Atmospheric Nitrate Isotopic Analysis at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, A Twenty-Five Year Record
Summary
This data set contains snow pit measurements of oxygen isotopes, 17O and 18O, in nitrate and ion concentrations, and surface measurements of oxygen isotopes in nitrate and in nitrate aerosols from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica. The 6-meter snow pit provides investigators with a 25-year record of nitrate isotope variations and ion concentrations for a period spanning from 1979 to 2004. Monthly surface snow and weekly aerosol collections yield a year-long record of nitrate isotopic composition starting 01 December 2003 and ending 31 December 2004.
Little is known about the past denitrification of the stratosphere in high latitude regions. Such knowledge is important to understanding the chemical state of the ancient atmospheres and evaluating the present climate models. With this research, investigators aim to understand the denitrification of the Antarctic stratosphere and quantify the sources of nitrate aerosols over time.
Data are in Microsoft Excel format and are available via FTP.
Citing These Data
Thiemens, M. H., and J. Savarino. 2006. Atmospheric nitrate isotopic analysis at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, a twenty-five year record . Boulder, Colorado USA: National Snow and Ice Data Center. http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N5TT4NWF.
The following example shows how to cite the use of this data set in a publication. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.
Overview Table
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Data format | Microsoft Excel (.xls) |
| Spatial coverage and resolution | Southernmost Latitude: 89.9975 °S 6-meter snow pit at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station |
| Temporal coverage and resolution | The 6-meter snow pit provides a 25-year record of nitrate isotope variations and ion concentrations. Investigators also collected monthly surface snow and weekly aerosol data from 01 December 2003 to 31 December 2004. |
| Tools for accessing data | Spreadsheet software |
| File size | Approximately 76.5 KB |
| Parameters | Concentrations of methanesulphonic acid (MSA, CH3SO3H), chlorine (Cl), nitrate (NO3), sulfate (SO4), sodium (Na), ammonium (NH4), potassium(K), magnesium(Mg), calcium (Ca), and oxygen isotope composition of nitrate |
| Procedures for obtaining data | Data are available via FTP. |
Table of Contents
1. Contacts and Acknowledgments
2. Detailed Data Description
3. Data Access and Tools
4. References and Related Publications
5. Document Information
1. Contacts and Acknowledgments
Investigators
Mark H. Thiemens
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0356
La Jolla, CA 92093-0356 USA
Joel Savarino
Laboratory of Glaciology and Geophysical Environment
54 rue Moliere, BP 96
St. Martin d Heres
38 402 France
Technical Contact
NSIDC User Services
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0449 USA
phone: +1 303.492.6199
fax: +1 303.492.2468
form: Contact NSIDC User Services
e-mail: nsidc@nsidc.org
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs (OPP) grant OPP-0125761.
2. Detailed Data Description
File Structure
The data file thiemensnsfdata.xls, which is in spreadsheet format, includes four data records. Each record is reported on an individual worksheet. The following outlines the content and structure of each worksheet.
Ions
This worksheet contains ion concentrations measurements from the snow pit indexed by depth.
| Column Title | Description |
| depth(cm) | Depth of the sample in the snow pit |
| MSA(ppb) | Methanesulphonic acid (MSA, CH3SO3H) concentration measured in parts per billion |
| Cl(ppb) | Chlorine concentration measured in parts per billion |
| NO3(ppb) | Nitrate concentration measured in parts per billion |
| SO4(ppb) | Sulfate concentration measured in parts per billion |
| Na(ppb) | Sodium concentration measured in parts per billion |
| NH4(ppb) | Ammonium concentration measured in parts per billion |
| K(ppb) | Potassium concentration measured in parts per billion |
| Mg(ppb) | Magnesium concentration measured in parts per billion |
| Ca(ppb) | Calcium concentration measured in parts per billion |
snow pit
This worksheet contains isotope composition measurements from the snow pit indexed by depth.
| Column Title | Description |
| start depth (cm) | Beginning depth of the sample section |
| end depth (cm) | Ending depth of the sample section |
| δ18O | Oxygen-18 isotopic composition of nitrate |
| δ17O | Oxygen-17 isotopic composition of nitrate |
| Δ17O | Oxygen-17 isotopic composition of nitrate corrected for fractionation |
surface snow
This worksheet contains isotope composition measurements of surface snow indexed by date.
| Column Title | Description |
| Collection date | Date the data were collected |
| δ18O | Oxygen-18 isotopic composition of nitrate |
| δ17O | Oxygen-17 isotopic composition of nitrate |
| Δ17O | Oxygen-17 isotopic composition of nitrate corrected for fractionation |
aerosols
This worksheet contains isotope composition measurements of nitrate aerosols indexed by date.
| Column Title | Description |
| Date (end) | Ending date of sample collection |
| δ18O | Oxygen-18 isotopic composition of nitrate |
| δ17O | Oxygen-17 isotopic composition of nitrate |
| Δ17O | Oxygen-17 isotopic composition of nitrate corrected for fractionation |
Spatial Coverage
Investigators collected these data from a 6-meter deep snow pit at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
Southernmost Latitude: 89.9975 °S
Northernmost Latitude: 89.9975 °S
Westernmost Longitude: 139.2728 °E
Easternmost Longitude: 139.2728 °E
Temporal Coverage and Resolution
The data record for nitrate isotope variation and ion concentration measurements collected from the 6-meter snow pit spans from 1979 to 2004.
The data record for surface snow and aerosol measurements spans from 1 December 2003 to 31 December 2004.
Temporal Resolution
The snow pit data provide a 25-year record of chemical concentrations. During the observation period, investigators collected surface snow data monthly and aerosol data weekly.
Parameters
Parameter Range
| Worksheet/Tab Name | Parameter | Minimum Value | Maximum Value |
| Ions | depth(cm) | 0 | 595 |
| MSA(ppb) | 0 | 49.0853 | |
| Cl(ppb) | 7.8228 | 103.3823 | |
| NO3(ppb) | 76.6474 | 422.3039 | |
| SO4(ppb) | 21.4788 | 247.1091 | |
| Na(ppb) | 1.9420 | 91.9473 | |
| NH4(ppb) | 0 | 46.1160 | |
| K | 0 | 42.5443 | |
| Mg(ppb) | 0 | 11.5973 | |
| Ca(ppb) | 0 | 113.0231 | |
| snow pit | start depth (cm) | 0 | 586 |
| end depth (cm) | 4 | 593 | |
| δ18O | 11.5 | 78.9 | |
| δ17O | 6.0 | 74.1 | |
| Δ17O | 20.6 | 33.1 | |
| surface snow | Collection date | 12/20/2003 | 12/24/2004 |
| δ18O | 40.4 | 94.0 | |
| δ17O | 46.7 | 83.6 | |
| Δ17O | 25.0 | 34.7 | |
| aerosols | Date (end) | 12/13/2003 | 12/24/2004 |
| δ18O | 52.5 | 105.8 | |
| δ17O | 49.9 | 93.1 | |
| Δ17O | 22.6 | 38.1 |
Sample Data Record
The following sample data is from the aerosols worksheet. Investigators collected these data weekly.
Date (end) |
d18O |
d17O |
D17O |
12/13/2003 |
|||
12/20/2003 |
52.5 |
49.9 |
22.6 |
12/27/2003 |
53.8 |
52.3 |
24.3 |
1/4/2004 |
|||
1/10/2004 |
54.6 |
54.3 |
25.9 |
1/17/2004 |
61.9 |
57.9 |
25.7 |
1/24/2004 |
|||
2/2/2004 |
|||
2/8/2004 |
|||
2/14/2004 |
70.2 |
61.3 |
24.8 |
3. Data Access and Tools
Data Access
Data are available via FTP.
Software and Tools
Data can be viewed with Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet software.
Related Data Collections
4. References and Related Publications
McCabe, J. R., J. Savarino, and M. H. Thiemens. 2005. Isotopic analysis of nitrate in South Pole snow and air. Eos. Trans. AGU 86(52). Fall Meeting Suppl., Abstract A13F-04.
5. Document Information
Acronyms and Abbreviations
The following acronyms and abbreviations are used in this document:
| AGDC | Antarctic Glaciological Data Center |
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol |
| MSA | Methanesulphonic acid |
| NSF | National Science Foundation |
| NSIDC | National Snow and Ice Data Center |
| OPP | Office of Polar Programs |
| ppb | Parts per billion |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator |
Document Creation Date
October 2006
Document URL
http://nsidc.org/data/docs/agdc/nsidc0281_thiemens/index.html
Home | Contact Us
© 2013, National Snow and Ice Data Center :: Advancing knowledge of Earth's frozen regions
