Prevalence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave over the last two millenia recorded in Dronning Maud Land ice

Abstract

The influence of atmospheric circulation patterns on sea salt aerosol deposition in the study area of the new EPICA (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica) deep drilling in Dronning Maud Land (DML), Antarctica, has been investigated. Comparison of ice core records with reanalysis data showed that recent sea salt concentrations are strongly influenced by the occurrence of a blocking high pressure ridge over the eastern and enhanced storm activity over the western Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean (SO) leading to marine intrusions, thus enhanced sea salt export, into DML. These variations occur with periods of 4–5 and 12–14 yr, the prior being associated with the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave (ACW). The prevalence of these periodicities in a 2000 year ice core record from DML shows for the first time that the ACW is a prevalent feature of SO atmosphere dynamics over the last two millennia.