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Bayesian Evaluation of the Southern Hemisphere Radiocarbon Offset during the Holocene

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Alan Hogg ,
Christopher Bronk Ramsey ,
Chris Turney  and
Jonathan Palmer
Alan Hogg*
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Laboratory, University of Waikato, PB 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
Christopher Bronk Ramsey
Affiliation:
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Lab for Archaeology, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom.
Chris Turney
Affiliation:
School of Geography, Archaeology and Earth Resources, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4RJ, United Kingdom.
Jonathan Palmer
Affiliation:
Gondwana Tree-Ring Laboratory, P.O. Box 14, Little River, Canterbury 7546, New Zealand.
*
Corresponding author. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

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While an interhemispheric offset in atmospheric radiocarbon levels from AD 1950–950 is now well established, its existence earlier in the Holocene is less clear, with some studies reporting globally uniform 14C levels while others finding Southern Hemisphere samples older by a few decades. In this paper, we present a method for wiggle-matching Southern Hemisphere data sets against Northern Hemisphere curves, using the Bayesian calibration program OxCal 4.1 with the Reservoir Offset function accommodating a potential interhemispheric offset. The accuracy and robustness of this approach is confirmed by wiggle-matching known-calendar age sequences of the Southern Hemisphere calibration curve SHCal04 against the Northern Hemisphere curve IntCal04. We also show that 5 of 9 Holocene Southern Hemisphere data sets are capable of yielding reliable offset information. Those data sets that are accurate and precise show that interhemispheric offset levels in the Early Holocene are similar to modern levels, confirming SHCal04 as the curve of choice for calibrating Southern Hemisphere samples.

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 51 , Issue 4 , 2009 , pp. 1165 - 1176
Copyright
Copyright © The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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