Palaeoclimatological and chronological implications of the Vostok core dust record

The dust record obtained down to 2202 m, the final depth to which the Vostok ice core extended in 1986, is presented and discussed. The fact that major changes in aeolian deposits, as recorded in the core, appear to be of global significance and confirm the existence of a link between high-latitude aeolian deposits and the earth's orbital parameters is documented. Atmospheric dust is proposed as a stratigraphic marker to compare timing with other records of palaeoclimate, and the magnetic-susceptibility profile measured along the RC11-120 Indian Ocean core is used for this purpose, assuming that major dust events correspond to common aeolian inputs. This approach indicates that the Vostok and marine records were roughly in phase at the previous glacial-interglacial transition.