Accumulation At South Pole: Comparison of two 900-year records

Two 900-year records of annual accumulation at South Pole are compared to e valuate the origin and significance of observed variations. Despite difficu lties establishing absolute timescales, due to problems identifying annual layer markers, the two records can be correlated with confidence after mode rate smoothing. This correlation shows that over the time period considered (1050-1956 A.D.) no climatically significant changes in accumulation occur red. Instead, fluctuations preserved in the two cores reflect spatial varia tions in snow accumulation, associated with nonuniform deposition induced b y surface relief on the scale of several kilometers.