Raimund Muscheler

This chapter summarizes the processes that are responsible for cosmogenic radionuclide variations in ice cores and the results that can be inferred from these records. The chapter starts with the production in the atmosphere caused by the influx of galactic cosmic ray particles and its modulation by the solar and geomagnetic field. Subsequently, the geochemical behavior of cosmogenic radionuclides and the depositional processes are reviewed. The chapter ends with some of the most important applications that include solar activity, solar storm and geomagnetic field reconstructions, the problems and prospects of in situ production, the use of cosmogenic radionuclides for dating and correlation, investigations regarding atmospheric circulation, accumulation rate and depositional processes and the sun-climate link.