Synchrotron Radiation Research and Analysis of the Particulate Matter in Deep Ice Cores: An Overview of the Technical Challenges

Abstract

Airborne dust extracted from deep ice core perforations can provide chemical and mineralogical insight into the history of the climate and atmospheric conditions, with unrivalled temporal resolution, time span and richness of information. The availability of material for research and the natural complexity of the particulate, however, pose significant challenges to analytical methods. We present the developments undertaken to optimize the experimental techniques, materials and protocols for synchrotron radiation-based analysis, in particular for the acquisition of combined Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Fluorescence and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy data.

Deep ice as a geochemical reactor: insights from iron speciation and mineralogy of dust in the Talos Dome ice core (East Antarctica)

“…This finding is confirmed by a thorough investigation of the Talos Dome ice core (TALDICE, East Antarctica), where jarosite is found below 1000 m deep and interpreted as the result of acidic, water-limited weathering of dust (Baccolo et al, 2021). Since Fe biogeochemistry is strongly coupled with the global carbon cycle, this element receives considerable attention from the ice core community (Wolff et al, 2006;Conway et al, 2015;Hooper et al, 2019), and methods have been developed to measure its concentration and speciation (Spolaor et al, 2013;Burgay et al, 2019). Nevertheless, the effects of post-depositional processes in ice cores on its geochemistry are still poorly investigated.…”

“…The application of synchrotron light to determine the elemental and mineralogical composition of TALDICE dust is performed at beamline B18 of Diamond Light Source (Cibin et al, 2019). A glovebox is connected to the experimental chamber of the beamline to handle the samples in clean conditions.…”

Condensed Matter Researches in Cryospheric Science

“…Furthermore, Cibin et al [13] developed instrumentation and protocols to optimize the collection of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction data on ice core and possible source areas mineral dust samples, at the Diamond Light Source Facility (UK).…”

Characterization and Speciation of Marine Materials Using Synchrotron Probes: Guidelines for New Users

“…The heterogeneity, complexity, and range of sample types of natural materials mean that although sample preparation is important, the best approach varies between studies (Steele et al, 2019). Each additional preparation, preservation, and transport step can lead to contamination (Cibin et al, 2019) and other artifacts.…”