Compiling a chemistry database from Antarctic ice cores records spanning the past 2000 years

Trends in sea ice extent and atmospheric circulation around Antarctica have exhibited large variability over recent decades. Direct observations such as satellite data cover the past four decades only. Thus, a comparison with paleoclimate archives is essential to understand the natural and anthropogenic components of these recent changes. We have initiated a data call within CLIVASH2k community (http://pastglobalchanges.org/science/wg/2k-network/projects/clivash) to collect all available sodium (Na+) and sulfate (SO42-) concentration and fluxes from Antarctic ice cores. We aim to improve our understanding of large-scale sea-ice variability and atmospheric circulation over the past 2000 years. In this respect, ice cores are a unique archive.

Here we present the new database, which builds on previous efforts by the PAGES community in gathering snow accumulation (Thomas et al. 2017) and stable water isotope data (Stenni et al. 2017).  To date, 88 published and 14 unpublished records have been submitted, 10 of which span the full 2000 years. The data, especially 2000 years-long records are equally distributed over the Antarctic continent and all coastal regions are well represented.  The new data will allow us to investigate interannual and decadal-to-centennial scale variability in sea ice extent and atmospheric circulation and its regional differences over the past 2000 years.