Abstract
THE direct-current electrical conductivity of glacial ice depends on its acidity1–3, and can also indicate changes in climate, as ice formed in cold, dusty periods has a high concentration of alkaline dust1,4,5, which significantly reduces the conductivity6,7 compared to warmer, less dusty periods. Here we present electrical conductivity records for the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) and Greenland Ice-core Project (GRIP) ice cores, drilled 28 km apart to enable direct comparison of the results. The upper parts of both records are consistent with previous evidence from other Greenland cores4,8–12 for a stable Greenland climate during the Holocene, and a series of warm events punctuating the last glacial period. However, there is a significant discrepancy between the two records in the bottom 10% of the cores, calling into question recent reports of climate variability in the last interglacial4,8 and the penultimate glaciation8. At this stage, it is too early to say what exactly is causing the discrepancy, although ice flow may have introduced some discontinuities into the records. Further work will be necessary to establish how much climatic information it will eventually be possible to extract from the lower parts of the two cores.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hammer, C. U. J. Glaciol. 25, 359–372 (1980).
Taylor, K. et al. J. Glaciol. 38, 325–332 (1992).
Moore, J. J., Wolff, E. W., Clausen, H. B. & Hammer, C. U. J. geophys. Res. 97(B2), 1887–1896 (1992).
GRIP Project Members Nature 364, 203–207 (1993).
Mayewski, P. A. et al. Science 261, 195–197 (1993).
Neftel, A., Andree, M., Schwander, J., Stauffer, B. & Hammer, C. U. 33–38 (Geophys. Monogr. No. 33, Am. Geophys. Un., Washington DC, 1985).
Taylor, K. C. et al. Nature 361, 432–436 (1993).
Dansgaard, W. et al. Nature 364, 218–220 (1993).
Dansgaard, W. et al. Science 218, 1273–1277 (1982).
Johnsen, S. J., Dansgaard, W., Clausen, H. B. & Langway, C. C. Nature 235, 429–434 (1972).
Johnsen, S. J. et al. Nature 359, 311–313 (1992).
Johnsen, S. J. et al. Geoscience 29, 17 (1992).
Hammer, C. U. et al. J. Glaciol. 20, 3–26 (1978).
Alley, R. B. et al. Nature 362, 527–529 (1993).
Cunningham, J. & Waddington, E. D. J. Glaciol. 36, 269–272 (1990).
Staffelbach, T., Stauffer, B. & Oeschger, H. Ann. Glaciol. 10, 167–170 (1988).
Hudleston, P. J. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 87, 1684–1692 (1976).
Hooke, R. et al. Glaciol. 33, 72–78 (1987).
Weijermars, R. J. struct. Geol. 15, 911–922 (1993).
Smith, R. B. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 86, 1601–1609 (1975).
Paterson, W. S. B. The Physics of Glaciers (2nd edn) 223 (Pergamon, Oxford, 1981).
Koerner, R. M. & Fisher, D. A. J. Glaciol. 23, 209–222 (1979).
Paterson, W. S. B. et al. Nature 266, 508–511 (1977).
Hodge, S. M. et al. GISP II: Site Selection Panel Report, Compiled Reports of the U.S. Ice Core Research Workshop 33–45 (Inst. for the Study of Earth, Oceans & Space, Durham, New Hampshire, 1988).
Whillans, I. M. GISP II: Site Selection Panel Report, Compiled Report of the U.S. Ice Core Research Workshop Appendix 1 (Inst. for the Study of Earth, Oceans & Space, Durham, New Hampshire, 1988).
Schott, C., Waddington, E. D. & Raymond, C. F. J. Glaciol. 38, 162–168 (1992).
Anandakrishnan, S., Alley, R. B. & Waddington, E. D. Geophys. Res. Lett. (submitted).
Budd, W. F. & Rowden-Rich, R. J. M. Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions Res. Notes 28, 153–161 (1985).
Hodge, S. M. et al. J. Glaciol. 36, 17–30 (1990).
Hemple, L. & Thyssen, L. Polarforsch. (submitted).
Fisher, D. A. & Koerner, R. M. J. Glaciol. 32, 501–510 (1986).
Fisher, D. A. The Physical Basis of Ice Sheet Modelling 45–51 (IAHS Publ. No. 170, Int. Ass. hydrol. Sci., Wallingford, Oxfordshire, 1987).
Dahl-Jensen, D. & Gundestrup, N. S. The Physical Basis of Ice Sheet Modelling 31–43 (IAHS Publ. No. 170, Int. Ass. hydrol. Sci., Wallingford, Oxfordshire, 1987).
Paterson, W. S. B. Cold Regions Sci. Technol. 20, 75–98 (1991).
Schwander, J. et al. J. geophys. Res. 98, 2831–2838 (1993).
Wahlen, M., Allen, D., Deck, B. & Herchenroder, A. Geophys. Res. Lett. 18, 1457–1460 (1991).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Taylor, K., Hammer, C., Alley, R. et al. Electrical conductivity measurements from the GISP2 and GRIP Greenland ice cores. Nature 366, 549–552 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/366549a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/366549a0
This article is cited by
-
Seasonal variations of major ions in fresh snow at Baishui Glacier No. 1, Yulong Mountain, China
Environmental Earth Sciences (2013)
-
Grain-size characteristics and climate variability in TMS5e sequence of Tumen section in southern Tengger Desert, northwestern China
Chinese Geographical Science (2012)
-
Structure of the internal isochronous layers at Dome A, East Antarctica
Science China Earth Sciences (2011)
-
Characteristics and environmental significance of pH and EC in summer rainfall and shallow firn profile at Yulong Snow Mountain, Lijiang City, China
Journal of Earth Science (2010)
-
The pH value and electrical conductivity of atmospheric environment from ice cores in the Tianshan Mountains
Journal of Geographical Sciences (2009)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.