Temporal 10Be variations in ice

Abstract

10Be (T1/2 = 1.5·106y) is mainly produced in the atmosphere by cosmic ray spallation reactions on nitrogen and oxygen. About 70 % of the production takes place in the stratosphere. 10Be becomes attached to aerosols within a very short time. If 10Be is produced in the stratosphere some latitudinal mixing occurs. Most of the 10Be is transferred to the troposphere during spring and early summer when, mainly at median latitudes, large stratospheric air masses enter the troposphere. Tropospheric 10Be is deposited rapidly on the earth's surface by precipitation. The mean residence time of 10Be in the atmosphere is ca 1 to 2 years. 10Be removed from the atmosphere by precipitation is either preserved in snow and ice layers, in the topsoil and the biosphere, or it enters the hydrosphere (oceans and lakes), where it is transported to the sediments.