UK Relic Air Extraction and Gas Analysis System (UK RArE-GAS)

英国遗迹空气提取和气体分析系统 (UK RArE-GAS)

• 批准号: NE/T008911/1
• 负责人: Elizabeth Thomas
• 金额: $ 38.18万
• 依托单位: British Antarctic Survey
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2019 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FT008911%2F1
• 关键词: UK; Relic; Air; Extraction; Gas

The rise in atmospheric CO2, caused largely by the burning of fossil fuel, is the most important factor driving the recent change in our planet's climate. Direct measurements of atmospheric CO2 only started in the 1950s - so how do we know that the rise in atmospheric CO2 is unprecedented? To look into the past we use a unique geologic archive: the bubbles of air trapped in ice cores from the polar ice sheets. Ice cores from specially selected sites, can yield, detailed yearly records for recent centuries, or records spanning the last 800 thousand years (the time that anatomically modern humans first appeared). Uniquely among natural archives of change, ice cores contain samples of the three major greenhouses gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) captured a little after the snow fell, and an isotopic record of atmosphere temperature. Ice cores thus provide the most compelling evidence that the changing concentration of greenhouse gases is driving natural climate change, which has taken the planet through many cycles of glaciation and warmth. In coming years, ice cores will answer key questions. 1) What is the lag between rising greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations and global temperature? 2) Why did the Earth enter a regular cycle of glacial to interglacial transitions 500 thousand years ago that dominated planetary change until the industrial era? 3) How did the higher than pre-industrial concentrations of GHG affect our planet in the last interglacial period 120 thousand years ago? Existing and planned ice cores, collected from Antarctica, Greenland and high-mountain glaciers, are a unique window into the past changes in the atmosphere. Providing crucial data to drive and test computer models exploring how and why climate changed in the past. This in turn informs projections of how the climate will change in the future. We propose to develop a facility, UK-RArE-GAS, at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), to help scientists from around the UK, and their collaborators, to extract and analyse ancient air samples from ice. The custom system will incorporate an extraction method, facilities to ensure proper stewardship of these precious ancient air samples, and analysis with a novel laser spectrometer. No such facility is currently available in the UK, and this limits our scientists to collaborating and paying for analyses in one or two laboratories in the EU or US. UK-RArE-GAS will be augmented into the existing ice core laboratory at BAS, the centre of ice core science in the UK and a leader in the international community. The existing ice core lab hosts a large laboratory freezer, state-of-the-art ice chemistry instrumentation (ICP-mass spectrometry and Fast-ion chromatography), and a continuous flow analysis system to measure a suite of chemistry and stable water isotopes in ice. BAS also provides a suite of rapid-access, shallow, intermediate and deep ice-core drills that are widely used by the UK community and our collaborators. The innovative 'gas-line' will considerably enhance the existing capabilities, providing an unparalleled capability to UK science. Dr Thomas Bauska, who joined BAS as a Royal Society Fellow has direct experience in development of similar ice-core gas methods, and will oversee design and development of the facility.The UK-RArE-GAS laboratory will create a centre for collaboration among UK and International partners who can use the laboratory to extract gases in glacial ice samples.

大气中二氧化碳的增加主要是由化石燃料的燃烧引起的，是推动地球气候近期变化的最重要因素。对大气二氧化碳的直接测量直到 20 世纪 50 年代才开始 - 那么我们如何知道大气二氧化碳的上升是前所未有的呢？为了回顾过去，我们使用了独特的地质档案：极地冰盖冰芯中捕获的气泡。来自特别选定地点的冰芯可以产生近几个世纪的详细年度记录，或跨越过去 80 万年（解剖学上现代人类首次出现的时间）的记录。在自然变化档案中独一无二的是，冰芯包含降雪后捕获的三种主要温室气体（二氧化碳、甲烷和一氧化二氮）的样本，以及大气温度的同位素记录。因此，冰芯提供了最令人信服的证据，证明温室气体浓度的变化正在推动自然气候变化，使地球经历了多次冰川作用和变暖周期。未来几年，冰芯将回答关键问题。 1) 温室气体 (GHG) 浓度上升与全球气温上升之间的滞后时间是多少？ 2）为什么地球在50万年前就进入了冰期到间冰期转变的规律周期，这种转变一直主导着行星的变化，直到工业时代？ 3) 在12万年前的最后一个间冰期，高于工业化前浓度的温室气体对我们的星球有何影响？从南极洲、格陵兰岛和高山冰川收集的现有和计划中的冰芯是了解过去大气变化的独特窗口。提供关键数据来驱动和测试计算机模型，探索过去气候变化的方式和原因。这反过来又为未来气候将如何变化的预测提供了信息。我们建议在英国南极调查局 (BAS) 建立一个名为 UK-RArE-GAS 的设施，以帮助英国各地的科学家及其合作者从冰中提取和分析古代空气样本。定制系统将采用提取方法、确保妥善管理这些珍贵的古代空气样本的设施，并使用新型激光光谱仪进行分析。英国目前没有这样的设施，这限制了我们的科学家只能在欧盟或美国的一两个实验室进行合作并支付分析费用。 UK-RArE-GAS 将扩充至 BAS 现有的冰芯实验室，该实验室是英国冰芯科学中心，也是国际社会的领导者。现有的冰芯实验室拥有大型实验室冷冻机、最先进的冰化学仪器（ICP 质谱法和快离子色谱法）以及连续流分析系统，用于测量化学和稳定水同位素冰。 BAS 还提供一套快速进入的浅层、中层和深层冰芯钻机，被英国社区和我们的合作者广泛使用。创新的“天然气管道”将大大增强现有能力，为英国科学提供无与伦比的能力。 Thomas Bauska 博士作为皇家学会会员加入 BAS，在开发类似的冰芯气体方法方面拥有直接经验，并将监督该设施的设计和开发。UK-RArE-GAS 实验室将创建一个英国之间的合作中心以及可以利用实验室提取冰川样本中的气体的国际合作伙伴。

项目成果

A high-accuracy Total Air Content setup: System performance and first results from Skytrain Ice Rise, Antarctica

高精度总空气含量设置：系统性能和南极洲 Skytrain Ice Rise 的初步结果

• DOI: http://dx.10.5194/egusphere-egu22-9210
• 发表时间: 2022
• 作者: Nehrbass

The Little Ice Age CO2 drop:  Natural, Anthropogenic or Artefact? 

小冰河时代二氧化碳排放量下降：

• DOI: http://dx.10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2075
• 发表时间: 2022
• 作者: King A

Abrupt Holocene ice loss due to thinning and ungrounding in the Weddell Sea Embayment

由于威德尔海海湾变薄和不接地导致全新世冰突然流失

• DOI: http://dx.10.1038/s41561-024-01375-8
• 发表时间: 2024
• 期刊: Nature Geoscience
• 影响因子: 18.3
• 作者: Grieman M

Abrupt Holocene ice loss due to thinning and ungrounding in the Weddell Sea Embayment

由于威德尔海海湾变薄和不接地导致全新世冰突然流失

• DOI: http://dx.10.1038/s41561-024-01375-8
• 发表时间: 2024
• 期刊: Nature Geoscience
• 影响因子: 18.3
• 作者: Grieman M

Towards continuous ice core measurements of N2O and CO2

实现 N2O 和 CO2 的连续冰芯测量

• DOI: http://dx.10.5194/egusphere-egu24-19981
• 发表时间: 2024
• 作者: Rowell I