Abstract

Investigations into contaminants in snow and ice from Greenland and Antarctica have shown changes in temperature, atmospheric circulation, and physical and chemical composition of the atmosphere over sub-annual to millennial timescales. Chemical proxies can reveal geophysical manifestations of climate such as sea ice extent and changes in pollutant sources and sinks.

In this talk I will introduce the continuous flow analysis (CFA) system developed at BAS which is used for determining high resolution physical and chemical records of past climates from ice cores. I will introduce the range of parameters measured by the system, along with its limitations. Using examples from recently drilled Arctic and Antarctic ice cores, I will explain how different climatic chemical indicators are used to reveal past environments: from the previous interglacial to post-industrial eras; and from volcanic records to subannual photochemical processes.