The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Earth Science Faculty Scholarship Earth Sciences 1990 A Northern Hemisphere Volcanic Chemistry Record (1869-1984) and Climatic Implications using a South Greenland Ice Core W. B. Lyons Paul Andrew Mayewski University of Maine, [email protected] M. J. Spencer M. S. Twickler T. E. Graedel Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ers_facpub Part of the Climate Commons, Geochemistry Commons, Glaciology Commons, and the Hydrology Commons Repository Citation Lyons, W. B.; Mayewski, Paul Andrew; Spencer, M. J.; Twickler, M. S.; and Graedel, T. E., "A Northern Hemisphere Volcanic Chemistry Record (1869-1984) and Climatic Implications using a South Greenland Ice Core" (1990). Earth Science Faculty Scholarship. 217. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ers_facpub/217 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Earth Science Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Al1l1als 0/ Glaciology 14 1990 @ International Glaciological Society A NORTHERN HEMISPHERE VOLCANIC CHEMISTRY RECORD {1869-1984} AND CLIMATIC IMPLICATIONS USING A SOUTH GREENLAND ICE CORE by W.B. Lyons, P.A. Mayewski, M.J. Spencer, M.S. Twickler, (Glacier Research Group and Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, U.S.A.) and T.E. Graedel (A TT Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, U.S.A.) ABSTRACT larger less halogen-rich eruptions (Rampino and Self, 1984). This may be especially true in the Northern Hemisphere The effect of volcanic emISSIOn of acidic aerosols on (Sear and others, 1987). Since the amount and chemical climate is well documented. The presence of acid droplets composition of erupted material have an important effect on in the stratosphere can reduce transmissivity and hence regional and global climate, knowledge of past volcanic decrease surface temperatures. Since the amount and events and of the geochemical signature of the aerosol is of chemical composition of erupted material has important extreme importance. Detailed glaciochemical records provide effects on regional climate, knowledge of past volcanic the best milieu wherein the glaciochemistry of paleovolcanic events is of extreme importance. Detailed glaciochemical events can be documented. records provide the only milieu wherein the geochemistry of A Ithough other types of information are available to paleovolcanic events can be fully documented. We present a establish the chronology and the volume of the past volcanic detailed sulfate and chloride record from an ice core drilled events (Lamb, 1970; Simkin and others, 1981) these data at site 20 D, 40 km SW of Dye 3 in southern Greenland. sets are incomplete (Self and others, 1981). In fact, Sedlacek The record spans the time period 1869-1984 with chemical and others (1983) have shown through an ill-situ analyses of approximately eight samples per year. Time stratospheric sampling program that, as late as the 1970s, series decomposition and locally weighted scatter plot many volcanic eruptions that influence the chemistry of the smoothing techniques were used to extract long term trends stratosphere went unreported. Therefore, past records of from the data so that individual volcanic eruptions could be volcanic events affecting stratospheric chemistry and hence documented. A number of events identified here have been the climate are undoubtedly incomplete. In addition, there unnoticed previously and a high percentage of the major have been very few eruptions from which sufficient data chemical signatures documenting these events is associated exist to develop quantitative estimates of the mass of with large decreases in temperature in the latitudinal zone materials introduced into the atmosphere (Self and others, o 60-90 N. Many authors have pointed out that the amount 1981; Devine and others, 1984). of volcanic acids such as HCI and H2S04 injected into the It has long been acknowledged that volcanic emissions atmosphere has a very important influence on global are an important source of several chemical species to the climate, yet this volcanic input has been difficult to atmosphere. Yet it has been extremely difficult to evaluate quantify prior to -1960. Our data help to alleviate this the qualitative let alone quantitative role of volcanic problem. These individual events can be compared to emissions. Although volcanic injection of acidic anions and available frost tree ring data from North America, further sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere is episodic, Sedlacek and establishing a volcanism--climatic linkage. others (1983) have shown that the volcanic contribution to the stratospheric sulfate concentration over the period 1971-81 was -60%. In addition, stratospheric volcanic Cl­ INTRODUCTION emissions may be greatly under-estimated (Johnson, 1980). Both Neftel and others (1985) and Barrie and others (1985), The effect of volcanic emISSIOn of aerosols into the utilizing ice core data from southern Greenland and atmosphere on climate is well documented (Lamb, 1970; Ellesmere Island, respectively, have argued that there is a Pollack and others, 1976; Self and others, 1981; Rampino strong background acid contribution to Arctic snow during and Self, 1982, 1984; Sear and others, 1987, Self and the past -80 years that cannot be accounted for by Rampino, 1988). Large amounts of volcanic debris anthropogenic emissions. Previous work has demonstrated introduced into the stratosphere between 1500 and 1900 may that volcanic events can be documented in Arctic ice cores have played a causative role in the "Little Ice Age" of this (Table I). period (Lamb, 1970). Major explosive volcanic events such as Tambora (1815) and Krakatau (1883) produced a consistent but small temperature decrease on a hemispheric ANAL YTICAL METHODS AND PROCEDURES scale for periods up to five years (Self and others, 1981). Even smaller eruptions such as Agung (1963) produced In June 1984 we obtained a -115 m core from site o ° similar temperature perturbations (Self and others, 1981). It 20 D, -40 km southwest of Dye 3 (65.01 N, 44.87 W, has been suggested that volcanic emissions of sulfur and 2615 m a.s.I.). The top 71 m of this core has been analyzed halogen aerosols may have more effect on climatic change in detail to produce an anthropogenic deposition record for than that of volcanic dust (Pollack and others, 1976; SO!- and NO; in southern Greenland (Mayewski and others, Rampino and Self, 1982). The presence of acid droplets in 1986). Measurements of Cl-, Na+ and &180 concentrations the stratosph2re can reduce transmissivity and hence decrease were also made while selected core sections were also � F-. surface temperatures. Thus, smaller sulfur- and halogen-rich analyzed for NH and Anions were analyzed using a eruptions may have morc pronour.ced climatic effects than Dionex ™ Model 20 I 0 ion chromatograph with a AS-4 176 Lyons and others: A northern hemisphere volcanic chemistry record TABLE I. VOLCANIC EVENTS (1870-1984) DOCUMENTED IN ARCTIC ICE CORES PRIOR TO THIS WORK Event Location of Technique* Reference the sample Katmai, 1912 Crete LC Hammer, 1977 Dye 3 SC Neftel and others, 1985 Hans Tavsen Ice Cap LA, SC Hammer, 1980 Mt. Logan AN Holdsworth and Peake, 1985 Ellesmere Island LC Barrie and others, 1985 Krakatau, 1983 Crete LC Hammer, 1977 SC Hammer and others, 1980 Dye 3 AN Herron, 1982 Bandai, 1888 Dye 3 AN Herron, 1982 Hekla, 1947 Crete SC Hammer and others, 1980 Mt. Trident, 1961 Baffin Island LC Holdsworth, 1984 Agung, 1963 Crete LC Hammer, 1977 Katla, 1918 Mt. Logan AN Holdsworth and Peake, 1985 Mt. Wrangell, 1922 Mt. Logan AN Holdsworth and Peake, 1985 Raikoke, 1924 Mt. Logan AN Holdsworth and Peake, 1985 St. Augustine, 1934 Mt. Logan AN Holdsworth and Peake, 1985 Kliuchevskoi, 1937 Mt. Logan AN Holdsworth and Peake, 1985 St. Augustine, 1976 Mt. Logan AN Holdsworth and Peake, 1985 *LC liquid conductivity, SC solid conductivity, A liquid acidity, AN anionic analysis column. Sodium was analyzed via stabilized temperature TABLE Ill. CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING VOLCANIC platform furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using a EVENTS Perkin Elmer™ Model 2280 system. The chronology assigned to the 6180 record was calibrated using known bomb layers in the total B-activity record from the upper Constituents Criterion 18 18 m of the core. In addition, cross-correlation of 6 0 from a core located 4 km to the northeast of our core site >42/Lgg-l or double "background" produced by the University of Copenhagen group was also of 20 /Lgg- 1 used to determine depth-age relations. This glaciochemical record is one of the most detailed ever obtained with 6-8 SO!- >52/Lgg-l 1869-1900 analyses per year for a continuous 115 years. Less frequent >104/Lgg-l 1900-60 sampling would probably not allow the observations of many or double "background" of these signals. >222/Lgg-l 1960-64 or triple "background" (see Mayewski and others, 1986, for RESULTS OF VOLCANIC INPUTS TO 20 D - 1869 TO how "background" was estimated) 1984 Herron and others (1981) have shown that at Dye 3 above the background (i.e. residuals). This approach allows a from 1960-79 -8% of the annual snow accumulation had visible observation of these strong deviations from the melted and refrozen. However, the work of Herron (J 982) historical trend and supports our more qualitative approach and Koide and Goldberg (1985) indicates that Dye 3 snows at picking volcanic peaks. Potential volcanic events are are good preservers of volcanic records as well as of tabulated in Tables IV and V. The NO; concentrations nuclear weapon testing records. associated with many of these potential events (Tables In order to reduce the potential effects of acid anion IV-VI) will not be discussed here. In addition to the total redistribution via melting/freezing we attempted to avoid ice CI- values presented in Table IV we have also presented lenses during core processing.