1
|
Zhang Q, Sharma U, Dennis JA, Scifo A, Kuitems M, Büntgen U, Owens MJ, Dee MW, Pope BJS. Modelling cosmic radiation events in the tree-ring radiocarbon record. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2022.0497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Annually resolved measurements of the radiocarbon content in tree-rings have revealed rare sharp rises in carbon-14 production. These ‘Miyake events’ are likely produced by rare increases in cosmic radiation from the Sun or other energetic astrophysical sources. The radiocarbon produced is not only circulated through the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, but also absorbed by the biosphere and locked in the annual growth rings of trees. To interpret high-resolution tree-ring radiocarbon measurements therefore necessitates modelling the entire global carbon cycle. Here, we introduce ‘
ticktack
’ (
https://github.com/SharmaLlama/ticktack/
), the first open-source Python package that connects box models of the carbon cycle with modern Bayesian inference tools. We use this to analyse all public annual
14
C
tree data, and infer posterior parameters for all six known Miyake events. They do not show a consistent relationship to the solar cycle, and several display extended durations that challenge either astrophysical or geophysical models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qingyuan Zhang
- School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland,St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Utkarsh Sharma
- School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland,St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jordan A. Dennis
- School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland,St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Andrea Scifo
- Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Margot Kuitems
- Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ulf Büntgen
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EN, UK
- Global Change Research Institute (CzechGlobe), Czech Academy of Sciences, 60300 Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
- Swiss Federal Research Institute (WSL), 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Mathew J. Owens
- Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Earley Gate,PO Box 243, Reading RG6 6BB, UK
| | - Michael W. Dee
- Centre for Isotope Research, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Benjamin J. S. Pope
- School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland,St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Centre for Astrophysics, University of Southern Queensland,West Street, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dasari S, Paris G, Charreau J, Savarino J. Sulfur-isotope anomalies recorded in Antarctic ice cores as a potential proxy for tracing past ozone layer depletion events. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac170. [PMID: 36714879 PMCID: PMC9802080 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Changes in the cosmic-ray background of the Earth can impact the ozone layer. High-energy cosmic events [e.g. supernova (SN)] or rapid changes in the Earth's magnetic field [e.g. geomagnetic Excursion (GE)] can lead to a cascade of cosmic rays. Ensuing chemical reactions can then cause thinning/destruction of the ozone layer-leading to enhanced penetration of harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation toward the Earth's surface. However, observational evidence for such UV "windows" is still lacking. Here, we conduct a pilot study and investigate this notion during two well-known events: the multiple SN event (≈10 kBP) and the Laschamp GE event (≈41 kBP). We hypothesize that ice-core-Δ33S records-originally used as volcanic fingerprints-can reveal UV-induced background-tropospheric-photochemical imprints during such events. Indeed, we find nonvolcanic S-isotopic anomalies (Δ33S ≠ 0‰) in background Antarctic ice-core sulfate during GE/SN periods, thereby confirming our hypothesis. This suggests that ice-core-Δ33S records can serve as a proxy for past ozone-layer-depletion events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Guillaume Paris
- Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques, Université de Lorraine, CNRS, 54000 Nancy, France
| | - Julien Charreau
- Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques, Université de Lorraine, CNRS, 54000 Nancy, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Brehm N, Christl M, Knowles TDJ, Casanova E, Evershed RP, Adolphi F, Muscheler R, Synal HA, Mekhaldi F, Paleari CI, Leuschner HH, Bayliss A, Nicolussi K, Pichler T, Schlüchter C, Pearson CL, Salzer MW, Fonti P, Nievergelt D, Hantemirov R, Brown DM, Usoskin I, Wacker L. Tree-rings reveal two strong solar proton events in 7176 and 5259 BCE. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1196. [PMID: 35256613 PMCID: PMC8901681 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28804-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe Sun sporadically produces eruptive events leading to intense fluxes of solar energetic particles (SEPs) that dramatically disrupt the near-Earth radiation environment. Such events have been directly studied for the last decades but little is known about the occurrence and magnitude of rare, extreme SEP events. Presently, a few events that produced measurable signals in cosmogenic radionuclides such as 14C, 10Be and 36Cl have been found. Analyzing annual 14C concentrations in tree-rings from Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, Russia, and the USA we discovered two spikes in atmospheric 14C occurring in 7176 and 5259 BCE. The ~2% increases of atmospheric 14C recorded for both events exceed all previously known 14C peaks but after correction for the geomagnetic field, they are comparable to the largest event of this type discovered so far at 775 CE. These strong events serve as accurate time markers for the synchronization with floating tree-ring and ice core records and provide critical information on the previous occurrence of extreme solar events which may threaten modern infrastructure.
Collapse
|