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www.clim-past-discuss.net/7/1113/2011/
doi:10.5194/cpd-7-1113-2011
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under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
The calcium-dust relationship in high-resolution data from Dome C, Antarctica
1Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
2Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
3Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 København Ø, Denmark
4Britisch Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
*now at: Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, Ansan, Korea
Abstract. Ice core data from Antarctica provide detailed insights into the characteristics of past climate, atmospheric circulation, as well as changes in the aerosol load of the atmosphere. We present high-resolution records of soluble calcium (Ca2+), non-sea-salt soluble calcium (nssCa2+), and insoluble mineral aerosol dust from the East Antarctic Plateau at a depth resolution of 1 cm, spanning the past 800 000 yr. The comparison shows that the ratio of ionic proxies such as CaCa2+ (or nssCa2+) to particulate dust aerosol is variable in time. Accordingly, the insoluble dust record is representative of large and small atmospheric particulate dust load changes and better suited to quantify the aerosol effect on the radiation balance in the past. In contrast soluble dust proxies such as Ca2+ and nssCa2+ will underestimate this effect but may be better suited to quantify the deposition of chemically active Ca2+ or other soluble dust derived nutrients into the Southern Ocean. The correlation between nssCa2+ and particulate dust is time dependent with high correlations during glacial and low correlation during interglacial times. The low correlation during warm times may be partly caused by changes in the soluble calcium content of dust particles, possibly due to a more acidic atmosphere during interglacials. The ratio of nssCa2+ to dust is dependent on the dust concentration itself. A simple mixing of two dust end members for glacial and interglacial conditions with nssCa2+ to dust ratios of 0.045 and approximately 0.3, respectively, can explain the overall temporal change in the nssCa2+ to dust ratio over time.
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Notice on Discussion StatusCitation: Lambert, F., Bigler, M., Steffensen, J. P., Hutterli, M., and Fischer, H.: The calcium-dust relationship in high-resolution data from Dome C, Antarctica, Clim. Past Discuss., 7, 1113-1137, doi:10.5194/cpd-7-1113-2011, 2011. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
