A new ice-core record from Lomonosovfonna, Svalbard: viewing the 1920–97 data in relation to present climate and environmental conditions

Abstract

In 1997 a 121m ice core was retrieved from Lomonosovfonna, the highest ice field in Spitsbergen, Svalbard (1250 m a.s.l.). Radar measurements indicate an ice depth of 126.5 m, and borehole temperature measurements show that the ice is below the melting point. High-resolution sampling of major ions, oxygen isotopes and deuterium has been performed on the core, and the results from the uppermost 36 m suggest that quasi-annual signals are preserved. The 1963 radioactive layer is situated at 18.5^18.95 m, giving a mean annual accumulation of 0.36 m w.e. for the period 1963^96. The upper 36 m of the ice core was dated back to 1920 by counting layers provided by the seasonal variations of the ions in addition to using a constant accumulation rate, with thinning by pure shear according to Nye (1963). The stratigraphy does not seem to have been obliterated by meltwater percolation, in contrast to most previous core sites on Svalbard. The anthropogenic influence on the Svalbard environment is illustrated by increased levels of sulphate, nitrate and acidity. Both nitrate and sulphate levels started to increase in the late 1940s, remained high until the late 1980s and have decreased during the last 15 years. The records of 18 O, MSA (methanesulphonic acid), and melt features along the core agree with the temperature record from Longyearbyen and the sea-ice record from the Barents Sea at a multi-year resolution, suggesting that this ice core reflects local climatic conditions.

An 800 year high-resolution black carbon ice-core record from Lomonosovfonna, Svalbard

“…1), reaching 1250 m a.s.l. in its accumulation area (Isaksson et al, 2001). For this reason, it is less affected by summer melting and meltwater percolation than other lowelevation glacier sites in Svalbard (Gordiyenko et al, 1981;Pohjola et al, 2002), making it suitable for ice core studies.…”

“…Two deep ice cores were retrieved in 1976 and 1982 by 35 pioneering Soviet expeditions, mainly for stratigraphic purposes (Gordiyenko et al, 1981;Zagorodnov et al, 1984). The first extensive study that retrieved both physical and chemical records from the ice was conducted on a deep ice core drilled in 1997 by an international team (Isaksson et al, 2001). …”

Ice cores from Svalbard––useful archives of past climate and pollution history

“…Both field-and analytical methods are described in Jauhiainen et al (1999) and Isaksson et al (2001).…”

115 year ice-core data from Akademii Nauk ice cap, Severnaya Zemlya: high-resolution record of Eurasian Arctic climate change

“…However, for a more comprehensive view on the climate changes on a more regional scale and over shorter timescales, more data from Arctic regions outside Greenland are needed. Therefore, in the Eurasian Arctic several ice cores from ice caps on Svalbard (Isaksson and others, 2001;Watanabe and others, 2001) and on Franz Josef Land (FJL) (Henderson, 2002) have been drilled and analysed recently. Ice caps in the Eurasian Arctic are relatively small and have a relatively low altitude compared with the Greenland ice sheet as well as with Canadian Arctic ice caps.…”