Periodic Reporting for period 1 - REVA (Reality of a UV window during the geomagnetic excursion event of Mono Lake-Laschamps and possible link to the disappearance of the Neanderthals)
Reporting period: 2021-05-01 to 2023-04-30
This topic is important for both science and society as such geomagnetic excursion events are likely to also occur in the future. The penetration of UV radiation into the troposphere during such events can have major implications for the environment, ecology, and above all for life on the planet. So far, it had remained unclear if such events could trigger the formation of UV windows or not.
The overall objective is to investigate geomagnetic excursions in the past caused a massive depletion of the ozone layer or not creating UV windows.
Two papers were published during the course of this project. The first paper focusing on the use of sulfur isotopes in ice core sulfate as a tracer for ozone depletion, and the second paper on testing the precision of a novel laser-based technique for the simultaneous measurements of S-isotopes of H2S. A final paper is underway encompassing the main findings of the project. We expect the publication in 2023-24
The work has been presented in major conferences.