Annually resolved tree-ring samples of the time period 1625–1510 BCE were analyzed from the German oak tree-ring chronology. Blocks of the same tree rings were previously used to generate IntCal calibration data. The new dataset shows an offset to the calibration data IntCal13 of 24 years and resembles annual data for the same time period derived from tree-ring records in other growth locations. A subset of samples of the period 1625–1585 BCE was additionally measured in three other laboratories (ETH, AAR, AA) for quality control.

A coral radiocarbon (Δ14C) investigation with a high time-resolution is crucial for reconstructing secular and seasonal Δ14C changes in the surface seawater which potentially reflect ocean circulations and dynamic ocean-atmosphere interactions. The Δ14C values of a modern coral (Porites sp.) from Kikai Island, southern Japan, in the subtropical northwestern Pacific, were determined for the period of 1991-1998 at a monthly resolution. A coral Δ14C time series for the 8 yr indicated seasonal cycles superimposed on a secular decreasing trend of 3.8 per yr. The seasonal amplitude of the coral Δ14C was about 18 on the average, and the minimum Δ14C was observed in late spring and summer. The Δ14C changes were tentatively explained by horizontal oceanic advections around Kikai Island or over the wide range of the equatorial and sub-equatorial Pacific.

The following short paper is a response to criticism by Finkelstein and Piasetzky (2010b), published in the present issue of Radiocarbon, of our 2008 paper in Radiocarbon concerning the evaluation of 14C dates from Iron Age levels in Israel published by Boaretto et al. (2005). We refer to criticism concerning exclusion and inclusion of data. We also evaluate new models suggested by Finkelstein and Piasetzky and in particular their suggestion of regional stages marking the end of the Iron Age in Israel. We also comment on several methodological issues.

The following list presents the dates obtained on a fraction of the total number of measurements made during the year 1961. Those results which do not appear are withheld pending additional information or at the request of our clients.

A new compact accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system has been installed in the Kaminoyama Research Institute at Yamagata University (YU). The AMS system is based on a 0.5MV Pelletron accelerator developed by the National Electrostatics Corporation. An automated acid-alkali-acid (AAA) treatment system and an automated graphitization line were also installed in the same facility for sample preparation. Performance tests of the YU-AMS system were carried out by measuring the C-series standard samples (C1–C8) and HOxII provided by IAEA and NIST, respectively. We evaluated the YU-AMS system by comparing the radiocarbon ages of Japanese tree rings with dendrochronologically determined calendar ages with calibration data. We also carried out some performance tests using a control serum and a 14C-labeled drug (oxaliplatin).

Sequential injection or bouncing has a number of properties which can lead to a reduction of the analysis accuracy if no appropriate measures are taken. A special injection system has been developed in order to eliminate these shortcomings. The influence of source glitches or instabilities on the measured isotopic ratio is substantially reduced by a high cycling frequency. A fast beam-blanking unit guarantees the needed accuracy of the injection periods. Background currents are avoided by synchronizing the current measurement for the stable isotopes with their injection periods. To achieve the required speed and precision of the gated measurement, new instrumentation was developed. The elimination of background contributions allows an efficiency for radiocarbon counting as high as 95% at a cycling frequency of 100 Hz.

The recently formed surface layers of peatlands are archives of past environmental conditions and can have a temporal resolution considerably greater than deeper layers. The low density and conditions of fluctuating water table have hindered attempts to construct chronologies for these peats. We tested the use of the radiocarbon bomb pulse to date recently accumulated peat in a blanket mire. The site was chosen because the peat profiles contained independent chronological markers in the form of charcoal-rich layers produced from known burning events. We compared chronologies derived from accelerator mass spectrometry 14C analysis of plant macrofossils against these chronological markers. The bomb 14C-derived chronologies were in broad agreement with the charcoal dating evidence. However, there were uncertainties in the final interpretation of the 14C results because the pattern of 14C concentration in the peat profiles did not follow closely the known atmospheric 14C record. Furthermore, samples of different macrofossil materials from the same depth contained considerable differences in 14C. Suggested explanations for the observed results include the following: i) minor disturbance at the site, ii) in-situ contamination of the 14C samples by carbonaceous soot, and iii) differential incorporation of plant material during blanket peat growth.

In the sequences of landslide fen (mire) deposits of the Polish Western Carpathians, Late Glacial-Holocene paleoenvironmental changes were recorded. Downpours and/or continuous rains cyclically repeated during phases of climate humidity growth, causing supplies of mineral material to the minerogenic mires. In effect, illuvial or mineral horizons were formed in landslide fen deposits, as well as mineral covers overly fens in some sites. Sedimentological records reflect various, overlapping factors, as climatic changes, human activity (e.g. accelerating erosion), as well the specificity of the sedimentary environment in each studied landslide fens. The reconstruction and interpretation of the paleoenvironmental changes recorded in landslide fen sediments must be supported by multiproxy analysis of the sequences using pollen, lithological (loss on ignition, grain size and petrography) analyses of samples accurately dated by numerous radiocarbon (14C) dates.

This paper is a direct continuation of the third dating list (Stockholm III), and the entire technique is virtually unchanged, using one 0.5–1 and one 1.0.1 3 atm CO2 proportional counter. Ages are calculated according to the recommendation given in the introduction of this book, and δC13 has been measured for unknown samples and for the different CO2 preparations of the NBS oxalic-acid standard. Since the numerical relationship between the C14 activity of our old oak standard and that of NBS was valid for a δC13 value of almost exactly −19 for the NBS preparation in question, it still holds true that all dates given in Stockholm I, II and III can be converted to the new scale by subtracting 55 yr. The NBS preparation St-532 measured by Craig (1961) having a δC13 value of −17.2 is only one of several preparations with values between −17 and −20. Age figures are given in C14 yr before A.D. 1950; the half life for C14 is taken as 5568 ± 30 yr.

Using Δ14C observations to infer the local concentration excess of CO2 due to the burning of fossil fuels (ΔFFCO2) is a promising technique to monitor anthropogenic CO2 emissions. A recent study showed that 14CO2 emissions from the nuclear industry can significantly alter the local atmospheric 14CO2 concentration and thus mask the Δ14C depletion due to ΔFFCO2. In this study, we investigate the relevance of this effect for the vicinity of Toronto, Canada, a hot spot of anthropogenic 14CO2 emissions. Comparing the measured emissions from local power plants to a global emission inventory highlighted significant deviations on interannual timescales. Although the previously assumed emission factor of 1.6 TBq(GWa)-1 agrees with the observed long-term average for all CANDU reactors of 1.50 ± 0.18 TBq(GWa)-1. This power-based parameterization neglects the different emission ratios for individual reactors, which range from 3.4 ± 0.82 to 0.65 ± 0.09 TBq(GWa)-1. This causes a mean difference of-14% in 14CO2 concentrations in our simulations at our observational site in Egbert, Canada. On an annual time basis, this additional 14CO2 masks the equivalent of 27–82% of the total annual FFCO2 offset. A pseudo-data experiment suggests that the interannual variability in the masked fraction may cause spurious trends in the ΔFFCO2 estimates of the order of 30% from 2006–2010. In addition, a comparison of the modeled Δ14C levels with our observational time series from 2008–2010 underlines that incorporating the best available 14CO2 emissions significantly increases the agreement. There were also short periods with significant observed Δ14C offsets, which were found to be linked with maintenance periods conducted on these nuclear reactors.

CH4 and CO2 emissions from geologic sources, which are devoid of radiocarbon (14C), dilute the atmospheric 14C/C ratio. Observations of 14C/C can be used to estimate fossil fuel-derived CH4 and CO2. However, the atmospheric 14C/C ratio is perturbed by emissions of 14C from nuclear power plants (NPPs) and fuel reprocessing sites, which may affect such 14C/C-based estimation if they are not correctly quantified. We calculate NPP 14C emissions for CO2 and CH4 from 1972–2016 using standard emission factors (14C emitted per unit of power produced) and analyze trends in global and regional emissions. We use available observations of 14C emissions and power generation in Europe to assess emission factors for different reactor types, as well as potential differences related to the age or manufacturer of the NPPs. Globally, nuclear 14C emissions increase until 2005 and then decrease, mostly because of the closure of gas-cooled reactors in the United Kindom and the shutdown of light water reactors after the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011. Observed emission factors in Europe show strong variability, spanning values from 0.003 to 2.521 TBq/GWa for PWR and from 0.007 to 1.732 TBq/GWa for BWR reactors, suggesting more information and more sophisticated models are needed to improve estimates of 14C emissions.

The field of dendrochronology had a developmental “head start” of at least several decades relative to the inception of radiocarbon dating in the late 1940s, but that evolution was sufficiently advanced so that unique capabilities of tree-ring science could assure success of the 14C enterprise. The Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research (LTRR) at the University of Arizona played a central role in the cross-pollination of these disciplines by providing the first wood samples of exactly known age for the early testing and establishment of the “Curve of Knowns” by Willard Libby. From the 1950s into the early 1980s, LTRR continued to contribute dated wood samples (bristlecone pine and other wood species) to 14C research and development, including the discovery and characterization of de Vries/Suess “wiggles,” calibration of the 14C timescale, and a variety of tests to understand the natural variability of 14C and to refine sample treatment for maximum accuracy. The long and varied relationship of LTRR with 14C initiatives has continued with LTRR contributions to high-resolution studies through the 1990s and systematic efforts now underway that may eventually extend the bristlecone pine chronology back beyond its beginning 8836 yr ago as of 2009. This relationship has been mutualistic such that a half-century ago the visibility and stature of LTRR and dendrochronology were also elevated through their association with 14C-allied “hard sciences.”

We present the first marine reservoir age and δR determination for the island of St. Helena using marine mollusk radiocarbon dates obtained from an historical context of known age. This represents the first marine reservoir age and δR determination in the southern Atlantic Ocean within thousands of kilometers of the island. The depletion of 14C in the shells indicates a rather larger reservoir age for that portion of the surface Atlantic than models indicate. The implication is that upwelling old water along the Namibian coast is transported for a considerable distance, although it is likely to be variable on a decadal timescale. An artilleryman's button, together with other artifacts found in a midden, demonstrate association of the mollusk shells with a narrow historic period of AD 1815-1835.

Reversals and plateaus in the radiocarbon (14C) calibration curve lead to similar 14C ages applying to a wide range of calendar dates, creating imprecision, ambiguity, and challenges for archaeological dating. Even with Bayesian chronological modeling, such periods remain a problem when no known order—e.g., a stratigraphic sequence—exists, and especially if site durations are relatively short. Using the reversal/plateau AD 1480–1630 and the archaeology of northeastern North America as our example, we consider possible strategies to improve chronological resolution across such reversal/plateau periods in the absence of stratigraphic sequences, including uses of wood-charcoal TPQs from even very short wiggle-matches, and site phase duration constraints based on ethnohistoric and archaeological evidence.

Since the publication of the first article (Lanting and van der Plicht 2001/2002) about the possibilities of dating cremated bones, the number of dated cremation remains has grown exponentially. The success of this dating technique lies in the fact that an absolute date now can be attributed to archaeological phenomena that previously were only datable indirectly. When archaeological artifacts where present, the cremation burials were dated based on the typology of ceramics and metals. An absolute date could be attributed if charcoal from the pyre were present. Unfortunately, these items were not omnipresent at the burial sites. Consequently, a complete site was dated by means of the few datable burials present. This implies that the internal chronology of the site could not be studied. Furthermore, the typochronology of the ceramics and the metals remains questionable. A series of dating projects on urnfield cemeteries in the Low Countries (northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands) have shown that the classical chronology of these sites must be revised.

The carbonate hydrochemistry of groundwater from the Hvinningdal aquifer (Denmark) was studied by radiocarbon (accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)) and δ13C measurements as a preliminary step towards 14C groundwater dating. The 14C concentrations varied between 30 and 100 percent modern carbon (pMC) in apparent contradiction with tritium (3H) data, which in most cases indicate a post-bomb date. The dilution of 14C can be explained as being due to the combined effect of dissolution of old soil carbonate and oxidation of old organic carbon. The last effect proved to be essential. To calculate this correction the dissolved oxygen concentration was used together with the δ13C values. The combined corrections bring the 14C concentrations up to post-bomb levels in better agreement with the 3H data.

Characterized by a dry climate, the arid area of China represents a unique landscape. A proper understanding of the driving mechanisms behind the changes of this ecologically vulnerable landscape requires placing the instrumental records within a geological context. Lakes in this area bear rich information about past climatic and environmental changes presumably regulated by the westerlies at various timescales. The lacustrine records obtained in this area heavily rely on radiocarbon ages, which are usually subject to the temporal and spatial variability of the 14C reservoir effect. Yet, little is known about the 14C reservoir age of lacustrine systems in this area. This study reports an anomalously large 14C reservoir age of about 11,000 ± 2000 yr from a saline lake in NW China by comparing 14C and OSL chronologies. The modeling study suggests that this age offset appears to be an inherent phenomenon in lacustrine systems, which mainly arises from the introduction of pre-aged organic matter from the catchment and the conversion of 14C-depleted dissolved inorganic carbon to organic matter by photosynthesis. Compared to the large age offset induced by the 14C-dcficient exogenous carbon, the reservoir effect due to retention of organic matter in the lake water appears to be inconsequential. The results reveal the pitfall of 14C dating on organic-poor bulk lacustrine sediments in this barren landscape, and thus highlight the need for alternate dating methods to constrain the chronology of lacustrine records.

Half a century since radiocarbon was first used in the archaeology of the Old World, it seems that the expectations of W F Libby may be becoming a reality. In 1952 (Libby 1952:97), he wrote:

Archaeologists, geologists and palynologists are continually searching for the means to improve methods of counting time. The … relative chronologies lack precision and direct correlation with the calendar, except when they may be checked with, … for example, the calendar based on tree-ring counts.

Based on the study of DNA adduction with nicotine, we have measured the mouse hepatic histone adduction with 14C-labeled nicotine in vivo by bio-accelerator mass spectrometry (bio-AMS). In the exposure of mice to nicotine, the dose range administered was from 0.2 μg to 6.0 μg kg b.w.-1, which was equivalent to a very low level of human exposure to cigarette smoke. The adducts of either histone 1 (H1) or histone 3 (H3) with nicotine in mouse liver increased markedly with increasing nicotine dose. Our results have demonstrated that in the study of protein adduction with toxic xenobiotics as a biomarker, the AMS method achieves the highest sensitivity, 4.6 × 10-17 mol (46 amol) adducts per mg H1 protein, compared to all the other methods used previously.

The following is a list of dates obtained since the time of the compilation of List VIII in December 1962. The method is essentially the same as that used for the work described in the previous list. Two CO2-CS2 Geiger counter systems are used. The equipment and counting techniques have been described elsewhere (Crane, 1961a, 1961b). The dates and the estimates of error in this list follow the practice recommended by the International Radiocarbon Dating Conference of 1962, in that (a) dates are computed on the basis of the Libby half life, 5570 years, (b) a.d. 1950 is used as the zero of the age scale and (c) the errors quoted are the standard deviations obtained from the numbers of counts only. In previous Michigan date lists up to and including VII we have quoted errors at least twice as great as the statistical errors of counting, in order to take account of other errors in the over-all process. If the reader wishes to obtain a standard deviation figure which will allow ample room for the many other sources of error in the dating process, we suggest he double the figures that are given in this list. Where there is no comment, it is because the submitter of the sample had none to make.

We wish to acknowledge the help of Patricia Dahlstrom in preparing chemical samples and Roscoe Wilmeth in preparing the descriptions. The descriptions and comments are essentially those of persons submitting the samples.