Award Abstract # 0636953
Methyl Chloride, Methyl Bromide, and Carbonyl Sulfide in Deep Antarctic Ice Cores

NSF Org: OPP
Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE
Initial Amendment Date: March 22, 2007
Latest Amendment Date: February 3, 2009
Award Number: 0636953
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Julie Palais
OPP
 Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: April 1, 2007
End Date: March 31, 2012 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $445,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $445,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2007 = $125,000.00
FY 2008 = $155,000.00

FY 2009 = $165,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Eric Saltzman (Principal Investigator)
    esaltzma@uci.edu
  • Murat Aydin (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of California-Irvine
160 ALDRICH HALL
IRVINE
CA  US  92697-0001
(949)824-7295
Sponsor Congressional District: 47
Primary Place of Performance: University of California-Irvine
160 ALDRICH HALL
IRVINE
CA  US  92697-0001
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
47
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): MJC5FCYQTPE6
Parent UEI: MJC5FCYQTPE6
NSF Program(s): ANT Glaciology
Primary Program Source: 0100CYXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): OTHR, 0000
Program Element Code(s): 511600
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.078

ABSTRACT

Saltzman/0636953

This award supports a project to measure methyl chloride, methyl bromide, and carbonyl sulfide in air extracted from Antarctic ice cores. Previous measurements in firn air and shallow ice cores suggest that the ice archive contains paleo-atmospheric signals for these gases. The goal of this study is to extend these records throughout the Holocene and into the last Glacial period to examine the behavior of these trace gases over longer time scales and a wider range of climatic conditions. These studies are exploratory, and both the stability of these trace gases and the extent to which they may be impacted by in situ processes will be assessed. This project will involve sampling and analyzing archived ice core samples from the Siple Dome, Taylor Dome, Byrd, and Vostok ice cores. The ice core samples will be analyzed by dry extraction, with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with isotope dilution. The ice core measurements will generate new information about the range of natural variability of these trace gases in the atmosphere. The intellectual merit of this project is that this work will provide an improved basis for assessing the impact of anthropogenic activities on biogeochemical cycles, and new insight into the climatic sensitivity of the biogeochemical processes controlling atmospheric composition. The broader impact of this project is that there is a strong societal interest in understanding how man's activities impact the atmosphere, and how atmospheric chemistry may be altered by future climate change. The results of this study will contribute to the development of scenarios used for future projections of stratospheric ozone and climate change. In terms of human development, this project will support the doctoral dissertation of a graduate student in Earth System Science, and undergraduate research on polar ice core chemistry. This project will also contribute to the development of an Earth Sciences teacher training curriculum for high school teachers in the Orange County school system in collaboration with an established, NSF-sponsored Math and Science Partnership program (FOCUS).

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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E.S. Saltzman, M. Aydin, C. Tatum, and M.B. Williams "2,000 year record of atmospheric methyl bromide from a South Pole ice core" Journal of Geophysical Research , v.113 , 2008 , p.D05304 10.1029/2007JD008919
E.S. Saltzman, M. Aydin, C. Tatum, and M.B. Williams "2,000 year record of atmospheric methyl bromide from a South Pole ice core" Journal of Geophysical Research , v.113 , 2008 , p.D05304 10.1029/2007JD008919
M. Aydin, M.B. Williams, C. Tatum, and E.S. Saltzman "Carbonyl sulfide in air extracted from a South Pole ice core: a 2,000 year record" Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics , v.8 , 2008 , p.7533
M. Aydin, M.B. Williams, C. Tatum, and E.S. Saltzman "Carbonyl sulfide in air extracted froma South Pole ice core: a 2,000 year record" Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics , v.8 , 2008 , p.7533
Saltzman, E. S.; Aydin, M.; Williams, M. B.; Verhulst, K.; Gun, B. "Methyl chloride in a deep ice core from Siple Dome, Antarctica" Geophysical Research Letters , v.36 , 2009 , p.L038 10.1029/2008GL036266

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