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Updated: Aug 13, 2025

Laser-Induced Fluorescence Emission L.I.F.E. as Novel Non-Invasive Tool for In-Situ Measurements of Biomarkers in Cryospheric Habitats
Published on: October 26, 2019
Environmental significance of levoglucosan records in a central Tibetan ice core
Chao You1, Tandong Yao1, Chao Xu1
1Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Abstract:
The environmental significance of levoglucosan (LEV) records in Tibetan glacier ice layers on sub-annual to annual scales, in particular their suitability as a specific biomarker for indicating past fire changes, is poorly understood at present. In this work, a continuous LEV record was reconstructed in a central Tibetan ice core for the period 1990-2012. The LEV record was classified into two categories based on its LEV concentrations: background levels and extreme events. Annually-resolved LEV records and background levels in the ice core were strongly correlated with satellite observations of fire occurrence frequency over the northern Indian peninsula between 2003 and 2012, especially for strong fire events during the pre-monsoon season (March-May). In addition, peaks in LEV concentrations may represent extreme fire events in regions around the Tibetan Plateau. LEV records in the ice core reflect a long-term increasing trend in fire background and also an increase in fire extreme events, across the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings. We therefore conclude that LEV records in Tibetan ice cores can be used as a powerful tool for calibrating and reconstructing past fire changes over subtropical Asia.
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