Large Variations in Southern Hemisphere Biomass Burning During the Last 650 Years

We present a 650-year Antarctic ice core record of concentration and isotopic ratios (delta C-13 and delta O-18) of atmospheric carbon monoxide. Concentrations decreased by similar to 25% (14 parts per billion by volume) from the mid-1300s to the 1600s then recovered completely by the late 1800s. delta C-13 and delta O-18 decreased by about 2 and 4 per mil (parts per thousand), respectively, from the mid-1300s to the 1600s then increased by about 2.5 and 4 parts per thousand by the late 1800s. These observations and isotope mass balance model results imply that large variations in the degree of biomass burning in the Southern Hemisphere occurred during the last 650 years, with a decrease by about 50% in the 1600s, an increase of about 100% by the late 1800s, and another decrease by about 70% from the late 1800s to present day.