Open AccessA 700‐year record of atmospheric circulation developed from the Law Dome ice core, East Antarctica
Author(s) -
Souney Joseph M.,
Mayewski Paul A.,
Goodwin Ian D.,
Meeker Loren D.,
Morgan Vin,
Curran Mark A. J.,
van Ommen Tas D.,
Palmer Anne S.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2002jd002104
Subject(s) - ice core , dome (geology) , geology , climatology , atmospheric circulation , temperature record , empirical orthogonal functions , oceanography , sea level , atmospheric sciences , climate change , paleontology
A 700‐year, high‐resolution, multivariate ice core record from Dome Summit South (DSS) (66°46′S, 112°48′E; 1370 m), Law Dome, is used to investigate sea level pressure (SLP) variability in the region of East Antarctica. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis reveals that the first EOF (LDEOF1) of the combined glaciochemical, oxygen isotope ratio, and accumulation rate record from DSS represents most of the variability in sea salt seen in the record. LDEOF1 is positively correlated (at least 95% confidence level) to instrumental June mean SLP across most of East Antarctica. Over the last 700 years, LDEOF1 levels at Law Dome were the highest during the nineteenth century, suggesting an increase in intensification of winter circulation during this period. The Law Dome DSS oxygen isotope ratio series also indicates that the nineteenth century had the coldest winters of any century in the record. In contrast, LDEOF1 levels were the lowest at Law Dome during the eighteenth century, suggesting a significant shift in the patterns and/or intensity of East Antarctic atmospheric circulation between the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries. The LDEOF1 sea salt record is characterized by significant decadal‐scale variability with a strong 25‐year periodic structure.