Fusa Miyake

A signature of cosmic-ray increase in ad 774–775 from tree rings in Japan

Increases in 14C concentrations in tree rings could be attributed to cosmic-ray events, as have increases in 10Be and nitrate in ice cores. The record of the past 3,000 years in the IntCal09 data set, which is a time series at 5-year intervals describing the 14C content of trees over a period of approximately 10,000 years, shows three periods during which 14C increased at a rate greater than 3‰ over 10 years. Two of these periods have been measured at high time resolution, but neither showed increases on a timescale of about 1 year (refs 11 and 12). Here we report 14C measurements in annual rings of Japanese cedar trees from ad 750 to ad 820 (the remaining period), with 1- and 2-year resolution. We find a rapid increase of about 12‰ in the 14C content from ad 774 to 775, which is about 20 times larger than the change attributed to ordinary solar modulation. When averaged over 10 years, the data are consistent with the decadal IntCal 14C data from North American and European trees. We argue that neither a solar flare nor a local supernova is likely to have been responsible.

Another rapid event in the carbon-14 content of tree rings

Previously, we have observed that the atmospheric (14)C content measured in tree rings showed a strong increase from AD 774 to 775. Although the cause of this event can be explained by a large solar proton event or a short gamma-ray burst, a more detailed discussion of the cause is difficult because the rate of occurrence of such rapid (14)C events remains unknown. Here we report new (14)C measurements from AD 822 to 1020, and the discovery of a second rapid increase of (14)C content from AD 992 to 993. The (10)Be flux in the Antarctic ice core shows peaks corresponding to these two (14)C events. The proportions of flux increase ((14)C/(10)Be) of the two events are consistent with each other. Therefore, it is highly possible that these events have the same origin. Considering the occurrence rate of (14)C increase events, solar activity is a plausible cause of the (14)C increase events.

Cosmic ray event of A.D. 774–775 shown in quasi‐annual 10Be data from the Antarctic Dome Fuji ice core

14C content in tree rings and 10Be concentration records in polar ice core provide information about past cosmic ray intensities. The A.D. 774–775 cosmic ray event has been identified by 14C measurement in several tree rings from all over the world. Although the quasi-decadal 10Be Dome Fuji data in the Antarctic ice core also shows a sharp peak around A.D. 775, annual 10Be variations in the Dome Fuji core or in other cores have not been revealed. We have measured quasi-annual 10Be concentrations from approximately A.D. 763–794 in the Dome Fuji ice core, and detected a clear increase (~80% above the baseline) in 10Be concentration around A.D. 775. However, an accurate height of this increase is not straightforwardly estimated due to the background variation in 10Be concentration. The 10Be increase can be due to the same cosmic ray event as shown in the 14C content in A.D. 774–775.

Atmospheric impacts of the strongest known solar particle storm of 775 AD

Sporadic solar energetic particle (SEP) events affect the Earth’s atmosphere and environment, in particular leading to depletion of the protective ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere, and pose potential technological and even life hazards. The greatest SEP storm known for the last 11 millennia (the Holocene) occurred in 774–775 AD, serving as a likely worst-case scenario being 40–50 times stronger than any directly observed one. Here we present a systematic analysis of the impact such an extreme event can have on the Earth’s atmosphere. Using state-of-the-art cosmic ray cascade and chemistry-climate models, we successfully reproduce the observed variability of cosmogenic isotope 10Be, around 775 AD, in four ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, thereby validating the models in the assessment of this event. We add to prior conclusions that any nitrate deposition signal from SEP events remains too weak to be detected in ice cores by showing that, even for such an extreme solar storm and sub-annual data resolution, the nitrate deposition signal is indistinguishable from the seasonal cycle. We show that such a severe event is able to perturb the polar stratosphere for at least one year, leading to regional changes in the surface temperature during northern hemisphere winters.

Large 14C excursion in 5480 BC indicates an abnormal sun in the mid-Holocene

Significance Carbon-14 contents in tree rings tell us information of the past cosmic ray intensities because cosmic rays produce 14C in the atmosphere. We found a signature of a quite large increase of incoming cosmic ray intensity in the mid-Holocene (the 5480 BC event) from the measurement of 14C content in North American tree rings. The cause of this event is supposed to be an extremely weak sun, or a combination of successive strong solar bursts and variation of a solar magnetic activity. In any case, 14C variation of the 5480 BC event is extraordinary in the Holocene, and this event indicates the abnormal solar activity compared with other periods. Radiocarbon content in tree rings can be an excellent proxy of the past incoming cosmic ray intensities to Earth. Although such past cosmic ray variations have been studied by measurements of 14C contents in tree rings with ≥10-y time resolution for the Holocene, there are few annual 14C data. There is a little understanding about annual 14C variations in the past, with the exception of a few periods including the AD 774−775 14C excursion where annual measurements have been performed. Here, we report the result of 14C measurements using the bristlecone pine tree rings for the period from 5490 BC to 5411 BC with 1- to 2-y resolution, and a finding of an extraordinarily large 14C increase (20‰) from 5481 BC to 5471 BC (the 5480 BC event). The 14C increase rate of this event is much larger than that of the normal grand solar minima. We propose the possible causes of this event are an unknown phase of grand solar minimum, or a combination of successive solar proton events and a normal grand solar minimum.

Search for Annual 14C Excursions in the Past

Two radiocarbon excursions (AD 774–775 and AD 993–994) occurred due to an increase of incoming cosmic rays on a short timescale. The most plausible cause of these events is considered to be extreme solar proton events (SPE). It is possible that there are other annual 14C excursions in the past that have yet to be confirmed. In order to detect more of these events, we measured the 14C contents in bristlecone pine tree-ring samples during the periods when the rate of 14C increase in the IntCal data is large. We analyzed four periods every other year (2479–2455 BC, 4055–4031 BC, 4465–4441 BC, and 4689–4681 BC), and found no anomalous 14C excursions during these periods. This study confirms that it is important to do continuous measurements to find annual cosmic-ray events at other locations in the tree-ring record.

Supernovae and Single-Year Anomalies in the Atmospheric Radiocarbon Record

Single-year spikes in radiocarbon production are caused by intense bursts of radiation from space. Supernovae emit both high-energy particle and electromagnetic radiation, but it is the latter that is most likely to strike the atmosphere all at once and cause a surge in 14C production. In the 1990s, it was claimed that the supernova in 1006 CE produced exactly this effect. With the 14C spikes in the years 775 and 994 CE now attributed to extreme solar events, attention has returned to the question of whether historical supernovae are indeed detectable using annual 14C measurements. Here, we combine new and existing measurements over six documented and putative supernovae, and conclude that no such astrophysical event has yet left a distinct imprint on the past atmospheric 14C record.

The AD 775 cosmic ray event shown in Beryllium-10 data from Antarctic Dome Fuji ice core

After that this event has been confirmed by several verifications using some other tree samples from all over the world. Also quasi decadal Be concentration data in the Antarctic ice core show rapid increase around AD 775. However, annual Be variations have not been revealed. We measured Be concentrations in the Antarctic Dome Fuji ice core with quasi-annual resolution for the period approximately from AD 763 to AD 794, and found a clear Be increase around AD 775 against a background variations. Since our quasi-annual Be data and Na ion data which obtained from the same ice core show similar variations, the background variation in Be concentration is considered as a climatic noise. It is possible that the large Be increase is