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Jongebloed UA, Schauer AJ, Cole-Dai J, Larrick CG, Porter WC, Tashmim L, Zhai S, Salimi S, Edouard SR, Geng L, Alexander B. Industrial-era decline in Arctic methanesulfonic acid is offset by increased biogenic sulfate aerosol. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2307587120. [PMID: 37976260 PMCID: PMC10666112 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307587120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine phytoplankton are primary producers in ocean ecosystems and emit dimethyl sulfide (DMS) into the atmosphere. DMS emissions are the largest biological source of atmospheric sulfur and are one of the largest uncertainties in global climate modeling. DMS is oxidized to methanesulfonic acid (MSA), sulfur dioxide, and hydroperoxymethyl thioformate, all of which can be oxidized to sulfate. Ice core records of MSA are used to investigate past DMS emissions but rely on the implicit assumption that the relative yield of oxidation products from DMS remains constant. However, this assumption is uncertain because there are no long-term records that compare MSA to other DMS oxidation products. Here, we share the first long-term record of both MSA and DMS-derived biogenic sulfate concentration in Greenland ice core samples from 1200 to 2006 CE. While MSA declines on average by 0.2 µg S kg-1 over the industrial era, biogenic sulfate from DMS increases by 0.8 µg S kg-1. This increasing biogenic sulfate contradicts previous assertions of declining North Atlantic primary productivity inferred from decreasing MSA concentrations in Greenland ice cores over the industrial era. The changing ratio of MSA to biogenic sulfate suggests that trends in MSA could be caused by time-varying atmospheric chemistry and that MSA concentrations alone should not be used to infer past primary productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew J. Schauer
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Jihong Cole-Dai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD57007
| | - Carleigh G. Larrick
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD57007
| | - William C. Porter
- Department of Environmental Science, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
| | - Linia Tashmim
- Department of Environmental Science, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
| | - Shuting Zhai
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Sara Salimi
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Shana R. Edouard
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Lei Geng
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China230052
| | - Becky Alexander
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
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2
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Li M, Xu Y, Sun L, Chen J, Zhang K, Li D, Farquhar J, Zhang X, Sun R, Macdonald FA, Grasby SE, Fu Y, Shen Y. Deglacial volcanism and reoxygenation in the aftermath of the Sturtian Snowball Earth. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh9502. [PMID: 37672591 PMCID: PMC10482342 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh9502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
The Cryogenian Sturtian and Marinoan Snowball Earth glaciations bracket a nonglacial interval during which Demosponge and green-algal biomarkers first appear. To understand the relationships between environmental perturbations and early animal evolution, we measured sulfur and mercury isotopes from the Datangpo Formation from South China. Hg enrichment with positive Δ199Hg excursion suggests enhanced volcanism, potentially due to depressurization of terrestrial magma chambers during deglaciation. A thick stratigraphic interval of negative Δ33Spy indicates that the nonglacial interlude was characterized by low but rising sulfate levels. Model results reveal a mechanism to produce the Δ33S anomalies down to -0.284‰ through Rayleigh distillation. We propose that extreme temperatures and anoxia contributed to the apparent delay in green algal production in the aftermath of the Sturtian glaciation and the subsequent reoxygenation of the iron-rich and sulfate-depleted ocean paved the way for evolution of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menghan Li
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yilun Xu
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Lilin Sun
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Jiubin Chen
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Ke Zhang
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Dandan Li
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - James Farquhar
- Department of Geology and ESSIC, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Xiaolin Zhang
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Ruoyu Sun
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Francis A. Macdonald
- Department of Earth Science, University of California–Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Stephen E. Grasby
- Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A7, Canada
| | - Yong Fu
- College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550012, China
| | - Yanan Shen
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
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3
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Guillet S, Corona C, Oppenheimer C, Lavigne F, Khodri M, Ludlow F, Sigl M, Toohey M, Atkins PS, Yang Z, Muranaka T, Horikawa N, Stoffel M. Lunar eclipses illuminate timing and climate impact of medieval volcanism. Nature 2023; 616:90-95. [PMID: 37020006 PMCID: PMC10076221 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05751-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Explosive volcanism is a key contributor to climate variability on interannual to centennial timescales1. Understanding the far-field societal impacts of eruption-forced climatic changes requires firm event chronologies and reliable estimates of both the burden and altitude (that is, tropospheric versus stratospheric) of volcanic sulfate aerosol2,3. However, despite progress in ice-core dating, uncertainties remain in these key factors4. This particularly hinders investigation of the role of large, temporally clustered eruptions during the High Medieval Period (HMP, 1100-1300 CE), which have been implicated in the transition from the warm Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age5. Here we shed new light on explosive volcanism during the HMP, drawing on analysis of contemporary reports of total lunar eclipses, from which we derive a time series of stratospheric turbidity. By combining this new record with aerosol model simulations and tree-ring-based climate proxies, we refine the estimated dates of five notable eruptions and associate each with stratospheric aerosol veils. Five further eruptions, including one responsible for high sulfur deposition over Greenland circa 1182 CE, affected only the troposphere and had muted climatic consequences. Our findings offer support for further investigation of the decadal-scale to centennial-scale climate response to volcanic eruptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Guillet
- Climate Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene (C-CIA), Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Christophe Corona
- Climate Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene (C-CIA), Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- GEOLAB, Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | | | - Franck Lavigne
- Laboratoire de Géographie Physique, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Thiais, France
| | - Myriam Khodri
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentations et Approches Numériques, IPSL, Sorbonne Université/IRD/CNRS/MNHN, Paris, France
| | - Francis Ludlow
- Trinity Centre for Environmental Humanities, Department of History, School of Histories & Humanities, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Michael Sigl
- Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthew Toohey
- Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Paul S Atkins
- Department of Asian Languages & Literature, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zhen Yang
- Trinity Centre for Environmental Humanities, Department of History, School of Histories & Humanities, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Tomoko Muranaka
- Climate Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene (C-CIA), Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nobuko Horikawa
- Department of Asian Languages & Literature, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Markus Stoffel
- Climate Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene (C-CIA), Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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4
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Tollefson J. Medieval accounts of eclipses shine light on massive volcanic eruptions. Nature 2023; 616:423. [PMID: 37019962 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-00939-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
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5
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Hattori S, Iizuka Y, Alexander B, Ishino S, Fujita K, Zhai S, Sherwen T, Oshima N, Uemura R, Yamada A, Suzuki N, Matoba S, Tsuruta A, Savarino J, Yoshida N. Isotopic evidence for acidity-driven enhancement of sulfate formation after SO 2 emission control. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/19/eabd4610. [PMID: 33952511 PMCID: PMC8099192 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd4610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
After the 1980s, atmospheric sulfate reduction is slower than the dramatic reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions. However, a lack of observational evidence has hindered the identification of causal feedback mechanisms. Here, we report an increase in the oxygen isotopic composition of sulfate ([Formula: see text]) in a Greenland ice core, implying an enhanced role of acidity-dependent in-cloud oxidation by ozone (up to 17 to 27%) in sulfate production since the 1960s. A global chemical transport model reproduces the magnitude of the increase in observed [Formula: see text] with a 10 to 15% enhancement in the conversion efficiency from SO2 to sulfate in Eastern North America and Western Europe. With an expected continued decrease in atmospheric acidity, this feedback will continue in the future and partially hinder air quality improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Hattori
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan.
| | - Yoshinori Iizuka
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan
| | - Becky Alexander
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1640, USA
| | - Sakiko Ishino
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
- National Institute of Polar Research, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Koji Fujita
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Shuting Zhai
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1640, USA
| | - Tomás Sherwen
- National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
- Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Naga Oshima
- Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba 305-0052, Japan
| | - Ryu Uemura
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | | | - Nozomi Suzuki
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
| | - Sumito Matoba
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan
| | - Asuka Tsuruta
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
| | - Joel Savarino
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, IGE, F-38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Naohiro Yoshida
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
- National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Tokyo 184-8795, Japan
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Abstract
The mathematical aberration of the Gregorian chronology’s missing “year zero” retains enduring potential to sow confusion in studies of paleoclimatology and environmental ancient history. The possibility of dating error is especially high when pre-Common Era proxy evidence from tree rings, ice cores, radiocarbon dates, and documentary sources is integrated. This calls for renewed vigilance, with systematic reference to astronomical time (including year zero) or, at the very least, clarification of the dating scheme(s) employed in individual studies.
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The magnitude and impact of the 431 CE Tierra Blanca Joven eruption of Ilopango, El Salvador. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:26061-26068. [PMID: 32989145 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2003008117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Tierra Blanca Joven (TBJ) eruption from Ilopango volcano deposited thick ash over much of El Salvador when it was inhabited by the Maya, and rendered all areas within at least 80 km of the volcano uninhabitable for years to decades after the eruption. Nonetheless, the more widespread environmental and climatic impacts of this large eruption are not well known because the eruption magnitude and date are not well constrained. In this multifaceted study we have resolved the date of the eruption to 431 ± 2 CE by identifying the ash layer in a well-dated, high-resolution Greenland ice-core record that is >7,000 km from Ilopango; and calculated that between 37 and 82 km3 of magma was dispersed from an eruption coignimbrite column that rose to ∼45 km by modeling the deposit thickness using state-of-the-art tephra dispersal methods. Sulfate records from an array of ice cores suggest stratospheric injection of 14 ± 2 Tg S associated with the TBJ eruption, exceeding those of the historic eruption of Pinatubo in 1991. Based on these estimates it is likely that the TBJ eruption produced a cooling of around 0.5 °C for a few years after the eruption. The modeled dispersal and higher sulfate concentrations recorded in Antarctic ice cores imply that the cooling would have been more pronounced in the Southern Hemisphere. The new date confirms the eruption occurred within the Early Classic phase when Maya expanded across Central America.
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Large mass-independent sulphur isotope anomalies link stratospheric volcanism to the Late Ordovician mass extinction. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2297. [PMID: 32385286 PMCID: PMC7210970 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16228-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Volcanic eruptions are thought to be a key driver of rapid climate perturbations over geological time, such as global cooling, global warming, and changes in ocean chemistry. However, identification of stratospheric volcanic eruptions in the geological record and their causal link to the mass extinction events during the past 540 million years remains challenging. Here we report unexpected, large mass-independent sulphur isotopic compositions of pyrite with Δ33S of up to 0.91‰ in Late Ordovician sedimentary rocks from South China. The magnitude of the Δ33S is similar to that discovered in ice core sulphate originating from stratospheric volcanism. The coincidence between the large Δ33S and the first pulse of the Late Ordovician mass extinction about 445 million years ago suggests that stratospheric volcanic eruptions may have contributed to synergetic environmental deteriorations such as prolonged climatic perturbations and oceanic anoxia, related to the mass extinction. Identification of stratospheric volcanic eruptions in the geological record and their link to mass extinction events during the past 540 million years remains challenging. Here, the authors report unexpected, large mass-independent sulphur isotopic compositions of pyrite in Late Ordovician sedimentary rocks, which they suggest originates from stratospheric volcanism linked to the first pulse of the Late Ordovician mass extinction.
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2600-years of stratospheric volcanism through sulfate isotopes. Nat Commun 2019; 10:466. [PMID: 30692536 PMCID: PMC6349899 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08357-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
High quality records of stratospheric volcanic eruptions, required to model past climate variability, have been constructed by identifying synchronous (bipolar) volcanic sulfate horizons in Greenland and Antarctic ice cores. Here we present a new 2600-year chronology of stratospheric volcanic events using an independent approach that relies on isotopic signatures (Δ33S and in some cases Δ17O) of ice core sulfate from five closely-located ice cores from Dome C, Antarctica. The Dome C stratospheric reconstruction provides independent validation of prior reconstructions. The isotopic approach documents several high-latitude stratospheric events that are not bipolar, but climatically-relevant, and diverges deeper in the record revealing tropospheric signals for some previously assigned bipolar events. Our record also displays a collapse of the Δ17O anomaly of sulfate for the largest volcanic eruptions, showing a further change in atmospheric chemistry induced by large emissions. Thus, the refinement added by considering both isotopic and bipolar correlation methods provides additional levels of insight for climate-volcano connections and improves ice core volcanic reconstructions. The estimation of volcanic contribution to climate variability requires identification of global-scale eruptions. Here the authors present a new 2600-year chronology of stratospheric volcanic events that relies on isotopic signature of ice core sulfate, that improves ice core volcanic reconstruction.
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