scholarly journals South Pole Ice Core Reveals History of Antarctic Sea Ice

Eos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Thompson

Every summer, most of the sea ice near Antarctica melts away, but its saltiness leaves a permanent record that scientists can trace back for millennia.

2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (57) ◽  
pp. 347-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon B. Sneed ◽  
Paul A. Mayewski ◽  
Daniel A. Dixon

AbstractUsing results stemming from the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE) ice-core array plus data from ice cores from the South Pole and Siple Dome we investigate the use of sodium (Na+), non-sea-salt sulfate (nssSO42–) and methylsulfonate (MS–) as proxies for Antarctic sea-ice extent (SIE). Maximum and mean annual chemistry concentrations for these three species correlate significantly with maximum, mean and minimum annual SIE, offering more information and clarification than single ice-core and single species approaches. Significant correlations greater than 90% exist between Na+ and maximum SIE; nssSO42– with minimum and mean SIE; and MS– with mean SIE. Correlations with SIE within large geographic regions are in the same direction for all ice-core sites for Na+ and nssSO42– but not MS–. All ice cores display an SIE correlation with nssSO42– and MS–, but not all correlate with Na+. This multi-core multi-parameter study provides the initial step in determining which chemical species can be used reliably and in which regions as a building block for embedding other ice-core records. Once established, the resulting temporal and spatial matrix can be used to relate ice extents, atmospheric patterns, biological productivity and site conditions.


2002 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 430-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Meyerson ◽  
Paul A. Mayewski ◽  
Karl J. Kreutz ◽  
L. David Meeker ◽  
Sallie I. Whitlow ◽  
...  

AbstractAn annually dated ice core recovered from South Pole (2850 m a.s.l.) in 1995, that covers the period 1487–1992, was analyzed for the marine biogenic sulfur species methanesulfonate (MS). Empirical orthogonal function analysis is used to calibrate the high-resolution MS series with associated environmental series for the period of overlap (1973–92). Utilizing this calibration we present a ~500 year long proxy record of the polar expression of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and southeastern Pacific sea-ice extent variations. These records reveal short-term periods of increased (1800–50, 1900–40) and decreased sea-ice extent (1550–1610, 1660–1710, 1760–1800). In general, increased (decreased) sea-ice extent is associated with a higher (lower) frequency of El Niño events.


2005 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 155-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Dixon ◽  
Paul A. Mayewski ◽  
Susan Kaspari ◽  
Karl Kreutz ◽  
Gordon Hamilton ◽  
...  

AbstractChemistry data from 16, 50–115m deep, sub-annually dated ice cores are used to investigate spatial and temporal concentration variability of sea-salt (ss) SO42– and excess (xs) SO42– over West Antarctica and the South Pole for the last 200 years. Low-elevation ice-core sites in western West Antarctica contain higher concentrations of SO42– as a result of cyclogenesis over the Ross Ice Shelf and proximity to the Ross Sea Polynya. Linear correlation analysis of 15 West Antarctic ice-core SO42– time series demonstrates that at several sites concentrations of ssSO42– are higher when sea-ice extent (SIE) is greater, and the inverse for xsSO42–. Concentrations of xsSO42– from the South Pole site (East Antarctica) are associated with SIE from the Weddell region, and West Antarctic xsSO42– concentrations are associated with SIE from the Bellingshausen–Amundsen–Ross region. The only notable rise of the last 200 years in xsSO42–, around 1940, is not related to SIE fluctuations and is most likely a result of increased xsSO42– production in the mid–low latitudes and/or an increase in transport efficiency from the mid–low latitudes to central West Antarctica. These high-resolution records show that the source types and source areas of ssSO42– and xsSO42– delivered to eastern and western West Antarctica and the South Pole differ from site to site but can best be resolved using records from spatial ice-core arrays such as the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE).


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (21) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Meiners ◽  
M. Vancoppenolle ◽  
S. Thanassekos ◽  
G. S. Dieckmann ◽  
D. N. Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Core ◽  

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret B. Williams ◽  
Murat Aydin ◽  
Cheryl Tatum ◽  
Eric S. Saltzman

Author(s):  
Dominic A. Winski ◽  
Erich C. Osterberg ◽  
Karl J. Kreutz ◽  
David G. Ferris ◽  
Jihong Cole‐Dai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ice Core ◽  

Science ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 302 (5648) ◽  
pp. 1203-1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. J. Curran

2001 ◽  
Vol 47 (159) ◽  
pp. 613-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Haas ◽  
David N. Thomas ◽  
Jörg Bareiss

AbstractIce-core and snow data from the Amundsen, Bellingshausen and Weddell Seas, Antarctica, show that the formation of superimposed ice and the development of seawater-filled gap layers with high algal standing stocks is typical of the perennial sea ice in summer. The coarse-grained and dense snow had salinities mostly below 0.1‰. A layer of fresh superimposed ice had a mean thickness of 0.04–0.12 m. Gap layers 0.04–0.08 m thick extended downwards from 0.02 to 0.14 m below the water level. These gaps were populated by diatom standing stocks up to 439 μg L−1 chlorophyll a. We propose a comprehensive heuristic model of summer processes, where warming and the reversal of temperature gradients cause major transformations in snow and ice properties. The warming also causes the reopening of incompletely frozen slush layers caused by flood-freeze cycles during winter. Alternatively, superimposed ice forms at the cold interface between snow and slush in the case of flooding with negative freeboard. Combined, these explain the initial formation of gap layers by abiotic means alone. The upward growth of superimposed ice above the water level competes with a steady submergence of floes due to bottom and internal melting and accumulation of snow.


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