Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Reconstruction of Antarctic climate change using ice core proxy records from the coastal Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica

  • Published:
Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

Antarctic ice core records have provided unprecedented information on past climatic changes and forcing factors on decadal to millennial timescales. The glaciochemical and stable isotope records of a shallow ice core from the coastal Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica) were used here to reconstruct the coastal Antarctic environmental variability during the past ∼470 years. Sea salt ion data indicate a significant additional contribution of chloride ions compared to sea water values, possibly through atmospheric scavenging. The nitrate (NO3 −) profile exhibit significant temporal shifts than that of the sulphate (SO4 2−), with a major shift around 1750 AD. The changes in NO3 − record are synchronous with the proxy record of solar activity (10Be profile from a South Pole ice core), suggesting enhanced NO3 − values during periods of reduced solar activity like the Dalton Minimum (∼1790–1830 AD) and Maunder Minimum (∼1640–1710 AD). The δ18O records reveal that the more negative δ18O values were coeval with several events of increased NO3 − concentrations, suggesting enhanced preservation of NO3 − during periods of reduced air temperatures. The δ18O and δD records of the core also suggest significant short-term and long-tem variability with more negative values indicating relatively lower air temperatures prior to 1715 AD. The δ18O records also revealed a significant warming of 2.7°C for the past 470 years, with a warming of ∼0.6°C per century.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anschütz, H., Eisen, O., Oerter, H., Steinhage D. and Scheinert, M. (2007) Investigating small-scale variations of the recent accumulation rate in coastal Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Ann. Glaciol., v.46, pp.14–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aristarain, A.J. and Delmas, R.J. (2002) Snow chemistry measurements on James Ross Island Antarctic Peninsula) showing sea-salt aerosol modifications Atmos. Environ. v.36, pp.765–772.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bard, E., Raisbeck, G., Yiou, F. and Jouzel, J. (2000) Solar irradiance during the last 1200 years based on cosmogenic nuclides. Tellus, v.52, pp.985–992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bates, T., Calhoun, J. and Quinn, P. (1992) Variations in the methanesulfonate to sulfate molar ratio in micrometer marine aerosol particles over the Southern Pacific Ocean. Jour. Geophys. Res., v.97, pp.9859–9865.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becagli, S., Proposito, M., Benassai, S., Flora, O., Genoni, L., Gragnani, R., Largiuni, O., Pili, S.L., Severi, M., Stenni, B., Traversi, R., Udisti, R. and Frezzotti, M. (2004) Chemical and isotopic snow variability in East Antarctica along the 2001/02 ITASE traverse. Ann. Glaciol., v.39, pp.473–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beer, J., Blinov, A., Bonani, G., Finkel, R.C., Hofmann, H.J., Lehmann, B., Oeschger, H., Sigg, A., Schwander, J., Staffelback, T., Stauffer, B., Suter, M. and Wolfli, W. (1990) Use of 10Be in polar ice to trace the 11-year cycle of solar activity. Nature, v.347, pp.164–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beer, J., Mende, W. and Stellmacher, R. (2000) The role of the Sun in climate forcing. Quaternary Sci. Rev., v.19(1–5), pp.403–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benassai, S., Becagli, S., Gragnani, R., Magand, O., Proposito, M., Fattori, I., Traversi, R. and Udisti, R. (2005) Sea-spray deposition in Antarctic coastal and plateau areas from ITASE traverses. Ann. Glaciol., v.41, pp.32–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertler, N.A.N., Barrett P. J., Mayewski, P. A., Fogt, R. L., Kreutz K.J. and Shulmeister J. (2004) El Niño suppresses Antarctic warming, Geophys. Res. Lett., v.31, L15207, doi:10.1029/2004GL020749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertler, N.A.N., Naish, T.R., Kiphstuhl, S., Barrett, P.J., Mayewski, P.A. and Kreutz, K.J. (2006) The effects of joint ENSO-Antarctic Oscillation forcing on the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Ant. Sci., v.18(4), pp.507–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, R.S. and Jones, P.D. (1993) “Little Ice Age” summer temperature variations: their nature and relevance to recent global warming trends. The Holocene, v.3, pp.367–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broecker, W.S. (2000) Was a change in thermohaline circulation responsible for the Little Ice Age? Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., v. 97, pp.1339–1342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaturvedi, A. and Singh, A. (2008) First attempt at motorised ice core drilling during the Antarctic summer season. In: Twenty second Indian Antarctic Expedition, Tech. Publ., MoES, v.20, pp.199–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chester, R. (2003) Marine Geochemistry. U.K., Blackwell, 506p.

  • Coplen, T.B., Wildman, J.D. and Chen, J. (1991) Improvements in the Gaseous Hydrogen-Water Equilibration Technique for Hydrogen Isotope ratio Analysis. Anal. Chem., v.63(9), pp.910–912.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curran, M.A.J., Van Ommen, T., Morgan, V.I., Phillips, K.L. and Palmer, A.S. (2003) Ice core evidence for Antarctic sea ice decline since the 1950s, Science, v.302(5648), pp.1203–1206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dansgaard, W. (1964) Stable isotopes in precipitation. Tellus, v.16, pp.436–468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delmas, R.J., Kirschner, S., Palais, J.M. and Petit, J.-R. (1992) 1000 years of explosive volcanism recorded at the South Pole. Tellus, v.44B, pp.335–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Divine, D.V., Isaksson, E., Kaczmarska, M., Godtliebsen, F., Oerter, H., Schlosser, E., Johnsen, S.J., Van Den Broeke M. and Van De Wal, R. S.W. (2009) Tropical Pacific-high latitude south Atlantic teleconnections as seen in d18O variability in Antarctic coastal ice cores. Jour. Geophys. Res., v.114, D11112, doi:10.1029/2008JD010475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dreschhoff, G.A.M., Zeller, E.J., Qin, D. and Parker, B.C. (1993) Major solar flares and long-term variability an Antarctic ice cores. Adv. Space Res., v.13(9), pp.443–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EPICA Community Members (2006) One-to-one coupling of glacial climate variability in Greenland and Ant., Nature, v.444, pp.195–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, S. and Mayeda, T. (1953) Variations of O18 contents of waters from natural sources; Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta., v.4, pp.213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, J.S. and Wolff, E.W. (1998) Causes of seasonal and daily variations in aerosol sea-salt concentrations at a coastal Antarctic station. Atmos. Environ., v.32, pp.3669–3677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isaksson E. and Karlén W. (1994) Spatial and temporal patterns in snow accumulation, western Droning Maud Land, Antarctica Jour. Glaciol, v.40(135), pp.399–409.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karkäs, E., Teinila, K., Virkkula, Aki. and Aurela, M. (2005) Spatial variations of surface snow chemistry during two austral summers in western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Atmos. Environ., v.39, pp.1405–1416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keene, W.C., Pszenny, A.A.P., Galloway, J.N. and Hawley, M.E. (1986) Sea-salt corrections and interpretation of constituent ratios in marine precipitation. J. Geophys. Res., v.91, pp.6647–6658.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kreutz, K.J., Mayewski, P.A., Meeker, L.D., Twickler, M.S., Whitlow, S.I. and Pittalwala, I.I. (1997) Bipolar Changes in Atmospheric Circulation During the Little Ice Age. Science, v.277, pp.1294–1296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuroda, Y., Deushi, M. and Shibata, K. (2007) Role of solar activity in the troposphere-stratosphere coupling in the Southern Hemisphere winter. Geophys. Res. Lett., v.34, L21704, doi:10.1029/2007GL030983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laluraj, C.M., Krishnan, K.P., Thamban, M., Rahul, M., Chaturvedi, A., Naik, S.S., D’souza, W. and Ravindra, R. (2009) Origin and characterisation of microparticles in an ice core from the Central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, v.149(1–4), pp.377–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langway, C.C.J., Osada, K., Clausen, H.B., Hammer, C.U. and Shoji, H. (1995). A 10-century comparison of prominent bipolar volcanic events in ice cores. Jour. Geophys. Res., v.100(D8), pp.16241–16247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lean, J., Beer, J. and Bradley, R. (1995) Reconstruction of solar irradiance since 1610: implications for climate change. Geophys. Res. Lett., v.22, pp.3195–3198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legrand, M. (1995) Sulphur-derived species in polar ice: a review. In: R.J. Delmas (Ed.), Ice core studies of global biogeochemical cycles, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp.91–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Legrand, M. and Mayewski, P. A. (1997) Glaciochemistry of polar ice cores: A review. Rev. Geophys., v.35, pp.219–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legrand, M., Wolff, E.W. and Wagenbach, D. (1999) Antarctic aerosol and snowfall chemistry: implications for deep Antarctic ice core chemistry. Ann. Glaciol, v.29, pp.66–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, G.J., Battista, S., Naik, S.S. and Thamban, M. (2009) Analysis of a regional change in the sign of the SAM-temperature relationship in Antarctica. Climate Dynamics, DOI: 10.1007/s00382-009-0682-9

  • Masson-delmotte, V. and 40 Others (2008) A Review of Antarctic Surface Snow Isotopic composition: Observations, Atmospheric Circulation, and Isotopic Modelling. Jour. Climat., v.21, pp.3359–3387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayewski, P.A., Maasch, K.A., White, J.W.C., Meyerson, E., Goodwin, I., Morgan, V.I., Van Ommen, T., Curran, M.A.J., Souney, J. and Kreutz, K. (2004) A 700 year record of Southern Hemisphere extra-tropical climate variability. Ann. Glaciol., v.39, pp.127–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayewski, P.A., Maasch, K.A., Yan, Y., Kang, S., Meyerson, E.A., Sneed, S.B., Kaspari, S.D., Dixon, D.A., Osterberg, E.C., Morgan, V.I., Ommen, T.V. and Curran, M.A.J. (2005) Solar forcing of the polar atmosphere. Ann. Glaciol., v.41, pp.147–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayewski, P.A., Meredith, M.P., Summerhayes, C.P., Turner, J., Worby, A., Barrett, P.J., Casassa, G., Bertler, N.A.N., Bracegirdle, T., Naveira Garabato, A.C., Bromwich, D., Campbell, H., Hamilton, G.S., Lyons, W. B., Maasch, K.A., Aoki, S., Xiao C. and Tas Van Ommen (2009) State of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean climate system. Rev. Geophys, v.47, pp. RG1003 1–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naik, S.S., Thamban, M., D’souza, W., Laluraj, C.M., Rajakumar, A. and Chaturvedi, A. (2010a) Influence of climatic teleconnections on the temporal isotopic variability as recorded in a firn core from the central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Jour. Earth Syst. Sci., v.119, pp.41–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naik, S. S., Thamban, M., Laluraj, C.M., Redkar, B.L. and Chaturvedi, A. (2010b) A century of climate variability in the central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica and its relation to Southern Annular Mode and El Niño Southern Oscillation. Jour. Geophys. Res., v.115, D16102, DOI 10.1029/2009JD013268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nijampurkar, V.N., Rao, D.K., Clausen, H.B., Kaul, M.K. and Chaturvedi, A. (2002) Records of climatic changes and volcanic events in an ice core from Central Dronning Maudland (East Antarctica) during the past century. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. (Earth Planet. Sci.), v.111, pp.39–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, A.S. (2001) Ice-core evidence for a small solar-source of atmospheric nitrate. Geophys. Res. Lett., v.28(10), pp.1953–1956.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petit, J.R., Jouzel, J., Raynaud, D., Barkov N.I., Barnola, J.-M., Basile, I., Benders, M., Chappellaz, J., Davis M., Delayque, G., Delmotte, M., Kotlyakov, V.M., Legrand, M., Lipenkov, V.Y., Lorius, C., Pépin, L., Ritz, C., Saltzman, E. and Stievenard, M. (1999) Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antartica. Nature, v.399, pp.429–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raisbeck, G. M., Yiou, F., Jouzel, J. and Petit, J.-R. (1990) 10Be and 2H in polar ice cores as a probe of the solar variability’s influence on climate. Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. London, v.A300, pp.463–470.

    Google Scholar 

  • Röthlisberger, R., Hutterli, M.A., Sommer, S., Wolff, E.W. and Mulvaney, R. (2000) Factors controlling nitrate in ice cores: evidence from the Dome C deep ice core. Jour. Geophys. Res., v.105(D16), pp.20,565–20,572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, D.P., Steig, E.J., Van Ommen, T.D., Bitz, C.M., Dixon D., Mayewski, P.A. and Jones, J.M. (2006) Antarctic temperatures over the past two centuries, from ice cores. Geophys. Res. Lett., v.33, L16707, doi:10.1029/2006GL027057.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwander, J. and Stauffer, B. (1984) Age difference between polar ice and the air trapped in its bubbles. Nature, v.311, pp.45–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steig, E.J., Schneider, D.P., Rutherford, S.D., Mann, M.E., Comiso, J.C. and Shindell, D.T. (2009) Warming of the Antarctic ice-sheet surface since the 1957 Int. Geophys. yr, Nature, v.457, pp.459–462, doi:10.1038/nature07669.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stenni, B., Proposito, M., Gragnani, R., Flora, O., Jouzel, J., Falourd, S. and Frezzotti, M. (2002) Eight centuries of volcanic signal and climate change at Talos Dome (East Antarctica). Jour. Geophys. Res., (2002) v.107, D9, 10.1029/2000JD00017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stonehouse, B. (2002) Encyclopedia of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-98665-8.

  • Thamban, M., Chaturvedi. A., Rajkumar. A., Naik. S. S., D’souza, W., Singh A., Rajan, S. and Ravindra, R. (2006) Aerosol perturbation related to volcanic eruptions during the past few centuries as recorded in an ice core from the Central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Curr. Sci., v.91, pp.1200–1207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thamban, M., Laluraj, C.M., Mahalinganathan, K., Redkar, B.L., Naik, S.S. and Shrivastava, P.K. (2010) Glacio-chemistry of surface snow from the Ingrid Christensen Coast, East Antarctica, and its environmental implications. Antarctic Science, v.22(4), pp.435–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Traufetter, F., Oerter, H., Fischer, H., Weller, R. and Miller, H. (2004) Spatio-temporal variability in volcanic sulphate deposition over the past 2 kyr in snow pits and firn cores from Amundsenisen, Antarctica. Jour. Glaciol., v.50, pp.137–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Traversi, R., Becagli, S., Castellano., E., Larguinilargiuni, O., Migliori, A., Saveriseveri, M., Frezzotti, M. and Udisti, R. (2004) Spatial and temporal distribution of Environmental markers from coastal to plateau areas in Antarctica by firn core chemical analysis. Internat. Jour. Environ. Anal. Chem., v.84, pp.457–470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Udisti, R., Becagli, S., Castellano, E., Traversi, R., Vermigli, S. and Piccardi, G. (1999) Sea-spray and marine biogenic seasonal contribution to snow composition at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. Ann. Glaciol., v.29, pp.77–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wagenbach, D., Ducroz, F., Mulvaney, R., Keck, L., Minikin, A., Legrand, M., Hall, J.S. and Wolff, E.W. (1998) Sea-salt aerosol in coastal Antarctic regions. Jour. Geophys Res., v.103, pp.10961–10974.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolff, E.W., Jones, A.E., Bauguitte, S.J.B. and Salmon, R.A. (2008) Reassessment of the factors controlling temporal profiles of nitrate in polar ice cores using evidence from snow and atmospheric measurements. Atmos. Chem. and Phys. Dis., v.8, pp.11039–11062.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolff, E.W. and Mulvaney, R. (2000) Factors controlling nitrate in ice cores: Evidence from the Dome C deep ice core. Jour. Geophys. Res., v.105(16), pp.20565–20572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeller, E.J. and Parker, B.C. (1981) Nitrate ion in Antarctic firn as a marker for solar activity. Geophys. Res. Lett., v.8, pp.895–898.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zielinski, G. A., Mayewski, P. A., Meeker, L. D., Whitlow, S. I., Twickler, M. S., Morrison, M. C., Meese, D., Alley R. and Gow, A.J. (1994) Record of volcanism since 7000 BC from the GISP2 Greenland ice core and implications for the volcanoclimate system. Science, v.264, pp.948–952.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research Headland Sada, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa, 403 004, India

    Meloth Thamban, C. M. Laluraj & Sushant S. Naik

  2. National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403 004, India

    Sushant S. Naik

  3. Geological Survey of India (Antarctica Division) NH-5P, N.I.T., Faridabad, 121001, India

    Arun Chaturvedi

Authors
  1. Meloth Thamban
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. M. Laluraj
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sushant S. Naik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Arun Chaturvedi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Meloth Thamban.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thamban, M., Laluraj, C.M., Naik, S.S. et al. Reconstruction of Antarctic climate change using ice core proxy records from the coastal Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. J Geol Soc India 78, 19–29 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-011-0063-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-011-0063-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation