This award supports a two year project to analyze shallow (~150 m) ice cores from South Pole in order to construct an annually resolved, sulfate-based volcanic record covering the last 1400 years. Two shallow ice cores will be recovered at the South Pole during the 00/01 field season and will be used for this work. Volcanic records from polar ice cores provide valuable information for studies of the connection between volcanism and climate. The new records are expected to be continuous and to cover at least the last 1400 years. The information from these records will verify the volcanic events found in the few existing Antarctic records and resolve discrepancies in the timing and magnitude of major explosive eruptions determined from those earlier records. In order to achieve the objectives of the proposed research, funds are provided to assist with the construction of an analytical laboratory for ice core and environmental chemistry research.
