Roosevelt Island Ice Core Density and Beta Count Data from 1997

1997 firn core measurements from Antarctica's Roosevelt Island capture radioactive decay from nuclear testing. Data includes density in kilograms per cubic meter and beta counts per hour per kilogram for three cores drilled to approximately 17 meters depth. The dataset was collected by AMD_USAPDC between November and December 1997.

Use Cases

• Modeling atmospheric nuclear fallout deposition based on beta activity measurements.
• Analyzing firn density profiles to understand snow compaction and ice formation processes.
• Calibrating ice core chronologies using known nuclear testing events as time markers.
• Studying the spatial distribution of fallout by comparing data from the three core locations.

Strengths

• Data includes measurements from three distinct firn cores, allowing for spatial comparison.
• Measurements were taken incrementally down to approximately 17 meters for each core.
• Specific collection period (Nov-Dec 1997) and location (Roosevelt Island, Ross Ice Shelf) are documented.

Limitations

• Last updated 1997-12-31 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

AMD_USAPDC via NASA EarthData

Collection Method

Field measurements from firn cores taken on Roosevelt Island.

Time Range

1997-11 to 1997-12

Freshness

1997-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Roosevelt Island, Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica