The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Raimund Muscheler

Raimund Muscheler

Professor

Raimund Muscheler

The WAIS Divide deep ice core WD2014 chronology - Part 2 : Annual-layer counting (0-31 ka BP)

Author

  • Michael Sigl
  • Tyler J. Fudge
  • Mai Winstrup
  • Jihong Cole-Dai
  • David Ferris
  • Joseph R. McConnell
  • Ken C. Taylor
  • Kees C. Welten
  • Thomas E. Woodruff
  • Florian Adolphi
  • Marion Bisiaux
  • Edward J. Brook
  • Christo Buizert
  • Marc W. Caffee
  • Nelia W. Dunbar
  • Ross Edwards
  • Lei Geng
  • Nels Iverson
  • Bess Koffman
  • Lawrence Layman
  • Olivia J. Maselli
  • Kenneth McGwire
  • Raimund Muscheler
  • Kunihiko Nishiizumi
  • Daniel R. Pasteris
  • Rachael H. Rhodes
  • Todd A. Sowers
Show all

Summary, in English

We present the WD2014 chronology for the upper part (0-2850 m; 31.2 ka BP) of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide (WD) ice core. The chronology is based on counting of annual layers observed in the chemical, dust and electrical conductivity records. These layers are caused by seasonal changes in the source, transport, and deposition of aerosols. The measurements were interpreted manually and with the aid of two automated methods. We validated the chronology by comparing to two high-accuracy, absolutely dated chronologies. For the Holocene, the cosmogenic isotope records of 10Be from WAIS Divide and 14C for IntCal13 demonstrated that WD2014 was consistently accurate to better than 0.5 % of the age. For the glacial period, comparisons to the Hulu Cave chronology demonstrated that WD2014 had an accuracy of better than 1 % of the age at three abrupt climate change events between 27 and 31 ka. WD2014 has consistently younger ages than Greenland ice core chronologies during most of the Holocene. For the Younger Dryas-Preboreal transition (11.595 ka; 24 years younger) and the Bølling-Allerød Warming (14.621 ka; 7 years younger), WD2014 ages are within the combined uncertainties of the timescales. Given its high accuracy, WD2014 can become a reference chronology for the Southern Hemisphere, with synchronization to other chronologies feasible using high-quality proxies of volcanism, solar activity, atmospheric mineral dust, and atmospheric methane concentrations.

Department/s

  • Quaternary Sciences

Publishing year

2016-03-30

Language

English

Pages

769-786

Publication/Series

Climate of the Past

Volume

12

Issue

3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Copernicus GmbH

Topic

  • Geology
  • Climate Research

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1814-9324