Recent studies highlight the hitherto underestimated sensitivity of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) to climate change and associated implications for global sea level rise. A significant lack of geological data (both proximal and distal to the EAIS), however, hinders the assessment of the EAIS’s response to and interaction with oceanic and atmospheric changes over various geological timescales. To identify thresholds and triggering mechanisms affecting EAIS stability, detailed paleo reconstructions of ice sheet extent, thickness, history of retreats/advances and oceanic environmental conditions (such as sea ice coverage, water temperature and ocean circulation) can provide insights into rates of change and potential ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions.
In this session we invite contributions from researchers working on the reconstruction of the EAIS glacial, deglacial and Holocene history and EAIS interaction with Southern Ocean circulation. These reconstructions may be based on, but not limited to, geological, geomorphological, geophysical and geodetic approaches, such as shelf surveys, land-based studies, and pelagic Southern Ocean sampling, which provide the basis for detailed regional reconstructions from Dronning Maud Land to Wilkes Land. The aim of this session is to stimulate interdisciplinary discussions in order to integrate terrestrial, near-shore and open marine paleo-data to enhance our understanding of ice-land-ocean-climate interactions on different spatial and temporal scales.