Over the past six months, I have successfully finalized the first capability test of ICP-TOFMS using different cone combinations and a desolvating sample introduction system. The new high sensitivity desolvating sample introduction system increased the analytical sensitivity of sp-ICP-TOFMS about 2 to 5-fold. The full applicability of sp-ICP-TOFMS using the new sample introduction system to the analysis of mineral dust in ice cores was verified according to the pilot testing using ultra fine test dust (UFTD). This result was presented on a poster at the 3rd Open Science Meeting, International Partnerships in Ice Core Sciences (IPICS) in October 2022. The next step will be to see the combined effect of the collision cell technology (CCT) and the desolvating sample introduction system.

News from Hanne Notø (ESR 2)
PhD project: Thermo-desorption PTR-MS for measuring organic compounds in deep ice

​​In June 2022, I had a secondment at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, where I learnt a lot about their FLC-MS/MS system. We completed continous flow analysis of two alpine glacier ice cores using the FLC-MS/MS, and the data from these measurements is currently being prosessed and analyzed. This fall I attended the IPICS conference, as well as the BBOS symposium, which were both very nice experiences. In Utrecht, I have been testing the evaporation system I developed, and the part just got back from the workshop where it has been modified. In November, I will be going to Sonnblick observatory in Austria to collect snow, cloudwater and aerosol samples to study the deposition of organic compounds on snow. These samples will be brought back to Utrecht afterwards where I will analyze them using the PTR-MS.

News from Eirini Malegiannaki (ESR 3)
PhD project: Laser ablation for water isotopic analysis with particular focus in spectral estimation for diffusion studies
 

News from Piers Larkman (ESR 4)
PhD project: Improvements and application of the laser techniques LA-ICP-MS for high resolution non-destructive elemental analyses on ice cores

Since the last newsletter I have been working with a number of collaborators to tackle a range of questions. I am working with members of the computer science department here in Venice to tackle some of the computer vision challenges associated with ice research and am now finishing some coursework for an artificial intelligence course I have taken at the university. Before visiting Germany for the DEEPICE training school and Switzerland for the IPICS conference I finalised the initial version of my simple ice impurity/growth model and produced some outputs to share. The image below shows a small system generated by the model, showing a representation of ice grains and their boundaries. The experience of taking my work and sharing it with other scientist was very rewarding and has given me great resource and enthusiasm to move my work forward. Hopefully my work can culminate to some publications and a presentation at INQUA in 2023
       




small system generated by the model showing a representation of ice grains and their boundaries

News from Miguel Angel Sánchez Moreno (ESR 5)
PhD project: Developing an instrument to make continuous observations of the crystal size on a 1m polished surface of an ice core

In the last months I have been developing a framework to extract features (air bubbles and ice grain boundaries) from the high-resolution images obtained from the Large Area Scanning Microscope from the NEEM ice core project. I also completed a course in Machine Learning and the training school at AWI in Bremerhaven on Modelling and Statistics. I presented my current work in a poster session at the IPICS conference in Crans-Montana. Additionally, I completed a couple of workshops on dissemination and communication activities for researchers.


Processing of 5 microns x pixel image to extract air bubbles and grain boundaries

News from Lison Soussaintjean (ESR 6)
PhD project: Quantification and correction of "in situ" production of N₂O in ice cores

Last June and July, I completed my first secondment at CNRS-IGE in Grenoble, France. Lab work was my main activity: I measured the nitrate concentration in the ice samples brought from Bern using ion chromatography. I was trained in the bacterial denitrification method and the isotope measurement system, and I measured the isotopic composition of nitrate in the samples. N2O isotopes having already been measured in Bern, I compared the isotopic compositions of nitrate and in situ N2O. Further analysis will be required to demonstrate that nitrate is indeed the precursor of in situ produced N2O.

I had the chance to present these preliminary results during the IPICS conference, and I enjoyed the second DEEPICE training school in Bremerhaven. Both have been the scene of many exciting discussions!

News from Florian Painer (ESR 7)
PhD project: Microstructure and Air Inclusions in polar ice

In the past months, I have been focusing on literature research, parts of which I have presented at different meetings such as at the AWI glaciology section retreat or as part of my poster at the IPICS conference in October in Crans-Montana. Besides reviewing literature, I also spent time in the ice lab to prepare thick sections and working with the optical microscope as well as testing and optimizing a new microstructure mapping system. In addition, I have practiced different image analysis methods on newly created µ-structure images from EDC and already existing pictures from NorthGRIP and EDML. From mid-July to mid-August I had the great opportunity to be part of the science trench team at the EastGRIP camp in Greenland and in mid-September the DEEPICE training school in Bremerhaven took place.
In summary, the last few months have been very eventful and I was able to learn a lot about ice core sciences from different perspectives.
 

In the past few months, I have prepared several new samples for the measurement of chlorine 36 and beryllium 10. Ice from EDC and Vostok was prepared in the labs of Grant Raisbeck at LSCE (as shown in the picture below) and ice from LDC was prepared at Lund University. I expect to receive the results of these measurements soon and hope to use them for drafting my first PhD paper, in which I will assess the capabilities of the 10Be/36Cl ratio as a dating method.
Reading papers, attending IPICS and talking to colleagues has helped me to define my research goals more clearly and I will focus on climatic influences on the 10Be/36Cl ratio for future research. I am also looking forward to additional sampling of ice from the Skytrain core in Cambridge.


Niklas working on ice samples from EDC and Vostok in Orsay, France

News from Lisa Ardoin (ESR 9)
PhD project: Retrieval of the oldest paleoclimatic signal in basal ice, insights from a large-scale multi-parametric study

This summer I was ready to perform gas measurements on precious samples. So, for two months I performed gas analyses on basal ice from Camp Century (Greenland) ice core. I reported a large accumulation near the bedrock of CO2, CH4, N2O, and Ar. I was truly happy to present my results at the IPICS conference that took place in Crans-Montana (Switzerland) in October 2022. Right now, I am improving the resolution to complete the dataset and better understand the processes going on at the bedrock-ice interface.

The very first sample from Camp Century that Lisa melted for gases extraction

Since the previous newsletter, I implemented a method to calculate surface heat fluxes from meteorological parameters measured in the atmosphere and have applied the method to the 2018-2019 time period at Dome C. Alongside, I have worked on adapting a simple snow model developed for Greenland to the snow samples from Antarctica and estimate the contribution on the snow isotopic composition of the vapor exchanges between the lower atmosphere and the snow surface. Lastly, I have presented the first results of my PhD project at IPICS.

News from Romilly Harris-Stuart (ESR 11)
PhD project: Evolution of snow and air circulating in snow beyond the surface af Antarctic ice sheet

In May 2022, I gave a virtual presentation at EGU showing my results of snowpack sensitivity to insolation and accumulation rate using the Crocus snowpack model. At the same time, I received training in a laboratory method to measure noble gases in air extracted from the firn at Dome C. The method will be used next year once we receive the firn air samples from Dome C. Over the summer I worked on analysing the effects of accumulation rate and insolation intensity and presented this work at IPICS in October. For the next few months I will be working in the field at Little Dome C to log the new Beyond EPICA Oldest Ice Core (BEOIC) and to take surface samples for water isotope analysis.

Romilly Harris-Stuart (LSCE) and Giuditta Celli (Ca Foscari University of Venice) at Mario Zucchelli station, Antarctica, 22/11/2022 (Credit: Celli© PNRA/IPEV)

News from Fyntan Shaw (ESR 12)
PhD project: Estimating and accounting for diffusion in deep ice using advanced statistical methods

After presenting at EGU in May I focused on structuring and writing my first manuscript on the diffusion length estimate I had calculated for the bottom of Dome C. I spent two months over the Summer in Copenhagen as part of my first secondment, where I continued work on my paper and familiarised myself with the lab equipment to aid my investigation into possible protocols for optimising the precision of water isotope measurements. I presented my diffusion length findings at the IPICS conference in October, before returning to Potsdam to focus on the robustness of my estimator and explore an alternative approach using Bayesian statistics.

News from Qinggang Gao (ESR 13)
PhD project: Coupled atmosphere-ocean modelling: interpreting Antarctic deep ice Estimating and accounting for diffusion in deep ice using advanced statistical methods

From February to July, I developed and implemented two kinds of passive water tracers in the atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM6. Results from the first kind of water tracing approach compare well with existing literature. And the results from the second innovative approach offered new insights regarding moisture sources of Antarctic precipitation. In addition, the second approach significantly reduced the computational requirements by around 80% and reduced the analysis and visualization complexity. I am drafting a paper to present our newly developed water tracing approach and its application to study extreme precipitation over Antarctica. Furthermore, I started my secondment in Grenoble in Novrmnrt to apply our new tools for the study of the Last Interglacial climate.

News from Ailsa Chung (ESR 14)
PhD project: Combining an ice flow model with radar observations in the Dome C Area

Over the summer I attended 3 conferences; 28th International Polar Conference in Potsdam, Cryosphere 2022 in Reykjavik and IPICS in Crans-Montana. I was presenting my work applying the 1D numerical model and the predictions for what we will find at the Little Dome C drill sites. 
The predicted oldest ice to be found at Beyond EPICA and Million Year Old Ice Challenge are very similar (1.48 million years old on average). You can explore the modelled age-depth profiles for each drill site using and interactive program with the QR codes and links below.
In July I took part in a Glaciology fieldwork training course in Austria where we learned about different techniques for analysing glaciers such as ground based radar, laser scanning and glacier climbing (see photo below).


Glaciology fieldword training course in Austria

Beyond EPICA modelled age-depth profiles
https://trinket.io/embed/python3/04377b8d89?outputOnly=true
 

Million Year Old Ice Challenge modelled age-depth profiles
https://trinket.io/embed/python3/94bdeaea75?outputOnly=true

 

News from Daniel Gunning (ESR 15)
PhD project: Investigating the MPT from an Earth System perspective

Since the previous newsletter I have continued work in developing an energy-balance/ice-sheet model for modeling glacier cycles across the Quaternary and looking at the potential for precession cancellation between the hemispheres. The model output is looking closer to the pre-industrial climate and will soon include a simple model of ocean circulation and sea-ice variability at the high latitudes. After tuning to pre-industrial and last glacial maximum conditions, the model will be ready for glacial cycle simulations. In addition, I have presented the project to the ICP conference in Bergen and the IPICS conference in Switzerland during the late summer to autumn period. I am currently at the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht for the final stages of model completion, benefiting from being around people in the department working on the MPT.