Multiradionuclide evidence for an extreme solar proton event around 2,610 B.P. (∼660 BC)

Paschal O’Hare, Florian Mekhaldi, Florian Adolphi, Grant Raisbeck, Ala Aldahan, Emma Anderberg, Jürg Beer, Marcus Christl, Simon Fahrni, Hans Arno Synal, Junghun Park, Göran Possnert, John Southon, Edouard Bard, Raimund Muscheler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Recently, it has been confirmed that extreme solar proton events can lead to significantly increased atmospheric production rates of cosmogenic radionuclides. Evidence of such events is recorded in annually resolved natural archives, such as tree rings [carbon-14 ( 14 C)] and ice cores [beryllium-10 ( 10 Be), chlorine-36 ( 36 Cl)]. Here, we show evidence for an extreme solar event around 2,610 years B.P. (∼660 BC) based on high-resolution 10 Be data from two Greenland ice cores. Our conclusions are supported by modeled 14 C production rates for the same period. Using existing 36 Cl ice core data in conjunction with 10 Be, we further show that this solar event was characterized by a very hard energy spectrum. These results indicate that the 2,610-years B.P. event was an order of magnitude stronger than any solar event recorded during the instrumental period and comparable with the solar proton event of AD 774/ 775, the largest solar event known to date. The results illustrate the importance of multiple ice core radionuclide measurements for the reliable identification of short-term production rate increases and the assessment of their origins.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5961-5966
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume116
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Free keywords

  • Ice cores
  • Radionuclides
  • Solar proton events
  • Solar storms

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