Reconstruction of the 14C production rate from measured relative abundance

Abstract

A new method is presented for the reconstruction of the radiocarbon production rate from the measured relative abundance of Δ14C. The method treats the carbon cycle as a linear Fourier filter and thus allows for the correct and unambiguous inversion of the carbon cycle. The 14C production rate, as reconstructed by the Fourier filter method, agrees with the results obtained by the traditional iteration method. Since the 2 methods use completely different approaches, this verifies the validity of the reconstruction. The composite series is presented, based on both methods and their systematic uncertainties. © 2005 by the Arizona Board of Regents.