Holocene climate history from investigations of the glacial system, ice cores and local climate patterns from Skinner Saddle, Victoria Land Coast Antarctica

To understand the drivers and consequences of climate change on timescales important to humans, the paleoclimate of ice cores, the glacial system and local climate patterns were analysed from Skinner Saddle. GPR/GPS (8, 35, 200 and 500MHz) survey was carried out to provide an image of the internal layering of the glacier and the topography of the ice-rock interface beneath. A 17m firn core was recovered and analysed for oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios, major cations, anions and methylsulfonates, trace elements and cations, dust concentration and mineralogy. An automatic weather station was installed as of 1 November, 2007, measuring air temperature, snow accumulation and air temperature, dew point temperature, solar radiation (incoming) and snow temperature. It is planned to recover an intermediate deep ice core (~400m) from this location.