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Article Dans Une Revue Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Année : 2019

The Elbrus (Caucasus, Russia) ice core record – Part 2: history of desert dust deposition

Stanislav Kutuzov
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Michel Legrand
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Vladimir Mikhalenko
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Karim Shukurov
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Aleksei Poliukhov
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Pavel Toropov
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Résumé

Ice cores are one of the most valuable paleo-archives. Records from ice cores provide information not only about the amount of dust in the atmosphere, but also about dust sources and their changes in the past. In 2009, a 182 m long ice core was recovered from the western plateau of Mt Elbrus (5115 m a.s.l.). This record was further extended after a shallow ice core was drilled in 2013. Here we analyse Ca 2+ concentrations, a commonly used proxy of dust, recorded in these Elbrus ice records over the time period of 1774-2013 CE. The Ca 2+ record reveals quasi-decadal variability with a generally increasing trend. Using multiple regression analysis, we found a statistically significant spatial correlation of the Elbrus Ca 2+ summer concentrations with precipitation and soil moisture content in the Levant region (specifically Syria and Iraq). The Ca 2+ record also correlates with drought indices in North Africa (r = 0.67, p<0.001) and Middle East regions (r = 0.71, p<0.001). Dust concentrations prominently increase in the ice core over the past 200 years, confirming that the recent droughts in the Fertile Crescent (1998-2012 CE) present the most severe aridity experienced in at least the past two centuries. For the most recent 33 years recorded (1979-2012 CE), significant correlations exist between Ca 2+ and Pacific circulation indices (Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Southern Oscillation Index and Niño 4), which suggests that the increased frequency of extreme El Niño and La Niña events due to a warming climate has extended their influence to the Middle East. Evidence demonstrates that the increase in Ca 2+ concentration in the ice core cannot be attributed to human activities, such as coal combustion and cement production.
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hal-02410039 , version 1 (02-11-2020)

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Stanislav Kutuzov, Michel Legrand, Susanne Preunkert, Patrick Ginot, Vladimir Mikhalenko, et al.. The Elbrus (Caucasus, Russia) ice core record &#8211; Part 2: history of desert dust deposition. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2019, 19 (22), pp.14133-14148. ⟨10.5194/acp-19-14133-2019⟩. ⟨hal-02410039⟩
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