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The cosmogenic radionuclides 7 Be and 10 Be are useful tracers for atmospheric transport studies. Combining 7 Be and 10 Be measurements with an atmospheric transport model can not only improve our understanding of the radionuclide transport and deposition processes but also provide an evaluation of the transport process in the model. To simulate these aerosol tracers, it is critical to evaluate the influence of radionuclide production uncertainties on simulations. Here we use the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model driven by the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis to simulate 7 Be and 10 Be with the state-of-the-art production rate from the CRAC:Be (Cosmic Ray Atmospheric Cascade: Beryllium) model considering realistic spatial geomagnetic cutoff rigidities (denoted as P16spa). We also perform two sensitivity simulations: one with the default production rate in GEOS-Chem based on an empirical approach (denoted as LP67) and the other with the production rate from the CRAC:Be but considering only geomagnetic cutoff rigidities for a geocentric axial dipole (denoted as P16). The model results are comprehensively evaluated with a large number of measurements including surface air concentrations and deposition fluxes. The simulation with the P16spa production can reproduce the absolute values and temporal variability of 7 Be and 10 Be surface concentrations and deposition fluxes on annual and sub-annual scales, as well as the vertical profiles of air concentrations. The simulation with the LP67 production tends to overestimate the absolute values of 7 Be and 10 Be concentrations. The P16 simulation suggests less than 10 % differences compared to P16spa but a significant positive bias (∼18 %) in the 7 Be deposition fluxes over East Asia. We find that the deposition fluxes are more sensitive to the production in the troposphere and downward transport from the stratosphere. Independent of the production models, surface air concentrations and deposition fluxes from all simulations show similar seasonal variations, suggesting a dominant meteorological influence. The model can also reasonably simulate the stratosphere–troposphere exchange process of 7 Be and 10 Be by producing stratospheric contribution and 10Be/7Be ratio values that agree with measurements. Finally, we illustrate the importance of including the time-varying solar modulations in the production calculation, which significantly improve the agreement between model results and measurements, especially at mid-latitudes and high latitudes. Reduced uncertainties in the production rates, as demonstrated in this study, improve the utility of 7 Be and 10 Be as aerosol tracers for evaluating and testing transport and scavenging processes in global models. For future GEOS-Chem simulations of 7 Be and 10 Be, we recommend using the P16spa (versus default LP67) production rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

10 Be is produced by the interaction between galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs) with the Earth's atmospheric constituents. The flux of GCRs is modulated by the varying strength of the magnetic fields of the Earth and the Sun. Measurement of 10 Be concentrations from polar ice cores is thus a valuable tool to reconstruct the variations in the geomagnetic field and solar activity levels. The interpretation of 10 Be records is, however, complicated by non-production-related effects on the 10 Be deposition rate caused by climate- or weather-induced variability. Furthermore, volcanic eruptions have been proposed to lead to short-term 10 Be deposition enhancements. In this study, we test the use of excess meltwater from continuous flow analysis (CFA) to measure 10 Be, allowing less time-consuming and more cost-effective sample preparation. We compare two records obtained from CFA and discrete samples from the East Greenland Ice core Project (EGRIP) S6 firn core, reaching back to 1900 CE. We find that the two records agree well and that the 10 Be record from CFA samples agrees as well as the discrete samples with other records from Greenland. Furthermore, by subtracting the theoretically expected GCR-induced signal, we investigate the high-frequency variability in the 10 Be records from Greenland and Antarctica after 1951 CE, focusing on SEP events and volcanic eruptions. Finally, we use the 10 Be records from Greenland and Antarctica to study the 11-year solar cycles, allowing us to assess the suitability of the CFA samples for the reconstruction of solar activity. This result opens new opportunities for the collection of continuous 10 Be records with less time-consuming sample preparation, while saving an important portion of the ice cores for other measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmogenic radionuclides (e.g., 10Be) from ice cores are a powerful tool for solar reconstructions back in time. However, superimposed on the solar signal, other factors like weather/climate and volcanic influences on 10Be can complicate the interpretation of 10Be data. A comprehensive study of 10Be records over the recent period, when atmospheric 10Be production and meteorological conditions are relatively well‐known, can improve our interpretation of 10Be records. Here we conduct a systematic study of the production and climate/volcanic signals in Antarctica and Greenland 10Be records, including a new 10Be record from the East GReenland Ice‐core Project site. Greenland and Antarctica records show significant decreasing trends (5%–6.5%/decade) for 1900–1950, which is comparable with the expected production rate inferred from sunspot observations. By comparing 10Be records with reanalysis data and atmospheric circulation patterns, 10Be records from Southern/Southeastern Greenland are significantly correlated with the Scandinavia pattern. Stacking 10Be records from different locations can enhance the production signal. However, this approach is not always straightforward as uncertainties in some records can lead to a weaker solar signal. A strategy can be employed to select records for the bipolar stack by comparing Greenland records with Antarctica records, assuming the shared signal is a production signal. Finally, we observe significant increases (36%–64%) in 10Be depositions in Greenland related to the Agung eruption. This large increase in Greenland 10Be records after the Agung eruption, could be partly explained by the enhanced air mass transport from mid‐latitudes coinciding with the decreased precipitation en‐route. Plain Language Summary: Cosmogenic radionuclides (e.g., 10Be) from ice cores are useful proxies for reconstructing the solar variability in the past. However, besides the solar signal, there are also atmospheric and volcanic signals in 10Be records measured from ice cores. It is important to understand those signals before we can reliably apply 10Be records for solar reconstructions. A study of 10Be records over the recent period, when atmospheric 10Be production and meteorological conditions are relatively well‐known, can improve our interpretation of polar 10Be records. In this study, we conduct a systematic study of the production and climate/volcanic signals in 14 10Be records, including a new 10Be record from East GReenland Ice‐core Project site. We find that simply averaging all available 10Be records to strengthen the solar signal in the composite record is not always straightforward as uncertainties (e.g., regional climate effects) in some records can weaken the solar signal. For example, 10Be records from Central and Southern Greenland are influenced by the atmospheric circulation pattern (Scandinavia pattern). Finally, we find a large increase in 10Be (>30%) depositions in Greenland after the Agung eruption, which could be partly explained by enhanced air mass transport from mid‐latitudes coinciding with decreased precipitation en‐route. Key Points: A systematic analysis of production, climate, and volcanic signals in 14 polar 10Be records over the last 100 yearsThe stacking method is not always straightforward to enhance the solar signal in 10Be records due to uncertainties in some 10Be records10Be records from Central and Southern Greenland are influenced by the Scandinavia pattern [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cosmogenic radionuclides 7Be and 10Be are useful aerosol tracers for atmospheric transport studies. Combining 7Be and 10Be measurements with an atmospheric transport model can not only improve our understanding of the radionuclide transport and deposition processes but also provide an evaluation of the transport process in the model. To simulate these aerosol tracers, it is critical to evaluate the influence of radionuclides production uncertainties on simulations. Here we use the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model driven by the MERRA-2 reanalysis to simulate 7Be and 10Be with different production scenarios: the default production rate in GEOS-Chem based on an empirical approach (denoted as LP67), and two production rates from the CRAC:Be (Cosmic Ray Atmospheric Cascade: Beryllium) model considering only geomagnetic cut-off rigidities for a geocentric axial dipole (denoted as P16) or realistic spatial geomagnetic cut-off rigidity variations due to non-dipole moments of the geomagnetic field (denoted as P16spa). The model results are comprehensively evaluated with a large number of measurements including surface air concentrations and deposition fluxes. The model with the P16spa production can reproduce the absolute values and temporal variability of 7Be and 10Be surface concentrations and deposition fluxes on annual and sub-annual scales, as well as the vertical profiles of air concentrations. Simulations with the LP67 production tend to overestimate the absolute values of 7Be and 10Be concentrations. The P16 simulations suggest less than 10% differences compared to P16spa but tend to produce a significant positive bias (>20%) in the 7Be deposition fluxes over East Asia. We find that the deposition fluxes are more sensitive to the production in the troposphere and downward transport from the stratosphere. Independent of the production models, surface air concentrations and deposition fluxes from all simulations show similar seasonal variations, suggesting a dominant meteorological influence. The model can also reasonably simulate the stratosphere-troposphere exchange process of 7Be and 10Be by producing stratospheric contribution and 10Be/7Be ratio values that agree with measurements. Finally, we illustrate the importance of including the time-varying solar modulation in the production calculation, which can significantly improve the agreement between model results and measurements, especially at mid- and high-latitudes. Reduced uncertainties in the production rates, as demonstrated in this study, improve the utility of 7Be and 10Be as aerosol tracers for evaluating and testing transport and scavenging processes in global models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]