AS4.20 | Meteoric Cosmogenic ¹⁰Be: Modeling Depositional Fluxes and Tracing Earth's Surface Processes
Orals |
Mon, 08:30
Mon, 10:45
EDI
Meteoric Cosmogenic ¹⁰Be: Modeling Depositional Fluxes and Tracing Earth's Surface Processes
Co-organized by GM2
Convener: Hella Wittmann | Co-conveners: Kseniia GolubenkoECSECS, Lionel Siame, Laura Krone
Orals
| Mon, 28 Apr, 08:30–10:15 (CEST)
 
Room M2
Posters on site
| Attendance Mon, 28 Apr, 10:45–12:30 (CEST) | Display Mon, 28 Apr, 08:30–12:30
 
Hall X5
Orals |
Mon, 08:30
Mon, 10:45

Orals: Mon, 28 Apr | Room M2

The oral presentations are given in a hybrid format supported by a Zoom meeting featuring on-site and virtual presentations. The button to access the Zoom meeting appears just before the time block starts.
Chairpersons: Hella Wittmann, Kseniia Golubenko, Laura Krone
08:30–08:35
08:35–08:45
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EGU25-12244
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On-site presentation
Stepan Poluianov, Gennady Kovaltsov, Ilya Usoskin, and Naoyuki Kurita

Galactic cosmic rays constantly bombard the Earth’s atmosphere and induce cascades of nuclear reactions that produce various particles. One of the products of such interactions is cosmogenic nuclides, very useful tools for researches in different areas, such as solar physics, atmospheric physics, geomagnetic studies, hydrology, archeology, and many others. Their production rates are not uniform over the globe. Due to the changing shielding effect of the Earth’s geomagnetic field from cosmic rays, the production is higher in polar regions than near the equator. Furthermore, the production of cosmogenic nuclides varies greatly with altitude. In addition, the cosmic ray flux changes over time, following variations in solar activity. Several production models are available that account for all these effects (Poluianov et al., 2016, 2020), but their use requires some learning of computational details. To simplify the application of these models, we present calculated time series of the production rates for 3H, 7Be, 10Be, 14C, 22Na, and 36Cl, covering more than a century up to the present day. The results provide altitude-longitude-latitude resolution for each nuclide, include recent cosmic-ray data for the beginning of the 20th century, and account for the slow evolution of the geomagnetic field.

How to cite: Poluianov, S., Kovaltsov, G., Usoskin, I., and Kurita, N.: Production rates of atmospheric cosmogenic nuclides 3H, 7Be, 10Be, 14C, 22Na, 36Cl calculated for the 20th and early 21st centuries, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-12244, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-12244, 2025.

08:45–08:55
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EGU25-2464
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On-site presentation
Eugene Rozanov, Tania Egorova, Kseniia Golubenko, Mélanie Baroni, Timofei Sukhodolov, and Ilya Usoskin

Measurements of the cosmogenic isotope concentrations in the natural archives are valuable sources of information about the variability of solar activity and parameters of explosive events in the solar system and our galaxy. The retrieval and understanding of the forcing peculiarities from the data requires detailed modeling of all relevant processes. Therefore, any applied model should be able to treat the production, transport, chemical transformation, and deposition of cosmogenic isotopes and atmospheric state parameters regulating their life cycle. A hierarchy of such models ranging from simple box models to full-scale Erath system models has been developed and utilized since 1990th. This lecture will briefly present the critical turning points in model development. Then I will discuss contemporary approaches to simulate the transport, chemistry, mixing, and deposition of different cosmogenic isotopes produced by galactic cosmic rays and solar proton events and the most promising ways of further development. Special attention will be paid to the influence of volcanic eruptions and integrating 10Be modeling with other species such as 36Cl and 14C.

Acknowledgement: Support from Oulu University (Project GERACLIS #24304650) and collaborative Swiss French project AEON (grant no. 200020E_219166).

How to cite: Rozanov, E., Egorova, T., Golubenko, K., Baroni, M., Sukhodolov, T., and Usoskin, I.: An overview of available models for simulations of the life cycle of cosmogenic isotopes, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-2464, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-2464, 2025.

08:55–09:05
09:05–09:15
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EGU25-20054
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ECS
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On-site presentation
Andrin Jörimann, Timofei Sukhodolov, Louise Harra, Mélanie Baroni, Eugene Rozanov, and Tatiana Egorova

Cosmogenic 10Be isotope is an important proxy for past solar activity that can be measured from natural archives such as ice cores. It is mostly produced in the stratosphere and its atmospheric lifetime until the deposition to the surface depends on different transport processes. In the troposphere, 10Be deposition to natural archives occurs comparatively quickly, being dominated by scavenging, with weather patterns causing regional variations. The stratospheric and cross-tropopause transport of the isotopes is affected by their attachment to the stratospheric aerosol particles, presenting an additional effect of size-dependent gravitational sedimentation.  Strong volcanic eruptions massively increase the stratospheric aerosol loading, thus increasing its effect on the 10Be transport and deposition, which has been proposed as a major complication term in the interpretation of proxy records. In our study, we address this effect by employing the state-of-the-art aerosol-chemistry-climate model SOCOL-AERv2-Be that has a full 10Be atmospheric cycle, including its attachment to aerosol particles. We isolate the effects of sedimentation by comparing simulations with and without it for the 10Be tracer. In these simulations we examine the long-term climatological effects of a background aerosol layer on the 10Be distribution in the atmosphere and the resulting deposition maps. In another set of simulations we specifically focus on the influence of the enhanced stratospheric aerosol layer after volcanic events of various magnitudes, including their large-scale dynamical effects on the 10Be transport induced by the lower stratospheric heating. The results are compared with ice core data from the Greenland and Antarctic stations.

How to cite: Jörimann, A., Sukhodolov, T., Harra, L., Baroni, M., Rozanov, E., and Egorova, T.: Volcanic modulation of Beryllium-10 atmospheric transport, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-20054, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-20054, 2025.

09:15–09:35
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EGU25-2277
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ECS
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solicited
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On-site presentation
Kai Deng, Gregory de Souza, and Jianghui Du

Beryllium isotopes, i.e. cosmogenic meteoric 10Be and stable 9Be, enter the oceans through distinct pathways. Beryllium-10 is produced in the atmosphere and enters the oceans mainly via precipitation, while 9Be is sourced from continents. Beryllium isotopes with a short oceanic residence time (102-103 yrs) display non-conservative behaviour in seawater. The 10Be/9Be proxy has been utilized as a powerful tool for quantifying diverse processes, including geomagnetism, sedimentation, continental input, and ocean circulation. Substantial effort has been invested in understanding external sources and internal cycling of Be isotopes in the recent decade, such as constraints on the global distribution of 10Be depositional fluxes and on riverine and benthic 9Be inputs. Hence, it offers an excellent opportunity to revisit their modern oceanic cycle. Here, we investigate the controls on the modern oceanic cycling of Be isotopes using a three-dimensional ocean biogeochemical model constrained by water-column distributions of 9Be and 10Be compiled from the literature. In addition to modelling the previously identified controls, we highlight the critical role of marine benthic fluxes and scavenging on particulate organic matter and opal in governing the mass balance and spatial distribution of Be isotopes. The transport of Be isotopes between basins by circulation is of lesser importance compared to external inputs at continent/atmosphere–ocean boundaries, except in the South Pacific. Consequently, the basin-wide 10Be/9Be ratio predominantly reflects the pattern of external inputs across most basins in the modern ocean. Based on our data-constrained oceanic model, we can further assess the sensitivity of basin-wide 10Be/9Be ratios to changes in external sources, such as continental denudation, and internal cycling, such as particle scavenging. The mechanistic understanding developed from this Be cycling model provides important insights into the various applications of marine Be isotopes, and offers additional tools to assess the individual effects of geomagnetism and environment on cosmogenic 10Be/9Be records in marine sediments.

How to cite: Deng, K., de Souza, G., and Du, J.: Modelling the modern oceanic cycle of beryllium-10 and beryllium-9, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-2277, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-2277, 2025.

09:35–09:45
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EGU25-20720
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On-site presentation
Friedhelm von Blanckenburg

The ratio of meteoric cosmogenic 10Be to that of stable 9Be in seawater has been suggested to serve as a proxy for terrestrial weathering and denudation rates (D), in the modern ocean [1], and in the past when measured in chemical sediment of known age [2, 3]. The principle is remarkably simple. The only input of 10Be is atmospheric deposition into seawater. This flux is well-known at the scale of ocean basins. The trace metal9Be enters the oceans after continental weathering via two potential pathways: a) direct riverine input into the coastal ocean (both dissolved and mobilised from particles); b)  the release of “reactive” terrigenous Be from particles into seawater during early marine diagenesis, called “boundary exchange”. When the dissolved 9Be is mixed with seawater, the unknown weathering and denudation input flux of 9Be can be calculated from the 10Be/9Be ratio.

However, because Be is an element that readily attaches to reactive particles, not all riverine 9Be escapes the coastal zone. We have estimated this delivery fraction (fdel) to be about 6% of the dissolved and adsorbed riverine Be [1]. For pathway a) we already suggested the possibility that with changing sediment delivery to the coastal ocean, fdel might potentially be a function of D itself [1]. However, global river data show that river particle concentration and D are not correlated. Yet, this erroneous assumption was made to suggest that 10Be/9Be fails to serve as a denudation rate proxy [4].

In any case such dependence does not affect pathway b) “boundary exchange” [5]. This pore water input may even dominate the marine 9Be budget [6].

Research is thus required to evaluate all of these potential input pathways of 9Be, how strongly sediment delivery onto the seafloor, also being a function of particulate riverine input flux, controls the release flux of 9Be, and whether its release is buffered in any way. Given the simple pathway of the known 10Be input, the 10Be(meteoric)/9Be ratio offers much potential to explore these fluxes, both in the terrestrial and the marine domain, and to evaluate their dependence on denudation and delivery – even three decades  after the first introduction of this system [7].

  • von Blanckenburg, F. and J. Bouchez, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2014. 387
  • Willenbring, J.K. and F. von Blanckenburg, Nature, 2010. 4
  • von Blanckenburg, F., Bouchez, J., Ibarra, D.E., Maher, K., Nature Geoscience, 2015. 8
  • Li, S., S.L. Goldstein, and M.E. Raymo, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2021. 118
  • von Blanckenburg, F., Bouchez, J., Willenbring, J.K., Ibarra, D.E., Rugenstein, J.K.C., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2022. 119
  • Deng, K., Rickli, J., Suhrhoff, T.J., Du, J., Scholz, F., Severmann, S., Yang, S., McManus, J., Vance, D., Science Advances, 2023. 9
  • Kusakabe, M., Ku, T., Southon, J., Vogel, J., Nelson, D., Measures, C., Nozaki, Y., 1987. Earth and planetary science letters 82, 231-240

How to cite: von Blanckenburg, F.:  Ocean 10Be/9Be as denudation rate proxy. Does 9Be deliver?, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-20720, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-20720, 2025.

09:45–09:55
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EGU25-15088
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ECS
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On-site presentation
Matthew Jeromson, Molly Husdell, Helen Bostock, David Fink, Krista Simon, Ole Rieke, Sarah Thompson, Madi Rosevear, Luke Nothdurft, Laura Herraiz–Borreguero, and Duanne White

Perched precariously upon the deepest continental location on Earth, East Antarctica’s Denman Glacier is hypersensitive to changes in both air and ocean temperatures. Shackleton Ice Shelf buttresses Denman Glacier, regulating the rate at which it flows into the Southern Ocean. However, under warming ocean conditions along the continental shelf – a function of increased upwelling of warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) in many places around Antarctica – Shackleton Ice Shelf may become unstable and collapse. Loss of the ice shelf would destabilise the glacier in turn, and a complete collapse of the Denman System could contribute +1.5 m to global sea level. Besides what began 15 years ago, observational ocean data show that the interactions between upwelling CDW and regional calving margins is otherwise unprecedented in historical records, and of unknown influence on longer timescales. Here we aim to resolve two questions: is warm CDW currently reaching the glacier’s grounding line? And is there any evidence of CDW presence within the Shackleton Ice Shelf on a Holocene timescale? Utilising a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) profile and a 1m sediment core collected from the seafloor beneath Shackleton Ice Shelf during the 2023-24 Denman Terrestrial Campaign, we employ meteoric-10Be signatures from sediment samples – which have been shown to reflect upwelling circumpolar deep-water conditions along the Antarctic continental shelf – to discuss the modern and paleo-ocean conditions within the Shackleton Ice Shelf cavity.

How to cite: Jeromson, M., Husdell, M., Bostock, H., Fink, D., Simon, K., Rieke, O., Thompson, S., Rosevear, M., Nothdurft, L., Herraiz–Borreguero, L., and White, D.: An assessment of modern and past Circumpolar Deep Water presence beneath Shackleton Ice Shelf, East Antarctica: insights into using Meteoric Beryllium-10, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-15088, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-15088, 2025.

09:55–10:05
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EGU25-13118
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ECS
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On-site presentation
Chiara Bazzucchi, Hella Wittmann, Silvia Crosetto, Paolo Ballato, Claudio Faccenna, and Francesca Rossetti

Cosmogenic nuclides are invaluable tools for quantifying denudation and uplift rates and thus decoding geological processes that act over different timescales and leave distinct imprints on the Earth’s surface. Among these, meteoric ¹⁰Be has emerged as a particularly powerful proxy due to its unique capability of being measured independently of lithology. Meteoric 10Be is an atmospheric flux tracer, and when normalized to stable 9Be, a trace element released by rocks during weathering, the 10Be/9Be ratio emerges. This ratio can be measured on small sample amounts and is independent of the presence of quartz which provides a benefit over the “sister” nuclide in situ 10Be that has been widely used in landscapes of felsic rocks.

The Albanides orogenic belt is a tectonically active region characterised by a remarkable lithological diversity, including carbonates, ophiolites, siliciclastics, metamorphics, and volcanic rocks distributed over short distances. In the Albanides´quartz-bearing sector, in situ ¹⁰Be-derived denudation rates were recently measured, but large areas of this belt remained unexplored due to lack of quartz. Meteoric 10Be/9Be -derived denudation rates fill this gap. When combined with geomorphic analyses to investigate uplift patterns in equilibrated river systems, results from both cosmogenic nuclides systems are consistent, and reveal significant spatial variability in denudation and uplift rates ranging from 0.1 to over 1.5 mm/yr. These results suggest that the Albanides are undergoing rapid landscape evolution, with rates and uplift mechanisms varying considerably across the belt. Our findings underscore the versatility of the meteoric ¹⁰Be/⁹Be method as a robust approach providing key information for quantifying erosional processes, sediment transport dynamics, landscape development and tectonic evolution. The consistency between the two datasets strengthens the reliability of the meteoric ¹⁰Be/⁹Be technique across regions with diverse geological compositions. Overall, our approach paves the way for future studies aimed at exploring the interplay between tectonics, climate, and surface processes using cosmogenic nuclides in complex lithological settings.

How to cite: Bazzucchi, C., Wittmann, H., Crosetto, S., Ballato, P., Faccenna, C., and Rossetti, F.: Meteoric 10Be/9Be as a Proxy for Denudation and Uplift in the active Albanides orogenic belt, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13118, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13118, 2025.

10:05–10:15
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EGU25-17083
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Virtual presentation
Joseph Graly, Adi Torfstein, Eiríka Arnardóttir, Kathy Licht, and Marc Caffee

We investigated chemical weathering in the subglacial environment of East Antarctica through studies of two isotope systems: meteoric 10Be and (234U/238U). We sampled blue ice moraines as a window into Antarctica’s subglacial environments. Here vapour-starved winds ablate near-stagnant ice, allowing sediment-rich basal ice to be thrust against mountains and nunataks. These moraines form across a wide swath of the continent. Many blue ice moraine sediments are substantially altered by chemical weathering; sediment grains are often coated in a mix of clays, oxides, and amorphous material that does not resemble soil but speaks to a chemical weathering regime specially found in the subglacial environment.

Meteoric 10Be works as a tracer in this system because its concentration in ice is relatively well known from ice cores, it is very unlikely to occur in detrital minerals, and it has a strong propensity to become incorporated in authigenic minerals, such as clays and oxyhydroxides. The total abundance of meteoric 10Be therefore traces meltwater input over the sediment residence time and the speciation of meteoric 10Be traces the formation of authigenic minerals.

In developing the meteoric 10Be tracer, we initially focused on Mt. Achernar Moraine, a site in the central Transantarctic Mountains containing highly weathered fine sediments of subglacial origin. We tested a variety of extraction procedures to most effectively extract 10Be from minerals formed during chemical weathering. At Mt. Achernar Moraine, the total meteoric 10Be strongly correlates to the abundance of authigenic minerals (particularly smectite clay) and aligns well with mass balance calculations for meltwater input.

The use of (234U/238U) as a tracer relies on the loss of 234U due to alpha recoil. As a result, (234U/238U) in residual detrital silt and clay particles drops below equilibrium and progresses towards a low steady state value. By contrast, the surrounding solutions and authigenic minerals that precipitate from them display (234U/238U) ratios higher than equilibrium.

Analyses of several samples from Mt. Achernar Moraine, show that U series isotopes confirm recent (i.e. within 100 ka) authigenic weathering at the site. Clay mineral (234U/238U) ratios are higher than those of silt, suggesting a mix of detrital and authigenic clay. Adsorbed species, carbonates, and oxyhydroxides display (234U/238U) higher than equilibrium, reflecting their precipitation from 234U-enriched solutions.

The results in total are very promising for both isotope systems. The U series system can constrain the time frame of chemical alteration to within a glacial-interglacial cycle.  The 10Be system trace the meltwater input and also confirm the presence of authigenic mineral phases. These tracers, especially in combination, allow us to define the relationship between meltwater input and weathering intensity across Antarctica and make large scale influences about the ice sheet’s influence on its substrate and on global biogeochemical cycles.

How to cite: Graly, J., Torfstein, A., Arnardóttir, E., Licht, K., and Caffee, M.: Combining meteoric 10Be and U-series isotopes to decode weathering intensity in East Antarctica’s subglacial environment, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17083, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17083, 2025.

Posters on site: Mon, 28 Apr, 10:45–12:30 | Hall X5

The posters scheduled for on-site presentation are only visible in the poster hall in Vienna. If authors uploaded their presentation files, these files are linked from the abstracts below.
Display time: Mon, 28 Apr, 08:30–12:30
Chairpersons: Stepan Poluianov, Lionel Siame
X5.26
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EGU25-3110
Hella Wittmann, Julien Bouchez, Damien Calmels, Jerome Gaillardet, Daniel Frick, Karim Keddadouche, Georges Aumaitre, Fawzi Zaidi, and Friedhelm von Blanckenburg

Quantifying the rates at which carbonate rocks are denuded, the balance between chemical weathering and physical erosion, and their responsiveness to climate, vegetation, and tectonic activity is crucial for revealing feedback mechanisms in the carbon cycle and the dynamics of karst landscapes that provide vital services to humans. However, no existing method effectively partitions denudation into erosion and weathering fluxes. To estimate total denudation rates in carbonate terrains across spatial scales from soil to entire watersheds, we adapted a previously established framework that utilizes cosmogenic meteoric 10Be as an atmospheric flux tracer together with stable 9Be released during rock weathering. We employed the new method to the limestone-rich French Jura Mountains. By analyzing water, soil, sediment, travertine, and bedrock for 10Be/9Be ratios, as well as major and trace elements, stable carbon isotopes, and radiogenic strontium, we were able to quantify the contributions of beryllium from both primary and secondary carbonate phases and its release during the weathering of carbonate bedrock versus silicate impurities. We determined the partitioning of beryllium between solids and solutions and calculated rates of catchment-wide denudation (from sediment) and point source denudation (from soil), along with weathering and erosion rates. Our findings suggest that the average denudation rates range from 300 to 500 t/km2/yr, with denudation primarily driven by weathering intensity (W/D) ratios exceeding 0.92. These rates are consistent within a factor of two when compared to decadal-scale denudation rates derived from combined suspended and dissolved fluxes, underscoring the substantial potential of this method for Earth surface research in karst landscapes.

How to cite: Wittmann, H., Bouchez, J., Calmels, D., Gaillardet, J., Frick, D., Keddadouche, K., Aumaitre, G., Zaidi, F., and von Blanckenburg, F.: Denudation and weathering rates of carbonate landscapes from meteoric 10Be/9Be ratios, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-3110, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-3110, 2025.

X5.27
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EGU25-6701
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ECS
Adrien folch, Lukas Rowald, Julien Bouchez, Eric Gayer, Celine Dessert, Anne Bernhardt, and Hella Wittmann

Weathering of volcanic rocks accounts for approximately one third of global CO2 consumption in the silicate weathering cycle1. Tropical volcanic islands contribute to this process due to their extreme denudation rates, thought to be mainly driven by high and episodic precipitation, which may sustain high weathering fluxes. However, how total denudation (D) divides into erosion (E) and weathering (W) fluxes, and the factors governing their long-term rates on tropical islands remain unclear. This uncertainty arises from the lack of methods to quantify these rates over centennial to millennial timescales. Common approaches face challenges like absence of quartz for in situ-10Be or unevenly-distributed olivine for in situ-3He analysis, limited long-term observational data for gauging, and the impacts of caldera collapse and infilling of river valleys from eruptions that complicate erosion rate estimates from topographic reconstructions. The recently developed meteoric 10Be/9Be ratio that uses meteoric 10Be as an atmospheric flux tracer alongside stable 9Be released during rock weathering provides an alternative to estimate D and weathering intensity across scales, from soils to entire watersheds, independent of specific minerals.

We applied this method to Réunion and Guadeloupe, two islands with extreme precipitation regimes (respectively up to 11000 and 8000 mm/yr), steep slopes, high elevations, and warm mean annual temperatures. Both islands have catchments on lavas of similar emplacement ages (5 Kyr to 1.8 Myr), but differ mainly in lithology: Réunion's hotspot volcanism produces basalts, whereas Guadeloupe's arc volcanism generates mainly andesites. To isolate key controlling parameters, we sampled catchments with uniform lava deposition ages across varying precipitation regimes.

Preliminary results reveal a stark contrast in denudation (D). On Réunion, catchment-averaged D´s are 4000 t/km²/yr (n=11, ranging from 11 t/km²/yr in very small catchments to 15000 t/km²/yr), while Guadeloupe´s average D is 300 t/km²/yr (n=13, ranging from 100 to 1000 t/km²/yr). Weathering intensities measured on sediment from Guadeloupe are, on average, significantly higher than for Reunion. This result aligns with the observation that lower erosion rates promote more intensive soil leaching. Our denudation rates generally align well with gauging-based rates2,3and topographic reconstructions4,5,6, although the latter estimates are consistently higher by a factor of 2-5, depending on each island.

Our preliminary findings suggest that volcanic emplacement age does not control D, while the role of lithology requires further investigation. Future work will involve determining local depositional fluxes of meteoric 10Be, and analyzing additional data from weathering profiles and river sediments.

References : 1. Dessert et al., 2003; 2. Louvat et al., 1997 ; 3. Rad et al., 2006 ; 4. Salvany et al., 2012; 5. Gayer et al., 2019; 6. Samper et al., 2007.

How to cite: folch, A., Rowald, L., Bouchez, J., Gayer, E., Dessert, C., Bernhardt, A., and Wittmann, H.: Insights on Denudation Controls of Volcanic Tropical Islands from Meteoric 10Be/9Be Ratios, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-6701, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-6701, 2025.

X5.28
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EGU25-922
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ECS
Aaditya Nath Kapil, Jon Telling, Ana Carracedo, Vasile Ersek, and Joseph Graly

Subglacial environments are hotspots for chemical weathering with dynamic hydrological and microbial systems interacting with freshly produced meltwater and sediments. These chemical weathering processes can either drawdown or release atmospheric CO2 depending on the type and extent of weathering pathways. This study delves into chemical weathering processes in subglacial environments and their broader implications for global geochemical cycling.

We employ meteoric 10Be, a cosmogenic nuclide, to assess the neoformation of silicate weathering products as the isotope can be incorporated into the crystal structure of clays, oxides, and oxyhydroxides. This study aims to determine the extent to which chemical weathering products within glacial sediments originated during the glacial period, distinguishing them from detrital minerals derived from underlying bedrock and modern soil formed in interglacial settings. Additionally, we aim to address an observational gap in the meteoric 10Be fallout measurements in the 50° – 70° latitude and high altitude. i.e., northern Britain and Ladakh respectively, thereby enhancing our understanding of the general distribution and behaviour of the isotope.­­­­

We measured the contemporary fallout rates from the upper horizon of moraines in glacial sediments, while the inherited portion of meteoric 10Be within the lower horizons serve as archives of sub-glacial and proglacial weathering processes. Sequential extractions were performed to quantify extent of chemical weathering by isolating and measuring meteoric 10Be in three forms: adsorbed in aqueous solution, precipitated with oxides/oxyhydroxides, and/or inside the crystal structure of authigenic clay minerals. The distribution of the isotope was assessed across different grain sizes to examine its dependence on grain size and its association with various chemical and mineral species examined through ICP-MS and XRD.

This is a novel approach to identify minerals of subglacial origin in post-glacial settings. The quantification of the abundance of synglacial silicate weathering products in these glacial sediments will allow inference to a chemical weathering rate under the British Ice Sheet – a heretofore unsolved problem that offers crucial insights into the effect of glaciation on climate dynamics.

How to cite: Kapil, A. N., Telling, J., Carracedo, A., Ersek, V., and Graly, J.: Meteoric 10Be as a Tracer of Chemical Weathering in Glacial Sediments, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-922, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-922, 2025.

X5.29
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EGU25-1711
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ECS
Kseniia Golubenko, Eugene Rozanov, Melanie Baroni, and Ilya Usoskin

We present new opportunities for modeling cosmogenic isotopes using the chemistry-climate model (CCM) SOCOL, including recent advancements in the modeling of 10Be and 14C. A state-of-the-art SOCOL-AERv2 model (coupled with the CRAC production model) has been developed to simulate cosmogenic isotope atmospheric transport and deposition. The model incorporates all relevant atmospheric processes, enabling precise calculations of isotope concentrations across different locations and times. 
Validation of SOCOL-AERv2-Be against 10Be data from five Antarctic and Greenland ice cores demonstrates a reasonable agreement, capturing large-scale atmospheric dynamics while averaging synoptic-scale variability. This work reveals that most 10Be production occurs in the stratosphere, with >60% of 10Be deposited on the Earth's surface within a year. Additionally, a simplified parameterization of the full-model results is introduced, offering quick and practical estimates for polar regions. 
Extending these capabilities, the new SOCOL:14C-Ex model allows for the study of extreme solar particle events (ESPEs) beyond the Holocene based on 14C, which was previously limited by the lack of models applicable to glacial climates. Using this model we analyzed the strongest known ESPE, dated to approximately 12350 BC. This event, nearly twice as powerful as the widely studied 775 AD event, likely occurred between January and April 12350 BC, with a peak in early March. 
These developments demonstrate how advanced chemistry-climate modeling with the SOCOL framework opens new frontiers in understanding cosmogenic isotopes, solar-terrestrial interactions, and the climatic implications of extreme solar events.

How to cite: Golubenko, K., Rozanov, E., Baroni, M., and Usoskin, I.: New Opportunities for Modeling Cosmogenic Isotopes Using the Chemistry-Climate Model SOCOL , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-1711, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1711, 2025.

X5.30
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EGU25-15588
Rose Paque, Angus Moore, Jean Dixon, Yessenia Montes, Marcus Christl, and Veerle Vanacker

Meteoric beryllium-10 (10Bem) is a valuable tracer for investigating land surface processes, and numerous studies have used it to assess soil ages and residence time, date sedimentary archives and quantify soil erosion rates at the hillslope and catchment scales. The flux of 10Bem to the Earth's surface is influenced by e.g. solar activity, the Earth’s magnetic field, stratosphere-troposphere exchange dynamics and atmospheric circulation patterns that control 10Bem production, transport, and deposition.

The control of precipitation on the flux of 10Bem to Earth’s surface remains unclear at low latitude, where there is little observational data available. To study the impact of precipitation on deposition of 10Bem at low latitude, we determined 10Bem concentrations in rainwater along a 10-fold precipitation gradient on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos Archipelago (Ecuador) over one meteorological year. To elucidate spatial and temporal variations in 10Bem concentrations, rainwater was collected at five sites spanning the precipitation gradient during the cool and warm seasons.

Our findings reveal a rise in 10Bem deposition rates with precipitation that exceeds a linear increase, indicating a super-additive effect of precipitation on 10Bem deposition. We attribute this to the presence of an inversion layer on Santa Cruz Island during the cool season, which limits atmospheric mixing. Furthermore, we observed a clear decline in 10Bem concentrations with increased convective precipitation during the warm and rainy season. This suggests a dilution effect on atmospheric 10Bem deposition during intense precipitation events. Our study highlights the spatial variability of 10Bem deposition along a precipitation gradient and deepens understanding of how different types of precipitation influence 10Bem fluxes.

How to cite: Paque, R., Moore, A., Dixon, J., Montes, Y., Christl, M., and Vanacker, V.: Orographic and convective precipitation control meteoric 10Be wet depositional fluxes at low latitude, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-15588, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-15588, 2025.

X5.31
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EGU25-19388
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ECS
Katlego Moloto

Cosmogenic nuclide records can in principle allow for the estimation of the behaviour of the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF) in the distant past. This study focuses on understanding how magnetic field turbulence uncertainties impact cosmic ray (CR) transport modeling on long time scales. We present a 3D time-dependent ab initio CR modulation code that utilizes theoretically and observationally motivated temporal profiles of heliospheric parameters that influence CR transport, emphasizing both large-scale parameters (such as the tilt angle) and small-scale turbulence parameters. The model is validated against spacecraft observations of galactic CR proton differential intensities for 1977-2001, showing good agreement with observed CR intensity profiles. To investigate pre-space age cosmic ray modulation, we applied historic HMF estimates from McCracken & Beer (2015) as model inputs, revealing clear evidence of drift effects during the Dalton Minimum. The study demonstrates the critical role of magnetic turbulence characterization in understanding historic cosmic ray modulation, and the uncertainties therein

How to cite: Moloto, K.: Modeling Long-Term Cosmic Ray Transport: The Role of Magnetic Turbulence Uncertainties in Heliospheric Field Reconstruction, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19388, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19388, 2025.

X5.32
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EGU25-10115
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ECS
Maximilian Arthus Schanner, Andreas Nilsson, and Raimund Muscheler
The longterm evolution of the Sun's activity is of crucial interest, when trying to understand both recent and historical climatic changes. On timescales beyond the direct observation through sunspots, one has to rely on records of cosmogenic radionuclides, such as 14C and 10Be. These radionuclides can be found, for example, in tree rings and ice cores. Their production rates are modulated by solar activity, but also by the Earth's magnetic field, and thus contain an entangled signal of their evolution.

We constructed a joint statistical model of solar activity and the global geomagnetic field, accounting for a possible bi-modality in solar modulation, due to the occurrence of grand solar minima. Inversion of 10Be data from Greenland (GRIP) and Antarctica (EDML), 14C data from IntCal20 and global thermoremanent magnetic data from GEOMAGIA provides no convincing evidence for longterm solar variability over the Holocene, apart from possible clustering of grand solar minima. Additionally, the radionuclide records do not provide strong constraints on the time-averaged symmetry of the global geomagnetic field, due to a lack of calibration and lack of magnetic data from the southern hemisphere.

How to cite: Schanner, M. A., Nilsson, A., and Muscheler, R.: Thermoremanent magnetic, 10Be and 14C data provide no convincing evidence for longterm solar variability in the Holocene, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-10115, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-10115, 2025.

X5.33
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EGU25-14118
Kateřina Podolská, Michal Kozubek, Miroslav Hýža, and Tereza Šindelářová

We investigate the coupling of concentrations of the cosmogenic radionuclide Be-7 (time series of activity concentration of Be-7 in aerosols evaluated by the corresponding activity in aerosols on a weekly basis at the National Radiation Protection Institute Monitoring Section in Prague) with reliable indicators of various atmospheric processes primarily determined by the solar activity level and space weather conditions influenced by coupling processes between the neutral atmosphere, ionosphere including sporadic E layers, magnetosphere and other geospace environment. We try to contribute to better understanding of the dynamics of these processes by associating them with new catalogue of over two hundred geomagnetic storms initiated by co-rotating Interaction Region (CIR)/High-Speed solar wind Stream (HSSWS) during the years 2016 – 2023. The catalogue CIR/HSSWS allows analysis of geomagnetic storms effects on ionosphere and troposphere which were clearly caused by CIR/HSSWS and or sudden stratospheric warmings or various significant tropospheric events like convection associated with frontal passages over European region. We also compare Be-7 concentrations during periods of strong solar and geomagnetic storms with periods of low solar activity in the longitudinal view in years 1986 – 2023.

How to cite: Podolská, K., Kozubek, M., Hýža, M., and Šindelářová, T.: Concentrations of Be-7 cosmogenic radionuclide in aerosols in connection with geomagnetic storms of CIR/HSSWS origin with atmospheric influences., EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-14118, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-14118, 2025.

X5.34
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EGU25-8476
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ECS
Discovery of a cosmogenic 10Be anomaly during the late Miocene in deep-ocean ferromanganese crusts – an independent time marker for marine archives
(withdrawn)
Dominik Koll, Johannes Lachner, Sabrina Beutner, Sebastian Fichter, Silke Merchel, Georg Rugel, Zuzana Slavkovská, Carlos Vivo-Vilches, Stella Winkler, and Anton Wallner
X5.35
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EGU25-7851
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ECS
Ye Yang, Sheng Xu, Zhen-Ping Cao, and Cong-Qiang Liu

The timing, amplitude, and mechanisms of rapid climate changes since the last deglaciation remain elusive. Here we present well dated, high resolution lacustrine sediment 10Be/9Be ratio and major elements records of East Asia’s climate variability from Maar Lake Xiaolongwan, Northeast China. The abrupt increase in concentrations of Al, Ca, and Ti, considered proxies for aeolian dust flux, intriguingly coincides with a significant enhancement of the East Asian summer monsoon since the onset of the Bølling-Allerød interstadial. Combining previous analyses of dust provenance, we argue that this pattern likely attributes to heightened Central Asian dust input driven by winter-spring southwest winds and increased precipitation controlled by summer monsoon. The abrupt vegetation prosperity at the beginning of the Holocene Optimum, as evidenced by an increase in total organic carbon and total nitrogen, could have reduced the concentration of Mg, Fe, Al, and 9Be derived from the weathering of surrounding basaltic bedrock. The identified abrupt decreases in precipitation in northeastern China, inferred from our 10Be/9Be precipitation proxy, are consistent with known Dansgaard-Oeschger and Bond events in the North Atlantic region since the last deglaciation. This supports that global cooling events since the last deglaciation may be linked to a complex interplay between the intertropical convergence zone, El Niño events, and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.

How to cite: Yang, Y., Xu, S., Cao, Z.-P., and Liu, C.-Q.: Authigenic beryllium isotopes in maar lake sediments response to climate change since the last deglaciation, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-7851, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-7851, 2025.