40 ka. All of the U-Th/He ages, and all but one spurious {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar ages conform to the previously proposed stratigraphy and published {sup 14}C and K-Ar ages. The ages also compare favorably to U-Th whole rock-olivine ages calculated from {sup 238}U - {sup 230}Th disequilibria. The U-Th/He and {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar results agree best where there is a relatively large amount of radiogenic {sup 40}Ar (>10%), and where the {sup 40}Ar/{sup 36}Ar intercept calculated from the Ar isochron diagram is close to the atmospheric value. In two cases, it is not clear why U-Th/He and {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar ages do not agree within uncertainty. U-Th/He and {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar results diverge the most on a low-K transitional tholeiitic basalt with abundant olivine. For the most alkalic basalts with negligible olivine phenocrysts, U-Th/He ages were unattainable while {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar results provide good precision even on ages as low as 19 {+-} 4 ka. Hence, the strengths and weaknesses of the U-Th/He and {sup 40}Ar/{sup 39}Ar methods are complimentary for basalts with ages of order 100-500 ka

Ice core record of dust sources in the western United States over the last 300 years

Over the past ~ 5000 years, amplified dust generation and deposition in the American West has been linked to human activity. In recent decades, intensified rates of agriculture and livestock grazing have been correlated with greater dust production detected on seasonal to annual timescales. The combination of land use intensification and climate change (i.e. increased drought frequency) in North America highlights the importance of characterizing the sources of dust both before and after the influence of anthropogenic activity. We apply high-precision geochemical and isotopic (Sr and Nd isotopes) techniques to an ice core from the Upper Fremont Glacier (Wyoming, USA) to produce the first glacial dataset from the American West. Our Sr-Nd isotopic composition data indicates the evolving dust provenance to the Upper Fremont Glacier (UFG) from a long-range transport of mineral dust to a local source. This increasing input of dust from a local source is supported by a rise in average dust particle diameter combined with greater average dust concentration throughout the record. The greater presence of dust particles smaller than 2.5 μm in the most recent samples from UFG ice core record support existing satellite and sediment core data regarding the effects of anthropogenic activity upon dust sources and pathways in the American West. Although the Sr-Nd isotope database in North America needs be expanded, our results provide a survey of windborne dust through the past 270 years

Insights into combined radiogenic and stable strontium isotopes as tracers for weathering processes in subglacial environments

This study reports stable and radiogenic strontium isotope behaviour in the dissolved load and suspended sediments from the subglacial outflow of the Lemon Creek glacier (Juneau Ice Field, Alaska) over a single melt season. In situ measurements (discharge, total alkalinity, pH and conductivity) are combined with elemental concentrations, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and radiogenic strontium isotope measurements to interpret the variations observed in stable strontium isotopic ratios. The stable Sr isotope composition (88Sr/86Sr ratio expressed as δ88/86Sr, ‰) of the dissolved load averages 0.31 ± 0.05‰, and is heavier than both the suspended sediment 0.18 ± 0.03‰, as well as local bedrocks ~ 0.20 to 0.26‰. We attribute the enrichment of heavier isotopes in the dissolved load to the uptake of lighter Sr isotopes by secondary weathering minerals, driving the dissolved load to heavier values. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the presence of clays in the suspended sediments and thermodynamic modelling suggests the presence of iron oxy-hydroxide phases. Although it is not possible to completely rule out the effect of dissolution of primary minerals in controlling Sr isotopic compositions of the dissolved load, our data indicate that the extent of secondary mineral formation likely plays a significant role. The preferential weathering of minerals such as biotite (consistent with the mineralogical assemblages found in the suspended sediments), as well as the potential presence of radiogenic calcites from metacarbonates (derived from the Yukon-Tanana terrain), may be driving the small seasonal shifts in 87Sr/86Sr of the dissolved load to more radiogenic compositions, from 87Sr/86Sr(DL) = 0.71048 to 0.710647. Using the combination of stable and radiogenic strontium isotopes to investigate weathering processes shows that radiogenic Sr isotopes provide information regarding weathering of primary phases. While the stable Sr isotope data appear to record information regarding the extent of secondary mineral formation, where secondary minerals incorporate the light isotopes, driving the dissolved load to heavy values