These data describe the analyses of the elemental and isotopic composition of O2, N2, and Ar and total air content made on the trapped air from three shallow ice cores (<34m depth) collected during the 2009 field campaign to Mullins Valley of the Dry Valleys, Antarctica.
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Measurements of Trapped Air from Mullins Valley, Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Version 1
Geographic Coverage
Spatial Coverage: |
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Spatial Resolution: | Not Specified |
Temporal Coverage: | Not specified |
Temporal Resolution: | Not specified |
Parameter(s): |
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Platform(s) | FIELD INVESTIGATION, LABORATORY |
Sensor(s): | MASS SPECTROMETERS |
Data Format(s): |
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Version: | V1 |
Data Contributor(s): | Michael Bender, Audrey Yau |
Metadata XML: | View Metadata Record |
Data Citation
As a condition of using these data, you must cite the use of this data set using the following citation. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.
Bender, M. and A. M. Yau. 2014. Measurements of Trapped Air from Mullins Valley, Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Version 1. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N50R9MBM. [Date Accessed].Detailed Data Description
These data describe the analyses of the elemental and isotopic composition of O2, N2, and Ar and total air content made on the trapped air from three shallow ice cores (<34m depth) collected during the 2009 field campaign to Mullins Valley of the Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Refer to table 1 for the ice cores' locations.
Core # | Latitude | Longitude |
---|---|---|
Core #1 | 77.87680° S | 160.53720° E |
Core #2 | 77.87679° S | 160.53786° E |
Core #3 | 77.87799° S | 160.53572° E |
The data include measurements of the δ40Ar/36Ar and δ38Ar/36Ar of the trapped air, providing ages to an uncertainty of ±220 kyr (1σ).
Data are provided in a Microsoft Excel (.xlsx
) file.
Data are available on the FTP site in the ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/pub/DATASETS/AGDC/nsidc0597_bender
directory. The data are separated into two worksheets: Geochemical Data and Ar-Ages.
The Geochemical Data worksheet shows the δ18O, Δ17 of O2, δ15N, δAr/N2, δO2/N2, δO2/Ar, and total air content versus depth for each core. Standard deviations of modern air standards processed through the vacuum line as for ice core samples, for δ15N is ±0.014‰, for δAr/N2 is ±0.56‰, for δO2/N2 is ±0.78‰, for δO2/Ar is ±0.36‰, and for δ18O of O2 is ±0.31‰.
The Ar-Ages worksheet shows the δ40Ar/36Ar and δ38Ar/36Ar by depth for each core. For modern air (which serves as the standard), the standard deviations are ±0.053‰ and ±0.027‰ respectively. After correcting for thermal fractionation, the Ar isotopic composition is used to calculate an age, according to a rate of increase in 40Ar/37Ar of 0.066 ± 0.007‰/million years.
The file size is 67 KB.
Mullins Valley, Dry Valleys, Antarctica: 77.87° S, 160.35° E
Core depths are <34 meters
Data extend from approximately 1.6 million years ago to present.
Depth (m)
Oxygen Isotopes (δ18O of O2, 17Δ of O2)
Nitrogen Isotopes (δ15N)
Argon Isotopes (δ40Ar/36Ar, δ38Ar/36Ar)
Sample Data Record
Refer to Figures 1 and 2 for examples of the data from the Geochemical Data and Ar-Ages worksheets in the Yau_Mullins Data_NSIDC.xlsx data file.

Figure 1. Geochemical Data Sample Record

Figure 2. Ar-Ages Sample Record
Software and Tools
The data can be accessed using Microsoft Excel.
Data Acquisition and Processing
Ice cores were drilled during the austral summer of 2009. Ice recovery in all three cores was in excess of 95%. Visually, all three cores show evidence for brittle fracture and sand veins. The sand veins are most common in near-surface ice, but occur down to the base of Cores 1 and 2, and to at least 25 m depth in Core 3. Clean fractures, absent of sand, also truncate the cores.
Trapped air analyses were performed on a Finnigan Delta Plus XP and a Finnigan MAT 252, stable isotope ratio mass spectrometers
References and Related Publications
Contacts and Acknowledgments
Dr. Michael L. Bender
Princeton University
Geosciences
M48 Guyot Hall
Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544
Dr. Audrey M. Yau
Princeton University
Geosciences
M48 Guyot Hall
Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544
This research was supported by NSF Antarctic Earth Sciences Grant Number ANT--0636731
Document Information
Document Creation Date
November 20, 2014
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