A Multi-Proxy Analysis of Holocene Ice-Ocean Interactions in the South-East Weddell Sea

The timing and nature of changes to the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) and adjacent ocean since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is still considered somewhat uncertain in the Weddell Sea region and at the Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf. This is on account of high regional variability in ice-ocean dynamics, paired with a relative lack of sedimentary data from the Weddell Sea Embayment.  Here, we present a multi-proxy analysis of marine gravity core GC569 (77°15’.80S, 33°27’.93W), recovered from the Albert Trough offshore of Coats Land, East Antarctica.  GC569 is located close to several moraines and a post-glacial sediment drape. The sediments include both biogenic and terrigenous material and have been analysed using diatom assemblages, biomarker analysis, and XRF scanning. Here, we identify intervals of ice sheet retreat, changes to sea ice, and ocean-ice sheet interactions. We also assess the response of the marine biosphere to these Holocene environmental changes. This study will help to refine existing records and generate new data in an area of great uncertainty, enhancing the understanding of ice-ocean interactions in the South-East Weddell Sea and the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.