IngentaConnect Covariation of sea ice and methanesulphonic acid in Wilhelm II La...

Authors: Foster, Annette F.M.; Curran, Mark A.J.; Smith, Barbara T.; van Ommen, Tas D.; Morgan, Vin I.

Source: Annals of Glaciology, Volume 44, Number 1, November 2006 , pp. 429-432(4)

Publisher: International Glaciological Society

Abstract:

Sea ice plays an important role in ocean-atmosphere heat exchange, global albedo and the marine ecosystem. Knowledge of variation in sea-ice extent is essential in order to understand past climates, and to model possible future climate scenarios. This paper presents results from a short firn core spanning 15 years collected from near Mount Brown, Wilhelm II Land, East Antarctica. Variations of methanesulphonic acid (MSA) at Mount Brown were positively correlated with sea-ice extent from the coastal region surrounding Mount Brown (60-120° E) and from around the entire Antarctic coast (0-360° E). Previous results from Law Dome identified this MSA-sea-ice relationship and proposed it as an Antarctic sea-ice proxy (Curran and others, 2003), with the strongest results found for the local Law Dome region. Our data provide supporting evidence for the Law Dome proxy (at another site in East Antarctica), but a deeper Mount Brown ice core is required to confirm the sea-ice decline suggested by Curran and others (2003). Results also indicate that this deeper record may also provide a more circum-Antarctic sea-ice proxy.

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Covariation of sea ice and methanesulphonic acid in Wilhelm II Land, East Antarctica