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Climatic Implications of Total Gas Content in Ice at Camp Century

Abstract

WHEN firn turns into ice through densification and recrystallization, the volume of atmospheric gas trapped as the pores close off depends in particular on the atmospheric pressure. The idea of a correlation between the total gas content and the site formation altitude of high polar ice has thus been suggested1. This concept received new consideration when observations of climatic changes based on the isotopic composition of ice sampled along high polar ice cores were carried out2–4, because the variations in measured isotopic content depend not only on general climatic changes (especially temperature changes) but also on different parameters among which the site formation altitude of the ice could play an important part.

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References

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RAYNAUD, D., LORIUS, C. Climatic Implications of Total Gas Content in Ice at Camp Century. Nature 243, 283–284 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/243283a0

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