Pakitsoq carbon-14 of methane and supporting gas data includes carbon-14 measurements on atmospheric methane from glacial ice air bubbles. The dataset, created by SCIOPS, focuses on two abrupt methane concentration increases during the last deglaciation at 14.7 and 11.6 kyr BP. Data collection occurred between 2001 and 2005 to test the clathrate hypothesis.
Use Cases
- Testing the clathrate hypothesis by analyzing carbon-14 of methane levels during two abrupt concentration increases.
- Correlating methane concentration data with oxygen-18 of O2 and nitrogen-15 of N2 measurements to understand atmospheric composition changes.
- Establishing a chronology for deglaciation events using the oxygen-18 of ice measurements included in the dataset.
- Investigating source partitioning of methane emissions by comparing isotopic signatures (carbon-14) across the recorded time periods.
Strengths
- Data targets two specific, well-defined climatic events (14.7 and 11.6 kyr BP) for focused analysis.
- Includes multiple supporting measurements (oxygen-18 of O2, nitrogen-15 of N2, methane concentration, oxygen-18 of ice) for cross-validation.
Limitations
- Sample size and row count are unknown, potentially limiting statistical power.
- Temporal coverage is limited to two discrete events during the last deglaciation.
- Geographic scope is restricted to a single outcrop (Pakitsoq) in western Greenland.
Provenance
- Source
- SCIOPS via NASA EarthData.
- Collection Method
- Measurements obtained from air bubbles in glacial ice cores.
- Time Range
- Covers two periods during the last deglaciation: 14.7 and 11.6 thousand years before present (kyr BP). Data collected 2001-2005.
- Geography
- Pakitsoq outcrop in western Greenland.