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Byrd Station Ice Core Data Readme
Byrd Polar Research Center Ice Core Files: Microparticle Analyses Documentation transcribed at WDC/NSIDC, November 1990
Note: The file, byrd.dat has been split into three files. They are tab delimited text files to facilitate easier usage. Each one contains the information described in the first 5 columns of Record 1 below. The three new files from the original file are now named, byrda.dat, byrdb.dat, and byrdc.dat, each with particle sizes corresponding respectively to record 1, record 2, and record 3 below.
List of files:

5. BYRD.DAT - Selected sections from the 2164-meter Byrd Station, Antarctica core were processed for microparticle concentration and size distribution. This file contains a total of 1553 samples. This represents all the sections of the core initially provided to the Institute of Polar Studies (now Byrd Polar Research Institute) for microparticle analysis. We have since processed 8 additional sections in conjunction with the work of Phil Kyle but these are still to be published and are not included at this time.
Byrd Station, Antarctica, 2164-meter core sections analyzed for microparticle concentration and size distribution by the Coulter technique:

Section no. Depth in core (meters) Number of samples
----------- ---------------------- -----------------
1 180.00 12
2 199.33 52
3 298.75 48
4 401.29 57
5 565.00 57
6 699.85 53
7 783.72 6
8 896.94 43
9 952.91 56
10 1046.79 57
11 1194.06 60
12 1225.75 78
13 1252.53 97
14 1304.72 72
15 1342.71 62
16 1387.00 66
17 1389.66 62
18 1547.39 81
19 1599.00 50
20 1633.72 57
21 1748.65 151
22 1900.00 62
23 2022.31 144
24 2139.61 70
-----------
Total 1553
The following samples are missing either due to the poor condition of the core (fracture) or due to contamination during handling. The records for these samples are filled with zeros in the data file:
Section no. Sample no. Depth of sample (meters)
----------- ---------- ------------------------
331 42 566.021
422 21 700.382
422 35 700.713
422 40 700.830
587 7 953.089
751 18 1194.467
820 5 1304.799
852 55 1344.051
982 12 1547.597
982 74 1548.552
1115 110 1749.720
1115 136 1749.904
1229 43 1901.035
1229 44 1901.058
1297 75 2022.880
References:
Thompson, L.G. (1977) Microparticles, Ice Sheets and Climate. Ohio State University. Institute of Polar Studies. Report 64, 148 pp.
Thompson, L.G., W.L. Hamilton and C. Bull (1975) Climatological implications of microparticle concentrations in the ice core from Byrd Station, Western Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 14(72), p. 433-444.
FILE FORMAT:
Record 1:
Columns Format Description
------- ------ -----------
(01-06) I6 Date of sample analysis
(07-10) I4 Section number
(11-13) I3 Sample number
(14-21) F8.3 Depth at the top of the sample (in meters)
(22-26) F5.2 Size of the sample processed (in cm)
(27-32) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 0.5-0.62 micrometers
(33-38) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 0.63-0.79 micrometers
(39-44) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 0.80-0.99 micrometers
(45-50) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 1.0-1.24 micrometers
(51-56) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 1.25-1.59 micrometers
(57-62) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 1.6-1.99 micrometers
(63-68) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 2.0-2.51 micrometers
Record 2:
Columns Format Description
------- ------ -----------
(01-06) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 2.52-3.16 micrometers
(07-12) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 3.17-3.99 micrometers
(13-18) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 4.0-4.99 micrometers
(19-24) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 5.0-6.34 micrometers
(25-30) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 6.35-7.99 micrometers
(31-36) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 8.0-9.99 micrometers
(37-42) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 10.0- 12.69 micrometer
s (43-48) I6 Number of particles with diameters between 12.7-16.0 micrometers
(49-54) I6 Number of particles with diameters 0.5 micrometers or larger
(55-60) I6 Number of particles with diameters 0.63 micrometers or larger
(61-66) I6 Number of particles with diameters 0.80 micrometers or larger
(67-72) I6 Number of particles with diameters 1.0 micrometers or larger
Record 3:
Columns Format Description
------- ------ -----------
(01-06) I6 Number of particles with diameters 1.25 micrometers or larger
(07-12) I6 Number of particles with diameters 1.6 micrometers or larger
(13-18) I6 Number of particles with diameters 2.0 micrometers or larger
(19-24) I6 Number of particles with diameters 2.52 micrometers or larger
(25-30) I6 Number of particles with diameters 3.17 micrometers or larger
(31-36) I6 Number of particles with diameters 4.0 micrometers or larger
(37-42) I6 Number of particles with diameters 5.0 micrometers or larger
(43-48) I6 Number of particles with diameters 6.35 micrometers or larger
(49-54) I6 Number of particles with diameters 8.0 micrometers or larger
(55-60) I6 Number of particles with diameters 10.0 micrometers or larger
(61-66) I6 Number of particles with diameters 12.7 micrometers or larger
(67-71) F5.1 Coarseness factor which equals the number of particles with diameters 1.0 micrometers or larger, divided by the total number with diameters 0.5 micrometers or larger.
(72) I1 This factor has three possible values which indicate the volume of sample analyzed by the Coulter procedure.
(a) if factor = 0 a 500 microliter sample was processed,
(b) if factor = 1 the sample is missing,
(c) if factor = 2 a 50 microliter sample was processed.
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