Ethane measurements in Greenland ice cores: Developing a preindustrial record

乙烷是大气中含量最丰富的碳氢化合物气体之一，其排放来自化石燃料的生产和使用、生物质燃烧和各种地质来源。所有乙烷来源还排放甲烷，这是大气中第二重要的温室气体。然而，乙烷并不共享甲烷的生物来源，使其成为特定甲烷来源的有用替代品。该项目将使用湿法提取技术来分析古大气中的乙烷(C2H6)，该技术已被用于测量南极冰芯中的乙烷，使用来自格陵兰岛顶峰的冰芯样本，并产生第一个北半球乙烷记录。这些结果将有助于回答有关甲烷地质排放对前工业化大气的重要性，以及全新世晚期生物质燃烧排放变化的时间和幅度的问题。结合对南极冰芯的测量，该项目的数据将有助于建立工业化前大气中乙烷的南北半球间梯度。该项目包括支持加州大学欧文分校地球系统科学系的一名博士生和本科生研究人员。研究结果将有助于博士论文和高年级本科生的高级论文。该项目还将通过REU在生物地球化学和气候变化方面的站点计划，为非研究活跃大学的本科生创造暑期研究机会。国际科学协会和联合国际将参加针对高中科学教师关于气候变化及其影响的教育的校内外活动，包括在2011年全国科学教师协会区域会议上的陈述。这项工作的结果将通过同行审查出版物传播，并将有助于气专委气候评估等与政策有关的活动。该项目产生的数据将在国家数据储存库中存档。

Ethane is one of the most abundant hydrocarbon gases in the atmosphere with emissions from production and use of fossil fuels, from biomass burning, and from a variety of geologic sources. All ethane sources also emit methane, the second most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. However, ethane does not share the biological source of methane, making it a useful proxy for specific methane sources.This project will analyze of paleo-atmospheric ethane (C2H6), using a wet-extraction technique that has been used to measure ethane in Antarctic ice cores, using ice core samples from Summit, Greenland and producing the first northern hemisphere ethane record. The results will enable answers to questions about the importance of geological emissions of methane to the preindustrial atmosphere, and about the timing and magnitude of changes in biomass burning emissions during the late Holocene. In conjunction with measurements on Antarctic ice cores, the data from this project will help establish the north-south interhemispheric gradient of ethane in the preindustrial atmosphere.This project includes support for a PhD student and undergraduate researchers in the Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine. The results will contribute to a PhD dissertation and senior theses of senior undergraduate students. This project will also create summer research opportunities for undergraduates from non- research active universities through the REU site program in Biogeochemistry and Climate Change. The PI and the co-PI will participate in on- and off-campus activities directed towards educating high-school science teachers about climate change and its impacts, including a presentation at the 2011 regional meeting of the National Science Teachers Association. The results of this work will be disseminated via peer-review publications and will contribute to policy-relevant activities such as the IPCC Climate Assessment. Data resulting from this project will be archived in a national data repository.