Abstract
The climate of the sub-Antarctic is important in understanding the environmental conditions of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. However, regional climate proxy records from this region are scarce. In this study, we present the stable water isotopes, major ion chemistry, and dust records from the first ice core from the (sub-)Antarctic Young Island. We present and discuss various dating approaches based on commonly used ice core proxies, such as stable water isotopes and seasonally deposited ions, together with site-specific characteristics such as melt layers. The dating approaches are compared with estimated precipitation rates from reanalysis data (ERA5) and volcanic cryptotephra shards likely presenting an absolute tie point from a 2001 CE eruption on neighboring Sturge Island. The resulting ice core age scale spans the period 2016 to 1995, with an uncertainty of ±2 years.
Highlights
The sub-Antarctic atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns play a key role in setting the climate conditions of the Antarctic
The objectives of this study are to (1) evaluate meteorological information available from a local automatic weather station (AWS) and ERA5 reanalysis; (2) present multiple dating approaches based on stable water isotopes, glacio-chemical data, and physical characteristics; (3) evaluate a potential absolute age marker of volcanic source, and (4) determine an age scale for future climate interpretation
The annual mean 2-m air temperature at Young Island derived from the low-elevation
Summary
With the sub-Antarctic highly sensitive to shifts in circulation and potentially in danger of losing the glaciers on its islands as climate archives, there is urgent need to investigate the geochemical proxies preserved in local ice cores to evaluate their potential for climate reconstruction, e.g., of position and strength of westerly winds and regional sea ice extent [2,6]. These parameters will help to understand the drivers and anticipate changes in the Antarctic climate at large. These parameters will help to understand the drivers and anticipate changes in the Antarctic climate at large. 4.0/).
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