High time-resolution analysis of dust in the Dome Fuji ice core, East Antarctica: a comparison of differential climate stages during the last glacial period

Microparticles (dust) in deep ice cores in the polar area are well-known as an indicator of terrestrial materials. Dust concentration and flux variations in deep ice cores depend on variations of dust source areas and aridity by sea level changes, atmospheric transport intensity and the intensity of the hydrological cycle such as precipitation. Iizuka et al. (2004, 2006) reported that the short cycle signals such as seasonal to a few years on soluble ions preserved in the Dome Fuji ice core, East Antarctica in the Holocene and last glacial maximum (LGM) periods. We conducted the high time-resolution analysis of dust in the Dome Fuji ice core to study for possible paleoclimatic indications of seasonal and/or a few years climate variations in Holocene (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 1: depth:294.960 m-295.460 m), LGM (MIS 2: 540.725 m-541.250 m), stadial periods (MIS 4:1122.00 m-1122.473 m; MIS 5d: 1573.00 m-1573.500 m), interstadial periods (MIS 3: 1011.350 m-1011.850 m; MIS 5a:1294.470 m-1294.990 m) and the last interglacial period (MIS 5e:1765.500 m-1765.973 m). The high-resolution analysis of dust was conducted from 2 to 5 mm in thickness in these core samples. We were able to detect short cycle signals of dust concentration less than 1 cm depth. Dust concentrations are relatively high (mean: >300 ppbv) in cold climate stages such as LGM and stadial (MIS 4) periods and low (mean: <20 ppbv) in warm climate stages such as Holocene and last interglacial (MIS 5e) periods. On the other hands, deviations of dust concentrations and Ca2+/dust concentration ratios are relatively small in cold climate stages and relatively large in warm climate stages. It is suggested that dust source area variability such as surface conditions were relatively stable in cold climate stages and instable in warm climate stages in short time scale such as seasonal to a few years.