http://hdl.handle.net/2122/110 2013-05-20T06:17:03Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8576 Title: A synthesis of the Antarctic surface mass balance during the last 800 yr Authors: Frezzotti, M.; ENEA, Agenzia Nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l’energia e lo sviluppo sostenibile, Rome, Italy; Scarchilli, C.; ENEA, Agenzia Nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l’energia e lo sviluppo sostenibile, Rome, Italy; Becagli, S.; Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, Sesto F.no, Italy; Proposito, M.; ENEA, Agenzia Nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l’energia e lo sviluppo sostenibile, Rome, Italy; Urbini, S.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia Abstract: Global climate models suggest that Antarctic snowfall should increase in a warming climate and mitigate rises in the sea level. Several processes affect surface mass balance (SMB), introducing large uncertainties in past, present and future ice sheet mass balance. To provide an extended perspective on the past SMB of Antarctica, we used 67 firn/ice core records to reconstruct the temporal variability in the SMB over the past 800 yr and, in greater detail, over the last 200 yr. Our SMB reconstructions indicate that the SMB changes over most of Antarctica are statistically negligible and that the current SMB is not exceptionally high compared to the last 800 yr. High-accumulation periods have occurred in the past, specifically during the 1370s and 1610s. However, a clear increase in accumulation of more than 10% has occurred in high SMB coastal regions and over the highest part of the East Antarctic ice divide since the 1960s. To explain the differences in behaviour between the coastal/ice divide sites and the rest of Antarctica, we suggest that a higher frequency of blocking anticyclones increases the precipitation at coastal sites, leading to the advection of moist air in the highest areas, whereas blowing snow and/or erosion have significant negative impacts on the SMB at windy sites. Eight hundred years of stacked records of the SMB mimic the total solar irradiance during the 13th and 18th centuries. The link between those two variables is probably indirect and linked to a teleconnection in atmospheric circulation that forces complex feedback between the tropical Pacific and Antarctica via the generation and propagation of a large-scale atmospheric wave train. 2013-02-19T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8533 Title: Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica Authors: Fretwell, P.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Pritchard, H. D.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Vaughan, D. G.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Bamber, J. L.; School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK; Barrand, N. E.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Bell, R.; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, USA; Bianchi, C.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia; Bingham, R. G.; School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, UK; Blankenship, D. D.; Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, USA; Casassa, G.; Centro de Estudios Cientificos, Santiago, Chile; Catania, G.; Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, USA; Callens, D.; Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Universit´e Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Conway, H.; Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA; Cook, A. J.; Department of Geography, Swansea University, Swansea, UK; Corr, H. F. J.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Damaske, D.; Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Hannover, Germany; Damm, V.; Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Hannover, Germany; Ferraccioli, F.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Forsberg, R.; National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark; Fujita, S.; National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo, Japan; Gim, Y.; Jet Propulsion Laboratory. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA; Gogineni, P.; Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA; Griggs, J. A.; School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK; Hindmarsh, R. C. A.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Holmlund, P.; Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Holt, J. W.; Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, USA; Jacobel, R. W.; St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN 55057, USA; Jenkins, A.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Jokat, W.; Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven, Germany; Jordan, T.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; King, E. C.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Kohler, J.; Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway; Krabill, W.; NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA; Riger-Kusk, M.; College of Science, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; Langley, K. A.; Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Norway; Leitchenkov, G.; Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the World Ocean, St.-Petersburg, Russia; Leuschen, C.; Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA; Luyendyk, B. P.; Earth Research Institute, University of California in Santa Barbara, USA; Matsuoka, K.; Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromso, Norway; Mouginot, J.; Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, USA; Nitsche, F. O.; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, USA; Nogi, Y.; National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo, Japan; Nost, O. A.; Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromso, Norway; Popov, S. V.; Polar Marine Geosurvey Expedition, St.-Petersburg, Russia; Rignot, E.; School of Physical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, USA; Rippin, D. M.; Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK; Rivera, A.; Centro de Estudios Cientificos, Santiago, Chile; Roberts, J.; Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Australian Antarctic Division, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia; Ross, N.; School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK; Siegert, M. J.; School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK; Smith, A. M.; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; Steinhage, D.; Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven, Germany; Studinger, M.; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, USA; Sun, B.; Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, China; Tinto, B. K.; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, USA; Welch, B. C.; Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven, Germany; Wilson, D.; Institute for Crustal Studies, University of California in Santa Barbara, USA; Young, D. A.; Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, USA; Xiangbin, C.; Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, China; Zirizzotti, A.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia Abstract: We present Bedmap2, a new suite of gridded products describing surface elevation, ice-thickness and the seafloor and subglacial bed elevation of the Antarctic south of 60 S. We derived these products using data from a variety of sources, including many substantial surveys completed since the original Bedmap compilation (Bedmap1) in 2001. In particular, the Bedmap2 ice thickness grid is made from 25 million measurements, over two orders of magnitude more than were used in Bedmap1. In most parts of Antarctica the subglacial landscape is visible in much greater detail than was previously available and the improved datacoverage has in many areas revealed the full scale of mountain ranges, valleys, basins and troughs, only fragments of which were previously indicated in local surveys. The derived statistics for Bedmap2 show that the volume of ice contained in the Antarctic ice sheet (27 million km3) and its potential contribution to sea-level rise (58 m) are similar to those of Bedmap1, but the mean thickness of the ice sheet is 4.6% greater, the mean depth of the bed beneath the grounded ice sheet is 72m lower and the area of ice sheet grounded on bed below sea level is increased by 10 %. The Bedmap2 compilation highlights several areas beneath the ice sheet where the bed elevation is substantially lower than the deepest bed indicated by Bedmap1. These products, along with grids of data coverage and uncertainty, provide new opportunities for detailed modelling of the past and future evolution of the Antarctic ice sheets. 2012-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8498 Title: Extent of low-accumulation ‘wind glaze’ areas on the East Antarctic plateau: implications for continental ice mass balance Authors: Scambos, T. A.; National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA; Frezzotti, M.; ENEA-CRE, Casaccia, Rome, Italy; Haran, T.; National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA; Bohlander, J.; National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA; Lenaerts, J. T. M.; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Van Den Broeke, M. R.; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Jezek, K.; Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Long, D.; Department of Electrical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA; Urbini, S.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia; Farness, K.; Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Neumann, T.; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA; Albert, M.; Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA; Winther, J.-G.; Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway Abstract: Persistent katabatic winds form widely distributed localized areas of near-zero net surface accumulation on the East Antarctic ice sheet (EAIS) plateau. These areas have been called ‘glaze’ surfaces due to their polished appearance. They are typically 2–200km2 in area and are found on leeward slopes of ice-sheet undulations and megadunes. Adjacent, leeward high-accumulation regions (isolated dunes) are generally smaller and do not compensate for the local low in surface mass balance (SMB). We use a combination of satellite remote sensing and field-gathered datasets to map the extent of wind glaze in the EAIS above 1500m elevation. Mapping criteria are derived from distinctive surface and subsurface characteristics of glaze areas resulting from many years of intense annual temperature cycling without significant burial. Our results show that 11.2 1.7%, or 950 143 103 km2, of the EAIS above 1500m is wind glaze. Studies of SMB interpolate values across glaze regions, leading to overestimates of net mass input. Using our derived wind-glaze extent, we estimate this excess in three recent models of Antarctic SMB at 46–82 Gt. The lowest-input model appears to best match the mean in regions of extensive wind glaze. 2012-07-31T22:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8440 Title: Intervento reatino "Rete WiFi" Authors: Cardinale, Vincenzo; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione CNT, Roma, Italia Editors: Cardinale, Vincenzo Abstract: A seguito di una sequenza sismica nell’area reatina (settembre 2010) si è deciso di installare una rete temporanea che potesse aumentare in quell’area il numero di stazioni in tempo reale. 2010-12-20T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8391 Title: Calving
 event 
detection 
by
 observation 
of 
seiche 
effects 
on 
the
 Greenland 
fjords Authors: Walter, F.; Swiss
 Seismological 
Service, 
ETH 
Zürich,
 Switzerland; Laboratory
 of
 Hydraulics,
 Hydrology 
and
 Glaciology,
 ETH
 Zürich,
 Switzerland; Olivieri, M.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Bologna, Bologna, Italia; Clinton, J.; Swiss
 Seismological 
Service, 
ETH 
Zürich,
 Switzerland Abstract: With mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet accelerating and spreading to higher latitudes, the quantification of mass discharge in the form of icebergs has recently received much scientific attention. Here, we make use of very low frequency (0.001-0.01 Hz) seismic data from three permanent broadband stations installed in the summers of 2009/2010 in northwest Greenland in order to monitor local calving activity. At these frequencies, calving seismograms are dominated by a tilt signal produced by local ground flexure in response to fjord seiching generated by major iceberg calving events. A simple triggering algorithm is proposed to detect calving events from large calving fronts with potentially no user interaction. Our calving catalogue identifies spatial and temporal differences in calving activity between Jakobshavn Isbræ and glaciers in the Uummannaq district some 200 km further north. The Uummannaq glaciers show clear seasonal fluctuations in seiche-based calving detections as well as seiche amplitudes. In contrast, the detections at Jakobshavn Isbræ show little seasonal variation, which may be evidence for an ongoing transition into winter calving activity. The results offer further evidence that seismometers can provide efficient and inexpensive monitoring of calving fronts. 2011-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8291 Title: Water and dissolved gas geochemistry of the monomictic Paterno sinkhole (central Italy) Authors: Tassi, F.; University of Florence; Cabassi, J.; University of Florence; Rouwet, D.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Palermo, Palermo, Italia; Palozzi, R.; Università Tuscia; Marcelli, M.; Università Roma La Sapienza; Quartararo, M.; Roma Tor Vergata; Capecchiacci, F.; University of Florence; Vaselli, O.; University of Florence Abstract: This paper describes the chemical and isotope features of water and dissolved gases from lake Paterno (max. depth 54 m), a sinkhole located in the NE sector of the S. Vittorino plain (Rieti, Central Italy), where evidences of past and present hydrothermal activity exists. In winter (February 2011) lake Paterno waters were almost completely mixed, whereas in summer time (July 2011) thermal and chemical stratifications established. During the stratification period, water and dissolved gas chemistry along the vertical water column were mainly controlled by biological processes, such as methanogenesis, sulfate-reduction, calcite precipitation, denitrification, and NH4 and H2 production. Reducing conditions at the interface between the bottom sediments and the anoxic waters are responsible for the relatively high concentrations of dissolved iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), likely present in their reduced oxidation state. Minerogenic and biogenic products were recognized at the lake bottom even during the winter sampling. At relatively shallow depth the distribution of CH4 and CO2 was controlled by methanotrophic bacteria and photosynthesis, respectively. The carbon isotope signature of CO2 indicates a significant contribution of deep-originated inorganic CO2 that is related to the hydrothermal system feeding the CO2-rich mineralized springs discharging in the surrounding areas of lake Paterno. The seasonal lake stratification likely controls the vertical and horizontal distribution of fish populations in the different periods of the year. 2011-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8254 Title: Early Miocene volcanic activity and paleoenvironment conditions recorded in tephra layers of the AND-2A core (southern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica) Authors: Di Roberto, A.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Pisa, Pisa, Italia; Del Carlo, P.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Pisa, Pisa, Italia; Rocchi, S.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Panter, K. S.; Department of Geology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA Abstract: The ANtarctic geological DRILLing program (ANDRILL) successfully recovered 1138.54 m of core from drillhole, AND-2A, in the Ross Sea sediments (Antarctica). The core is composed of terrigenous claystones, siltstones, sandstones, conglomerates, breccias, and diamictites with abundant volcanic material. In this work we present sedimentological, morphoscopic, petrographic, and geochemical data on pyroclasts recovered from core AND-2A, which provide insights on eruption styles, volcanic sources, and environments of deposition. One pyroclastic fall deposit, 12 resedimented volcaniclastic deposits and 14 volcanogenic sedimentary deposits record a history of intense explosive volcanic activity in southern Victoria Land during the Early Miocene. Tephra were ejected during Subplinian and Plinian eruptions fed by trachytic to rhyolitic magmas and during Strombolian to Hawaiian eruptions fed by basaltic to mugearitic magmas in submarine/subglacial to subaerial environments. The long-lived Mt. Morning eruptive centre, located c. 80 km south of the drillsite, was recognized as the probable volcanic source for these products on the basis of volcanological, geochemical, and age constraints. The study of tephra in the AND-2A core provides important paleoenvironment information by revealing that the deposition of primary and moderately reworked tephra occurred in a proglacial setting under generally open water marine conditions. 2011-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8192 Title: Plio-Pliocene high-low latitude climate interplay: a Mediterranean point of view Authors: Colleoni, F.; Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici; Masina, S.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Bologna, Bologna, Italia; Negri, A.; Universita' Politecnica delle Marche; Marzocchi, A.; Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici Abstract: The high–low latitude climate interplay during the Plio–Pleistocene global cooling is not yet well understood. Insight on the Mediterranean region can provide some clues about past significant climate changes since the basin reflects the climate dynamics of both high-latitude and low-latitude regions, being connected to the North Atlantic and subjected to monsoon influence. Here we shade light on this connection problem by per- forming a spectral analysis on an Eastern Mediterranean stack of planktonic records spanning the last 5 Ma and by further comparing it to North Atlantic and Pacific deep- and surface-water records. Our main conclu- sion is that the Mediterranean detected the main global climate transitions over the last 5 Myr although sapropel depositions indicate that it remained influenced by the African summer monsoon during the whole interval. Our analysis reveals that until 2.2 Ma the Mediterranean planktonic record is driven by re- gional processes dominated by precession. The progressive emergence of the 41-kyr frequency in the Medi- terranean records around 2.8 Ma suggests that, since this date, the Mediterranean was more and more affected by the high-latitude climate dynamics forcing than by the low-latitude one. Moreover, during the ongoing Plio–Pleistocene cooling, the 41-kyr frequency signal in the Mediterranean records anticipated high-latitude deep-water response to the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciations (NHG) and lagged the signal in tropical latitudes. Finally, toward 1.2 Ma the results suggest that the progressive shift from the 41-kyr to the 100-kyr frequency was led by the northern high latitudes. Overall, our results confirm that the Mediterranean is an ideal site to study the interplay between high and low latitude climates. 2012-01-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8168 Title: Process studies on the ecological coupling between sea ice algae and phytoplankton Authors: Tedesco, L.; Marine Research Centre, Finnish Environment Institute; Vichi, M.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Bologna, Bologna, Italia; Thomas, D.; Marine Research Centre, Finnish Environment Institute Abstract: The seasonal dynamics of pelagic and sea ice communities are closely related in ice-covered waters, however, modelling works that analyse such interactions are scarce. We use the Biogeochemical Flux Model in Sea Ice (BFM-SI) coupled to the pelagic Biogeochemical Flux Model (BFM) in a study area in Greenland to quantitatively investigate: (1) the significance of photoacclimation/photoadaptation strategies of autotrophs, (2) the fate of the sea ice biomass in case of algae seeding, algae aggregation and at different mixed layer depths and (3) the changes in community production under a climate change scenario. The results show that sea ice algae need to be both photoacclimated and photoadapted to the sea ice environment in order to grow, while phytoplankton may adopt different strategies for optimising their growth. The seeding of the phytoplankton bloom shows to be driven, both in timing and magnitude, by the viability of sea ice algae and by the degree of aggregation of algae released from the ice, which also affects the sinking rate to the sea floor. Under a mild climate change scenario (SRES B2, 2071–2090) the sea ice community is projected to be generally more productive, whereas phytoplankton growth will be reduced because the melt of sea ice will occur earlier in the season when light is less favourable to sustain the growth. While it is generally anticipated that the melting of multi-year ice in the Arctic Ocean will cause an increase in marine production, this study shows that seasonal ice-covered seas in the Northern hemisphere may actually be less productive and may shift to more oligotrophic conditions within the next 100 years. 2011-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8162 Title: Neogene tectonic and climatic evolution of the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica — Chronology of events from the AND-1B drill hole Authors: Wilson, G. S.; Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand; Levy, R. H.; GNS Science, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Naish, T. R.; Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Powell, R. D.; Department of Geology & Environmental Geosciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA; Florindo, F.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia; Ohneiser, C.; Department of Geology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand; Sagnotti, L.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia; Winter, D. M.; ANDRILL Science Management Office, Department of Geosciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588‐0340, USA; Cody, R.; Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Henrys, S.; GNS Science, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Ross, J.; New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Socorro, NM 87801, USA; Krissek, L.; Byrd Polar Research Centre, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Niessen, F.; Alfred Wegener Institute, Department of Geosciences, Postfach 12 01 6, Am Alten Hafen 26, D-27515, Bremerhaven, Germany; Pompillio, M.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Pisa, Pisa, Italia; Scherer, R.; Department of Geology & Environmental Geosciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA; Alloway, B. V.; Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Barrett, P. J.; Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Brachfeld, S.; Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA; Browne, G.; GNS Science, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Carter, L.; Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Cowan, E.; Department of Geology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608‐2067, USA; Crampton, J.; GNS Science, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; DeConto, R. M.; Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003‐9297, USA; Dunbar, G.; Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Dunbar, N.; Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand; Dunbar, R.; Department of Environmental Earth System Sciences, School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; von Eynatten, H.; Department of Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, Geoscience Center Göttingen (GZG), Goldschmidtstrasse 3, Göttingen, Germany; Gebhardt, C.; Alfred Wegener Institute, Department of Geosciences, Postfach 12 01 6, Am Alten Hafen 26, D-27515, Bremerhaven, Germany; Giorgetti, G.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Sienna, Via Laterina 8, I-53100, Sienna, Italy; Graham, I.; GNS Science, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Hannah, M.; Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Hansaraj, D.; Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Harwood, D. M.; ANDRILL Science Management Office, Department of Geosciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588‐0340, USA; Hinnov, L.; Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Jarrard, R. D.; Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Joseph, L.; Environmental Studies Program, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA; Kominz, M.; Department of Geology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA; Kuhn, G.; Alfred Wegener Institute, Department of Geosciences, Postfach 12 01 6, Am Alten Hafen 26, D-27515, Bremerhaven, Germany; Kyle, P.; New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Socorro, NM 87801, USA; Läufer, A.; Federal Institute for Geosciences & Natural Resources, BGR, Stilleweg 2, D-30655 Hannover, Germany; McIntosh, W. C.; New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Socorro, NM 87801, USA; McKay, R.; Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Maffioli, P.; Università Milano-Bicocca, Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche e Geotecnologie, Piazza della Scienza 4, I-20126 Milano, Italy; Magens, D.; Alfred Wegener Institute, Department of Geosciences, Postfach 12 01 6, Am Alten Hafen 26, D-27515, Bremerhaven, Germany; Millan, C.; Byrd Polar Research Centre, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Monien, D.; Alfred Wegener Institute, Department of Geosciences, Postfach 12 01 6, Am Alten Hafen 26, D-27515, Bremerhaven, Germany; Morin, R.; US Geological Survey, Mail Stop 403, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, USA; Paulsen, T.; Department of Geology, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, 800 WI 54901, USA; Persico, D.; Departimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Parma, Parco Aeres delle Scienze, 157 Parma, Italy; Pollard, D.; Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, 2217 Earth-Engineering Science Bldg, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Raine, J. I.; GNS Science, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Riesselman, C.; Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand; Sandroni, S.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Sienna, Via Laterina 8, I-53100, Sienna, Italy; Schmitt, D.; Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand; Sjunneskog, C.; Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility, Department of Geology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Strong, C. P.; GNS Science, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Talarico, F.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Sienna, Via Laterina 8, I-53100, Sienna, Italy; Taviani, M.; CNR, ISMAR — Bologna, Via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy; Villa, G.; Departimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Parma, Parco Aeres delle Scienze, 157 Parma, Italy; Vogel, S.; Department of Geology & Environmental Geosciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA; Wilch, T.; Albion College, Department of Geology, Albion, MI 49224, USA; Williams, T.; Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY 10964, USA; Wilson, T. J.; Byrd Polar Research Centre, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Wise, S.; Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility, Department of Geology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA Abstract: Stratigraphic drilling from the McMurdo Ice Shelf in the 2006/2007 austral summer recovered a 1284.87 m sedimentary succession from beneath the sea floor. Key age data for the core include magnetic polarity stratigraphy for the entire succession, diatom biostratigraphy for the upper 600 m and 40Ar/39Ar ages for in-situ volcanic deposits as well as reworked volcanic clasts. A vertical seismic profile for the drill hole allows correlation between the drill hole and a regional seismic network and inference of age constraint by correlation with well‐dated regional volcanic events through direct recognition of interlayered volcanic deposits as well as by inference from flexural loading of pre‐existing strata. The combined age model implies relatively rapid (1 m/2–5 ky) accumulation of sediment punctuated by hiatuses, which account for approximately 50% of the record. Three of the longer hiatuses coincide with basin‐wide seismic reflectors and, along with two thick volcanic intervals, they subdivide the succession into seven chronostratigraphic intervals with characteristic facies: 1. The base of the cored succession (1275–1220 mbsf) comprises middle Miocene volcaniclastic sandstone dated at approx 13.5 Ma by several reworked volcanic clasts; 2. A late-Miocene sub-polar orbitally controlled glacial–interglacial succession (1220–760 mbsf) bounded by two unconformities correlated with basin‐wide reflectors associated with early development of the terror rift; 3. A late Miocene volcanigenic succession (760–596 mbsf) terminating with a ~1 my hiatus at 596.35 mbsf which spans the Miocene–Pliocene boundary and is not recognised in regional seismic data; 4. An early Pliocene obliquity-controlled alternating diamictite and diatomite glacial–interglacial succession(590–440 mbsf), separated from; 5. A late Pliocene obliquity-controlled alternating diamictite and diatomite glacial–interglacial succession (440–150 mbsf) by a 750 ky unconformity interpreted to represent a major sequence boundary at other locations; 6. An early Pleistocene interbedded volcanic, diamictite and diatomite succession (150–80 mbsf), and; 7. A late Pleistocene glacigene succession (80–0 mbsf) comprising diamictite dominated sedimentary cycles deposited in a polar environment. 2012-09-30T22:00:00Z