Firn air: archive of the recent atmosphere
Firn air: archive of the recent atmosphere
Editor(s): W. T. Sturges, T. Blunier, R. van de Wal, and V. Petrenko
The atmospheric composition of the past is stored in the bubbles of polar ice sheets and glaciers. This archive now reaches back to 800,000 years before present. The last several decades of the atmospheric composition history is not yet occluded in the ice but can be found in the open porous layer at the surface of the ice sheet at high resolution. In this layer a large amount of gas is available which allows for analyses not (yet) possible from the bubble section, and in many cases recovery of atmospheric histories of compounds for which there were no direct measurements in the atmosphere. Within the NEEM deep drilling project in Greenland air was collected from the firn during two very comprehensive field sampling seasons and several surface drillings. Laboratories from Europe, Australia, the US and Japan have measured this air for a suite of components in what is the most extensive set of firn air measurements yet made. In addition, as part of this project an extensive modeling effort is being conducted to better understand the translation from the composition found in the firn to the atmospheric history. The purpose of this issue is to bundle all information from the NEEM measuring campaign and the corresponding modeling attempt at one place. However, we do not want to limit the issue to the NEEM project. We welcome contributions from other ongoing and previous firn air campaigns, and hope that the special issue will provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art view of firn air science.

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10 Feb 2014
Reconstruction of Northern Hemisphere 1950–2010 atmospheric non-methane hydrocarbons
D. Helmig, V. Petrenko, P. Martinerie, E. Witrant, T. Röckmann, A. Zuiderweg, R. Holzinger, J. Hueber, C. Thompson, J. W. C. White, W. Sturges, A. Baker, T. Blunier, D. Etheridge, M. Rubino, and P. Tans
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 1463–1483, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1463-2014,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1463-2014, 2014
15 Nov 2013
Kinetic fractionation of gases by deep air convection in polar firn
K. Kawamura, J. P. Severinghaus, M. R. Albert, Z. R. Courville, M. A. Fahnestock, T. Scambos, E. Shields, and C. A. Shuman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 11141–11155, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11141-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11141-2013, 2013
06 Aug 2013
A 60 yr record of atmospheric carbon monoxide reconstructed from Greenland firn air
V. V. Petrenko, P. Martinerie, P. Novelli, D. M. Etheridge, I. Levin, Z. Wang, T. Blunier, J. Chappellaz, J. Kaiser, P. Lang, L. P. Steele, S. Hammer, J. Mak, R. L. Langenfelds, J. Schwander, J. P. Severinghaus, E. Witrant, G. Petron, M. O. Battle, G. Forster, W. T. Sturges, J.-F. Lamarque, K. Steffen, and J. W. C. White
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 7567–7585, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7567-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7567-2013, 2013
24 Jul 2013
Can the carbon isotopic composition of methane be reconstructed from multi-site firn air measurements?
C. J. Sapart, P. Martinerie, E. Witrant, J. Chappellaz, R. S. W. van de Wal, P. Sperlich, C. van der Veen, S. Bernard, W. T. Sturges, T. Blunier, J. Schwander, D. Etheridge, and T. Röckmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 6993–7005, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-6993-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-6993-2013, 2013
06 Feb 2013
How well do different tracers constrain the firn diffusivity profile?
C. M. Trudinger, I. G. Enting, P. J. Rayner, D. M. Etheridge, C. Buizert, M. Rubino, P. B. Krummel, and T. Blunier
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 1485–1510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-1485-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-1485-2013, 2013
17 Jan 2013
Extreme 13C depletion of CCl2F2 in firn air samples from NEEM, Greenland
A. Zuiderweg, R. Holzinger, P. Martinerie, R. Schneider, J. Kaiser, E. Witrant, D. Etheridge, V. Petrenko, T. Blunier, and T. Röckmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 599–609, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-599-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-599-2013, 2013
04 Dec 2012
A new multi-gas constrained model of trace gas non-homogeneous transport in firn: evaluation and behaviour at eleven polar sites
E. Witrant, P. Martinerie, C. Hogan, J. C. Laube, K. Kawamura, E. Capron, S. A. Montzka, E. J. Dlugokencky, D. Etheridge, T. Blunier, and W. T. Sturges
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 11465–11483, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11465-2012,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11465-2012, 2012
16 May 2012
The isotopic record of Northern Hemisphere atmospheric carbon monoxide since 1950: implications for the CO budget
Z. Wang, J. Chappellaz, P. Martinerie, K. Park, V. Petrenko, E. Witrant, L. K. Emmons, T. Blunier, C. A. M. Brenninkmeijer, and J. E. Mak
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 4365–4377, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-4365-2012,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-4365-2012, 2012
14 May 2012
Gas transport in firn: multiple-tracer characterisation and model intercomparison for NEEM, Northern Greenland
C. Buizert, P. Martinerie, V. V. Petrenko, J. P. Severinghaus, C. M. Trudinger, E. Witrant, J. L. Rosen, A. J. Orsi, M. Rubino, D. M. Etheridge, L. P. Steele, C. Hogan, J. C. Laube, W. T. Sturges, V. A. Levchenko, A. M. Smith, I. Levin, T. J. Conway, E. J. Dlugokencky, P. M. Lang, K. Kawamura, T. M. Jenk, J. W. C. White, T. Sowers, J. Schwander, and T. Blunier
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 4259–4277, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-4259-2012,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-4259-2012, 2012
08 May 2012
Distributions, long term trends and emissions of four perfluorocarbons in remote parts of the atmosphere and firn air
J. C. Laube, C. Hogan, M. J. Newland, F. S. Mani, P. J. Fraser, C. A. M. Brenninkmeijer, P. Martinerie, D. E. Oram, T. Röckmann, J. Schwander, E. Witrant, G. P. Mills, C. E. Reeves, and W. T. Sturges
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 4081–4090, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-4081-2012,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-4081-2012, 2012
19 Apr 2012
Emissions halted of the potent greenhouse gas SF5CF3
W. T. Sturges, D. E. Oram, J. C. Laube, C. E. Reeves, M. J. Newland, C. Hogan, P. Martinerie, E. Witrant, C. A. M. Brenninkmeijer, T. J. Schuck, and P. J. Fraser
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 3653–3658, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-3653-2012,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-3653-2012, 2012
08 Nov 2011
Controls on the movement and composition of firn air at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide
M. O. Battle, J. P. Severinghaus, E. D. Sofen, D. Plotkin, A. J. Orsi, M. Aydin, S. A. Montzka, T. Sowers, and P. P. Tans
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 11007–11021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-11007-2011,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-11007-2011, 2011
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