Article
 

Multidecadal variability of atmospheric methane, 1000–1800 C.E.

Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/9880vw699

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • We present a new high-precision, high-resolution record of atmospheric methane from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core covering 1000–1800 C.E., a time period known as the late preindustrial Holocene (LPIH). The results are consistent with previous measurements from the Law Dome ice core, the only other high-resolution record of methane for this time period, and confirm most of the observed variability. Multidecadal variability in methane concentrations throughout the LPIH is weakly correlated or uncorrelated with reconstructions of temperature and precipitation from a variety of geographic regions. Correlations with temperature are dominated by changes in Northern Hemisphere high latitude temperatures between 1400 and 1600 C.E. during the onset of the Little Ice Age. Times of war and plague when large population losses could have reduced anthropogenic emissions are coincident with short periods of decreasing global methane concentrations.
  • Keywords: biogeochemistry, ice core, methane, trace gas
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Mitchell, L. E., E. J. Brook, T. Sowers, J. R. McConnell, and K. Taylor (2011), Multidecadal variability of atmospheric methane, 1000–1800 C.E., Journal of Geophysical Research, 116, G02007, doi:10.1029/2010JG001441.
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 116
Journal Issue/Number
  • G2
Academic Affiliation
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • This work was supported by NSF OPP grants 0538578, 0520523, and 0538538 and by NASA/Oregon Space Grant Consortium grant NNG05GJ85H. Glaciochemical dating of the WDC05A and WDC06A ice cores was supported by NSF OPP grants 0538427 and 0739780 to the Desert Research Institute. The authors appreciate the support of the WAIS Divide Science Coordination Office at the Desert Research Institute of Reno Nevada for the collection and distribution of the WAIS Divide ice core and related tasks (Kendrick Taylor, NSF grants 0440817 and 0230396). The National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs also funds the Ice Drilling Program Office and Ice Drilling Design and Operations group for coring activities; Raytheon Polar Services for logistics support in Antarctica; and the 109th New York Air National Guard for airlift in Antarctica. The National Ice Core Laboratory, which curated the core and preformed core processing, is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey. Data and description can be downloaded from the NOAA National Climate Data Center http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/paleo.html.
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items