A 180 m ice core drilled at South Pole in 2004/2005 was analyzed for concentrations of major ions at a depth resolution of approximately 2 cm. Measured ions are chloride, nitrate, sulfate, sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. The bottom of the core has been dated to 1830 years before 2004.
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Major Ion Concentrations in 2004 South Pole Ice Core, Version 1
Geographic Coverage
Spatial Coverage: |
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Spatial Resolution: | Not Specified |
Temporal Coverage: |
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Temporal Resolution: | Not specified |
Parameter(s): |
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Platform(s) | GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS, LABORATORY |
Sensor(s): | ION CHROMATOGRAPHS |
Data Format(s): |
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Version: | V1 |
Data Contributor(s): | Jihong Cole-Dai |
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.
Cole-Dai, J. 2013. Major Ion Concentrations in 2004 South Pole Ice Core, Version 1. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N5HX19N8. [Date Accessed].A 180 m ice core drilled at South Pole in 2004/2005 was analyzed for concentrations of major ions at a depth resolution of approximately 2 cm. Measured ions are chloride, nitrate, sulfate, sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. The bottom of the core has been dated to 1830 years before 2004.
Detailed Data Description
Data are provided in Excel .xlsx
format.
Data are available on the FTP site in the ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/pub/DATASETS/AGDC/nsidc0542_coledai/ directory
.
File name:
SP04C5 concentration data.xlsx
File is 1.3 MB.
South Pole: -90°
Spatial Resolution
Approximately 2 cm depth resolution.
Ice core collection: 2004/2005
Lab analysis / chemistry measurements: 2005-2010
The bottom of the core has been dated to 1830 years before 2004.
Parameters included in the transect file and the ice core file are described in Table 1.
Parameter | Description | Units |
---|---|---|
Tube | Ice core number | number |
Sample Number | Sample Number | number |
Sample Size | Core sample size | Centimeters |
Snow Depth Top | Depth from top along vertical length of ice core | Meters |
Cl | Chlorine | micrograms/litre (µg/l) |
NO3 | Nitrate | micrograms/litre (µg/l) |
SO4 | Sulfate | micrograms/litre (µg/l) |
NA | Sodium | micrograms/litre (µg/l) |
K | Potassium | micrograms/litre (µg/l) |
Mg | Magnesium | micrograms/litre (µg/l) |
Ca | Calcium | micrograms/litre (µg/l) |
Sample Data Record
The following is a sample from the SP04C5 concentration data.xlsx
data file

Software and Tools
Data Acquisition and Processing
This dataset contains concentrations of ions (chloride, nitrate, sulfate, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium in an ice core drilled at South Pole (90° S) in December 2004/January 2005.
Processing Steps
The 181 m core was chemically analyzed with the technique of CFA-IC (Mettler-based continuous flow analysis with online ion chromatography detection) in the Ice Core and Environmental Chemistry Lab at South Dakota State University. The temporal resolution of chemical analysis is approximately 2 cm per measurement. The core was dated with annual layer counting and the age of the ice at the bottom of core is estimated to be 1828 years before 2004 or 176 C.E.
Concentrations of ions are expressed in micrograms per liter of meltwater or micrograms per kg of ice (parts per billion or ppb). Measurements were based on sample size (cm) along the vertical length of the ice core. Except for the top 2 meters, which were discretely sampled by manual cutting, the entire length of the ice core (a 3 by 3 cm cross section) was melted on an ice core melter. Sampling or measurement resolution in cm was determined by the number of ion chromatographic measurements made for a given length of core and the speed of melting.
References and Related Publications
Contacts and Acknowledgments
Jihong Cole-Dai
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Box 2202
South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD 57007
USA
Mark H. Thiemens
Division of Physical Sciences
Urey Hall Addn 3020D
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093-0356
USA
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Polar Programs, Antarctic Research, Glaciology grant number 033793.
Document Information
Document Creation Date
19 November 2013
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