The EDC3 chronology for the EPICA Dome C ice core

• Main Authors: Parrenin, Frédéric, Barnola, Jean-Marc, Beer, J., Blunier, Thomas, Castellano, E., Chappellaz, Jérôme, Dreyfus, G., Fischer, Hubertus, Fujita, S., Jouzel, Jean, Kawamura, Kenji, Lemieux-Dudon, Bénédicte, Loulergue, L., Masson-Delmotte, Valérie, Narcisi, Bianca Maria, Petit, Jean-Robert, Raisbeck, G., Raynaud, D., Ruth, U., Schwander, J., Severi, M., Spahni, R., Steffensen, J. P., Svensson, Anders, Udisti, R., Waelbroeck, C., Wolff, Eric W.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Surface Waters, Climate and Environmental Physics Bern (CEP), Physikalisches Institut Bern, Universität Bern = University of Bern = Université de Berne (UNIBE)-Universität Bern = University of Bern = Université de Berne (UNIBE), Department of Chemistry, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung = Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research = Institut Alfred-Wegener pour la recherche polaire et marine (AWI), Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft = Helmholtz Association, National Institute of Polar Research Tokyo (NiPR), Center for Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies Sendai, Tohoku University Sendai, Italian National agency for new technologies, Energy and sustainable economic development Frascati (ENEA), Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse (CSNSM), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Niels Bohr Institute Copenhagen (NBI), Faculty of Science Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH)-University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH), British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2008
• Subjects: [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces; environment; [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences; East Antarctica; Dome Fuji; Antarc*; Antarctica; EPICA; ice core
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00330730; https://hal.science/hal-00330730/document; https://hal.science/hal-00330730/file/cpd-3-575-2007.pdf

International audience The EPICA (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica) Dome C drilling in East Antarctica has now been completed to a depth of 3260 m, at only a few meters above bedrock. Here we present the new official EDC3 chronology, which is based on the use of 1) a snow accumulation and mechanical flow model, and 2) a set of independent age markers along the core. These are obtained by pattern matching of recorded parameters to either absolutely dated paleoclimatic records, or to insolation variations. We show that this new time scale is in excellent agreement with the Dome Fuji and Vostok ice core time scales back to 100 kyr within 1 kyr. Discrepancies larger than 3 kyr arise during MIS 5.4, 5.5 and 6, which points to anomalies in either snow accumulation or mechanical flow during these time periods. We estimate that EDC3 gives accurate event durations within 20% (2s ) back to MIS11 and accurate absolute ages with a maximum uncertainty of 6 kyr back to 800 kyr.