Presence of the solar de Vries cycle (∼205 years) during the last ice age

Certain characteristic periodicities in the Delta C-14 record from tree rings, such as the well-known 11-yr Schwabe cycle, are known to be of solar origin. The origin of longer-period cycles, such as the 205-yr de Vries cycle, in the Delta C-14 record was less certain, and it was possible to attribute it either to solar or climatic variability. Here, we demonstrate that the de Vries cycle is present in Be-10 data from the GRIP ice core during the last ice age (25 to 50 kyr BP). Analysis of the amplitude of variation of this cycle shows it to be modulated by the geomagnetic field, indicating that the de Vries cycle is indeed of solar, rather than climatic, origin.