Advances in climate prediction depend on a knowledge of historical climatic sequences ranging in scale from decades to Millennia. Proxy data produced by pollen, sediment, tree rings,glacier fluctuations, and ice and snow cores are valuable in the construction of climatic sequences when direct observations of the atmosphere are either spatially or temporally lacking. Links between proxy data and the atmosphere generate the most confidence when actual components of climate are preserved in the proxy medium

Mayewski, Paul Andrew

Twickler, Mark S.

English

University of Maine

The University of MaineDigitalCommons@UMaineEarth Science Faculty Scholarship Earth Sciences1988Detailed Glaciochemical Investigations in SouthernVictoria Land, Antarctica―A Proxy ClimateRecordPaul Andrew MayewskiUniversity of Maine, paul.mayewski@maine.eduMark S. TwicklerFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ers_facpubPart of the Geochemistry Commons, Glaciology Commons, and the Hydrology CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Earth Science FacultyScholarship by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contactum.library.technical.services@maine.edu.Repository CitationMayewski, Paul Andrew and Twickler, Mark S., "Detailed Glaciochemical Investigations in Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica―AProxy Climate Record" (1988). Earth Science Faculty Scholarship. 226.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ers_facpub/226Legrand, M., and R.J. Delmas. 1984. The ionic balance of Antarcticsnow: A 10-year detailed record. Atmospheric Environment, 18, 1,867-1,874.Legrand, M., and R.J. Delmas. 1985. Spatial and temporal variationsof snow chemistry in Terre Adelie Coast, Antarctica. Annals of Gla-ciology, 7, 20-25.Legrand, M., and R.J. Delmas. 1986. Relative contributions of tropos-pheric and stratospheric sources to nitrate in Antarctic snow. Tellus,38B, 236-249.Mayewski, P.A., W.B. Lyons, M.J. Spencer, M. Twickler, W. Dans-gaard, B. Koci, C.I. Davidson, and R.E. Honrath. 1986. Sulfate andnitrate concentrations from a South Greenland ice core. Science, 232,975-977.Mayewski, PA., M.J. Spencer, W.B. Lyons, and M. Twickler. 1987.Seasonal and spatial trends in south Greenland snow chemistry.Atmospheric Environment, 21, 863-869.McCormick, M.P., and J.C. Larsen. 1986. Antarctic springtime mea-surements of ozone, nitrogen dioxide and aerosol extinction by SAMII, SAGE, and SAGE II. Geophysical Research Letters, 13, 1280-1283.McElroy, M.B., R.J. Salawitch, and S.C. Wofsy. 1986a. Antarctic 03:Chemical mechanisms for the spring decrease. Geophysical ResearchLetters, 13, 1,296-1,299.McElroy, M.B., R.J. Salawitch, S.C. Wofsy, and J.A. Logan. 1986b.Reduction of Antarctic ozone due to synergetic interactions of chlor-ine and bromine. Nature, 321, 759-762.Murozumi, M., T.J. Chow, and C.C. Patterson. 1969. Chemical con-centrations of pollutant lead aerosols, terrestrial dusts and seasaltsin Greenland and Antarctic snow strata. Geochimica et CosmochimicaActa, 33, 1,247-1,294.Ng, A., and C.C. Patterson. 1981. Natural concentrations of lead inancient Arctic and Antarctic ice. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 45,2,109-2,121.Parker, B.C., E.J. Zeller, and A.J. Gow. 1982. Nitrate fluctuation inAntarctic snow and firn: Potential sources and mechanisms of for-mation. Annals of Glaciology, 3, 243-248.Parrish, A., R.L. Zafra, M. De Jaramillo, B. Connor, P.M. Solomon,and J.W. Barrett. 1988. Extremely low N 20 concentrations in thespringtime stratosphere at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Nature,332, 53-55.Pearman, G.I., D. Etheridge, F. de Silva, and P.J. Fraser. 1986. Evi-dence of changing concentrations of atmospheric CO,, N 20 and CH4from air bubbles in Antarctic ice. Nature, 320, 248-250.Risbo, T., H.B. Clausen, and K.L. Rasmussen. 1981. Supernovae andnitrate in the Greenland ice sheet. Nature, 294, 637-639.Schoeberl, M.R., and A.J. Krueger. 1986. Overview of the Antarcticozone depletion issue. Geophysical Research Letters, 13, 1,191-1,192.Sekiguchi, Y. 1986. Antarctic ozone change correlated to the strato-spheric temperature field. Geophysical Research Letters, 13, 1,202-1,205.loon, O.B., P. Hamill, R.P. Turco, and J. Pinto. 1986. Condensationof HNO3 and HC1 in the winter polar stratospheres. GeophysicalResearch Letters, 13, 1,284-1,287.Wofsy, S.C., M.J. Molina, T.J. Salawitch, L.E. Fox, and M.B. McElroy.1988. Interactions between HCI, NO N , H2O ice in the Antarctic strat-osphere: Implications for ozone. Journal of Geophysical Research, 93,2,442-2,450.Wolff, E.W., and D.A. Peel. 1985. The record of global pollution inpolar snow and ice. Nature, 313, 535-540.Zeller, E.J., and B.C. Parker. 1981. Nitrate ion in Antarctic firn as amarker for solar activity. Geophysical Research Letters, 8, 895-898.Detailed glaciochemical investigationsin southern Victoria Land, Antarctica—A proxy climate recordPAUL A. MAYEWSKI and MARK S. TWICKLERGlacier Research GroupInstitute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and SpaceUniversity of New HampshireDurham, New Hampshire 03824Advances in climate prediction depend on a knowledge ofhistorical climatic sequences ranging in scale from decades tomillennia. Proxy data produced by pollen, sediment, tree rings,glacier fluctuations, and ice and snow cores are valuable in theconstruction of climatic sequences when direct observations ofthe atmosphere are either spatially or temporally lacking. Linksbetween proxy data and the atmosphere generate the mostconfidence when actual components of climate are preservedin the proxy medium.The best preserved data pertaining to former climate is foundin the time-series available from snow and ice cores retrievedfrom appropriately chosen glaciers. Records from polar andhigh-altitude, low- to middle-latitude glaciers have provenvaluable in obtaining time series relatable to climatic changefor time periods of 10 to 100,000 years. Analysis of the physicaland chemical components of ice and snow such as: stratigra-phy, stable isotopes, radio-nuclides, and primary anions andcations can all be very effective in determining, on seasonal tomulti-year levels, extremely detailed proxy records of climaticchange, atmospheric chemistry, and volcanic activity.The production of climatic change records using time-seriesretrieved from ice cores has seen minimal application in theTransantarctic Mountains even though glacial geologic studiesin this area provide one of the primary bases for understandingthe glacial history of Antarctica. Notably while the glacial geo-logic records provide relatively low-resolution, long-periodrecords, the ice core records could provide an excellent viewof an albeit shorter period but with relatively high resolution.Therefore, detailed ice-core records provide the resolution nec-essary to assess, expand, and utilize the longer, less-detailedglacial geologic records and more importantly allow us to com-pare in detail the modern environment in Antarctica with thepaleoenvironment adding significantly to our understandingof global change.Three primary ice core sites were chosen for investigationduring the 1987-1988 field season: the Royal Society Range,head of Emmanuel Glacier (approximately 78°07'S approxi-mately 161°35'E, approximate elevation 3,000 meters); the As-gaard Range, head of Newall Glacier (approximately 77°37'Sapproximately 162°30'E, approximate elevation 1,700 meters);and the Convoy Range in the general area of Staten IslandHeights/Dotson Ridge (approximately 76°50'S approximately161°30'E, approximate elevation 1,500 meters).68	 ANTARCTIC JOURNALAll of these sites potentially could provide valuable ice corerecords because:• mean annual temperatures are <25° yielding minimal to nomelt and an undisturbed chemical record;• Transantarctic Mountains ice coring sites are in a uniquegeographic position for monitoring changes in the positionand magnitude of inland vs. coastal circulation systems sincethese mountains form a barrier between air masses origi-nating over the ocean and the ice sheet;• glacial geologic studies in the general region are availablefor comparison;• information on meteorology and sea-ice extent is availablefor the region;• the sites are close enough to Mount Erebus such that eachcan provide chemical records of the volcano's activity;• the sites are close enough to seasonal open ocean such thatmarine chemical species can be used as seasonal indicatorsand as indicators of change in sea-ice extent;• the sites are close to ice-free areas and, therefore, analysisof crustal chemical species will aid in assessing changes inice-free exposure with time;• there are ice core records from Dome C and one other Trans-antarctic Mountain site, the Dominion Range, which can beused for comparison to the north and south, respectively;• results from the three preliminary study sites will be inval-uable in assessing the spatial field for major anions andcations, and• the detail and overlap in analyses proposed for these threesites provides a greatly needed cross-calibration of severalchemical and physical techniques that will be useful in allfuture ice coring programs in Antarctica.Between 2 November and 4 December 1987 Paul A. May-ewski (field leader), Mark Twickler, William Berry Lyons, andMike Hussey were involved in field activities intended to de-termine which of the three preliminary sites would be the mostsuitable for a core recovery program in 1988-1989. The RoyalSociety Range site and an additional one on the lower VictoriaGlacier were removed from consideration after field reviewdue to poor on-site surface snow conditions. Detailed inves-tigations in the Convoy Range and Newall Glacier (AsgaardRange) were undertaken including, radio-echo sounding anddetailed 2.25-centimeter interval snow sampling of 2-6-metersnowpits for oxygen isotopes (currently being analyzed by P.Grootes, University of Washington); stratigraphy; major an-ions (sulfate, nitrate, chloride, fluoride); major cations (so-dium, potassium, calcium, ammonium, magnesium); acidity;conductivity; total ionic balance; and alpha, beta and gammaspectroscopy.A preliminary ice-thickness map was developed (figure) forthe 1988-1989 study region in the upper Newall Glacier. Thenumber of survey and radio-echo sounding sites will be ex-panded and refined during the early part of the 1988-1989field season to locate accurately ideal sites for the recovery oftwo ice cores which will be drilled to bedrock b y the Polar Ice62° 55	 30	 4577° 30'SIc-vo35,8.o/)	iI	''5	 100;0.'ssss,yposSsle fallsTROIcA	 SsbqIacaI f dqeice depth ,,sSi,ssSd	 —	 ±Ice surface and ice depth contours for a portion of Newall Glacier,Asgaard Range, based on the 1987-1988 preliminary site selectionprogram. (masl denotes meters above sea level, m denotes meter,km denotes kilometer.)Coring Office. A University of New Hampshire team will beat the site in 1988-1989 to complete the preliminary site survey,excavate, and sample more snowpits and process all of thecore material.We would like to thank VXE-6 and ITT Antarctic SupportServices for their help. This research was supported by Na-tional Science Foundation grant DPP 86-13786.1988 REVIEW	 69

Detailed Glaciochemical Investigations in Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica―A Proxy Climate Record

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Detailed Glaciochemical Investigations in Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica―A Proxy Climate Record

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