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Variations of Radiocarbon in Tree Rings: Southern Hemisphere Offset Preliminary Results

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

F. G. McCormac
Affiliation:
The Queen's University of Belfast, School of Geosciences, Belfast, BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland
A. G. Hogg
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
T. F. G. Higham
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
M. G. L. Baillie
Affiliation:
The Queen's University of Belfast, School of Geosciences, Belfast, BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland
J. G. Palmer
Affiliation:
Plant Sciences Department, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
Limin Xiong
Affiliation:
Plant Sciences Department, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
J. R. Pilcher
Affiliation:
The Queen's University of Belfast, School of Geosciences, Belfast, BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland
David Brown
Affiliation:
The Queen's University of Belfast, School of Geosciences, Belfast, BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland
S. T. Hoper
Affiliation:
The Queen's University of Belfast, School of Geosciences, Belfast, BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland
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Abstract

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The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland and University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand radiocarbon laboratories have undertaken a series of high-precision measurements on decadal samples of dendrochronologically dated oak (Quercus patrea) and cedar (Libocedrus bidwillii) from Great Britain and New Zealand, respectively. The results show a real atmospheric offset of 3.4 ± 0.6% (27.2 ± 4.7 14C yr) between the two locations for the interval ad 1725 to ad 1885, with the Southern Hemisphere being depleted in l4C. This result is less than the value currently used to correct Southern Hemisphere calibrations, possibly indicating a gradient in Δ14C within the Southern Hemisphere.

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Articles
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Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

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