Geochemistry of Trapped Gases in the GISP II Ice Core

9321623播种员该奖项旨在奖励继续研究格陵兰冰盖项目二号冰芯样品的甲烷浓度、氧、氮、氩的同位素组成和浓度以及总气体含量。空气中的甲烷浓度代表了湿地的范围和它们所代表的温暖、潮湿的气候。甲烷也是一种辐射活性气体，会影响气候。空气中氧的同位素组成反映了陆地和海洋环境中初级生产的相对速率，以及大陆多产地区的湿度。甲烷和氧的同位素组成在任何时候在整个大气层中也是恒定的(或几乎是恒定的)。因此，它们是格陵兰和南极冰芯对比的时间地层学标志。氮和氩同位素表明了捕集过程中重力分馏的程度，并允许对测量的这些气体的浓度和同位素组成进行校正。总气体含量反映了冰盖的古海拔，以及其他鲜为人知的影响。这项工作将提供有关地球历史最后大约25万年期间的气候和生物地球化学的信息。***

9321623 Sowers This award is for support to continue research on the concentration of methane, the isotopic composition and concentration of oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and total gas content of samples from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) ice core. The methane concentration of air is a proxy for the extent of wetlands and the warm, wet climates they signify. Methane is also a radiatively active gas which affects climate. The isotopic composition of oxygen in air reflects relative rates of primary production in the terrestrial and marine environments, and humidity in productive continental areas. Methane and the isotopic composition of oxygen are also constant (or nearly so) throughout the atmosphere at any one time. They therefore serve as time stratigraphic markers for correlating Greenland and Antarctic ice cores. Nitrogen and Argon isotopes indicate the extent of gravitational fractionation during the trapping process and allow for correction of the measured concentrations and isotopic compositions of these gases. Total gas content reflects paleoelevation of ice sheets among other poorly understood influences. This work will provide information on climate and biogeochemistry during the last approximately 250,000 years of Earth history. ***