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Radiocarbon Determination of Particulate Organic Carbon in Non-Temperated, Alpine Glacier Ice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Peter Steier ,
Roswitha Drosg ,
Mariaelenea Fedi ,
Walter Kutschera ,
Martin Schock ,
Dietmar Wagenbach  and
Eva Maria Wild
Peter Steier*
Affiliation:
Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA), Institut für Isotopenforschung und Kernphysik, Universität Wien, Währinger Straße 17, A-1090 Wien, Austria
Roswitha Drosg
Affiliation:
Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA), Institut für Isotopenforschung und Kernphysik, Universität Wien, Währinger Straße 17, A-1090 Wien, Austria
Mariaelenea Fedi
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Università di Firenze and INFN Sezione di Firenze, via Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Fi), Italy
Walter Kutschera
Affiliation:
Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA), Institut für Isotopenforschung und Kernphysik, Universität Wien, Währinger Straße 17, A-1090 Wien, Austria
Martin Schock
Affiliation:
Institut für Umweltphysik, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuheimer Feld 229, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Dietmar Wagenbach
Affiliation:
Institut für Umweltphysik, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuheimer Feld 229, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Eva Maria Wild
Affiliation:
Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA), Institut für Isotopenforschung und Kernphysik, Universität Wien, Währinger Straße 17, A-1090 Wien, Austria
*
Corresponding author. Email: peter.steier@univie.ac.at.
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Abstract

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Dating ice samples from glaciers via radiocarbon is a challenge that requires systematic investigations. This work describes an approach for extraction and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C analysis of the particulate organic carbon (POC) fraction in glacier ice samples. Measurements were performed at VERA (Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator) on ice samples obtained mainly from the non-temperated ablation zone of the Grenzgletscher (Grenz Glacier) system (Monte Rosa Massif, Swiss Alps). The samples were obtained from 2 sampling sites situated roughly on a common flow line. The sample masses used were between 0.3 and 1.4 kg of ice, yielding between 18 and 307 μg of carbon as POC. The carbon contamination introduced during sample processing varied between 5.4 and 33 μg C and originated mainly from the quartz filters and the rinsing liquids used in processing. Minimum sample sizes for successful graphitization of CO2 in our laboratory could be reduced to <10 μg carbon, with a background in the graphitization process of ∼0.5 μg of 40-pMC carbon. Evaluation of the whole procedure via 11 Grenzgletscher samples revealed a surprisingly large scatter of pMC values. We obtain a mean calibrated age of 2100 BC to AD 900 (95.4% confidence level), which is not significantly different for the 2 sampling sites. Discussions of these results suggest that single 14C dates of glacial POC are presently of limited significance. Future improvements with respect to analytical precision and sample characterization are proposed in order to fully explore the POC dating potential.

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 48 , Issue 1 , 2006 , pp. 69 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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