Ages, ablation and accumulation rates from 14C measurements on Antarctic ice

Abstract

Shallow ice cores from an Antarctic blue-ice area at Scharllenbergbotncn were 14C-analyzed using a dry-extraction technique and accelerator mass spectrometry. The in situ production was determined from the 14CO component and used to deduce the natural 14CO2 component. The ages were measured at 10 000 +/- 3000 BP. The accumulation and ablation rates determined from the in situ production are 7-20 and 10 cm a-1 respectively, showing agreement with field observations. The derived ages and air-yield data show a nearby origin for the surface ice.