Antarctic Ice Sheet: Stable Isotope Analyses of Byrd Station Cores and Interhemispheric Climatic Implications

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Epstein, Samuel, Sharp, R. P., Gow, A. J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science 1970
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.168.3939.1570

Oxygen- and hydrogen-isotope analyses from the core hole through the Antarctic Ice Sheet at Byrd Station define temperature variations over more than 75,000 years. Synchronism between major climatic changes in Antarctica and the Northern Hemisphere is strongly indicated. The Wisconsin cold interval extended from 75,000 to 11,000 years ago. Three intra-Wisconsin warmer phases were all colder than pre- or post-Wisconsin times, which suggests that North American and Eurasian continental ice sheets did not disappear at any time during the Wisconsin. © 1970 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received 24 February 1970; revised 4 May 1970. Drilling of the Byrd Station core hole was conducted by the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. A. J. Gow's participation in this program was supported by NSF grant AG-105. The isotope analyses were funded by NSF grant GA-1663 to the California Institute of Technology. Division of Geological Sciences, Contribution No. 1720.