Modeling the Spatial and Temporal Variability of Marine Radiocarbon Reservoir Ages in the Late Quaternary

Abstract

In paleoceanography and paleoclimatology radiocarbon is frequently used to date carbonaceous samples of the past 50,000 years and as a proxy to reconstruct circulation states of the ocean. Temporal variations of the atmospheric radiocarbon concentration, caused by a varying radiocarbon production rate or changes in the global carbon cycle, lead to dating uncertainties and also limit the usability of radiocarbon as an oceanographic proxy. In order to analyze and correct the influence of varying atmospheric radiocarbon on the ocean, radiocarbon has been included as a tracer to a global climate model (University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model). This model was forced by the reconstructed atmospheric radiocarbon production rate, to predict differences between atmospheric and marine radiocarbon age, the so-called reservoir age, spatially and temporally.