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Cosmogenic 10Be concentrations in Antarctic ice during the past 30,000 years

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Abstract

We have previously discussed how measurements of the isotope 10Be (half life 1.5 Myr) in geophysical reservoirs can be used to probe variations in the production rate of cosmogenic nuclides1,2. Such variations can be caused by changes in the primary cosmic ray intensity, the geomagnetic field intensity3, and solar activity (through the modulating influence of the solar wind)4. We report here the first significant measurements in our programme to determine the 10Be concentration profile over the entire length of a 906-m Antarctic ice core. The results suggest an increased production of 10Be during the Maunder minimum, a period of apparently low solar activity lasting from 1645 to 17155. More suprisingly, we have also found a substantially increased 10Be concentration in snow deposited during the last ice age. While the interpretation of this latter effect is not yet clear, it will almost certainly have important implications for climatology studies. If production variations are indeed involved, there are also important implications for solar–terrestrial relationships and radiocarbon dating.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire René Bernas, Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse, 91406, Orsay, France

    G. M. Raisbeck & F. Yiou

  2. Institut des Sciences Nucléaires, 53 avenue des Martyrs, 38026, Grenoble, France

    M. Fruneau, J. M. Loiseaux, M. Lieuvin & J. C. Ravel

  3. Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement, 2, rue Très Cloîtres, 38031, Grenoble Cedex, France

    C. Lorius

Authors
  1. G. M. Raisbeck
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  2. F. Yiou
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  3. M. Fruneau
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  4. J. M. Loiseaux
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  5. M. Lieuvin
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  6. J. C. Ravel
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  7. C. Lorius
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Raisbeck, G., Yiou, F., Fruneau, M. et al. Cosmogenic 10Be concentrations in Antarctic ice during the past 30,000 years. Nature 292, 825–826 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/292825a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/292825a0

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