Rapid environmental changes in the Ross Sea embayment using a geochemical approach

Abstract

The Ross Sea, as a part of the west Antarctic system, and its shelf is a key region stabilizing the west Antarctic ice masses. It is thus essential to understand the processes and changes in this area in order to interpret the past and predict the future climate developments. Sedimentary archives are a unique opportunity to get insights into past climate variability and the ice response due to increased temperature. The multi-national drilling program ANDRILL (ANtarctic geological DRILLing, McMurdo Ice Shelf project, MIS) focuses on the changes of climatic influences on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the past ~14 Ma, where temperatures were increased. During austral summer 2006/07, an approximately 1300 m long sedimentary succession beneath the northwestern Ross Ice Shelf was cored. In this study geochemical investigations were carried out and interpreted using a multi-proxy approach. The results of major element measurements and mineral data, as well as optical microscope and visual colour reflectance investigations were used to reveal different processes controlling the depositional environment in the southern Ross Sea.