Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 5 January 2007:
Vol. 315. no. 5808, pp. 84 - 87
DOI: 10.1126/science.1131754
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

Mass-Independent Sulfur Isotopic Compositions in Stratospheric Volcanic Eruptions

Mélanie Baroni,1* Mark H. Thiemens,2 Robert J. Delmas,1 Joël Savarino1*

The observed mass-independent sulfur isotopic composition ({Delta}33S) of volcanic sulfate from the Agung (March 1963) and Pinatubo (June 1991) eruptions recorded in the Antarctic snow provides a mechanism for documenting stratospheric events. The sign of {Delta}33S changes over time from an initial positive component to a negative value. {Delta}33S is created during photochemical oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid on a monthly time scale, which indicates a fast process. The reproducibility of the results reveals that {Delta}33S is a reliable tracer to chemically identify atmospheric processes involved during stratospheric volcanism.

1 Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement, CNRS/Université Joseph Fourier, 38400 St. Martin d'Hères, France.
2 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093–0356, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: baroni{at}lgge.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr (M.B.); jsavarino{at}lgge.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr (J.S.)

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The stability of the stratospheric ozone layer during the end-Permian eruption of the Siberian Traps.
D. J Beerling, M. Harfoot, B. Lomax, and J. A Pyle (2007)
Phil Trans R Soc A 365, 1843-1866
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)