Is There Cosmogenic Radiomethane in Polar Firn?

建议：极地有宇宙成因的放射性甲烷吗？P.I.：杰弗里·P·塞韦林豪斯加州大学圣地亚哥分校斯克里普斯海洋学研究所提案#080645加州大学圣迭戈分校的研究人员？S·斯克里普斯海洋研究所已获得资金，用于验证这一假说：宇宙射线产生少量甲烷(14CH4)的14C同位素，在积雪的上层变成冰(14CH4)。这项研究将有助于确定大气中甲烷的现在和过去的来源，并加深我们对甲烷在气候变暖中的作用的理解？S。格陵兰岛顶峰的降雪将在真空下熔化1.5吨降雪，从中提取甲烷和其他气体。将确定14CH4与12CH4的比例，以检验宇宙射线产生14C原子的假设，这些原子与氢反应，在冰中产生14CH4。预计这项研究将对甲烷化石来源导致上一次冰川末期甲烷浓度迅速上升的假设进行明确的检验。

Proposal: Is There Cosmogenic Radiomethane in Polar Firn?P.I.:Jeffrey P SeveringhausUniversity of California-San Diego Scripps Inst of OceanographyProposal # 0806450Researchers at the University of California - San Diego?s Scripps Institute of Oceanography have received funding to test the hypothesis that cosmic rays produce small amounts of the 14C isotope of methane (14CH4) in the upper layers of snow turning in to ice (firn). This research will help determine present and past sources of methane in the atmosphere and refine our understanding of methane?s role in climate warming. Methane and other gases will be extracted from firn at Summit, Greenland by melting 1.5 tons of firn under vacuum. The ratio of 14CH4 to 12CH4 will be determined to test the hypothesis that cosmic rays generate 14C atoms that react with hydrogen to produce 14CH4 in the ice. The study is expected to provide a definitive test of the hypothesis that fossil sources of methane contributed to the rapid increases in methane concentration at the end of the last glacial period.