1
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McConnell JR, Chellman NJ, Wensman SM, Plach A, Stanish C, Santibáñez PA, Brugger SO, Eckhardt S, Freitag J, Kipfstuhl S, Stohl A. Hemispheric-scale heavy metal pollution from South American and Australian mining and metallurgy during the Common Era. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169431. [PMID: 38142989 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Records from polar and alpine ice reflect past changes in background and industrial toxic heavy metal emissions. While Northern Hemisphere records have been used to evaluate environmental effects and linkages to historical events such as foreign conquests, plagues, economic downturns, and technological developments during the past three millennia, little is known about the magnitude and environmental effects of such emissions in the Southern Hemisphere or their historical linkages, especially prior to late 19th century industrialization. Here we used detailed measurements of the toxic heavy metals lead, cadmium, and thallium, as well as non-toxic bismuth, cerium, and sulfur in an array of five East Antarctic ice cores to investigate hemispheric-scale pollution during the Common Era. While thallium showed no anthropogenic increases, the other three metals increased by orders of magnitude in recent centuries after accounting for crustal and volcanic components. These first detailed records indicate that East Antarctic lead pollution started in the 13th century coincident with Late Intermediate Period metallurgy in the Andes and was pervasive during the Spanish Colonial period in parallel with large-scale exploitation of Andean silver and other ore deposits. Lead isotopic variations suggest that 19th-century increases in lead, cadmium, and bismuth resulted from Australian lead and Bolivian tin mining emissions, with 20th century pollution largely the result of the latter. As in the Northern Hemisphere, variations in heavy metal pollution coincided with plagues, cultural and technological developments, as well as global economic and political events including the Great Depression and the World Wars. Estimated atmospheric heavy metal emissions from Spanish Colonial-era mining and smelting during the late 16th and early 17th century were comparable to estimated European emissions during the 1st-century apex of the Roman Empire, with atmospheric model simulations suggesting hemispheric-scale toxic heavy metal pollution during the past five centuries as a result.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R McConnell
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA.
| | - Nathan J Chellman
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA
| | - Sophia M Wensman
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA
| | - Andreas Plach
- Department of Meteorology and Geophysics, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Charles Stanish
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Culture and the Environment, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Pamela A Santibáñez
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA
| | - Sandra O Brugger
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA
| | - Sabine Eckhardt
- Norwegian Institute for Air Research, N-2027 Kjeller, Norway
| | - Johannes Freitag
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Sepp Kipfstuhl
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Andreas Stohl
- Department of Meteorology and Geophysics, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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2
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Dasari S, Paris G, Charreau J, Savarino J. Sulfur-isotope anomalies recorded in Antarctic ice cores as a potential proxy for tracing past ozone layer depletion events. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac170. [PMID: 36714879 PMCID: PMC9802080 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Changes in the cosmic-ray background of the Earth can impact the ozone layer. High-energy cosmic events [e.g. supernova (SN)] or rapid changes in the Earth's magnetic field [e.g. geomagnetic Excursion (GE)] can lead to a cascade of cosmic rays. Ensuing chemical reactions can then cause thinning/destruction of the ozone layer-leading to enhanced penetration of harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation toward the Earth's surface. However, observational evidence for such UV "windows" is still lacking. Here, we conduct a pilot study and investigate this notion during two well-known events: the multiple SN event (≈10 kBP) and the Laschamp GE event (≈41 kBP). We hypothesize that ice-core-Δ33S records-originally used as volcanic fingerprints-can reveal UV-induced background-tropospheric-photochemical imprints during such events. Indeed, we find nonvolcanic S-isotopic anomalies (Δ33S ≠ 0‰) in background Antarctic ice-core sulfate during GE/SN periods, thereby confirming our hypothesis. This suggests that ice-core-Δ33S records can serve as a proxy for past ozone-layer-depletion events.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guillaume Paris
- Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques, Université de Lorraine, CNRS, 54000 Nancy, France
| | - Julien Charreau
- Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques, Université de Lorraine, CNRS, 54000 Nancy, France
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3
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Brehm N, Christl M, Knowles TDJ, Casanova E, Evershed RP, Adolphi F, Muscheler R, Synal HA, Mekhaldi F, Paleari CI, Leuschner HH, Bayliss A, Nicolussi K, Pichler T, Schlüchter C, Pearson CL, Salzer MW, Fonti P, Nievergelt D, Hantemirov R, Brown DM, Usoskin I, Wacker L. Tree-rings reveal two strong solar proton events in 7176 and 5259 BCE. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1196. [PMID: 35256613 PMCID: PMC8901681 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28804-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe Sun sporadically produces eruptive events leading to intense fluxes of solar energetic particles (SEPs) that dramatically disrupt the near-Earth radiation environment. Such events have been directly studied for the last decades but little is known about the occurrence and magnitude of rare, extreme SEP events. Presently, a few events that produced measurable signals in cosmogenic radionuclides such as 14C, 10Be and 36Cl have been found. Analyzing annual 14C concentrations in tree-rings from Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, Russia, and the USA we discovered two spikes in atmospheric 14C occurring in 7176 and 5259 BCE. The ~2% increases of atmospheric 14C recorded for both events exceed all previously known 14C peaks but after correction for the geomagnetic field, they are comparable to the largest event of this type discovered so far at 775 CE. These strong events serve as accurate time markers for the synchronization with floating tree-ring and ice core records and provide critical information on the previous occurrence of extreme solar events which may threaten modern infrastructure.
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4
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Abstract
Human evolution was strongly related to environmental factors. Woodlands and their products played a key role in the production of tools and weapons, and provided unique resources for constructions and fuel. Therefore wooden finds are essential in gaining insights into climatic and land use changes but also societal development during the Holocene. Dendroarchaeological investigations, based on tree rings, wood anatomy and techno-morphological characteristics are of great importance for a better understanding of past chronological processes as well as human-environment-interactions. Here we present an overview of the sources, methods, and concepts of this interdisciplinary field of dendroarchaeology focusing on Europe, where several tree-ring chronologies span most of the Holocene. We describe research examples from different periods of human history and discuss the current state of field. The long settlement history in Europe provides a myriad of wooden archeological samples not only for dating but also offer exciting new findings at the interface of natural and social sciences and the humanities.
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5
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Paleari CI, Mekhaldi F, Adolphi F, Christl M, Vockenhuber C, Gautschi P, Beer J, Brehm N, Erhardt T, Synal HA, Wacker L, Wilhelms F, Muscheler R. Cosmogenic radionuclides reveal an extreme solar particle storm near a solar minimum 9125 years BP. Nat Commun 2022; 13:214. [PMID: 35017519 PMCID: PMC8752676 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27891-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
During solar storms, the Sun expels large amounts of energetic particles (SEP) that can react with the Earth's atmospheric constituents and produce cosmogenic radionuclides such as 14C, 10Be and 36Cl. Here we present 10Be and 36Cl data measured in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica. The data consistently show one of the largest 10Be and 36Cl production peaks detected so far, most likely produced by an extreme SEP event that hit Earth 9125 years BP (before present, i.e., before 1950 CE), i.e., 7176 BCE. Using the 36Cl/10Be ratio, we demonstrate that this event was characterized by a very hard energy spectrum and was possibly up to two orders of magnitude larger than any SEP event during the instrumental period. Furthermore, we provide 10Be-based evidence that, contrary to expectations, the SEP event occurred near a solar minimum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara I Paleari
- Department of Geology - Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Florian Mekhaldi
- Department of Geology - Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden
- British Antarctic Survey, Ice Dynamics and Paleoclimate, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Florian Adolphi
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Marcus Christl
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Philip Gautschi
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jürg Beer
- Department of Surface Waters, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Brehm
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Erhardt
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hans-Arno Synal
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Wacker
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Frank Wilhelms
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Department of Crystallography, Geoscience Centre, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Raimund Muscheler
- Department of Geology - Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden
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6
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Heaton TJ, Bard E, Bronk Ramsey C, Butzin M, Köhler P, Muscheler R, Reimer PJ, Wacker L. Radiocarbon: A key tracer for studying Earth's dynamo, climate system, carbon cycle, and Sun. Science 2021; 374:eabd7096. [PMID: 34735228 DOI: 10.1126/science.abd7096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- T J Heaton
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
| | - E Bard
- CEREGE, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Collège de France, Technopole de l'Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - C Bronk Ramsey
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TG, UK
| | - M Butzin
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), D-27515 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - P Köhler
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), D-27515 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - R Muscheler
- Quaternary Sciences, Department of Geology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - P J Reimer
- 14CHRONO Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology, School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
| | - L Wacker
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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7
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McConnell JR, Chellman NJ, Mulvaney R, Eckhardt S, Stohl A, Plunkett G, Kipfstuhl S, Freitag J, Isaksson E, Gleason KE, Brugger SO, McWethy DB, Abram NJ, Liu P, Aristarain AJ. Hemispheric black carbon increase after the 13th-century Māori arrival in New Zealand. Nature 2021; 598:82-85. [PMID: 34616056 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03858-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
New Zealand was among the last habitable places on earth to be colonized by humans1. Charcoal records indicate that wildfires were rare prior to colonization and widespread following the 13th- to 14th-century Māori settlement2, but the precise timing and magnitude of associated biomass-burning emissions are unknown1,3, as are effects on light-absorbing black carbon aerosol concentrations over the pristine Southern Ocean and Antarctica4. Here we used an array of well-dated Antarctic ice-core records to show that while black carbon deposition rates were stable over continental Antarctica during the past two millennia, they were approximately threefold higher over the northern Antarctic Peninsula during the past 700 years. Aerosol modelling5 demonstrates that the observed deposition could result only from increased emissions poleward of 40° S-implicating fires in Tasmania, New Zealand and Patagonia-but only New Zealand palaeofire records indicate coincident increases. Rapid deposition increases started in 1297 (±30 s.d.) in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, consistent with the late 13th-century Māori settlement and New Zealand black carbon emissions of 36 (±21 2 s.d.) Gg y-1 during peak deposition in the 16th century. While charcoal and pollen records suggest earlier, climate-modulated burning in Tasmania and southern Patagonia6,7, deposition in Antarctica shows that black carbon emissions from burning in New Zealand dwarfed other preindustrial emissions in these regions during the past 2,000 years, providing clear evidence of large-scale environmental effects associated with early human activities across the remote Southern Hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R McConnell
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA.
| | - Nathan J Chellman
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Robert Mulvaney
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sabine Eckhardt
- Department of Atmospheric and Climate Research, Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Kjeller, Norway
| | - Andreas Stohl
- Department of Meteorology and Geophysics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gill Plunkett
- School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Sepp Kipfstuhl
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Johannes Freitag
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | | | - Kelly E Gleason
- Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Sandra O Brugger
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA
| | - David B McWethy
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Nerilie J Abram
- Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.,Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Pengfei Liu
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alberto J Aristarain
- Instituto Antártico Argentino, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Cientifícas y Teconológicas, Mendoza, Argentina
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8
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Miyake F, Panyushkina IP, Jull AJT, Adolphi F, Brehm N, Helama S, Kanzawa K, Moriya T, Muscheler R, Nicolussi K, Oinonen M, Salzer M, Takeyama M, Tokanai F, Wacker L. A Single-Year Cosmic Ray Event at 5410 BCE Registered in 14C of Tree Rings. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2021; 48:e2021GL093419. [PMID: 34433990 PMCID: PMC8365682 DOI: 10.1029/2021gl093419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The annual 14C data in tree rings is an outstanding proxy for uncovering extreme solar energetic particle (SEP) events in the past. Signatures of extreme SEP events have been reported in 774/775 CE, 992/993 CE, and ∼660 BCE. Here, we report another rapid increase of 14C concentration in tree rings from California, Switzerland, and Finland around 5410 BCE. These 14C data series show a significant increase of ∼6‰ in 5411-5410 BCE. The signature of 14C variation is very similar to the confirmed three SEP events and points to an extreme short-term flux of cosmic ray radiation into the atmosphere. The rapid 14C increase in 5411/5410 BCE rings occurred during a period of high solar activity and 60 years after a grand 14C excursion during 5481-5471 BCE. The similarity of our 14C data to previous events suggests that the origin of the 5410 BCE event is an extreme SEP event.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Miyake
- Institute for Space‐Earth Environmental ResearchNagoya UniversityNagoyaJapan
| | | | - A. J. T. Jull
- Department of GeosciencesUniversity of ArizonaTucsonAZUSA
- Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research CentreInstitute for Nuclear ResearchDebrecenHungary
| | - F. Adolphi
- Alfred Wegener InstituteHelmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchBremerhavenGermany
| | - N. Brehm
- Laboratory for Ion Beam PhysicsETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - S. Helama
- Natural Resources Institute FinlandRovaniemiFinland
| | - K. Kanzawa
- Institute for Space‐Earth Environmental ResearchNagoya UniversityNagoyaJapan
| | - T. Moriya
- Faculty of ScienceYamagata UniversityYamagataJapan
| | - R. Muscheler
- Department of GeologyFaculty of ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - K. Nicolussi
- Department of GeographyUniversität InnsbruckInnsbruckAustria
| | - M. Oinonen
- Finnish Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - M. Salzer
- Laboratory of Tree Ring ResearchUniversity of ArizonaTucsonAZUSA
| | - M. Takeyama
- Faculty of ScienceYamagata UniversityYamagataJapan
| | - F. Tokanai
- Faculty of ScienceYamagata UniversityYamagataJapan
| | - L. Wacker
- Laboratory for Ion Beam PhysicsETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
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9
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Rapid 14C excursion at 3372-3371 BCE not observed at two different locations. Nat Commun 2021; 12:712. [PMID: 33514715 PMCID: PMC7846558 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20695-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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10
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Wallner A, Feige J, Fifield LK, Froehlich MB, Golser R, Hotchkis MAC, Koll D, Leckenby G, Martschini M, Merchel S, Panjkov S, Pavetich S, Rugel G, Tims SG. 60Fe deposition during the late Pleistocene and the Holocene echoes past supernova activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:21873-21879. [PMID: 32839339 PMCID: PMC7486756 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1916769117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclides synthesized in massive stars are ejected into space via stellar winds and supernova explosions. The solar system (SS) moves through the interstellar medium and collects these nucleosynthesis products. One such product is 60Fe, a radionuclide with a half-life of 2.6 My that is predominantly produced in massive stars and ejected in supernova explosions. Extraterrestrial 60Fe has been found on Earth, suggesting close-by supernova explosions ∼2 to 3 and ∼6 Ma. Here, we report on the detection of a continuous interstellar 60Fe influx on Earth over the past ∼33,000 y. This time period coincides with passage of our SS through such interstellar clouds, which have a significantly larger particle density compared to the local average interstellar medium embedding our SS for the past few million years. The interstellar 60Fe was extracted from five deep-sea sediment samples and accelerator mass spectrometry was used for single-atom counting. The low number of 19 detected atoms indicates a continued but low influx of interstellar 60Fe. The measured 60Fe time profile over the 33 ky, obtained with a time resolution of about ±9 ky, does not seem to reflect any large changes in the interstellar particle density during Earth's passage through local interstellar clouds, which could be expected if the local cloud represented an isolated remnant of the most recent supernova ejecta that traversed the Earth ∼2 to 3 Ma. The identified 60Fe influx may signal a late echo of some million-year-old supernovae with the 60Fe-bearing dust particles still permeating the interstellar medium.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Wallner
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia;
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - J Feige
- Isotope Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator Laboratory, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Zentrum für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - L K Fifield
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - M B Froehlich
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - R Golser
- Isotope Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator Laboratory, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - M A C Hotchkis
- Centre for Accelerator Science, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234, Australia
| | - D Koll
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - G Leckenby
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - M Martschini
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
- Isotope Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator Laboratory, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - S Merchel
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - S Panjkov
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - S Pavetich
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - G Rugel
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - S G Tims
- Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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11
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Extreme climate after massive eruption of Alaska's Okmok volcano in 43 BCE and effects on the late Roman Republic and Ptolemaic Kingdom. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:15443-15449. [PMID: 32571905 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002722117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE triggered a power struggle that ultimately ended the Roman Republic and, eventually, the Ptolemaic Kingdom, leading to the rise of the Roman Empire. Climate proxies and written documents indicate that this struggle occurred during a period of unusually inclement weather, famine, and disease in the Mediterranean region; historians have previously speculated that a large volcanic eruption of unknown origin was the most likely cause. Here we show using well-dated volcanic fallout records in six Arctic ice cores that one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the past 2,500 y occurred in early 43 BCE, with distinct geochemistry of tephra deposited during the event identifying the Okmok volcano in Alaska as the source. Climate proxy records show that 43 and 42 BCE were among the coldest years of recent millennia in the Northern Hemisphere at the start of one of the coldest decades. Earth system modeling suggests that radiative forcing from this massive, high-latitude eruption led to pronounced changes in hydroclimate, including seasonal temperatures in specific Mediterranean regions as much as 7 °C below normal during the 2 y period following the eruption and unusually wet conditions. While it is difficult to establish direct causal linkages to thinly documented historical events, the wet and very cold conditions from this massive eruption on the opposite side of Earth probably resulted in crop failures, famine, and disease, exacerbating social unrest and contributing to political realignments throughout the Mediterranean region at this critical juncture of Western civilization.
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12
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Prolonged production of 14C during the ~660 BCE solar proton event from Japanese tree rings. Sci Rep 2020; 10:660. [PMID: 31959822 PMCID: PMC6971252 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57273-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Annual rings record the intensity of cosmic rays (CRs) that had entered into the Earth’s atmosphere. Several rapid 14C increases in the past, such as the 775 CE and 994CE 14C spikes, have been reported to originate from extreme solar proton events (SPEs). Another rapid 14C increase, also known as the ca. 660 BCE event in German oak tree rings as well as increases of 10Be and 36Cl in ice cores, was presumed similar to the 775 CE event; however, as the 14C increase of approximately 10‰ in 660 BCE had taken a rather longer rise time of 3–4 years as compared to that of the 775 CE event, the occurrence could not be simply associated to an extreme SPE. In this study, to elucidate the rapid increase in 14C concentrations in tree rings around 660 BCE, we have precisely measured the 14C concentrations of earlywoods and latewoods inside the annual rings of Japanese cedar for the period 669–633 BCE. Based on the feature of 14C production rate calculated from the fine measured profile of the 14C concentrations, we found that the 14C rapid increase occurred within 665–663.5 BCE, and that duration of 14C production describing the event is distributed from one month to 41 months. The possibility of occurrence of consecutive SPEs over up to three years is offered.
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13
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Scifo A, Kuitems M, Neocleous A, Pope BJS, Miles D, Jansma E, Doeve P, Smith AM, Miyake F, Dee MW. Radiocarbon Production Events and their Potential Relationship with the Schwabe Cycle. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17056. [PMID: 31745128 PMCID: PMC6863917 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53296-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Extreme cosmic radiation events occurred in the years 774/5 and 993/4 CE, as revealed by anomalies in the concentration of radiocarbon in known-age tree-rings. Most hypotheses point towards intense solar storms as the cause for these events, although little direct experimental support for this claim has thus far come to light. In this study, we perform very high-precision accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements on dendrochronological tree-rings spanning the years of the events of interest, as well as the Carrington Event of 1859 CE, which is recognized as an extreme solar storm even though it did not generate an anomalous radiocarbon signature. Our data, comprising 169 new and previously published measurements, appear to delineate the modulation of radiocarbon production due to the Schwabe (11-year) solar cycle. Moreover, they suggest that all three events occurred around the maximum of the solar cycle, adding experimental support for a common solar origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Scifo
- University of Groningen, Centre for Isotope Research, Nijenborgh 6, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - M Kuitems
- University of Groningen, Centre for Isotope Research, Nijenborgh 6, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - A Neocleous
- University of Cyprus, Department of Computer Science, 1 University Avenue, 2109, Aglantzia, Cyprus
| | - B J S Pope
- NASA Sagan Fellow, Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics and Center for Data Science, New York, NY, USA
| | - D Miles
- Oxford University, Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory, Mill Farm, Mapledurham, Oxfordshire, RG4 7TX, United Kingdom
| | - E Jansma
- Cultural Heritage Agency of The Netherlands, Smallepad 5, 3811 MG, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
| | - P Doeve
- Cultural Heritage Agency of The Netherlands, Smallepad 5, 3811 MG, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
| | - A M Smith
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), New Illawarra Rd, Lucas Heights, NSW, 2234, Australia
| | - F Miyake
- Nagoya University, Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - M W Dee
- University of Groningen, Centre for Isotope Research, Nijenborgh 6, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
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