Temperature‐Driven Bubble Migration as Proxy for Internal Bubble Pressures and Bubble Trapping Function in Ice Cores. Issue 17 (11th September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dadic, R.; Schneebeli, M.; Wiese, M.; Bertler, N. A. N.; Salamatin, A. N.; Theile, T. C.; Alley, R. B.; Lipenkov, V. Ya.
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 124:Issue 17/18(2019)
• Page Start: 10264
• Page End: 10282
• Publication Date: 2019-09-11
• Subjects: air bubbles -- ice cores -- pressure distribution -- bubble trapping function -- past changes; Atmospheric physics -- Periodicals; Geophysics -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1029/2019JD030891
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-897X

Abstract

Abstract: Ice core data record significant and abrupt past climate changes that are associated with large and rapid changes in atmospheric greenhouse gases, such as methane. Due to the gradual close‐off of gas bubbles and the relatively fast diffusion of gases within the firn column, even a discrete or quick step increase in air composition may be smoothed or integrated in the data; current laboratory analyses of gases consider the mean gas content value across all bubbles in a sample, rather than the content of individual bubbles. The convolution of the distribution of trapping ages with the history of atmospheric composition thus smears the measured gas record in each sample. We developed a nondestructive method to determine pressure distribution in all bubbles in a sample and estimate the shape of the trapping function derived from that bubble pressure distribution and site characteristics. Our method works not only for present conditions but also through varying paleo‐atmospheric conditions, while providing accurate measurements of morphological bubble properties. The method is based on using temperature‐driven air bubble migration as a proxy for the pressure of individual bubbles, which we combine with a model for bubbly ice densification to obtain the gas trapping functions and constrain the age distribution of air bubbles for past conditions, which are preserved at different depths. The trapping functions will help us to obtain a more accurate gas signal in the future that is less attenuated through the age distribution of the gas during the close‐off process. Key Points: The gas pressure distribution in bubbly ice can be inferred by measuring velocities of bubbles migrating under a temperature gradient The bubble close‐off history can be reconstructed from the pressure distribution Gas‐trapping functions can be determined for different depths (climatic periods)