Record of Holocene palaeoclimate change along the Antarctic Peninsula: evidence from glacial marine sediments, Lallemand Fjord

Abstract

Sedimentologic and geochemical analyses of a 5.5 m long, high-resolution sediment core, collected in Lallemand Fjord, represent the most detailed record of Holocene climate change, to date, in Antarctica. Deglaciation is believed to have occurred prior to 8000 yr BP, followed by a period of open marine conditions with variable extent of sea ice (variable TOC content) between 8000 and 2700 14C yr BP. A climatic optimum is recognised between 4200 and 2700 yr BP. The Muller Ice Shelf, now present in the fjord, advanced approximately 400 years ago, conicident with the Little Ice Age. The timing of climate transitions correlates with Northern Hemisphere 'T-Events' and ice-core data from Greenland.