Anatomy of ice cores: continuous-flow chemical analysis of polar ice cores

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• Dr. Ailsa Benton (British Antarctic Survey)
• Monday 16 January 2012, 14:15-15:30
• Unilever Lecture Theatre, Department of Chemistry.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Dr Alex Archibald.

Investigations into contaminants in snow and ice from Greenland and Antarctica have shown changes in temperature, atmospheric circulation, and physical and chemical composition of the atmosphere over sub-annual to millennial timescales. Chemical proxies can reveal geophysical manifestations of climate such as sea ice extent and changes in pollutant sources and sinks.

In this talk I will introduce the continuous flow analysis (CFA) system developed at BAS which is used for determining high resolution physical and chemical records of past climates from ice cores. I will introduce the range of parameters measured by the system, along with its limitations. Using examples from recently drilled Arctic and Antarctic ice cores, I will explain how different climatic chemical indicators are used to reveal past environments: from the previous interglacial to post-industrial eras; and from volcanic records to subannual photochemical processes.

This talk is part of the Centre for Atmospheric Science seminars, Chemistry Dept. series.

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