Variations of radiocarbon in tree rings: southern hemisphere offset preliminary results

Abstract

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 ¹⁴C. This result is less than the value currently used to correct Southern Hemisphere calibrations, possibly indicating a gradient in Δ¹⁴C within the Southern Hemisphere.

Citation

McCormac, F. G., Hogg, A. G., Higham, T. F. G., Baillie, M. G. L., Palmer, J. G., … , Hoper, S. T. (1998). Variations of radiocarbon in tree rings: southern hemisphere offset preliminary results. Radiocarbon, 40(3), 1153-1159.

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