Signal variability in replicate ice cores

Eric W. Wolff, Eliza Cook, Piers R.F. Barnes, Robert Mulvaney

19 Citations (Scopus)
5 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Replicate ice cores have been drilled about 10 m apart for the top 790 m of the ice sheet at Dome C, Antarctica. This provides an opportunity to examine inter-core variation of the signal for identical events, based on dielectric profile (DEP) comparisons. Comparison of the signal from the same core (a section 48 m long), measured 1 year apart, showed good reproducibility, with peak heights varying by around 10% between the two measurements. For the two replicate cores, identical peaks were matched and showed variability between cores of typically a factor 1.5. This can be explained based on the likelihood of significant time periods of missing accumulation in any single core at sites with such low snow accumulation rate. To synchronize core depths by matching peaks, it is essential to use the pattern of peaks, rather than just widely spaced individual strong peaks. To derive a quantitative volcanic index from these low-accumulation rate sites, it will be necessary to combine or average the results from several closely spaced parallel cores.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Glaciology
Volume51
Issue number174
Pages (from-to)462-468
Number of pages7
ISSN0022-1430
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2005
Externally publishedYes

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