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On the Atmospheric Transport and Deposition of the Cosmogenic Radionuclides (10Be): A Review

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Abstract

Cosmogenic radionuclides, such as 10Be, are commonly used for reconstructing solar activity in the past. The interpretation of 10Be records, most commonly obtained from polar ice cores, is complicated by the mixing of 10Be in the atmosphere, its transport to polar regions and its deposition. Throughout the generations of 10Be studies these complications have been mentioned but never investigated on a physical basis. This manuscript aims to summarize the recent efforts to study the atmospheric transport of 10Be from its production to its deposition into the polar ice using three-dimensional physically based general circulation models (GCMs) of the atmosphere. These models represent our best understanding of the atmospheric processes up to date. The model studies indicate that the most important factor controlling the deposition response of 10Be to production changes is the fact that a major part of it (∼65%) is produced in the stratosphere where its residence time is long and it undergoes strong mixing. Therefore, in an ideal archive the 10Be concentrations will reflect the global mean production rate and hence changes in the solar activity. An explanation is offered for the partly different deposition responses of 10Be snow concentrations to production changes obtained with two different GCMs.

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Acknowledgements

This is publication no. A369 from the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research.

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  1. U. Heikkilä

    Present address: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Heights, 2234, NSW, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Uni Bjerknes Centre, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway

    U. Heikkilä

  2. EAWAG, Dübendorf, Switzerland

    J. Beer, J. A. Abreu & F. Steinhilber

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Heikkilä, U., Beer, J., Abreu, J.A. et al. On the Atmospheric Transport and Deposition of the Cosmogenic Radionuclides (10Be): A Review. Space Sci Rev 176, 321–332 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-011-9838-0

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