Search results for "fractionation"

Interannual variability of Greenland winter precipitation sources: 2. Effects of North Atlantic Oscillation variability on stable isotopes in precipi…

2008

[1] A new Lagrangian moisture source diagnostic is applied to identify the atmospheric conditions relevant for the fractionation of stable water isotopes during evaporation over the ocean and subsequent transport to Greenland. Northern Hemisphere winter months with positive and negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index are studied on the basis of ERA-40 reanalysis data. Diagnosed moisture transport conditions are supplied to a Rayleigh-type isotope fractionation model to derive estimates for the isotopic composition of stable isotopes in winter precipitation on the Greenland plateau for the two NAO phases. Because of changes in atmospheric circulation, moisture source locations for pr…

Lagrangian simulations of stable isotopes in water vapor: An evaluation of nonequilibrium fractionation in the Craig-Gordon model

2009

[1] The Craig-Gordon model is the basis for the parameterization of water isotope fractionation during evaporation from the ocean in many atmospheric isotope models. Its exact formulation (e.g., with respect to the nonequilibrium fractionation factor k) is mainly based on theoretical considerations and not very well constrained by observations. This study addresses this issue by combining a recently developed Lagrangian moisture source analysis with a Craig-Gordon fractionation parameterization for the identified evaporation events in order to model isotope ratios in water vapor. This technique is applied to 45 measurement days of isotopes in water vapor at Rehovot (Israel) during the years…

2008

Abstract. Sulfur isotope analysis of atmospheric aerosols is a well established tool for identifying sources of sulfur in the atmosphere, estimating emission factors, and tracing the spread of sulfur from anthropogenic sources through ecosystems. Conventional gas mass spectrometry averages the isotopic compositions of several different types of sulfur aerosol particles, and therefore masks the individual isotopic signatures. In contrast, the new single particle technique presented here determines the isotopic signature of the individual particles. Primary aerosol particles retain the original isotopic signature of their source. The isotopic composition of secondary sulfates depends on the i…

2012

Abstract. Mineral dust is a major fraction of global atmospheric aerosol, and the oxidation of SO2 on mineral dust has implications for cloud formation, climate and the sulfur cycle. Stable sulfur isotopes can be used to understand the different oxidation processes occurring on mineral dust. This study presents measurements of the 34S/32S fractionation factor α34 for oxidation of SO2 on mineral dust surfaces and in the aqueous phase in mineral dust leachate. Sahara dust, which accounts for ~60% of global dust emissions and loading, was used for the experiments. The fractionation factor for aqueous oxidation in dust leachate is αleachate = 0.9917±0.0046, which is in agreement with previous m…

2012

Abstract. The oxidation of SO2 to sulfate is a key reaction in determining the role of sulfate in the environment through its effect on aerosol size distribution and composition. Sulfur isotope analysis has been used to investigate sources and chemical processes of sulfur dioxide and sulfate in the atmosphere, however interpretation of measured sulfur isotope ratios is challenging due to a lack of reliable information on the isotopic fractionation involved in major transformation pathways. This paper presents laboratory measurements of the fractionation factors for the major atmospheric oxidation reactions for SO2: Gas-phase oxidation by OH radicals, and aqueous oxidation by H2O2, O3 and a …

2012

Abstract. The oxidation of SO2 to sulfate on sea salt aerosols in the marine environment is highly important because of its effect on the size distribution of sulfate and the potential for new particle nucleation from H2SO4 (g). However, models of the sulfur cycle are not currently able to account for the complex relationship between particle size, alkalinity, oxidation pathway and rate – which is critical as SO2 oxidation by O3 and Cl catalysis are limited by aerosol alkalinity, whereas oxidation by hypohalous acids and transition metal ions can continue at low pH once alkalinity is titrated. We have measured 34S/32S fractionation factors for SO2 oxidation in sea salt, pure water and NaOCl…

Coupled silicon-oxygen isotope fractionation traces Archaean silicification

2011

International audience; Silica alteration zones and cherts are a conspicuous feature of Archaean greenstone belts worldwide and provide evidence of extensive mobilisation of silica in the marine environment of the early Earth. In order to understand the process(es) of silicification we measured the silicon and oxygen isotope composition of sections of variably silicified basalts and overlying bedded cherts from the Theespruit, Hooggenoeg and Kromberg Formations of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa.The δ30Si and δ18O values of bulk rock increase with increasing amount of silicification from unsilicified basalts (-0.64‰ 30Si 18O 30Si and δ18O values as high as + 0.81‰ and + 15.6‰, r…

Effect of pea proteins extraction and vicilin/legumin fractionation on the phase behavior in admixture with alginate

2012

Abstract Soluble and natural mixed pea proteins (PP) were extracted from defatted pea seeds according to acidic precipitation (PPP) or ultrafiltration/diafiltration (PPDF) procedures. The isolates contained proteins with a low level of denaturation. Mixed pea globulins isolates presented quite similar solubility and thermal profiles, also a similar polypeptide composition. Vicilin/convicilin 7S (Vic) and legumin 11S (Leg) fractions were obtained by batch chromatography using a salt gradient for the elution. Several incompatible systems were built by mixing the pea proteins with an anionic polysaccharide (sodium alginate, SA), when biopolymers were both negatively charged. Most of mixtures e…

Iron isotope signature of magnetofossils and oceanic biogeochemical changes through the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum.

2021

21 pages; International audience; Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) intracellularly precipitate magnetite (Fe3O4) crystals that can be preserved in the geological record. When MTB die, the so-called magnetofossils constitute valuable proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstructions and are suspected to represent some of the oldest traces of biomineralization on Earth. Yet, the biogenicity of putative magnetofossils found in ancient terrestrial and extra-terrestrial samples is still largely debated and their significance for past climate still holds uncertainties. Here we studied a sedimentary sequence from the Indian Ocean (ODP Hole 711A) recording the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) through…

Stable Copper Isotopes: A Novel Tool to Trace Copper Behavior in Hydromorphic Soils

2010

Copper is an essential micronutrient for all organisms but may also be a pollutant. We studied the natural abundance of stable Cu isotope ratios in four soils to test whether δ 65 Cu values can be used as a tracer for biogeochemical processes in hydromorphic soils. Two of the soils were affected by stagnant water and the other two by groundwater. We determined standard soil properties and Cu partitioning into seven fractions of a sequential extraction. Copper stable isotope ratios were measured in total soil digests with multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Copper concentrations in the study soils were low to average (5-34 mg kg -1 ). The variation in Cu isotope rati…