New methods for measuring atmospheric heavy noble gas isotope and elemental ratios in ice core samples

Abstract

The precisions of the three elemental ratios δKr/N₂ , δXe/N₂ and δXe/Kr - which all contain the same MOT information - suggest smaller uncertainties for reconstructed MOTs (±0.3-0.1°C) than previous studies have attained. Due to different sensitivities of the noble gases to changes in MOT, δXe/N₂ provides the best constraints on the MOT under the given precisions followed by δXe/Kr, and δKr/N₂ ; however, using all of them helps to detect methodological artifacts and issues with ice quality.