Polar Ice Cores 19th Century Nitrate Data Wolff, E.W.; Bigler, M.; Curran, M.A.J.; Dibb, J.; Frey, M.M.; Legrand, M.; McConnell, J.R. Wolff, E.W. Bigler, M. Curran, M.A.J. Dibb, J. Frey, M.M. Legrand, M. McConnell, J.R. earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (ice age,null,null,year Common Era,null,ice cores,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (nitrate,bulk ice,null,microequivalent per liter,null,ice cores,null,ion chromatography,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (black carbon,bulk ice,null,parts per billion,null,ice cores,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (sample identification,null,null,null,null,ice cores,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (depth,null,null,meter,null,ice cores,null,null,N,water equivalent) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (nitrate,bulk ice,null,microgram per kilogram,null,ice cores,null,ion chromatography,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (depth,snow,null,meter,null,ice cores,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (nitrate,bulk ice,null,microgram per kilogram,null,ice cores,null,continuous flow analysis,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (ammonium,bulk ice,null,microgram per kilogram,null,ice cores,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (vanillic acid,bulk ice,null,parts per billion,null,ice cores,null,electrospray ionization mass spectrometry,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (ice age,null,null,calendar year before present,null,ice cores,null,null,N,present is 2000 AD) earth science/paleoclimate/ice core (NEEM>LATITUDE 77.45>LONGITUDE -51.06) (D4>LATITUDE 71.4>LONGITUDE -43.9) (ITASE 00-5>LATITUDE -77.67>LONGITUDE -123.98) (NGT B20>LATITUDE 78.83>LONGITUDE -36.5) (Law Dome>LATITUDE -66.73>LONGITUDE 112.83) (ITASE 02-1>LATITUDE -82>LONGITUDE -110.01) (Zoe>LATITUDE 72.6>LONGITUDE -38.3) The Carrington Event of 1859 is considered to be among the largest space weather events of the last 150 years. We show that only one out of 14 well-resolved ice core records from Greenland and Antarctica has a nitrate spike dated to 1859. No sharp spikes are observed in the Antarctic cores studied here. In Greenland numerous spikes are observed in the 40 years surrounding 1859, but where other chemistry was measured, all large spikes have the unequivocal signal, including co-located spikes in ammonium, formate, black carbon and vanillic acid, of biomass burning plumes. It seems certain that most spikes in an earlier core, including that claimed for 1859, are also due to biomass burning plumes, and not to solar energetic particle (SEP) events. We conclude that an event as large as the Carrington Event did not leave an observable, widespread imprint in nitrate in polar ice. Nitrate spikes cannot be used to derive the statistics of SEPs. STUDY NOTES: High-resolution 19th Century nitrate data from 7 polar ice cores, examined for evidence of a nitrate spike resulting from the Carrington solar energetic particle event of 1859. Three Antarctic and 4 Greenland ice cores were examined. Biomass burning indicator variables (ammonium, black carbon, and/or vanillic acid) are also reported for some of the Greenland ice cores. These data files would allow the construction of the previously unpublished curves in figures 2-4 of Wolff et al. 2012. Ice Core Locations: Site Latitude Longitude Law Dome Antarctic 66.78°S 112.82°E ITASE00-5 Antarctic 77.6°S 123.99°W ITASE02-1 Antarctic 82.00°S 110.01°W D4 Greenland 71.4°N 44.0°W Zoe, Summit Greenland 72.6°N 38.3°W NEEM Greenland 77.45°N 51.06°W (NGT)B20 Greenland 78.83°N 36.50°W NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Wolff, E.W. Investigator : Bigler, M. Investigator : Curran, M.A.J. Investigator : Dibb, J. Investigator : Frey, M.M. Investigator : Legrand, M. Investigator : McConnell, J.R. 2012-08-10 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/13219 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/icecore/antarctica/wolff2012nitrate.xls https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/icecore/antarctica/wolff2012nitrate.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/icecore/antarctica/wolff2012nitrate.xls https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/icecore/antarctica/wolff2012nitrate.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/13219 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/icecore/antarctica/wolff2012nitrate.xls https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/icecore/antarctica/wolff2012nitrate.txt Wolff, E.W., M. Bigler, M.A.J. Curran, J.E. Dibb, M.M. Frey, M. Legrand, and J.R. McConnell. 2012. The Carrington event not observed in most ice core nitrate records. Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L08503, doi:10.1029/2012GL051603 START YEAR: 1839 AD * END YEAR: 1881 AD -123.98 -82 112.83 78.83