Atmospheric CO2 and Climate: Byrd Ice Core, Antarctica

Summary

Reconstructions of ancient atmospheric CO2 variations help us better understand how the global carbon cycle and climate are linked. Here we compare CO2 variations on millennial time scales between 20,000 and 90,000 years with an Antarctic temperature proxy and records of abrupt climate change in the northern hemisphere. CO2 and Antarctic temperature are positively correlated over millennial-scale climate cycles, implying a strong connection to southern ocean processes. Evidence from marine sediment proxies indicates that CO2 rose most rapidly when North Atlantic Deep Water shoaled and stratification in the Southern Ocean was reduced. These increases in CO2 occurred during stadial (cold) periods in the northern hemisphere, several thousand years before abrupt warming events in Greenland. Data are available in Microsoft Excel format and are available via FTP.

Citing These Data

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.

Ahn, Jinho and Edward Brook. 2007. Atmospheric CO2 Byrd Ice Core, Antarctica. Boulder, Colorado USA: National Snow and Ice Data Center. http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N58W3B80.

Overview Table

Ahn-Byrd-CO2-20-90ka.xls

Table of Contents

1. Contacts and Acknowledgments
2. Detailed Data Description
3. Data Access and Tools
4. Data Acquisition and Processing
5. References and Related Publications
6. Document Information

1. Contacts and Acknowledgments

Investigator(s)

Jinho Ahn
Department of Geosciences
Oregon State University
104 Wilkinson Hall
Corvallis, Oregon 97331 USA 

Ed Brook
Department of Geosciences
Oregon State University
104 Wilkinson Hall
Corvallis, Oregon 97331 USA 

Technical Contact

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs (OPP) grant 0337891and ATM 0602395 awarded to E. Brook and the Gary Comer Science and Education Foundation (PI: Prof. Edward J. Brook).

2. Detailed Data Description

Format

Data files are in Microsoft Excel format viewable with spreadsheet software and an Adobe Acrobat PDF.

File Naming Convention

Files are named according to the following convention.

Ahn-Byrd-CO2-20-90ka.xls

Ahn-08-sci.pdf

Ahn-08-sci-SOM.pdf

Spatial Coverage

Southernmost Latitude: 80.01° S
Northernmost Latitude: 80.01° S
Westernmost Longitude: 119.51° W
Easternmost Longitude: 119.51° W

Parameter or Variable

Parameter Description

The measured parameter is CO2 at various depths in the ice core.

Parameter Range

Carbon dioxide (Co2): 201.79 parts per million by volume (ppmv) to 224.99 ppmv.

Sample Data Record

The data below are the first 10 data samples showing Byrd CO2 records.

BP= Before 1950 (GISP2 time scale)

Uncertainty is estimated from the standard deviation of the mean for 2~5 ice samples

Data Access

Available via FTP 

Volume

The data set is approximately 45 KB.

Related Data Collections

• Atmospheric CO2 Trapped in the Ice Core from Siple Dome, Antarctica
• Carbon-Isotopic Composition of Atmospheric CO2 since the Last Glacial Maximum

4. Data Acquisition and Processing

Sensor or Instrument Description

Agilent 6890N Gas Chromatograph

Data Acquisition Methods

The CO2 mixing ratio was measured with an Agilent 6890N Gas Chromatograph (GC) with flame ionization detector, with nickel catalyst conversion of CO2 to CH4 prior to measurement.

5. References and Related Publications

Ahn, Jinho and Ed Brook. 2007. Atmospheric CO2 and climate from 65 to 30 ka B.P. Geophysical. Research Letters. 34, L10703, doi:10.1029/2007GL029551.

Ahn, J. and Brook, E.J. Atmospheric CO2 and climate change on millennial time scales during the last glacial period, Science, 322, 83-85, doi: 10.1126/science.1160832 (2008)                  

6. Document Information

Acronyms and Abbreviations

The following acronyms and abbreviations are used in this document.

Document Creation Date

October 2007

Document URL

http://nsidc.org/data/docs/agdc/nsidc0314_ahn/index.html