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Integrating timescales with time-transfer functions: A practical approach for an INTIMATE database

Bronk Ramsey, C. ; Albert, P. ; Blockley, S. ; Hardiman, M. ; Lane, C. ; Macleod, A. ; Matthews, I.P. ; Muscheler, Raimund LU orcid ; Palmer, A. and Staff, R.A. (2014) In Quaternary Science Reviews 106. p.67-80
Abstract
The purpose of the INTIMATE project is to integrate palaeo-climate information from terrestrial, ice and marine records so that the timing of environmental response to climate forcing can be compared in both space and time. One of the key difficulties in doing this is the range of different methods of dating that can be used across different disciplines. For this reason, one of the main outputs of INTIMATE has been to use an event-stratigraphic approach which enables researchers to co-register synchronous events (such as the deposition of tephra from major volcanic eruptions) in different archives (Blockley etal., 2012). However, this only partly solves the problem, because it gives information only at particular short intervals where such... (More)
The purpose of the INTIMATE project is to integrate palaeo-climate information from terrestrial, ice and marine records so that the timing of environmental response to climate forcing can be compared in both space and time. One of the key difficulties in doing this is the range of different methods of dating that can be used across different disciplines. For this reason, one of the main outputs of INTIMATE has been to use an event-stratigraphic approach which enables researchers to co-register synchronous events (such as the deposition of tephra from major volcanic eruptions) in different archives (Blockley etal., 2012). However, this only partly solves the problem, because it gives information only at particular short intervals where such information is present. Between these points the ability to compare different records is necessarily less precise chronologically. What is needed therefore is a way to quantify the uncertainties in the correlations between different records, even if they are dated by different methods, and make maximum use of the information available that links different records.This paper outlines the design of a database that is intended to provide integration of timescales and associated environmental proxy information. The database allows for the fact that all timescales have their own limitations, which should be quantified in terms of the uncertainties quoted. It also makes use of the fact that each timescale has strengths in terms of describing the data directly associated with it. For this reason the approach taken allows users to look at data on any timescale that can in some way be related to the data of interest, rather than specifying a specific timescale or timescales which should always be used. The information going into the database is primarily: proxy information (principally from sediments and ice cores) against depth, age depth models against reference chronologies (typically IntCal or ice core), and time-transfer functions that relate different timescales to each other, through the use of event stratigraphies or global phenomena such as cosmogenic isotope production rate variations. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Calibration, Dating, Ice cores, Lateglacial, Quaternary environments, Radiocarbon, Sediment, Statistics, Tephra
in
Quaternary Science Reviews
volume
106
pages
67 - 80
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000348010900005
  • scopus:84924407987
ISSN
0277-3791
DOI
10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.05.028
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6d0f11b3-f0c2-423e-9af5-d433244c7023 (old id 4857312)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:13:31
date last changed
2022-03-27 23:13:41
@article{6d0f11b3-f0c2-423e-9af5-d433244c7023,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of the INTIMATE project is to integrate palaeo-climate information from terrestrial, ice and marine records so that the timing of environmental response to climate forcing can be compared in both space and time. One of the key difficulties in doing this is the range of different methods of dating that can be used across different disciplines. For this reason, one of the main outputs of INTIMATE has been to use an event-stratigraphic approach which enables researchers to co-register synchronous events (such as the deposition of tephra from major volcanic eruptions) in different archives (Blockley etal., 2012). However, this only partly solves the problem, because it gives information only at particular short intervals where such information is present. Between these points the ability to compare different records is necessarily less precise chronologically. What is needed therefore is a way to quantify the uncertainties in the correlations between different records, even if they are dated by different methods, and make maximum use of the information available that links different records.This paper outlines the design of a database that is intended to provide integration of timescales and associated environmental proxy information. The database allows for the fact that all timescales have their own limitations, which should be quantified in terms of the uncertainties quoted. It also makes use of the fact that each timescale has strengths in terms of describing the data directly associated with it. For this reason the approach taken allows users to look at data on any timescale that can in some way be related to the data of interest, rather than specifying a specific timescale or timescales which should always be used. The information going into the database is primarily: proxy information (principally from sediments and ice cores) against depth, age depth models against reference chronologies (typically IntCal or ice core), and time-transfer functions that relate different timescales to each other, through the use of event stratigraphies or global phenomena such as cosmogenic isotope production rate variations. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.}},
  author       = {{Bronk Ramsey, C. and Albert, P. and Blockley, S. and Hardiman, M. and Lane, C. and Macleod, A. and Matthews, I.P. and Muscheler, Raimund and Palmer, A. and Staff, R.A.}},
  issn         = {{0277-3791}},
  keywords     = {{Calibration; Dating; Ice cores; Lateglacial; Quaternary environments; Radiocarbon; Sediment; Statistics; Tephra}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{67--80}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Quaternary Science Reviews}},
  title        = {{Integrating timescales with time-transfer functions: A practical approach for an INTIMATE database}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.05.028}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.05.028}},
  volume       = {{106}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}