Oxygen- and hydrogen-isotope variations in a firn core, Eights station, western Antarctica

Oxygen- and hydrogen-isotope analyses of samples from a firn core at Eights station indicate that annual accumulation over a 10-year interval was 39–40 g/cm² of water, confirming a condition of relatively heavy precipitation in the Bellingshausen Sea coastal area. The mean δ value (−26.6) of the O^(18)/O^(16) ratios is consistent with the relatively low elevation (452 meters) and near-coastal location of Eights station. These data support an earlier suggestion that a cyclical variation of particulate matter recognized in the firn occurs with an approximate 2-year period. No other interrelationship between variations in particulate matter and hydrogen or oxygen isotopes was found.