Detailed glaciochemical investigations in southern Victoria Land - a proxy climatic record

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Antarctic Journal of the United States; (USA)

OSTI ID:6967141

Mayewski, P A

Local accumulation-basins in the Transantarctic Mountains possess sites suitable for recovering ice-core records that are valuable for studying climate change. These sites are also unique, because they are close to the sites of other ice-core studies and to areas with established terrestrial records. The objective is to study a snowpit in detail and collect ice cores in southern Victoria Land; this work will be similar to the investigations that the authors has conducted in south Greenland and in the Dominion Range near the Beardmore Glacier. The proposed sites are in Convoy, Asgard, and Royal Society ranges. The authors will select one site at which he will recover two ice cores, each approximately 200 to 300 meters in depth. Samples will be analyzed for major anions (chloride, sulfate, nitrate, fluoride) and cations (sodium, potassium, magnesium, ammonium, silicate), total acidity, conductivity, density, and core stratigraphy with dating provided by cross-calibration of all of the preceding plus total beta-activity, lead-210, oxygen isotopes, and microparticles. This investigation will yield a detailed record of several thousand years of glacial history, climate change, and volcanic activity for southern Victoria Land. This record will be compared to existing terrestrial records to add necessary detail and to other global ice-core records to assess global climatic change. It will also help to document volcanic activity for Mount Erebus as well as other volcanos in the Southern Hemisphere and possibly some in the Northern Hemisphere. With this record, the author will be able to evaluate the influence of volcanic and solar activity on climate as well as add greatly to the understanding of the chemistry of the global atmosphere.

• OSTI ID: 6967141
• Journal Information: Antarctic Journal of the United States; (USA), Journal Name: Antarctic Journal of the United States; (USA) Vol. 22:3; ISSN 0003-5335; ISSN AJUSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
AGE ESTIMATION
ALKALI METALS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
ANTARCTICA
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMISTRY
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
DENSITY
DEPTH
DIMENSIONS
DRILL CORES
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGY
GLACIERS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ICE
ISOTOPE DATING
ISOTOPES
LEAD 210
LEAD ISOTOPES
MAGNESIUM
METALS
MOUNTAINS
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN ISOTOPES
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
PALEONTOLOGY
PH VALUE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLAR REGIONS
POTASSIUM
RADIOISOTOPES
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SODIUM
STRATIGRAPHY
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
VOLCANISM
VOLCANOES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES