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Preparation of Authigenic Pyrite from Methane-bearing Sediments for In Situ Sulfur Isotope Analysis Using SIMS
Published on: August 31, 2017
Isotopic evidence in tree rings for historical changes in atmospheric sulfur sources
Hidehisa Kawamura1, Nobuaki Matsuoka, Noriyuki Momoshima
1Department of Chemistry and Physics of Condensed Matter, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 6-10-1, Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-0053, Japan. kawamura@keea.or.jp
Abstract:
Little is understood about the usefulness of sulfur isotopic ratios (sigma 34S) in tree rings because the sulfur content in rings is generally insufficient for analysis using conventional methods. We present sigma 34S values of the water-soluble and the organically bound sulfur fractions in rings of coniferous trees grown in Japan, analyzed using a large-volume oxygen bomb. Comparing the sigma 34S values of the organically bound fraction in tree rings with past atmospheric sulfur concentrations and with those of their sources, we find clear evidence that the sigma 34S values of the organically bound fraction in the rings are dependent upon the values of the atmospheric sulfur sources. The evidence suggests that the sigma 34S values in tree rings are a useful chronological proxy for evaluating possible causes of past atmospheric sulfur pollution.
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