27 OCTOBER 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Using Ice Core Samples to Learn More About Cryodust Adapted from Information by The Ohio State University Researchers from The Ohio State University are studying the dust trapped in Tibet’s glacier ice to document changes in the planet’s climate system, a process which may be able to one day help predict future changes. The findings suggest the dust composition in samples collected from different areas and depths of the same glacier can vary greatly, a discovery that hints a complete dust record could offer up more secrets than scientists realize. In a recent study, researchers worked to help understand how dust affects, and is affected by, climate through examining dust particles locked inside ancient ice, or what Emilie Beaudon, coauthor of the study and a senior research associate at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, calls cryodust. “By looking at dust composition through the ice, we can extract information about earth’s environmental condition at the time the snow was deposited and the ice was formed,” she said. “We might be able to learn if it was a relatively dry or wet period or try to infer where the dust originally came from, and thereby obtain information on past atmospheric influences.” Ice cores drilled from glaciers and ice caps have been used as comprehensive archives of earth’s climate system because of how well-preserved they are. As layers of ice accumulate over seasons and years, aerosols accumulate within each new coating, eventually providing researchers with very detailed records of the planet’s tumultuous climate history. With the help of these natural time capsules, scientists can learn what the world looked like at the time, including aspects like greenhouse gas concentrations, as well as volcanic, solar, and biological activity. The ice used for this study was collected from the Guliya Ice Cap in Northwestern Tibet. This area is under the influence of westerly winds and much of the dust it picks up gets blown toward big cities in East Asia. For instance, in 2021, China experienced its largest dust storm in a decade. The storm forced entire cities to take shelter, eventually raising concerns from the scientific community about frequency and intensity of such events. Scientists don’t actually have enough data to identify how Central Asian desert dust is transported over long distances, or how it changes over time. According to Beaudon, studying a dust record from a Tibetan ice core is one of the only ways to provide a long-term perspective on the Central Asian dust cycle. In 2015, a team of researchers from the United States and China helped drill for ice cores from different locations at the Guliya Ice Cap, before shipping the cores to the lab at Ohio State. Beaudon’s team analyzed two of the ice cores, investigating the area’s dust record by studying microparticles collected on filters from melted ice, as well as those trapped in typical ice subsamples. Beaudon noticed the encased dust wasn’t uniform; instead, each deposit was an unlikely array of different colors, sizes, and layers. “That’s how the idea of trying to determine where the dust was coming from emerged because there were already so many visual cues that highlighted their differences,” Beaudon explained. Beaudon’s team also sought to discern whether most of the particles in the ice came from the Taklimakan desert near the Guliya Ice Cap, or if it was carried there from other faraway locations. “What we wanted to prove with these preliminary samples is that there is actual variability in their geochemistry and mineralogy,” she said. “We found that it’s not all the same dust coming from the same desert, and even in the same glacier, you don’t always have the same material.” Beaudon hopes her work on glacial records will eventually extend to planets beyond earth. Other Ohio State coauthors were Julia Sheets, Roxana SierraHernández, Ellen Mosley-Thompson, and Lonnie G. Thompson. Ellen Martin of the University of Florida also collaborated. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation. The Guliya Ice Cap is home to one of the largest sources of atmospheric dust in the Northern Hemisphere, second only to the Sahara Desert. ENV For more information call: (270) 786-3010 or visit us online: www.geothermalsupply.com All New! Atlantis-Pro Vault • Traffic-Rated Capable • Simple installation • Trouble-free operation Dealmakers WWDR photo of the new GEFCO 30K rig for Norman Well Drilling of Dickson, Tennessee, during the August 2023 ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new assembly facility for GEFCO / BAUER Equipment America in Conroe, Texas. It is currently drilling wells. GEFCO / BAUER Equipment America
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