Eight centuries of volcanic signal and climate change at Talos Dome (East Antarctica)

During 1996 PNRA – ITASE traverse two firn cores were retrieved from the Talos Dome area (East Antarctica) at elevations of 2316 m (TD, 89 m long) and 2246 m (ST556, 19 m long). Cores were dated by using seasonal variations in nss SO42- concentrations coupled with the recognition of tritium marker level (1965-66) and nss SO42- spikes due to the most important volcanic events in the past (Pinatubo 1991, Agung 1963, Krakatoa 1883, Tambora 1815, Kuwae 1452, Unknown 1259). The number of annual layers recognised in the TD and ST556 cores were 779 and 97 respectively. The δD record obtained from the TD core has been compared with others East Antarctic isotope ice core records (Dome C EPICA, South Pole, Taylor Dome). These records suggests cooler climate conditions between the middle of 16th and the beginning of 19th centuries, which might be related to the Little Ice Age (LIA) cold period. Due to the high degree of geographical variability, the strongest LIA cooling was not temporally synchronous over East Antarctica and the analysed records do not provide a coherent picture for East Antarctica. The accumulation rate record presented for the TD core shows a decrease during part of the LIA followed by an increment of about 11% in accumulation during the 20th century. At the ST556 site, the accumulation rate observed during the 20th century was quite stable.