A New Multielement Method for LA-ICP-MS Data Acquisition From Glacier Ice Cores

To answer pressing new research questions about the rate and timing of abrupt climate transitions a robust system for ultra-high resolution sampling of glacier ice is needed. Here we present a multi-element method of LA-ICP-MS analysis wherein an array of chemical elements is simultaneously measured from the same ablation area. Though commonplace for high concentration materials, prior to the development of this method, all LA-ICP-MS analysis of glacier ice involved a single element per ablation pass or spot. This new method, developed using the LA-ICP-MS system at the W. M. Keck Laser Ice Facility at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, has already been used to shed light on our flawed understanding of natural levels of Pb in Earth’s atmospher