Climate analysis using sulfur stable isotope ratio from Antarctic snow and ice core

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26550013
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental dynamic analysis
• Research Institution: University of the Ryukyus
• Principal Investigator: UEMURA Ryu 琉球大学, 理学部, 准教授 (00580143)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 本山 秀明 国立極地研究所, 研究教育系, 教授 (20210099)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): HIRABAYASHI Motohiro 情報・システム研究機構, 国立極地研究所, 特任助手 (20399356) ; IIZUKA Yoshinori 北海道大学, 低温科学研究所, 助教 (40370043)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 硫酸エアロゾル / アイスコア / 硫黄同位体比 / 氷期サイクル / 南極 / フィードバック / 温暖化 / 海洋生物活動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sulfate aerosols affect Earth’s radiative forcing through direct and indirect effects. Ice core data suggest minor changes in sulfate aerosols over the glacial cycles. However, the variations of source contributions of sulfate aerosols remain unclear. In this project, to estimate the changes in source contributions of sulfate aerosols in Antarctica, we analyzed sulfur isotopic ratios of surface snow and ice core. Sulfur isotope ratio of present-day surface snow over East Antarctica shows that the effects of the transport process are small, and major source of present-day sulfate aerosol is marine biogenic activity. The ice core data show that the sulfur isotopic ratio increased from the last glacial period to Holocene.

Free Research Field

地球化学、古気候学、分析化学