CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 46Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchArchaeology and ancient environmental studiesTree-ring climate responses

A Radiocarbon Perspective on Greenland Ice-Core Chronologies: Can we Use Ice Cores for 14C Calibration?

Open access
Southon, John·2004·Radiocarbon
DOI 10.1017/s0033822200033129
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Some of the most valuable paleoclimate archives yet recovered are the multi-proxy records from the Greenland GISP2 and GRIP ice cores. The crucial importance of these data arises in part from the strong correlations that exist between the Greenland δ 18 O records and isotopic or other proxies in numerous other Northern Hemisphere paleoclimate sequences. These correlations could, in principle, allow layer-counted ice-core chronologies to be transferred to radiocarbon-dated paleoclimate archives, thus providing a 14 C calibration for the Last Glacial Maximum and Isotope Stage 3, back to the instrumental limits of the 14 C technique. However, this possibility is confounded by the existence of numerous different chronologies, as opposed to a single (or even a “best”) ice-core time scale. This paper reviews how the various chronologies were developed, summarizes the differences between them, and examines ways in which further research may allow a 14 C calibration to be established.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1017/s0033822200033129

Cites

1 of 1 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Other observations suggest the need for a ~20 year reduction in ages for these records around the 17th century BCE, based on comparison of two solar activity proxy records.

    “other observations suggesting the need for a ~20 year reduction in ages for these records around the 17th century BCE, based on comparison of two solar activity proxy records (which should therefore be similar): (i) the 10Be record derived from the Greenland ice-cores versus (ii) the Δ14C record from known-age trees [87]”

    From Integrated Tree-Ring-Radiocarbon High-Resolution Timeframe to Resolve Earlier Second Millennium BCE Mesopotamian Chronology (2016) · cites this paper as [88]

    The Holocene section compares Greenland GISP2 ¹⁰Be with Δ¹⁴C from absolutely dated tree rings and says the comparison suggests the GISP2 chronology is too old before 3400 BP. But it estimates the needed reduction at about 60 years, not ~20 years; the 20–30-year figure refers to the proxy lag at later dates. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 33

  1. Alley RB, Shuman CA, Meese DA, Gow AJ, Taylor KC, Cuffey KM, Fitzpatrick JJ, Grootes PM, Zielinski GA, Ram M, Spinelli G, Elder B. 1997. Visual-strati- graphic dating of the GISP2 ice core: basis, reproduc- ibility and application. Journal of Geophysical Research 102:26,367-81.
  2. Bard E, Raisbeck GM, Jouzel J. 1997. Solar modulation of cosmogenic nuclide production over the last mil- lennium: comparisons between 14 C and 10 Be. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 150:453-62.
  3. Castagnoli GC, Albrecht A, Beer J, Bonino G, Shen CH, Callegari E, Taricco C, Dittrich-Hannen B, Kubik P, Suter M, Zhu GM. 1995. Evidence for enhanced 10 Be deposition in Mediterranean sediments 35 kyr BP. Geophysical Research Letters 22:707-10.
  4. Finkel RC, Nishiizumi K. 1997. 10 Be concentrations in the Greenland Ice Sheet Project ice core from 3-40 ka. Journal of Geophysical Research 102:26,699-706.
  5. Frank M, Schwarz B, Baumann S, Kubik PW, Suter M, Mangini A. 1997. A 200-kyr record of cosmogenic radionuclide production rate and geomagnetic field intensity from 10 Be in globally stacked deep-sea sedi- ments. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 149:121- 9.
  6. Gillot PY, Labeyrie L, Laj C, Valladas G, Guerin G, Pou- peau G, Delibrias G. 1979. Age of the Laschamp pale- omagnetic excursion revisited. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 42:444-50.
  7. Gow AJ, Meese DA, Alley RB, Fitzpatrick JJ, Anan- dakrishnan S, Woods GA, Elder BC. 1997. Physical and structural properties of the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 ice core: a review. Journal Geophysical Research 102:26,569-75.
  8. Gronvold K, Oskarsson N, Johnsen S, Clausen HB, Ham- mer CU, Bond G, Bard E. 1995. Ash layers from Ice- land in the Greenland GRIP ice core correlated with ocean and land sediments. Earth and Planetary Sci- ence Letters 135:149-55.
  9. Grootes PM, Stuiver M. 1997. Oxygen-18/16 variability in Greenland snow and ice with 10 -3 to 10 5 -year time resolution. Journal of Geophysical Research 102: 26,455-70.
  10. Johnsen SJ, Clausen HB, Dansgaard W, Gundestrup N, Hammer CU, Andersen U, Anderson KU, Hvidberg CS, Dahl-Jensen D, Steffensen JP, Shoji H, Sveinbjörnsdóttir AE, White J, Jouzel J, Fisher D. 1997. The δ 18 O record along the Greenland Ice Core Project deep ice core and the problem of possible Eemian climate instability. Journal of Geophysical Research 102:26,397-410.
  11. Johnsen SJ, Clausen HB, Jouzel J, Schwander J, Svein- björnsdóttir AE, White J. 1999. Stable isotope records from Greenland deep ice cores: the climate signal and the role of diffusion. In: Wettlaufer JS, Dash JG, Un- tersterner N, editors. Ice Physics and the Natural Environment. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. p 89-107.
  12. Johnsen SJ, Dahl-Jensen D, Gundestrup N, Steffensen J, Clausen H, Miller H, Masson-Delmotte V, Svein- björnsdóttir AE, White J. 2001. Oxygen isotope and paleotemperature records from six Greenland ice-core stations: Camp Century, Dye-3, GRIP, GISP2, Ren- land and NorthGRIP. Journal of Quaternary Science 16:299-307.
  13. C and astrophysical-geophysical phenomena. In: Taylor RE, Long A, Kra RS, editors. Radiocarbon After Four Decades. Berlin: Springer- Verlag. p 130-45.
  14. Kromer B, Spurk M. 1998. Revision and tentative exten- sion of the tree-ring based 14 C calibration 9200- 11,855 cal BP. Radiocarbon 40(3):1117-25.
  15. Levi S, Audunsson H, Duncan RA, Kristjansson L, Gillot P-Y, Jakobsson SP. 1990. Late Pleistocene geomag- netic excursion in Icelandic lava: confirmation of the Laschamp excursion. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 96:443-57.
  16. Meese D, Gow AJ, Alley RB, Zielinski GA, Grootes PM, Ram M, Taylor KC, Mayewski PA, Bolzan JF. 1997. The Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 depth-age scale: methods and results. Journal of Geophysical Research 102:26,411-23.
  17. Raisbeck GM, Yiou F, Fruneau M, Loiseaux JM, Lieuvin M, Ravel JC. 1981. Cosmogenic 10 Be/ 7 Be as a probe of atmospheric transport processes. Geophysical Research Letters 8:1015-8.
  18. Rahmstorf S. 2003. Timing of abrupt climate change: a precise clock. Geophysical Research Letters 30(10): 1510-3.
  19. Ram M, Illing M. 1994. Polar ice stratigraphy from laser- light scattering: scattering from meltwater. Journal of Glaciology 40:504-8.
  20. Ram M, Illing M, Weber P, Koenig G, Kaplan M. 1995. Polar ice stratigraphy from laser-light scattering: scat- tering from ice. Geophysical Research Letters 22: 3525-7.
  21. Ram M, Donarummo J, Sheridan M. 1996. Volcanic ash from Iceland ~57,300 yr BP eruption found in GISP2 (Greenland) ice core. Geophysical Research Letters 23:3167-9.
  22. Ram M, Koenig G. 1997. Continuous dust concentration profile of pre-Holocene ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 ice core: dust stadials, interstadials and the Eemian. Journal of Geophysical Research 102: 26,641-8.
  23. Ram M, Donarummo J, Stolz MR, Koenig G. 2000. Cal- ibration of laser-light scattering measurements of dust concentrations for Wisconsin GISP2 ice using instru- mental neutron activation analysis of aluminum: results and discussion. Geophysical Research Letters 105:24,731-8.
  24. Robinson C, Raisbeck, Yiou F, Lehman B, Laj C. 1995. The relationship between 10 Be and geomagnetic field strength records in central North Atlantic sediments during the last 80 ka. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 136:551-7.
  25. Ruddiman WF, MacIntyre A. 1984. Ice-age thermal response and climatic role of the surface Atlantic Ocean, 40°N to 63°N. Geological Society of America Bulletin 95:381-96.
  26. Sigurdsson H, McIntosh WC, Dunbar N, Lacasse C, Carey SN. 1998. Thorsmork Ignimbrite in Iceland: possible source of the North Atlantic Ash Zone 2. Eos Transactions, AGU, Spring Meeting Supplement 79: S377.
  27. Spotl C, Mangin A. 2002. Stalagmite from the Austrian Alps reveals Dansgaard-Oeschger events during iso- tope stage 3: implications for the absolute chronology of Greenland ice cores. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 203:507-18.
  28. Spurk M, Friedrich M, Hofmann J, Remmele S, Frenzel B, Leuschner H, Kromer B. 1998. Revisions and ex- tensions of the Hohenheim oak and pine chronologies: new evidence about the timing of the Younger Dryas/ Preboreal transition. Radiocarbon 40(3):1107-16.
  29. Stuiver M, Reimer PJ, Bard E, Beck JW, Burr GS, Hughen KA, Kromer B, McCormac G, van der Plicht J, Spurk M. 1998. IntCal98 radiocarbon age calibra- tion, 24,000-0 cal BP. Radiocarbon 40(3):1041-83.
  30. Taylor KC, Alley RA, Lamorey G, Mayewski P. 1997. Electrical measurements on the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 Core. Journal of Geophysical Research 102: 26,511-7.
  31. Ton-That T, Singer B, Paterne M. 2001. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of the latest Pleistocene (41 ka) marine tephra in the Mediterranean Sea: implications for global climate records. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 184: 645-58.
  32. Voelker AHL, Sarnthein M, Grootes PM, Erlenkreuser H, Laj C, Mazaud M, Nadeau MJ, Sleicher M. 1998. Correlation of marine 14 C ages from the Nordic seas with the GISP2 isotope record: implications for 14 C calibration beyond 25 ka BP. Radiocarbon 40(1):517- 34.
  33. Yiou F, Raisbeck GM, Baumgartner S, Beer J, Hammer C, Johnsen S, Jouzel J, Kubik PW, Lestringuez J, Stievenard M, Suter M, Yiou P. 1997. 10 Be in the Greenland Ice Core Project ice core at Summit, Green- land. Journal of Geophysical Research 102:26,783- 94.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Southon, J.
Affiliations
University of California, Irvine (US)
Corresponding author
Southon, John
ORCID
Southon, John
Venue
Radiocarbon
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2004
Volume
46
Issue
3
Pages
1239-1259
ISSN
  • 0033-8222 (ISSN-L)
  • 1945-5755
DOI
10.1017/s0033822200033129
OpenAlex
W2015769083
Cited by
46
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 3
FWCI
3.39
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 4582 d)
Locations
  • Radiocarbon (publishedVersion)
  • UA Campus Repository (The University of Arizona) (acceptedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Tree-ring climate responses
Keywords
Greenland ice cores, ice core chronology, radiocarbon calibration, GISP2, grip, oxygen isotopes, Last Glacial Maximum, paleoclimate records

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review