Isotope Tracers in the Climate System
(02.-06. March 2009)
Dr. Martin Werner
AWI Bremerhaven
Martin.Werner(at)awi.de
Tel: 0471-4831-1882
During the last decades the analysis and study of various isotope tracers has substantially enhanced our understanding of the Earth’s climate system. A wealth of radionuclide and stable isotopes are used in many research studies as an important tool for the study of climate related parameters. For example, measurements of carbon isotopes allow a precise dating of samples from various paleoclimate archives as well as the distinction between various organic sources, stable water isotopes enable an improved understanding of the hydrological cycle, calcium isotopes measured on foraminifera allow an estimation of past ocean temperatures, and radionuclides emitted during the above-surface atomic bomb tests in the 1950s and 1960s can be used as a distinct man-made ‘fingerprint’ in different compartments of the Earth.
This lecture will give an overview about some of the most important isotope tracers in the climate system. Various radionuclide and stable isotopes will be explained and their relevance for investigations of the different parts of the climate system will be discussed. The general overview will be supplemented by a presentation of some of the latest research results and most important open questions within the related fields of climate research.
Course Material (PDF Format)
Stable Water Isotopes, Part I (10.1 MB)
Stable Water Isotopes, Part II (5.2 MB)
Further Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopes (8.9 MB)
Further Radioactive Isotopes (7.1 MB)