Late Quaternary terrigenous sediment supply into the Drake Passage in response to ice dynamics

The investigated sediment records were retrieved from site PS97/085 in the central Drake Passage, including high-resolution grain size, clay mineral assemblages, geochemical and magnetic properties. Our records reveal terrigenous sediment supply in the Drake Passage is mainly derived from the southeast Pacific, southern South America and the Antarctic Peninsula. We suggest that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) has served as the key driver for sediment dispersal in the Drake Passage. Furthermore, our high-resolution marine records provide evidence for the evolution of ice sheets, sea level changes and climate related ACC dynamic have exerted critical influences on the terrigenous sediment supply and deposition in the Drake Passage region over the last glacial-interglacial cycle.