Bomb Produced 14 C Content in Tree Rings Grown at Different Latitudes

Abstract

The 14 C content in 1961–1967 rings of each of three spruce pines grown at (68° N, 130° W), (47° 30' N, 129° 16' E) and (27° 13' N, 100° 20' E) were measured. Δ 14 C values of the three specimens rise dramatically from a common level (∼250‰) in 1961 to their respective maxima, 964‰, 909‰, and 743‰ in 1964 and then fall to a common level ∼680‰ in 1967. The observed Δ 14 C increase comes most likely from the nuclear bomb test of the USSR at 75° N in 1961, although there were many other tests since the 1950s. The different effects at different latitudes reflect the atmospheric circulation patterns in the stratosphere and the transport of 14 C nuclei from the stratosphere to the troposphere.