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Seasonally Resolved Holocene Sea Ice Variability Inferred From South Pole Ice Core Chemistry
Author(s) -
Winski Dominic A.,
Osterberg Erich C.,
Kreutz Karl J.,
Ferris David G.,
ColeDai Jihong,
Thundercloud Zayta,
Huang Jiayue,
Alexander Becky,
Jaeglé Lyatt,
Kennedy Joshua A.,
Larrick Carleigh,
Kahle Emma C.,
Steig Eric J.,
Jones Tyler R.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl091602
Subject(s) - holocene , sea ice , oceanography , geology , climatology , ice core , antarctic sea ice , northern hemisphere , cryosphere , drift ice , arctic sea ice decline , southern hemisphere
Variability in sea ice is a critical climate feedback, yet the seasonal behavior of Southern Hemisphere sea ice and climate across multiple timescales remains unclear. Here, we develop a seasonally resolved Holocene sea salt record using major ion measurements of the South Pole Ice Core (SPC14). We combine the SPC14 data with the GEOS‐Chem chemical transport model to demonstrate that the primary sea salt source switches seasonally from open water (summer) to sea ice (winter), with wintertime variations disproportionately responsible for the centennial to millennial scale structure in the record. We interpret increasing SPC14 and circum‐Antarctic Holocene sea salt concentrations, particularly between 8 and 10 ka, as reflecting a period of winter sea ice expansion. Between 5 and 6 ka, an anomalous drop in South Atlantic sector sea salt indicates a temporary sea ice reduction that may be coupled with Northern Hemisphere cooling and associated ocean circulation changes.