Stable-isotope records from Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

This paper focuses on the investigation of the 18O content of shallow firn and ice cores. These cores were dated by profiles derived from dielectric-profiling and continuous flow analysis measurements.

The individual records were stacked in order to obtain composite chronologies of 18O contents and accumulation rates with enhanced signal-to-noise variance ratios.These chronologies document variations in the last 200 and 1000 years.The 18O contents and accumulation rates decreased in the 19th century and increased during the 20th century.Using the empirical relationships between stable isotopes, accumulation rates and the 10m firn temperature, the variation of both parameters can be explained by the same temperature history.But other causes for these variations, such as the build-up of the snow cover, cannot be excluded.