Temporal Variations in the 10Be Concentration Levels Found in the Dye 3 Ice Core, Greenland

Abstract

In order to study in some detail the variability of the 10Be concentration and its correlation with climatic parameters such as δ18O we have investigated 28 samples of the deep ice core from Dye 3, Greenland, covering the depth interval from 1 860 to 1 890 m which corresponds to the period 30 to 40 ka BP. The results show that the mean 10Be concentration during this period is higher by a factor of 1.7 than during the twentieth century and that there is a correlation between 10Be results and δ18O values. A possible explanation is that during cold periods (low δ18O values) precipitation rates are lower and therefore the number of 10Be atoms per gram of ice is higher. However, processes strongly related to δ18O values alone cannot explain the entire variability of the 10Be results.