26.10.20

1

The European Effort to Obtain A 1.5 Myr Greenhouse Gas –Climate Feedback Record from an Ice Core in East Antarctica

The Air of the Past

Carlo Barbante and BE-OIC TeamISP-CNR, University Ca’ Foscari of Venice, Italy

www.beyondepica.eu

1

The Mid Pleistocene Transition (MPT)

2

26.10.20

2

© British Antarctic Survey

3

© British Antarctic Survey

European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica

4

26.10.20

3

Five IPICS Grand Challenges

1. The oldest ice core: A 1.5 million year record of climate andgreenhouse gases from Antarctica

2. History and Dynamics of the Last Interglacial Period from Ice Cores: A comprehensive record of environmental changeduring the last interglacial.

3. Terminations and seesaws: an ice core contribution tounderstanding orbital and millennial scale climate change.

4. The IPICS 2k Array: A network of ice core climate andclimate forcing records for the last two millennia.

5. Ice Core Drilling Technical Challenges: development ofadvanced ice core drilling technology to realize the grandchallenges

(http://www.pages-igbp.org/workinggroups/endorsed-and-affiliated/ipics/white-papers)

5

EU expected impact in research

• To fill knowledge gaps in climate sciences

• To support major international scientific assessments such as the IPCC

• To increase confidence in climate change projections

• To provide added-value to decision and policy makers

• To consolidate Europe's leadership in climate science

6

26.10.20

4

GRIP/GISP2

NGRIP

NEEM(128ka)

Dye 3

CampCenturyEGRIP

EPICADML

EPICADomeC(800ka)

Vostok

Law Dome

Talos Dome

DomeFuji

ByrdWAISdivide

Renland

Deep polar ice cores since the 1960s

7

200400600800100012001400 0

CO2 Concentration

Global Sea Level

1000 Years Before the Present

The scientific questionLi

siec

kian

dR

aym

o, 2

005

8

26.10.20

5

200400600800100012001400 0

100,000-year world

CO2 Concentration

1000 Years Before the Present

The scientific question

Lisi

ecki

and

Ray

mo,

200

5

+ 6 meters

–120 meters

Global sea level &deep ocean temperature

9

200400600800100012001400 0

40,000-year world 100,000-year world

CO2 Concentration

Global Sea Level

1000 Years Before the Present

The scientific questionLi

siec

kian

dR

aym

o, 2

005

10

26.10.20

6

Marine sediment records (bottom, black line) provide the combined sea level and deep sea temperature record overmany million years back in time. Existing ice core record of Antarctic temperature (middle, red line) and atmosphericCO2 (top, light blue line) going back only 800 kyr. Selected marine and blue-ice proxy records provide time slices of CO2at low resolution and precision, but no full continuous record (top left).

Climate and CO2 records over the last 1.5 Myr

11

1 Myr old ice in Allan Hills (blue ice)

Yan, Y., Pers comm

Depth-age relationship of ALHIC1502 (blue) and ALHIC1503 (red) ice cores.

12

26.10.20

7

Comparison of blue-ice CO2 record and boron-based CO2 reconstructionsduring and before the MPT

Climate and CO2 records over the last 1.5 Myr

Yan, Y. et al. Nature 574, 663–666 (2019)

13

We need a continuous ice core record

Underlying Science

• Unless we understand the transition from 40 kyr cycles to 100 kyr cycles, we don’t really understand today’s climate

• Why did we have the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT) around 900 kyr ago?

• Why do we now live in a 100 kyrworld?

14

26.10.20

8

• Greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) and their isotopes• Antarctic temperature and precipitation• Ice sheet altitude• Sea ice in the 40k world, proxy Br• Granite weathering proxy CF4• Mean ocean temperature using noble gas thermometry• Magnetic anomalies in cosmogenic isotopes• Organic tracers in the ice• ...

Special insights from a 1.5 Myr ice core

15

Pushing forward analytical chemistry

rsc.li/jaas

As featured in:

See Pascal Bohleber et al., J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2020, 35, 2204.

Showcasing research from Professor Barbante’s laboratory, Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Italy.

Imaging the impurity distribution in glacier ice cores with LA-ICP-MS

Laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) o! ers micro-destructive, micron-scale geochemical analysis of glacier ice cores – one of the most signifi cant climate archives. A novel setup for LA-ICP-MS ice core analysis achieves the fi rst application of state-of-the-art imaging techniques to ice cores. Mapping the 2D impurity distribution reveals the imprint of ice crystal features in the high-resolution images, thus generating an improved understanding of the LA-ICP-MS signal origin in ice cores. Ultimately this sets a cornerstone for future LA-ICP-MS investigations of the oldest and highly thinned layers of ice cores.

Registered charity number: 207890

LA-ICPMS

Bohleber et al. JAAS, 2020

16

26.10.20

9

Pushing forward analytical chemistry

LA-ICPMS

ConclusionsThe new method advances the key strength of LA-ICP-MS asa technique to study ice impurity localization, namely its highspeed, high spatial resolution and highest image quality. Therapid aerosol transfer affords high scan speeds in LA-ICP-MSanalysis, which, in case of ice core applications, is higher byone order of magnitude than before.5,9 The scan speed affordedby the fast washout technology allows line proles at speedscomparable to existing melting techniques optimized foracquisition of transient signals in ice cores. This could be alsobenecial for high speed impurity proling by continuous linemeasurements along the main ice core axis. However, as shownin the present work, the higher resolution also raises questionsconcerning the spatial representativity of single LA-ICP-MSproles, hence calling for a dedicated investigation of thisissue. In the context of future applications, next steps concernthe imaging analysis of ice core samples over various depthranges and climatic periods, targeting the wider investigationalso of potential additional elements with paleoclimaticsignicance. Of additional interest is to perform an inter-method comparison of impurity localization on the same icesamples to obtain additional validation of the new method. Ifcombined with sophisticated large volume cryo-holders formeter-long rods of ice,5 the LA-ICP-MS technology may eventu-ally surpass both in speed and spatial resolution existingmelting techniques optimized for acquisition of transientsignals in ice cores.40 Through advancing our understanding ofthe signal constraints arising from the ice microstructure,

results of the present work set a cornerstone to tap the fullpotential of LA-ICP-MS for investigating past environmentalsignals archived in the oldest and highly thinned layers of icecores.

Conflicts of interestThere are no conicts to declare.

AcknowledgementsThe authors thank Ciprian Stremtan and Stijn van Malderen fortheir technical support. Likewise we thank Alessandro Bonettofor support in the laboratory. This publication also benetedfrom support by Barbara Delmonte and Barbara Stenni. PBgratefully acknowledges funding from the European Union'sHorizon 2020 research and innovation programme under theMarie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 790280. MSacknowledges support from the Slovenian Research Agency(ARRS), contract number P1-0034. ELGA LabWater is acknowl-edged for providing the PURELAB Option-Q and Ultra Analyticsystems which produced the ultrapure water used for cleaningand decontamination. This publication was generated in theframe of Beyond EPICA. The project has received funding fromthe European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovationprogramme under grant agreement No. 815384 (Oldest IceCore). It is supported by national partners and funding agenciesin Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden,Switzerland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Logistic

Fig. 5 Illustration of differences in continuous line profiles at different spatial resolution. All line profiles are obtained from sub-sampling theunderlying dataset of the 23Na image (see text). Only in the original profile at 35 mm resolution, individual peaks can be associated clearly with theintersections of the profile with grain boundaries. Note that the line profiles (middle row) do not show the entire intensity scale for better visibilityof the lower resolution data.

2210 | J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2020, 35, 2204–2212 This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020

JAAS Paper

Bohleber et al. JAAS, 2020

17

Calcium profiles: Laser ablation vs. Continuous Flow Analysis

Bohleber et al. (2018)Spaulding et al. (2017)

Pushing forward analytical chemistry

18

26.10.20

10

Giorio et al., 2018

Pushing forward analytical chemistry

been demonstrated in previous work, from both shallow snow pitstudies and now extending back to ice layers on the order of severalhundred years in age. Identification within shallow snow pits inJapan (Sankelo et al., 2013; Yamamoto et al., 2011) and China (Xieet al., 2000) demonstrate the potential of terrestrial organic com-pounds to be preserved in snow layers, with themajor source of thelipid compounds being large forested regions found more proxi-mally to the deposition sites. Extending to more far-reachingdeposition sites, De Angelis et al. (2012) observed terrestrialvegetation and biomass burning emissions dominating the car-boxylic acid budget within surface snow layers at Summit,Greenland, concluding that aerosols generated by NorthernHemisphere terrestrial biomass are an important contributor toaerosol deposits in the ice record at this high latitude location. Lipidcompounds have further been detected in snow layers dating backto 450 years at Site J in Greenland (Kawamura et al., 1996). Althoughair masses that pass over Greenland contain a more complexmixture of both marine and terrestrial organic aerosols, Kawamuraet al. (1996) were able to identify compounds of specific terrestrialorigin using a number of distinguishing molecular characteristics(see below), which have been used and expanded on in subsequentstudies (Bendle et al., 2007; Pokhrel, 2015; Yamamoto et al., 2011).

Lipid compounds from terrestrial sources may be identified ashigh molecular weight fatty acids (HFA) (>C24), as opposed to lowmolecular weight fatty acids (LFA) (5 signify an absence of anthropogenicinput, whilst values decreasing down to 1 imply an increasing

anthropogenic contribution. Furthermore, the average chain length(ACL) within the different compound groups has been utilised asevidence of specific source regions. Within the n-alkane group, forexample, greater abundance of longer chain HFAs may indicatewarm, tropical source regions, whereas a greater abundance ofshorter chain HFAs would suggest more temperate source regions(Bendle et al., 2007). Calculating HFA to total organic carbon (TOC)ratios was further used to identify a tentative link between thisratio and warmer or cooler periods of global temperatures. Therewere, however, a number of possible explanations of higher ratiovalues (higher plant emissions, enhanced atmospheric transport,increased area of arid environments, and altering atmospherictransport pathways), and the idea needs refining (Bendle et al.,2007).

To date, these lipid compounds have been studied in a limitedmanner in snow and ice from Alaska, Greenland and lower latitudeglaciers (Table 1). It will be far more challenging to detect them inAntarctica, which is further from any terrestrial sources.

3.1.2. Secondary oxidation productsIsoprene and terpenes are emitted from all plants including

algal sources in ocean regions (Bonsang et al., 1992; Yassaa et al.,2008) and form a significant contribution to the hydrocarbonbudget of the atmosphere (Sharkey et al., 2008). In particular,isoprene and monoterpenes have been measured as significantterrestrial emissions, with isoprene dominating in flux studiesabove Amazonian forest canopies (Kesselmeier et al., 2000; Rinneet al., 2002) and on a global level. Sesquiterpenes also contributeto terrestrial emissions, although flux and oxidation pathways ofemissions are difficult to study because of their very high reactivityand lower concentrations (Fu et al., 2013). The emission of isoprene

Fig. 1. (a) Average concentration changes of monoterpene tracers and total annual average concentrations of isoprene SOA tracers in the Alaska ice core records collected fromAurora peak (Pokhrel et al., 2016); (b) levoglucosan concentration profile measured in the deep NEEM core and black carbon concentration profile measured in the NEEM-2011-S1ice core (Zennaro et al., 2014); (c) winter sea ice reconstruction derived from MSA and satellite derived winter sea ice extent for the Amundsen-Ross sea (adapted from Thomas andAbram (2016)); (d) concentration trends of five organophosphorus compounds at Austfonna, Svalbard (reproduced from Hermanson et al. (2005)).

C. Giorio et al. / Quaternary Science Reviews 183 (2018) 1e22 9

19

Beyond EPICA AdventureOur dreams

CSA - Survey Ph. 1 – Drilling Ph. 2 – Science

19 2818 242120 2322 2925 272617

3yrs 5yrs 5yrs

BE-OI Beyond EPICA

3yrs 6 (+) yrs HorizonEurope

The reality, … as it is today

Starting date mid 2019

20

26.10.20

11

1. Retrieving a continuous ice core to bedrock in Antarctica, which covers the climate history of the Mid Pleistocene Transition and beyond

2. Logging, screening and cutting of ice core samples in the field

3. Establishing a first robust age scale for the BE-OI Core

4. Deriving first high-resolution climate records over the time interval older than 700 kyr

5. Recovery of basal ice and bedrock

Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice Core

What we promised!

21

deep ice cores:low accumulationColdcold, flat basenot too thicklittle lateral flow

Fischer et al., CP 2013Van Liefferinge & Pattyn, CP, 2013Parrenin et al., TC 2017

blue ice areas?Kehrl et al, GRL 2018Yan et al, Nature 2019

Where to find such old stratified ice ?

22

26.10.20

12

deep ice cores:low accumulationcoldcold, flat basenot too thicklittle lateral flow

Fischer et al., CP 2013Van Liefferinge & Pattyn, CP, 2013Parrenin et al., TC 2017

blue ice areas?Kehrl et al, GRL 2018Yan et al, Nature 2019

Allan Hills (US)

Grove Mountains (CN)

Little Dome C (EUR, AUS)

Ridge B (RUS)

Dome A (CN)

Dome F (JP)

Where to find such old stratified ice ?

23

Davos 2018 BE-OI June 19th 2018

Ground based survey 2016-17 and 2017-18

More than 2300km in the 2 seasons of survey

Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice Core

Concordia region

24

26.10.20

13

Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice Core

R. Mulvaney, pers. Comm., 2019

25

5000 man/day in the fieldAir cargo: 22 tonsFuel: 100 m3Cargo traverse: 80 tonsOverall budget ≈ 30 M€

Logistic Plan for BE-OIC

Mario Zucchelli

26

26.10.20

14

BELDC CAMPJan 18, 2020

Drilling tent

Radix tent

Sleeping tents

Recreation tent

27

Thank you for your attention and see you in LDCwww.beyondepica.eu

28