Bomb Produced 14C Content in Tree Rings Grown at Different Latitudes

Abstract

The 14C content in 1961–1967 rings of each of three spruce pines grown at (68° N, 130° W), (47° 30' N, 129° 16' E) and (27° 13' N, 100° 20' E) were measured. Δ14C values of the three specimens rise dramatically from a common level (∼250‰) in 1961 to their respective maxima, 964‰, 909‰, and 743‰ in 1964 and then fall to a common level ∼680‰ in 1967. The observed Δ14C increase comes most likely from the nuclear bomb test of the USSR at 75° N in 1961, although there were many other tests since the 1950s. The different effects at different latitudes reflect the atmospheric circulation patterns in the stratosphere and the transport of 14C nuclei from the stratosphere to the troposphere.