Continental biogenic species in the Greenland ice core project ice core: Tracing back the biomass history of the North American continent

Ammonium, nitrate, and organic acid records from the Greenland Ice Core Project deep ice core are discussed. All species have a continental biogenic source that is situated predominantly on the North American continent for species deposited in Summit, central Greenland. The record therefore can be used to trace back the biomass history of the North American continent. Difficulty in the interpretation of these records arises from their unknown transfer behavior in a more alkaline atmosphere, which characterizes glacial time periods compared to interglacial stadials. This may have implications not only for weak acids such as formate and acetate, but also possibly for the transport and incorporation of HNO3 into aerosols, whereas ammonium is probably not affected by the alkalinity change of the atmosphere. Our approach is to compare samples with similar H+ concentrations throughout the record. From the records we infer several significant fluctuations in the extent of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last glaciation. We find evidence against the occurrence of an extensive Younger Dryas event in North America