Recent Environmental Changes on the Antarctic Peninsula As Recorded in an Ice Core from the Bruce Plateau
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Recent Environmental Changes on the Antarctic Peninsula as Recorded in an Ice Core from the Bruce Plateau DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Bradley Patrick Goodwin Graduate Program in Atmospheric Science The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Professor Ellen Mosley-Thompson, Advisor Professor David Bromwich Professor Jay Hobgood Professor Lonnie Thompson Copyrighted by Bradley Patrick Goodwin 2013 Abstract Dramatic changes in net accumulation and temperature on the Antarctic Peninsula have been observed over the last century. Ice core-derived proxies provide histories of these variables extending beyond the relatively short instrumental records available for this region. Histories of net annual accumulation and 18O from an ice core drilled to bedrock on the Bruce Plateau in the Antarctic Peninsula provide an additional multi-century record of climate variability in this region. Time series for the period 1750-2009 CE are generated, evaluated for changes over time and compared to other relevant environmental data. Comparisons to satellite and station data are conducted over the relatively short duration of these records. Large scale atmospheric oscillations, such as the Southern Annular Mode and El Niño-Southern Oscillation, are investigated as potential drivers of the observed changes from 1900-2009 CE. Ice core records from other locations are analyzed to provide a larger spatial context for the changes observed on the Antarctic Peninsula from 1750 to 2009 CE. Sulfate in ice cores can originate from sea salt, oceanic biological productivity, volcanic activity, and anthropogenic influences. Different methods are used to distinguish the sulfate contributed by each of these sources and thereby to generate source specific sulfate histories. ii Dedication to my parents Tom and Janet Goodwin and my brother Matthew Goodwin iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Ellen Mosley-Thompson, for her support and encouragement throughout my time at Ohio State. I thank the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. David Bromwich, Dr. Jay Hobgood, and Dr. Lonnie Thompson for their review of my research and recommendations for improvement. Dr. M. Roxana Sierra-Hernandez and Don Kenny provided exceptional support in the cutting, analysis, and interpretation of the Bruce Plateau ice core. I would also like to thank Dr. Mary Davis for the training and guidance she provided in the analysis of ice cores. I am very thankful for support and encouragement from the other graduate students in the Geography Department and at Byrd Polar Research Center. Special thanks to Katelyn Johnson, Julien Nicolas, Stacy Porter and Aaron Wilson. I am thankful for the various funding sources which made my time at Ohio State possible, the Distinguished University Fellowship for funding my first year and my final year, the NSF funded LARISSA project and the Geography Department for funding my second year as a research assistant and teaching assistant. iv Vita 1999........................................Hilliard Darby High School 2003........................................B.S. Applied Science (Chemical Engineering), Washington University 2005........................................M.S. Environmental Engineering, Washington University 2005........................................Staff Engineer I, MACTEC 2006-2010 ..............................Research Scientist, Battelle Memorial Institute 2010 to present ......................Distinguished University Fellow, Atmospheric Sciences Program, The Ohio State University Publications Thomas Kelly, Bradley Goodwin, Amy Dindal, and John McKernan, EnviroScan Inc. Ozone Detector Card, Environmental Technology Verification Program final report, prepared by Battelle, Columbus, Ohio, April, 2011 (available at http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/std/etv/vt-ams.html#oic). Bradley Goodwin et al., Applikon MARGA Semi-Continuous Ambient Air Monitoring System, Environmental Technology Verification Program final report, prepared by Battelle, Columbus, Ohio, September, 2009 (available at http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/std/etv/vt-ams.html#fpic). v Bradley Goodwin and Thomas Kelly, Summary of Critical Review of Literature for Effects of NOy/NHx/SOx on Man-Made Structures and Materials, chapter for inclusion in U.S. EPA’s Science Assessment Support Document, for review of the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide, prepared under U.S. EPA contract EP-C-04-027, Battelle, Columbus, Ohio, January, 2008. Ken Cowen et al., (2009), Extractive Sampling and Optical Remote Sensing of F100 Aircraft Engine Emissions, J. Air Waste Manage., 59, 531-539. (BG was the 2nd of 10 authors.) Jeffrey D. Myers, Chester W. Spicer, and Bradley P. Goodwin. (2009), Design and Results of a Study to Measure Environmental Factors in Airliner Cabins and to Assess the Health and Comfort of Passengers and Crew Using Surveys, J. ASTM Int., 6, Issue 2. Chester W. Spicer et al. (2009), Rapid Measurement of Emissions from Military Aircraft Turbine Engines by Downstream Extractive Sampling of Aircraft on the Ground: Results for C-130 and F-15 Aircraft, Atmos. Environ., 43, 2612-2622. (BG was the 6th of 13 authors.) Fields of Study Major Field: Atmospheric Sciences vi Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xiii List of Figures ................................................................................................................... xv Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review.......................................................................................... 5 2.1 Antarctic Ice Core Drilling History .......................................................................... 7 2.2 Antarctic Peninsula Climate Records ..................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Antarctic Peninsula Ice Core Records .............................................................. 13 2.2.2 Antarctic Peninsula Instrumental Records ....................................................... 16 2.3 Large Scale Atmospheric Oscillations ................................................................... 19 Chapter 3: Data and Methods ....................................................................................... 26 3.1 Bruce Plateau Ice Core Data .................................................................................. 26 vii 3.1.1 Sample Handling ............................................................................................. 27 3.1.2 Dust Data ......................................................................................................... 28 3.1.3 Major Ion Chemistry Data ............................................................................... 29 3.1.4 Stable Isotope Data .......................................................................................... 29 3.1.5 Beta Radioactivity Data ................................................................................... 30 3.2 Other Ice Core Data................................................................................................ 31 3.2.1 Dyer Plateau Ice Core ....................................................................................... 31 3.2.2 Siple Station Ice Core ....................................................................................... 32 3.2.3 Other Antarctic Peninsula Ice Core Data ......................................................... 33 3.3 Atmospheric Oscillation Index Data ...................................................................... 33 3.4 Antarctic Peninsula Station Data............................................................................ 35 3.5 Depth-Density Relationship .................................................................................... 35 3.6 Time Scale Development ........................................................................................ 40 3.7 Sub-Annual Resolution ........................................................................................... 50 3.7.1 Summer-Winter Resolution .............................................................................. 51 3.7.2 Seasonal Resolution .......................................................................................... 52 Chapter 4: Accumulation Rate Reconstruction ............................................................ 53 4.1 Annual Layer Thinning ........................................................................................... 53 4.2 Strain Rate Based Models ....................................................................................... 55 viii 4.3 Empirical Models ...................................................................................................