Two modes of glacial climate during the late stage 5 identified in Greenland ice core records

International audienceFrom a detailed analysis of marine and terrestrial aerosol tracers in the NGRIP ice core we identified two distinct glacial atmospheric flow patterns. The climate transition from Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5) to MIS 4, at approximately 75 kyr BP, marks a shift between two different atmospheric flow regimes. Before this transition, during MIS 5d-a, the state of atmospheric flow was alternating between the two modes of different flow patterns, while a more persistent flow pattern was prevailing through the glacial period afterwards. These changes are accompanied by strong changes in an independent Greenland ice core proxy, namely the deuterium excess from the GRIP ice core, reflecting changes in the hydrological cycle and moisture source temperatures as well. The changes in atmospheric flow pattern are correlated with changed extent of ice-rafted detritus (IRD) deposition in the North Atlantic, indicating that the state of the atmospheric flow was highly sensitive to the waxing and waning of the Laurentide ice sheet

The influence of regional circulation patterns on wet and dry mineral dust and sea salt deposition over Greenland

Annually resolved ice core records from different regions over the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) are used to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of calcium (Ca2+, mainly from mineral dust) and sodium (Na+, mainly from sea salt) deposition. Cores of high common inter-annual variability are grouped with an EOF analysis, resulting in regionally representative Ca2+ and Na+ records for northeastern and central Greenland. Utilizing a regression and validation method with ERA-40 reanalysis data, these common records are associated with distinct regional atmospheric circulation patterns over the North American Arctic, Greenland, and Central to Northern Europe. These patterns are interpreted in terms of transport and deposition of the impurities. In the northeastern part of the GrIS sea salt records reflect the intrusion of marine air masses from southeasterly flow. A large fraction of the Ca2+ variability in this region is connected to a circulation pattern suggesting transport from the west and dry deposition. This pattern is consistent with the current understanding of a predominantly Asian source of the dust deposited over the GrIS. However, our results also indicate that a significant fraction of the inter-annual dust variability in NE and Central Greenland is determined by the frequency and intensity of wet deposition during the season of high atmospheric dust loading, rather than representing the variability of the Asian dust source and/or long-range transport to Greenland. The variances in the regional proxy records explained by the streamfunction patterns are high enough to permit reconstructions of the corresponding regional deposition regimes and the associated circulation pattern

IFCC recommendation on sampling, transport and storage for the determination of the concentration of ionized calcium in whole blood, plasma and serum

The substance concentration of ionized calcium (c Ca2+) in blood, plasma or serum preanalytically may be affected by pH changes of the sample, calcium binding by heparin, and dilution by the anticoagulant solution

International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC): Scientific Division, Committee on pH, Blood Gases and Electrolytes: Guidelines for Transcutaneouspo2andpco2 Measurement

This document provides guidelines for the terminology, methodology, and for the interpretation of data obtained from the use of skin (transcutaneous) po2 and pco2 electrodes. The transcutaneous technique has found special application in newborn infants. The causes of analytical bias with respect to arterial blood gas values, and imprecision obtained with transcutaneous pco2 electrodes, are reviewed. Electrode temperatures above 44°C should not be used routinely, and, at a measuring temperature of 44°C, the measuring site should be changed at least every 4 h to avoid skin burns

Greenland ice core evidence of the 79 AD Vesuvius eruption

Volcanic tephra are independent age horizons and can synchronize strata of various paleoclimate records in- cluding ice and sediment cores. The Holocene section of the Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP) ice core is dated by multi-parameter annual layer counting, and contains peaks in acidity, SO 2− and microparticle concentrations at a depth of 4 429.1 to 429.3 m, which have not previously been definitively ascribed to a volcanic eruption. Here, we identify tephra par- ticles and determine that volcanic shards extracted from a depth of 429.3 m in the GRIP ice core are likely due to the 79 AD Vesuvius eruption. The chemical composition of the tephra particles is consistent with the K-phonolitic compo- sition of the Vesuvius juvenile ejecta and differs from the chemical composition of other major eruptions (≥VEI 4) between 50–100 AD

Anion gap, anion gap corrected for albumin, base deficit and unmeasured anions in critically ill patients: implications on the assessment of metabolic acidosis and the diagnosis of hyperlactatemia

Abstract Background Base deficit (BD), anion gap (AG), and albumin corrected anion gap (ACAG) are used by clinicians to assess the presence or absence of hyperlactatemia (HL). We set out to determine if these tools can diagnose the presence of HL using cotemporaneous samples. Methods We conducted a chart review of ICU patients who had cotemporaneous arterial blood gas, serum chemistry, serum albumin (Alb) and lactate(Lac) levels measured from the same sample. We assessed the capacity of AG, BD, and ACAG to diagnose HL and severe hyperlactatemia (SHL). HL was defined as Lac > 2.5 mmol/L. SHL was defined as a Lac of > 4.0 mmol/L. Results From 143 patients we identified 497 series of lab values that met our study criteria. Mean age was 62.2 ± 15.7 years. Mean Lac was 2.11 ± 2.6 mmol/L, mean AG was 9.0 ± 5.1, mean ACAG was 14.1 ± 3.8, mean BD was 1.50 ± 5.4. The area under the curve for the ROC for BD, AG, and ACAG to diagnose HL were 0.79, 0.70, and 0.72, respectively. Conclusion AG and BD failed to reliably detect the presence of clinically significant hyperlactatemia. Under idealized conditions, ACAG has the capacity to rule out the presence of hyperlactatemia. Lac levels should be obtained routinely in all patients admitted to the ICU in whom the possibility of shock/hypoperfusion is being considered. If an AG assessment is required in the ICU, it must be corrected for albumin for there to be sufficient diagnostic utility.</p