2. Detailed Data Description

This data set currently consists of sodium (Na) and magnesium (Mg) concentrations versus depth in seven ice cores that were obtained by the Norwegian-U.S. Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica during the International Polar Year 2007-2009. Additional glaciochemical analyses and a final depth-age scale will be added as the data become available.

Format

Data are provided as a Microsoft Excel workbook file (.xlsx) that comprises seven worksheets, one for each core site. Each worksheet also contains the site name and collection date, and the latitude, longitude, and elevation of the location.

File and Directory Structure

Data are available on the FTP site in the ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/pub/DATASETS/AGDC/nsidc0520_mcconnell_V01/ directory. This directory contains the data file NORUS_Prelim_Database_042312.xlsx and a readme file.

File Size

The data file (.xlsx) is approximately 718 KB.

Spatial Coverage

• Northernmost Latitude: 73.7° S
• Southernmost Latitude: 82.8° S
• Westernmost Longitude: 1.6° W
• Easternmost Longitude: 54.9° W

Spatial Resolution

Seven core sites at various locations along the Norwegian-U.S. Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica, IPY 2007-2009.

Temporal Coverage

Approximately -100 C.E. to 2009 C.E. Ice cores were recovered during the IPY 2007-2009.

Temporal Resolution

Samples represent 2 cm average concentrations. A depth-age model will be provided at a later date.

Parameters

Na and Mg, 2 cm average concentrations in nanograms per gram (parts per billion).

3. Data Access

Files may be downloaded via FTP and accessed using standard spreadsheet software.

4.Data Acquisition and Processing

Ice cores were collected using an 8 cm diameter Eclipse electromechanical drill, owned and operated by Ice Drilling Design and Operations, and shipped to the National Ice Core Lab in Denver, CO, where they were cut into four parallel, longitudinal samples, each with a cross-section of approximately 3.4 cm by 3.4 cm.

The samples were shipped to the Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV and analyzed for approximately 35 elements and chemical species. Analyses were performed with a continuous ice-core melter coupled to two high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers, an SP2 black carbon analyzer, and a range of fluorimeters and spectrophotometers. See McConnell et al. (2002) for a description of an earlier version of this analytical method. See McConnell et al. (2007a), McConnell et al. (2007b), and McConnell and Edwards (2008) for brief descriptions and example results of the current analytical system.

Quality Assessment

Uncertanties depend on the parameter being measured but are typically between 0.1 percent and 5.0 percent of the mean measured concentration in the core.

5. References and Related Publications

Anschütz, H., A. Sinisalo, E. Isaksson, J. R. McConnell, S.-E. Hamran, M. M. Bisiaux, D. Pasteris, T. A. Neumann, and J.-G. Winther. 2011. Variation of Accumulation Rates over the Last Eight Centuries on the East Antarctic Plateau Derived from Volcanic Signals in Ice Cores, Journal of Geophysical Research, 116(D20103), doi: 10.1029/2011JD015753.

Anschütz, H., K. Müller, E. Isaksson, J. R. McConnell, H. Fischer, H. Miller, M. Albert, and J.-G. Winther. 2009. Revisiting Sites of the South Pole Queen Maud Land Traverses in East Antarctica: Accumulation Data from Shallow Firn Cores, Journal of Geophysical Research, 114(D24106), doi: 10.1029/2009JD012204.

Bisiaux, M. M., R. Edwards, J. R. McConnell, M. R. Albert, H. Anschütz, T. A. Neumann, E. Isaksson, and J. E. Penner. 2012. Variability of Black Carbon Deposition to the East Antarctic Plateau, 1800-2000 AD, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 12, 3799-3808, doi: 10.5194/acp-12-3799-2012.

McConnell, J. R. and R. Edwards. 2008. Coal Burning Leaves Toxic Heavy Metal Legacy in the Arctic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105 (34), 12140-12144, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0803564105.

McConnell, J. R., A. J. Aristarain, R. J. Banta, P. R. Edwards, and J. C. Simoes. 2007a. 20th-Century Doubling in Dust Archived in an Antarctic Peninsula Ice Core Parallels Climate Change and Desertification in South America, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(14), 5743-5748, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0607657104.

McConnell, J. R., R. Edwards, G. L. Kok, M. G. Flanner, C. S. Zender, E. S. Saltzman, J. R. Banta, D. R. Pasteris, M. M. Carter, and J. D. W. Kahl. 2007b. 20th-Century Industrial Black Carbon Emissions Altered Arctic Climate Forcing, Science, 317(5843), 1381-1384, doi: 10.1126/science.1144856.

McConnell J. R., G. W. Lamorey, S. W. Lambert, and K. C. Taylor. 2002. Continuous Ice-Core Chemical Analyses Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Environmental Science & Technology, 36(1), 7-11, doi: 10.1021/es011088z.

Müller, K., A. Sinisalo, H. Anschütz, S.-E. Hamran, J.-O Hagen, J. R. McConnell, and D. R. Pasteris. 2010. An 860 km Surface Mass-Balance Profile on the East Antarctic Plateau Derived by GPR, Annals of Glaciology, 51(55), 1-8, doi: 10.3189/172756410791392718.

Related Data Collections

• Antarctic Glaciological Data Center at NSIDC: Data Catalog
• Antarctic Glaciological Data Center at NSIDC: Ice Core Records

Related Web Sites

• Antarctic Glaciological Data Center at NSIDC

6. Document Information

Acronyms and Abbreviations

The acronyms used in this document are listed in Table 4.

Table 4. Acronyms and Abbreviations

Acronym	Description
IPY	International Polar Year
C.E.	Common Era
Na	Sodium
Mg	Magnesium
ppb	Parts per Billion
AGDC	Antarctic Glaciological Data Center
NSIDC	National Snow and Ice Data Center
FTP	File Transfer Protocol

Document Creation Date

August 2012

Document URL

http://nsidc.org/data/docs/agdc/nsidc0520-mcconnell/index.html