Climate and environment signals recorded in Polar ice sheets

Abstract

This paper describes outlines of interpretation of ice core climate signals and results of ice cores from Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets and ice caps. Analyses of shallow ice cores show climate and environment changes in past hundreds to thousands years. A deep ice core drilled to 2503.52 m at Dome Fuji, Antarctica covers the past 340 ka, which includes three glacial-interglacial cycles with Milankovitch cycles of about 20, 40 and 100 ka. Major chemical compositions and microparticle concentration show high concentrations in glacials and low in interglacials, suggesting the change in the terrestrial and marine environment and atmospheric circulation in high-middle latitudes during glacial-interglacial cycles. The Dome Fuji deep ice core contains 25 visible tephra layers. The analysis of the chemical compositions shows the possible source volcanos in and around the Antarctica.