Antarctic Palaeoclimatic Reconstruction Using Ice Cores: Indian Initiatives During 2008-2016

Abstract

Study of ice core proxy records provide one of the most direct and accurate method to study the Antarctic climate change beyond the instrumental limits. Understanding the Antarctic climate variability on millennial, centennial to decadal level is crucial to our knowledge on the role and response of Antarctic ice sheets to the global climate variability. The Indian ice core studies have made significant contributions to the understanding of Antarctic climate variability and the various factors involved. The proxy environmental parameters used include temporal variability of stable isotopes, trace metal chemistry, ionic composition, dust particulates, and microbial components that are indicators of environmental change in the coastal Antarctica. Ice core proxy based reconstruction revealed significant changes in Southern Hemispheric climate during the past several hundreds of years. The study also revealed the utility of shallow ice cores in reconstructing the past changes in major climatic modes like the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Southern Annular Mode (SAM).