Holocene climate variability in Antarctica based on 11 ice-core isotopic records

A comparison is made of the Holocene records obtained from water isotope me asurements along 11 ice cores from coastal and central sites in east Antarc tica (Vostok, Dome B, Plateau Remote, Komsomolskaia, Dome C, Taylor Dome, D ominion Range, D47, KM105, and Law Dome) and west Antarctica (Byrd), with t emporal resolution from 20 to 50 yr. The longterm trends possibly reflect l ocal ice sheet elevation fluctuations superimposed on common climatic fluct uations. All the records confirm the widespread Antarctic early Holocene op timum between 11,500 and 9000 yr; in the Ross Sea sector, a secondary optim um is identified between 7000 and 5000 yr, whereas all eastern Antarctic si tes show a late optimum between 6000 and 3000 yr, Superimposed on the long time trend, all the records exhibit 9 aperiodic millennial-scale oscillatio ns. Climatic optima show a reduced pacing between warm events (typically 80 0 yr), whereas cooler periods are associated with less-frequent warm events (pacing > 1200 yr). (C) 2000 University of Washington.