Atmospheric gas records from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica, reveal ancient ice with ages spanning the entire last glacial cycle

Baggenstos, Daniel; Bauska, Thomas K.; Severinghaus, Jeffrey P.; Lee, James E.; Schaefer, Hinrich; Buizert, Christo; Brook, Edward J.; Shackleton, Sarah; Petrenko, Vasilii V.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-943-2017

Articles | Volume 13, issue 7

https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-943-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-943-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 13, issue 7

Research article

|

20 Jul 2017

Research article |

| 20 Jul 2017

Atmospheric gas records from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica, reveal ancient ice with ages spanning the entire last glacial cycle

Daniel Baggenstos, Thomas K. Bauska, Jeffrey P. Severinghaus, James E. Lee, Hinrich Schaefer, Christo Buizert, Edward J. Brook, Sarah Shackleton, and Vasilii V. Petrenko

Data sets

Taylor Glacier Gas Isotope Data Baggenstos, D. and Severinghaus, J.P. https://doi.org/10.15784/601033

Short summary

We present measurements of the gas composition in trapped air bubbles in ice samples taken from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica. We can show that ice from the entire last glacial cycle (125 000 years ago to the present) is exposed at the surface of this glacier and that the atmospheric record contained in the air bubbles is well preserved. Taylor Glacier therefore provides an easily accessible archive of ancient ice that allows for studies of trace components that require large ice volumes.