Recording radiocarbon(14C) variations is essential for understanding the Earth's climate history, its magnetic field and the Sun's activity, according to a team of researchers including Prof. Edouard Bard.
In a paper published on November 5, 2021 in the journal Science, the scientists show how recent advances in the temporal variations of 14Care improving our understanding of climate processes, solar activity, geophysics and the biogeochemical carbon cycle.
Documenting the past is essential to understanding our present and predicting future environmental change. The development of a precise record of atmospheric 14Cgoing back 55,000 years enables us to study and simulate terrestrial processes, and to improve the computer models used for projections of current climate change.
Climate simulations compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) rely on 14Cas an indicator of solar activity and as a tracer of the global carbon cycle - as well, of course, as a chronometer for most paleoclimate series over the past 50,000 years. 14Cis therefore essential for understanding and preparing for future climate change.
14Calso tells us about the occurrence of extreme solar flares in the past, with amplitudes far greater than those observed by astronomers. Such events could cause catastrophic damage to our satellites, power grids and telecommunications networks.
Recent advances in analytical techniques and 14Ccalibration are revolutionizing the use of radiocarbon as a clock for the last 50,000 years. Archaeologists and prehistorians use 14Cdating to study the history of ancient societies, helping us to understand the present and respond to the major challenges facing us today.
The radiocarbon research carried out by Prof. Edouard Bard's team at CEREGE in Aix-en-Provence (UMR Aix-Marseille Univ., CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Collège de France) is supported by the Collège de France and the French National Research Agency (EQUIPEX ASTER-CEREGE, ANR projects CARBOTRYDH 2017-2021 on the atmosphere and MARCARA 2022-2025 on the ocean).
