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We present results of a multi-proxy study on marine sediment core JR179-PC466 recovered from the crest of a sediment drift off the West Antarctic Peninsula at approximately 2300 m water depth. The 10.45 m-long core consists dominantly of glaciomarine terrigenous sediments, with only traces of calcium carbonate (<1 wt%). Despite the very low abundance of calcareous foraminifera, planktonic shell numbers are sufficient for stable isotope analyses in two-thirds of the samples studied. The core chronology is based on oxygen isotope stratigraphy and correlation of its relative palaeomagnetic intensity (RPI) with a stacked reference curve. According to the age model, core PC466 spans the last 75 ka, with average sedimentation rates of between about 4 and 25 cm ka−1. Planktonic foraminifera abundances fluctuate between 0 and 30 individuals per gram throughout the core, with minima observed during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 (14–29 ka before present, BP) and MIS4 (57–71 ka BP). Planktonic foraminifera are present in the Holocene but more abundant in sediments deposited during MIS3 (29–57 ka BP), owing to less dilution by terrigenous detritus and/or better carbonate preservation. During MIS3, foraminifera maxima correlate with Antarctic warming events as recorded in the δ18O signal of the EPICA Dronning Maud Land (EDML) ice core. They indicate higher planktonic foraminifera production and better carbonate preservation west of the Antarctic Peninsula during that time. The abundance of ice-rafted detritus (IRD) in core PC466 increased during the last deglaciation between about 19 and 11 ka BP, when numerous icebergs drifted across the core site, thereby releasing IRD. During this time, sea-level rise destabilized the Antarctic Peninsula (APIS) and West Antarctic (WAIS) ice sheets that had advanced onto the shelf during the sea-level low-stand of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; c. 19–23 ka BP). Overall, our results demonstrate that it is possible to establish an age model and r

Marine and terrestrial geological and marine geophysical data that constrain deglaciation since the LastGlacial Maximum (LGM) of the sector of theWest Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) draining into the AmundsenSea and Bellingshausen Sea have been collated and used as the basis for a set of time-slice reconstructions.The drainage basins in these sectors constitute a little more than one-quarter of the area ofthe WAIS, but account for about one-third of its surface accumulation. Their mass balance is becomingincreasingly negative, and therefore they account for an even larger fraction of currentWAIS discharge. Ifall of the ice in these sectors of the WAIS were discharged to the ocean, global sea level would rise byca 2 m.There is compelling evidence that grounding lines of palaeo-ice streams were at, or close to, thecontinental shelf edge along the Amundsen Sea and Bellingshausen Sea margins during the last glacialperiod. However, the few cosmogenic surface exposure ages and ice core data available from the interiorofWest Antarctica indicate that ice surface elevations there have changed little since the LGM. In the fewareas from which cosmogenic surface exposure ages have been determined near the margin of the icesheet, they generally suggest that there has been a gradual decrease in ice surface elevation since pre-Holocene times. Radiocarbon dates from glacimarine and the earliest seasonally open marine sedimentsin continental shelf cores that have been interpreted as providing approximate ages for post-LGMgrounding-line retreat indicate different trajectories of palaeo-ice stream recession in the Amundsen Seaand Bellingshausen Sea embayments. The areas were probably subject to similar oceanic, atmosphericand eustatic forcing, in which case the differences are probably largely a consequence of how topographicand geological factors have affected ice flow, and of topographic influences on snow accumulation andwarm water inflow across the continental shelf.Pauses in ice retr

[1] Ice shelves are critical features in the debate about West Antarctic ice sheet change and sea level rise, both because they limit ice discharge and because they are sensitive to change in the surrounding ocean. The Pine Island Glacier ice shelf has been thinning rapidly since at least the early 1990s, which has caused its trunk to accelerate and retreat. Although the ice shelf front has remained stable for the past six decades, past periods of ice shelf collapse have been inferred from relict seabed “corrugations” (corrugated ridges), preserved 340 km from the glacier in Pine Island Trough. Here we present high-resolution bathymetry gathered by an autonomous underwater vehicle operating beneath an Antarctic ice shelf, which provides evidence of long-term change in Pine Island Glacier. Corrugations and ploughmarks on a sub-ice shelf ridge that was a former grounding line closely resemble those observed offshore, interpreted previously as the result of iceberg grounding. The same interpretation here would indicate a significantly reduced ice shelf extent within the last 11 kyr, implying Holocene glacier retreat beyond present limits, or a past tidewater glacier regime different from today. The alternative, that corrugations were not formed in open water, would question ice shelf collapse events interpreted from the geological record, revealing detail of another bed-shaping process occurring at glacier margins. We assess hypotheses for corrugation formation and suggest periodic grounding of ice shelf keels during glacier unpinning as a viable origin. This interpretation requires neither loss of the ice shelf nor glacier retreat and is consistent with a “stable” grounding-line configuration throughout the Holocene., AuthorCount: 8;Funding agencies:Natural Environment Research Council; NERC NE/G001367/1; NSF OPP06-32282

Studies of the sedimentary architecture and characteristics of the Antarctic continental margin provide clues about past ice sheet advance-retreat cycles and help improve constraints for paleo-ice dynamic models since early glacial periods. A first seismostratigraphic analysis of the Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf and slope of West Antarctica reveals insights into the structural architecture of the continental margin and shows stages of sediment deposition, erosion and transport reflecting the history from pre-glacial times to early glaciation and to the late Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles. The shelf geometry consists of a large pre- and syn-rift basin in the middle shelf region between basement cropping out on the inner shelf and buried basement ridge and highs on the outer shelf. A subordinate basin within the large basin on the mid-shelf may be associated with motion along an early West Antarctic Rift System branch. At least 4 km of pre-glacial strata have been eroded from the present inner shelf and coastal hinterland by glacial processes. Six major sedimentary units (ASS-1 to ASS-6) separated by five major erosional unconformities (ASS-u1 to ASS-u5) are distinguished from bottom to top. Unconformity ASS-u4 results from a major truncational event by glacial advance to the middle and outer shelf, which was followed by several episodes of glacial advance and retreat as observed from smaller-scale truncational unconformities within the units above ASS-u4. Some of the eroded sediments were deposited as a progradional wedge that extends the outer shelf by 25 to 65 km oceanward of the pre-glacial shelf-break. We compare the observed seismic characteristics with those of other Antarctic shelf sequences and assign an Early Cretaceous age to bottom sedimentary unit ASS-1, a Late Cretaceous to Oligocene age to unit ASS-2, an Early to Mid-Miocene age to unit ASS-3, a Mid-Miocene age to unit ASS-4, a Late Miocene to Early Pliocene age to unit ASS-5, and a Pliocene to

Ice shelves are critical features in the debate about West Antarctic ice sheet change and sea level rise, both because they limit ice discharge and because they are sensitive to change in the surrounding ocean. The Pine Island Glacier ice shelf has been thinning rapidly since at least the early 1990s, which has caused its trunk to accelerate and retreat. Although the ice shelf front has remained stable for the past six decades, past periods of ice shelf collapse have been inferred from relict seabed “corrugations” (corrugated ridges), preserved 340 km from the glacier in Pine Island Trough. Here we present high-resolution bathymetry gathered by an autonomous underwater vehicle operating beneath an Antarctic ice shelf, which provides evidence of long-term change in Pine Island Glacier. Corrugations and ploughmarks on a sub-ice shelf ridge that was a former grounding line closely resemble those observed offshore, interpreted previously as the result of iceberg grounding. The same interpretation here would indicate a significantly reduced ice shelf extent within the last 11 kyr, implying Holocene glacier retreat beyond present limits, or a past tidewater glacier regime different from today. The alternative, that corrugations were not formed in open water, would question ice shelf collapse events interpreted from the geological record, revealing detail of another bed-shaping process occurring at glacier margins. We assess hypotheses for corrugation formation and suggest periodic grounding of ice shelf keels during glacier unpinning as a viable origin. This interpretation requires neither loss of the ice shelf nor glacier retreat and is consistent with a “stable” grounding-line configuration throughout the Holocene.

Valuable insights into future sensitivity of the Antarctic cryosphere to atmospheric and oceanic warming can be gained from the geologic record of past climatic warm intervals. Continental to deep ocean sediments provide records of contemporaneous changes in ice sheet extent and oceanographic conditions that extend back in time, including periods with atmospheric CO2 levels and temperatures similar to those likely to be reached in the next 100 years. The Circum-Antarctic region is under-sampled respect to scientific ocean drilling. However, recovery from glacially-influenced, continental shelf and rise sediments (expeditions ODP178, 188 and IODP 318), provided excellent records of Cenozoic climate and ice sheet evolution. The ANtarctic DRILLing program achieved >98% recovery on the Ross Sea shelf with a stable platform on fast ice with riser drilling technology. Newer technologies, such as the MeBo shallow drilling rig will further improve Antarctic margin drilling. Drilling around Antarctica in the past decades revealed cooling and regional ice growth during the Cenozoic, coupled with paleogeographic, CO2 atmosphere concentration and global temperature changes. Substantial progress has been made in dating sediments and in the interpretation of paleoclimate/paleoenvironmental proxies in Antarctic margin sediments (e.g. orbital scale variations in Antarctica’s cryosphere during the Miocene and Pliocene). Holocene ultra-high resolution shelf sections recently recovered can be correlated to the ice core record, to detect local mechanisms versus inter-hemispheric connections. While the potential for reconstructing past ice sheet history has been demonstrated through a careful integration of geological and geophysical data with numerical ice sheet modelling, uncertainties remain high due to the sparse geographic distribution of the records and the regional variability in the ice sheet’s response. Projects developed using a multi-leg, multi-platform approach (e.g. latitud

Studies of the sedimentary architecture and characteristics of Antarctic shelves provide clues of past ice sheet advance-retreat cycles and help improve constraints for paleo-ice dynamic models since early glacial periods. A first seismostratigraphic analysis of the Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf and slope of West Antarctica reveals insights into the structural architecture of the continental margin and shows stages of sediment deposition, erosion and transport history from pre-glacial times to early glaciation and to the most recent glacial periods. The shelf geometry consists of a large pre- and syn-rift basin in the middle shelf region between outcropping basement of the inner shelf and basement ridges and highs beneath the outer shelf. A middle shelf sub-basin exists which may have formed as a result of motion along an early West Antarctic Rift System branch. At least 4 km of pre-glacial strata has been eroded from the present inner shelf and coastal hinterland by ice sheet advances since the onset of glaciation. Some of the eroded sediments were deposited as a progradational wedge extending the outer shelf by 25 to 65 km oceanward of the pre-glacial shelf-break. Comparing the observed seismic characteristics with those of other Antarctic shelf sequences, we assign an Early Cretaceous age for bottom sedimentary unit ASS-1, a Late Cretaceous to Oligocene age for unit ASS-2, an Early to Mid-Miocene age for unit ASS-3, a Mid-Miocene age for unit ASS-4, a Late Miocene to Early Pliocene age for unit ASS-5, and a Pliocene to Pleistocene age for the top unit ASS-6. The survival of buried grounding zone wedges in the upper part of unit ASS-5 of the outer shelf is consistent with the onset of a long warming phase and a retreated ice sheet in the early Pliocene as observed for the Ross Sea shelf and reconstructed from paleo-ice sheet models. Our data also reveal that the paleo-ice flow paths of the central Pine Island Trough system have remained stationary across the middle

Palaeo-ice sheet beds that are exposed today on polar continental shelves provide unique archives of conditions at the base of ice sheets that are difficult to assess beneath their modern counterparts. During the last decade, several of these palaeo-ice sheet beds have been studied in detail to reconstruct the flow, extent, and retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) at and since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), respectively. The focus of these investigations, however, lay on troughs eroded by palaeo-ice streams into the shelf. Multibeam swath bathymetry mapping of a mid-shelf bank between the troughs of the Pine Island-Thwaites and Cosgrove palaeo-ice streams on the eastern Amundsen Sea shelf has revealed well-preserved sub- and proglacial bedforms, including large-scale ribbed moraines, hill-hole pairs, terminal moraines, and crevasse-squeeze ridges. Together, these features form a landform assemblage that is entirely different from previously described glacial bedforms in the adjacent troughs and allows us to reconstruct ice flow and retreat dynamics in an inter-ice stream area. This research closes an important gap in the understanding of past WAIS behaviour in the eastern Amundsen Sea Embayment and will serve as a diagnostic tool in future studies on similar inter-ice stream ridge areas. Another geomorphological study of a previously unmapped area of the West Antarctic continental shelf conducted systematic mapping of the West Antarctic continental shelf in the western Amundsen Sea, offshore from the westernmost Getz Ice Shelf. Here, a landward deepening palaeo-ice stream trough is incised into the shelf. The seafloor within the western-central part of the trough is characterized by a large, ~70 m thick and ~17 km long grounding zone wedge (GZW). The back-slope of the GZW is characterized by highly elongate streamlined bedforms suggesting fast palaeo-ice flow towards NW. In contrast, the outer shelf seafloor offshore from the GZW is predominantly smooth a

Palaeo-ice stream beds that are exposed today on polar continental shelves provide unique archives of conditions at the base of ice sheets that are difficult to assess beneath their modern counterparts. During the last decade, several of these palaeo-ice stream beds have been studied in detail to reconstruct the extent of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the patterns of ice drainage, and the timing of grounding-line retreat during the last deglaciation. However, despite significant advances, such information still remains poorly constrained in numerous drainage sectors of the WAIS. In particular, the maximum extent of ice at the LGM remains ambiguous for key drainage basins of the ice sheet. Whether the WAIS extended to the shelf break in the entire Pacific sector, or it advanced, at least locally, only to a middle or outer shelf position, is a crucial piece of information required for reconstructing and modeling patterns of ice-sheet change from past to present. Here we present new marine geological and geophysical data that we collected on R/V “Polarstern” expedition ANT-XXVI/3 in early 2010 to investigate the extent, flow, and retreat of the WAIS from an especially poorly studied part of the West Antarctic shelf, offshore from the Hobbs Coast in the western Amundsen Sea. Here, a landward deepening palaeo-ice stream trough is incised into the shelf. The seafloor within the western-central part of the trough is characterized by a large grounding zone wedge (GZW), ~70 m thick and ~17 km long, which overlies a high of seaward dipping sedimentary strata. Directly seaward of the GZW a ~20 km wide 80±10 m deep relatively flat basin is mapped. The back-slope of the GZW is characterized by highly elongate streamlined bedforms suggesting fast palaeo-ice flow towards NW. In contrast, the outer shelf seafloor offshore from the GZW is predominantly smooth, at numerous locations scoured by icebergs and characterized by a distinct and ~2 m

Studies of the sedimentary architecture and characteristics of Antarctic shelves provide clues of past ice sheet advance-retreat cycles and help improve constraints for paleo-ice dynamic models since early glacial periods. A first seismostratigraphic analysis of the Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf and slope of West Antarctica reveals insights into the structural architecture of the continental shelf and slope and shows stages of sediment deposition, erosion and transport history from pre-glacial times to early glaciation and to the last glacial periods. The shelf geometry consists of a large pre- and syn-rift basin in the middle shelf region between outcropping basement of the inner shelf and basement ridge and highs of the outer shelf. A middle shelf sub-basin exists which can be associated with motion along an early West Antarctic Rift System branch. At least 4 km of pre-glacial strata has been eroded from the present inner shelf and coastal hinterland since the onset of glaciation by ice sheet advances. Parts of the eroded sediments deposited as a progradational wedge extending the outer shelf by 25 to 65 km oceanward of the pre-glacial shelf-break. Comparing the observed seismic characteristics with that of other Antarctic shelf sequences, we assign an Early Cretaceous age for bottom sedimentary unit ASS-1, a Late Cretaceous to Oligocene age for unit ASS-2, an Early to Mid-Miocene age for unit ASS-3, a Mid-Miocene age for unit ASS-4, a Late Miocene to Early Pliocene age for unit ASS-5, and a Pliocene to Pleistocene age for the top unit ASS-6. The survival of buried grounding zone wedges in the upper part of unit ASS-5 of the outer shelf is consistent with the onset of a long warming phase and a retreated ice sheet in the early Pliocene as observed for the Ross Sea shelf and predicted by paleo-ice sheet models. Our data also reveal that the paleo-paths of central Pine Island Trough system have remained in stationary positions across the middle and outer shelf since

Five quantitatively distinct gully types are identified on the Antarctic continental margin from swath bathymetric data of over 1100 individual features. The gullies differ in terms of length, width, depth, width/depth ratio, cross-sectional shape, branching order, sinuosity and spatial density. Quantitative analysis suggests that Antarctic gully morphology varies with local slope character (i.e. slope geometry, gradient), regional factors (i.e. location of cross-shelf troughs, trough mouth fans, subglacial meltwater production rates, drainage basin size), sediment yield and ice-sheet history. In keeping with interpretations of previous researchers, most gullies are probably formed by hyperpycnal flows of sediment-laden subglacial meltwater released from beneath ice-sheets grounded at the continental shelf edge during glacial maxima. The limited down-slope extent of gullies on the western Antarctic Peninsula is explained by the steep gradient and slope geometry at the mouth of Marguerite Trough, which cause flows to accelerate and entrain seawater more quickly, resulting in a reduction of the negative buoyancy effect of the sediment load. Due to pressure gradients at the ice-sheet bed caused by variations in ice thickness inside and outside palaeo-ice stream troughs, subglacial meltwater flow was generally focussed towards trough margins. This has resulted in gullies with larger cross-sectional areas and higher sinuosities at the trough margins. A unique style of gullying is observed off one part of the western Antarctic Peninsula, corresponding to an area in which the ice-sheet grounding line is not thought to have reached the shelf edge during the Last Glacial Maximum. We interpret the features in this area as the cumulative result of slope processes that operated over a long period of time in the absence of hyperpycnal meltwater flows.

Since the first discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents along the Galápagos Rift in 1977, numerous vent sites and endemic faunal assemblages have been found along mid-ocean ridges and back-arc basins at low to mid latitudes. These discoveries have suggested the existence of separate biogeographic provinces in the Atlantic and the North West Pacific, the existence of a province including the South West Pacific and Indian Ocean, and a separation of the North East Pacific, North East Pacific Rise, and South East Pacific Rise. The Southern Ocean is known to be a region of high deep-sea species diversity and centre of origin for the global deep-sea fauna. It has also been proposed as a gateway connecting hydrothermal vents in different oceans but is little explored because of extreme conditions. Since 2009 we have explored two segments of the East Scotia Ridge (ESR) in the Southern Ocean using a remotely operated vehicle. In each segment we located deep-sea hydrothermal vents hosting high-temperature black smokers up to 382.8°C and diffuse venting. The chemosynthetic ecosystems hosted by these vents are dominated by a new yeti crab (Kiwa n. sp.), stalked barnacles, limpets, peltospiroid gastropods, anemones, and a predatory sea star. Taxa abundant in vent ecosystems in other oceans, including polychaete worms (Siboglinidae), bathymodiolid mussels, and alvinocaridid shrimps, are absent from the ESR vents. These groups, except the Siboglinidae, possess planktotrophic larvae, rare in Antarctic marine invertebrates, suggesting that the environmental conditions of the Southern Ocean may act as a dispersal filter for vent taxa. Evidence from the distinctive fauna, the unique community structure, and multivariate analyses suggest that the Antarctic vent ecosystems represent a new vent biogeographic province. However, multivariate analyses of species present at the ESR and at other deep-sea hydrothermal vents globally indicate that vent biogeography is more complex than previou

Multichannel seismic reflection lines collected in the western Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) provide an insight into the sedimentary cover on the shelf, which documents glacial processes. Numerous columnar, reflection-poor structures penetrating the sedimentary sequences on the middle shelf form the focus of this study. The features range between 50 and 500 m in width, and from a few metres up to 500 m in height. The columns originate and end at different depths, but do not seem to penetrate to the seafloor. They show well-defined vertical boundaries, and reflection signals can be identified below them. Hence, we exclude gas-bearing chimneys. Based on the general seismic reflection characteristics we suggest that the columns originate from dewatering processes which occur close to glaciated areas where fluids are pressed out of rapidly loaded sediments. Likely several mud-diapirs rise from water-rich mud layers within a mixed sedimentary succession and penetrate overlying denser and coarse-grained sediment strata. The presence of fluid-escape veins indicates a glacial origin and overprinting of the older sedimentary sequences on the ASE. The locations of the structures indicate that grounded ice sheets reached at least onto the middle shelf during former glacial periods.

We present a reconstruction of the Antarctic topography at the Eocene–Oligocene (ca. 34 Ma) climate transition. This provides a realistic key boundary condition for modeling the first big Antarctic ice sheets at this time instead of using the present day bedrock topography, which has changed significantly from millions of years of tectonism and erosion. We reconstruct topography using a set of tools including ice sheet-erosion models, models of thermal subsidence and plate movement. Erosion estimates are constrained with offshore sediment volumes estimated from seismic stratigraphy. Maximum and minimum topographic reconstructions are presented as indicators of the range of uncertainty. Our results point to a significant upland area in the Ross Sea/Marie Byrd Land and Weddell Sea sectors. In addition, East Antarctic coastal troughs are much shallower than today due to the restoration of material that has been selectively eroded by the evolving ice sheets. Parts of East Antarctica have not changed since the E–O boundary because they were protected under non-erosive cold-based ice. The reconstructions provide a better-defined boundary condition for modeling that seeks to understand interaction between the Antarctic ice sheet and climate, along with more robust estimates of past ice volumes under a range of orbital settings and greenhouse gas concentrations.

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ca 23–19 ka BP) extent of grounded ice in the Filchner Trough, a major cross shelf trough extending seaward from the Filchner Ice Shelf in the southern Weddell Sea, has been much debated. Here we present data from the first extensive multibeam swath bathymetry and sub-bottom acoustic profiling surveys in the Filchner Trough that include several parallel survey lines with overlapping swaths. We interpret these new data, combined with published observations and radiocarbon dates from sediment cores, as indicating that the grounding line in the Filchner Trough during the LGM advanced beyond the middle shelf, probably to within 40 km of the shelf break, and possibly reached the shelf break. Three different hypotheses are discussed that could reconcile this interpretation with interpretations, based on ice coring and surface exposure age data, that LGM ice surface elevations in areas draining into the Filchner and Ronne ice shelves were no more than a few hundred metres higher than today: (1) ice plain conditions extended along most of the Filchner Trough; (2) the ice shelf advanced and thickened so that it “touched down” on the continental shelf for a short period; (3) LGM ice drainage pathways in the interior of the Weddell Sea embayment were different from those observed today.

The history of grounded ice-sheet extent on the southern Weddell Sea shelf during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the timing of post-LGM ice-sheet retreat are poorly constrained. Several glaciological models reconstructed widespread grounding and major thickening of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Weddell Sea sector at the LGM. In contrast, recently published onshore data and modelling results concluded only very limited LGM-thickening of glaciers and ice streams feeding into the modern Filchner and Ronne ice shelves. These studies concluded that during the LGM ice shelves rather than grounded ice covered the Filchner and Ronne troughs, two deep palaeo-ice stream troughs eroded into the southern Weddell Sea shelf. Here we review previously published and unpublished marine geophysical and geological data from the southern Weddell Sea shelf. The stratigraphy and geometry of reflectors in acoustic sub-bottom profiles are similar to those from other West Antarctic palaeo-ice stream troughs, where grounded ice had advanced to the shelf break at the LGM. Numerous cores from the southern Weddell Sea shelf recovered sequences with properties typical for subglacially deposited tills or subglacially compacted sediments. These data sets give evidence that grounded ice had advanced across the shelf during the past, thereby grounding in even the deepest parts of the Filchner and Ronne troughs. Radiocarbon dates from glaciomarine sediments overlying the subglacial deposits are limited, but indicate that the ice grounding occurred at the LGM and that ice retreat started before w15.1 corrected 14C kyrs before present (BP) on the outer shelf and before w7.7 corrected 14C kyrs BP on the inner shelf, which is broadly synchronous with ice retreat in other Antarctic sectors. The apparent mismatch between the ice-sheet reconstructions from marine and terrestrial data can be attributed to ice streams with very low surface profiles (similar to those of “ice plains”) that had advanced thr

Multichannel seismic reflection lines collected in the western Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) provide an insight into the sedimentary cover on the shelf, which documents glacial processes. Numerous columnar, reflection-poor structures penetrating the sedimentary sequences on the middle shelf form the focus of this study. The features range between 50 to 500 m in width, and from a few metres up to 500 m in height. The columns originate and end at different depths, but do not seem to penetrate to the seafloor. They show well-defined vertical boundaries, and reflection signals can be identified below them. Hence, we exclude gas-bearing chimneys. Based on the general seismic reflection characteristics we suggest that the columns originate from dewatering processes which occur close to glaciated areas where fluids are pressed out of rapidly loaded sediments. Likely several mud-diapirs rise from water-rich mud layers within a mixed sedimentary succession and penetrate overlying denser and coarse-grained sediment strata. The presence of fluid-escape veins indicates a glacial origin and overprinting of the older sedimentary sequences on the ASE. The locations of the structures indicate that grounded ice sheets reached at least onto the middle shelf during former glacial periods.

The southern Bellingshausen Sea (SBS) is a rapidly-changing part of West Antarctica, where oceanic and atmospheric warming has led to the recent basal melting and break-up of the Wilkins ice shelf, the dynamic thinning of fringing glaciers, and sea-ice reduction. Accurate sea-floor morphology is vital for understanding the continued effects of each process upon changes within Antarctica's ice sheets. Here we present a new bathymetric grid for the SBS compiled from shipborne multibeam echo-sounder, spot-sounding and sub-ice measurements. The 1-km grid is the most detailed compilation for the SBS to-date, revealing large cross-shelf troughs, shallow banks, and deep inner-shelf basins that continue inland of coastal ice shelves. The troughs now serve as pathways which allow warm deep water to access the ice sheet in the SBS. Our dataset highlights areas still lacking bathymetric constraint, as well as regions for further investigation, including the likely routes of palaeo-ice streams. The new compilation is a major improvement upon previous grids and will be a key dataset for incorporating into simulations of ocean circulation, ice-sheet change and history. It will also serve forecasts of ice stability and future sea-level contributions from ice loss in West Antarctica, required for the next IPCC assessment report in 2013.

The Amundsen Sea embayment is a probable site for the initiation of a future collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the transport pathways of subglacial sediments into this embayment at present and during the last glacial period. It discusses the clay mineral composition of sediment samples taken from the seafloor surface and marine cores in order to decipher spatial and temporal changes in the sediment provenance. The most striking feature in the present-day clay mineral distribution is the high concentration of kaolinite, which is mainly supplied by the Thwaites Glacier system and indicates the presence of hitherto unknown kaolinite-bearing sedimentary strata in the hinterland, probably in the Byrd Subglacial Basin. The main illite input is via the Pine Island Glacier. Smectite originates from the erosion of volcanic rocks in Ellsworth Land and western Marie Byrd Land. The clay mineral assemblages in diamictons deposited during the last glacial period are distinctly different from those in corresponding surface sediments. This relationship indicates that glacial sediment sources were different from modern ones, which could reflect changes in the catchment areas of the glaciers and ice streams.

Sediment cores from cross-shelf troughs on the NE Antarctic Peninsula shelf recovered tills with variable shear strengths that represent different subglacial depositional regimes. In addition to detailed qualitative micromorphological descriptions, a quantitative method was applied, which revealed a higher abundance of boudins and intraclasts and a lower abundance of crushed and fractured grains in samples from the soft till compared with samples from the underlying stiff till. This is the first evidence of significant (micro-scale) differences between the two types of till and thus strengthens previous interpretations that were based primarily on shear strength. The differences between the soft and stiff till relate to a deforming continuum whereby the initial deposition of till as ice advanced across the shelf produced ductile structures before dewatering and compaction led to the formation of brittle structures such as crushed and fractured grains in the now stiff till. A change in ice-flow dynamics led to streaming flow and the deformation of the upper parts of the stiff till that was being reworked into a soft till. The soft till facilitated ice streaming, and progressive shearing led to the homogenization of the ice stream substrate, which was partially advected downstream. The resulting till thus contains poly-deformational structures, with deformation structures inherited from the stiff till being generally poorly preserved. Our micromorphological analysis of the soft till provides the first widespread sedimentological evidence of deformation across the palaeo-ice stream bed on the NE Antarctic Peninsula shelf.

Acoustic sub-bottom profiler surveys on the northeast Antarctic Peninsula shelf indicate that parts of the seabed are underlain by an acoustically transparent layer that is thin on the inner shelf and becomes thicker and more extensive towards the outer shelf. Sedimentological and geophysical data are combined to construct a bed model where streaming ice flow, by both deformation and basal sliding, took place within cross-shelf troughs. The model suggests only limited deformation contributed to fast flow on the inner shelf, i.e. in the onset zone of ice streaming, where the bed was predominantly underlain by a stiff till. Thus, fast ice flow in this area might have been by basal sliding, with deformation confined to discontinuous patches of soft till <40 cm thick. Towards the middle and outer shelf, extensive, thick sequences of soft till suggest a change in the dominant subglacial process towards widespread deformation. This downstream change from basal sliding to subglacial deformation is manifest in the transition from stiff-till dominance to soft-till dominance, while a downstream increase in ice flow velocity is evident from the complex geomorphic imprint on the inner shelf evolving to the more restricted set of bedforms on the outer shelf.

The Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) drains approximately 35% of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and is one of the most rapidly changing parts of the cryosphere. In order to predict future ice sheet behaviour, modellers require long-term records of ice-sheet melting to constrain and build confidence in their simulations. Here, we present detailed marine geological and radiocarbon data along three palaeo-ice stream tributary troughs in the western ASE to establish vital information on the timing of deglaciation of the WAIS since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We have undertaken multi-proxy analyses of the cores (core description, shear strength, x-radiographs, magnetic susceptibility, wet bulk density, total organic carbon/nitrogen, carbonate content and clay mineral analyses) in order to: (1) characterise the sedimentological facies and depositional environments; and (2) identify the horizon(s) in each core that would yield the most reliable age for deglaciation. In accordance with previous studies we identify three key facies, which offer the most reliable stratigraphies for dating deglaciation by recording the transition from a grounded ice sheet to open marine environments. These facies are: i) subglacial, ii) proximal grounding line, and iii) seasonal open marine. In addition, we incorporate ages from other facies (e.g., glaciomarine diamictons deposited at some distance from the grounding line, such as glaciogenic debris flows and iceberg-rafted diamictons and turbates) into our deglacial model. In total, we have dated 78 samples (mainly the acid insoluble organic (AIO) fraction, but also calcareous foraminifers), which include 63 downcore and 15 surface samples. Through careful sample selection prior to dating, we have established a robust deglacial chronology for this sector of the WAIS. Our data show that deglaciation of the western ASE was probably underway as early as 22,351 calibrated years before present (cal yr BP), reaching the mid-shelf by 13,837 cal

Sediment cores from cross-shelf troughs on the NE Antarctic Peninsula shelf recovered tills with variable shear strengths that represent different subglacial depositional regimes. In addition to detailed qualitative micromorphological descriptions, a quantitative method was applied, which revealed a higher abundance of boudins and intraclasts and a lower abundance of crushed and fractured grains in samples from the soft till compared with samples from the underlying stiff till. This is the first evidence of significant (micro-scale) differences between the two types of till and thus strengthens previous interpretations that were based primarily on shear strength. The differences between the soft and stiff till relate to a deforming continuum whereby the initial deposition of till as ice advanced across the shelf produced ductile structures before dewatering and compaction led to the formation of brittle structures such as crushed and fractured grains in the now stiff till. A change in ice-flow dynamics led to streaming flow and the deformation of the upper parts of the stiff till that was being reworked into a soft till. The soft till facilitated ice streaming, and progressive shearing led to the homogenization of the ice stream substrate, which was partially advected downstream. The resulting till thus contains poly-deformational structures, with deformation structures inherited from the stiff till being generally poorly preserved. Our micromorphological analysis of the soft till provides the first widespread sedimentological evidence of deformation across the palaeo-ice stream bed on the NE Antarctic Peninsula shelf., QC 20220921

Acoustic sub-bottom profiler surveys on the northeast Antarctic Peninsula shelf indicate that parts of the seabed are underlain by an acoustically transparent layer that is thin on the inner shelf and becomes thicker and more extensive towards the outer shelf. Sedimentological and geophysical data are combined to construct a bed model where streaming ice flow, by both deformation and basal sliding, took place within cross-shelf troughs. The model suggests only limited deformation contributed to fast flow on the inner shelf, i.e. in the onset zone of ice streaming, where the bed was predominantly underlain by a stiff till. Thus, fast ice flow in this area might have been by basal sliding, with deformation confined to discontinuous patches of soft till <40cm thick. Towards the middle and outer shelf, extensive, thick sequences of soft till suggest a change in the dominant subglacial process towards widespread deformation. This downstream change from basal sliding to subglacial deformation is manifest in the transition from stiff-till dominance to soft-till dominance, while a downstream increase in ice flow velocity is evident from the complex geomorphic imprint on the inner shelf evolving to the more restricted set of bedforms on the outer shelf., QC 20220909

Multibeam swath bathymetry and sub-bottom profiler data are used to establish constraints on the flow and retreat history of a major palaeo-ice stream that carried the combined discharge from the parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet now occupied by the Pine Island and Thwaites glacier basins. Sets of highly elongated bedforms show that, at the last glacial maximum, the route of the Pine Island-Thwaites palaeo-ice stream arced north-northeast following a prominent cross-shelf trough. In this area, the grounding line advanced to within similar to 68 km of, and probably reached, the shelf edge. Minimum ice thickness is estimated at 715 m on the outer shelf, and we estimate a minimum ice discharge of similar to 108 km(3) yr(-1) assuming velocities similar to today's Pine Island glacier (similar to 2.5 km yr(-1)). Additional bed forms observed in a trough northwest of Pine Island Bay likely formed via diachronous ice flows across the outer shelf and demonstrate switching ice stream behavior. The "style" of ice retreat is also evident in five grounding zone wedges, which suggest episodic deglaciation characterized by halts in grounding line migration up-trough. Stillstands occurred in association with changes in ice bed gradient, and phases of inferred rapid retreat correlate to higher bed slopes, supporting theoretical studies that show bed geometry as a control on ice margin recession. However, estimates that individual wedges could have formed within several centuries still imply a relatively rapid overall retreat. Our findings show that the ice stream channeled a substantial fraction of West Antarctica's discharge in the past, just as the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers do today.

A major trough ("Belgica Trough") eroded by a palaeo-ice stream crosses the continental shelf of the southern Bellingshausen Sea (West Antarctica) and is associated with a trough mouth fan ("Belgica TMF") on the adjacent continental slope. Previous marine geophysical and geological studies investigated the bathymetry and geomorphology of Belgica Trough and Belgica TMF, erosional and depositional processes associated with bedform formation, and the temporal and spatial changes in clay mineral provenance of subglacial and glaciomarine sediments. Here, we present multi-proxy data from sediment cores recovered from the shelf and uppermost slope in the southern Bellingshausen Sea and reconstruct the ice-sheet history since the last glacial maximum (LGM) in this poorly studied area of West Antarctica. We combined new data (physical properties, sedimentary structures, geochemical and grain-size data) with published data (shear strength, clay mineral assemblages) to refine a previous facies classification for the sediments. The multi-proxy approach allowed us to distinguish four main facies types and to assign them to the following depositional settings: 1) subglacial, 2) proximal grounding-line, 3) distal sub-ice shelf/sub-sea ice, and 4) seasonal open-marine. In the seasonal open-marine fades we found evidence for episodic current-induced winnowing of near-seabed sediments on the middle to outer shelf and at the uppermost slope during the late Holocene. In addition, we obtained data on excess Pb-210 activity at three core sites and 44 AMS C-14 dates from the acid-insoluble fraction of organic matter (AIO) and calcareous (micro-) fossils, respectively, at 12 sites. These chronological data enabled us to reconstruct, for the first time, the timing of the last advance and retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) in the southern Bellingshausen Sea. We used the down-core variability in sediment provenance inferred from clay mi

The submarine glacial geomorphology and sedimentology of the cross-shelf troughs and the adjacent continental slope around the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctica have been the focus of a series of marine geophysical and geological investigations over the last decade (e.g., [Shipp et al., 1999], [Canals et al., 2000], [Wellner et al., 2001], [Lowe and Anderson, 2002], [Ó Cofaigh et al., 2002], [Dowdeswell et al., 2004], [Heroy and Anderson, 2005], [Evans et al., 2005], [Domack et al., 2006], [Mosola and Anderson, 2006], [Wellner et al., 2006], [Dowdeswell et al., 2006], [Ó Cofaigh et al., 2007], Ó Cofaigh et al., 2008 C. Ó Cofaigh, J.A. Dowdeswell, J. Evans and R.D. Larter, Geological constraints on Antarctic palaeo-ice stream retreat, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 33 (2008), pp. 513–525.[Ó Cofaigh et al., 2008] and [Dowdeswell et al., 2008]). These studies have interpreted sets of characteristic streamlined glacial bedforms and sediments on the shelf, which in numerous cases occur in front of modern ice streams, as largely the product of fast-flowing palaeo-ice streams that drained across the shelf during or following the last glacial maximum. A key feature of these studies is the observation of highly attenuated bedforms known as mega-scale glacial lineations (MSGL), formed in soft sediment on the outer continental shelf. These lineations are regarded as key evidence for streaming flow. In their recent paper, Shaw et al. present a radically different interpretation of the glacial geomorphology of Antarctic cross-shelf troughs in terms of catastrophic discharge of subglacial meltwater floods across the shelf. In their interpretation, MSGL are regarded as the product of erosion by turbulent meltwater flow. The following comment discusses a number of the key assertions made in their paper.

Amundsen Sea Embayment: Tectonic and Climatic Evolution; Granada, Spain, 9 September 2009; Geoscientists working on the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) of West Antarctica met at a workshop during the First Antarctic Climate Evolution Symposium to discuss recent advances from, and future priorities for, work in this region. The ASE is the most rapidly changing sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and contains enough ice to raise sea level by 1.2 meters. Ice sheet modeling studies suggest that this sector of the WAIS is potentially unstable. Considerable efforts have been made through several national Antarctic programs to acquire new data on the geological structure, subglacial topography, bathymetry, and glacial history of this remote region. These data are important for establishing boundary conditions for ice sheet modeling, for providing constraints on past ice sheet changes that can be used to test models, and for putting recent changes into a longer-term context.

Reliable dating of glaciomarine sediments deposited on the Antarctic shelf since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is challenging because of the rarity of calcareous (micro-) fossils and the recycling of fossil organic matter. Consequently, radiocarbon (14C) ages of the acid-insoluble organic fraction (AIO) of the sediments bear uncertainties that are difficult to quantify. Here we present the results of three different methods to date a sedimentary unit consisting of diatomaceous ooze and diatomaceous mud that was deposited following the last deglaciation at five core sites on the inner shelf in the western Amundsen Sea (West Antarctica). In three cores conventional 14C dating of the AIO in bulk samples yielded age reversals down-core, but at all sites the AIO 14C ages obtained from diatomaceous ooze within the diatom-rich unit yielded similar uncorrected 14C ages between 13 51756 and 11 54347 years before present (a BP). Correction of these ages by subtracting the core-top ages, which probably reflect present-day deposition (as indicated by 210Pb dating of the sediment surface at one core site), yielded ages between ca. 10 500 and 8400 cal. a BP. Correction of the AIO ages of the diatomaceous ooze by only subtracting the marine reservoir effect (MRE) of 1300 a indicated deposition of the diatom-rich sediments between 14 100 and 11 900 cal. a BP. Most of these ages are consistent with age constraints between 13.0 and 8.0 ka for the diatom-rich unit, which we obtained by correlating the relative palaeomagnetic intensity (RPI) records of three of the sediment cores with global and regional reference curves. As a third dating technique we applied conventional radiocarbon dating of the AIO included in acid-cleaned diatom hard parts extracted from the diatomaceous ooze. This method yielded uncorrected 14C ages of only 511138 and 510638 a BP, respectively. We reject these young ages, because they are likely to be overprinted by the adsorption of modern atmospheric carbon di

Seismic stratigraphic studies and scientific drilling of the Antarctic continental margin have yielded clues to the evolution of Cenozoic climates, depositional paleoenvironments and paleoceanographic conditions. This paper draws on studies of the former Antarctic Offshore Stratigraphy Project and others to review the geomorphic and lithostratigraphic offshore features that give insights into the long-duration (m.y.) and short-term (k.y.) changes that document the great variability of Cenozoic Antarctic paleoenvironments. The lithologic drilling record documents non-glacial (pre-early Eocene) to full-glacial (late Pliocene to Holocene) times, and documents times of cyclic ice-sheet fluctuations at k.y. scales (early Miocene to Pliocene and Holocene). Times of significant change in types and/or amounts of glaciation are also seen in the offshore lithologic record (early Oligocene, mid-Miocene, early Pliocene). Seismic data illustrate large-scale geomorphic features that point to massive sediment erosion and dispersal by ice sheets and paleoceanographic processes (e.g. cross-shelf troughs, slope-fans, rise-drifts). The commonality of these features to East and West Antarctica since late Eocene time points to a continent that has been intermittently covered, partially to completely, by glaciers and ice sheets. The greatest advances in our understanding of paleoenvironments and the processes that control them have been achieved from scientific drilling, and future progress depends on a continuation of such drilling.

Swath bathymetric and sub-bottom profiler data reveal a variety of submarine landforms such as gullies, slide scars, subtle shelf edge-parallel ridges and elongated depressions, and small debris flows along the continental shelf break and upper slope of West Antarctica. Gullies cutting through debris flow deposits on the Belgica Trough Mouth Fan (TMF) suggest formation after full-glacial deposition on the continental slope. The gullies were most likely eroded by sediment-laden subglacial meltwater flows released from underneath the ice margin grounded at the shelf edge at the onset of deglaciation. Scarcity of subglacial meltwater flow features on the outer shelf suggests that the meltwater reached the shelf edge mainly either through the topmost layer of soft diamict or in the form of dispersed flow beneath the ice, although locally preserved erosional channels indicate that more focused and higher-energy flows also existed. Concentration of gullies on the upper continental slope in front of the marginal areas of the major cross-shelf troughs, as contrasted to their axial parts, is indicative of higher-energy gully-eroding processes there, possibly due to additional subglacial meltwater flow from beneath the slow moving ice lying over the higher banks of the troughs. The shallow and sinuous gully heads observed on the outermost shelf within the Pine Island West Trough may indicate postglacial modification by near-bed currents resulting either from the subglacial meltwater flow from underneath the ice margin positioned at some distance landward from the shelf edge, or from the currents formed by brine rejection during sea ice formation. On the continental slope outside major troughs, slide scars as well as shelf-edge parallel ridges and elongated depressions indicate an unstable and failure-prone uppermost slope, although failures were probably mainly associated with rapid sediment loading during glacial periods. Complex, cauliflower- and amphitheatre-shaped gully h

Decades after the recognition of the West Antarctic Rift System, and in spite of its global importance, the location and nature of the plate boundary it formed at are unknown east of the Byrd Subglacial Basin. Alternative constructions of the circuit of South Pacific plate boundaries suggest the presence of either a transcurrent plate boundary or a continuation of the extensional rift system. We identify George VI Sound, a curved depression separating Alexander Island from Palmer Land, as the easternmost basin of a rift system that terminated at a triple junction with the Antarctic Peninsula subduction zone. The history of the triple junction's third, transform, arm suggests extension started around 33.5-30 Ma. A more speculatively identified basin further west may have formed earlier during the same episode of rifting, starting around 43 Ma. Proposals of earlier Cenozoic relative motion between East and West Antarctica cannot be verified from this region. Citation: Eagles, G., R. D. Larter, K. Gohl, and A. P. M. Vaughan (2009), West Antarctic Rift System in the Antarctic Peninsula, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L21305, doi: 10.1029/2009GL040721.

The presence of a complex bedform arrangement on the sea floor of the continental shelf in the western Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, indicates a multi-temporal record of flow related to the activity of one or more ice streams in the past. Mapping and division of the bedforms into distinct landform assemblages reveals their time-transgressive history, which implies that bedforms can neither be considered part of a single downflow continuum nor a direct proxy for palaeo-ice velocity, as suggested previously. A main control on the bedform imprint is the geology of the shelf, which is divided broadly between rough bedrock on the inner shelf, and smooth, dipping sedimentary strata on the middle to outer shelf. Inner shelf bedform variability is well preserved, revealing information about local, complex basal ice conditions, meltwater flow, and ice dynamics over time. These details, which are not apparent at the scale of regional morphological studies, indicate that past ice streams flowed across the entire shelf at times, and often had onset zones that lay within the interior of the Antarctic Ice Sheet today. In contrast, highly elongated subglacial bedforms on sedimentary strata of the middle to outer shelf represent a timeslice snapshot of the last activity of ice stream flow, and may be a truer representation of fast palaeo-ice flow in these locations. A revised model for ice streams on the shelf captures complicated multi-temporal bedform patterns associated with an Antarctic palaeo-ice stream for the first time, and confirms a strong substrate control on a major ice stream system that drained the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Late Quaternary. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subglacial meltwater plays a significant yet poorly understood role in the dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheets. Here we present new swath bathymetry from the western Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, showing rneltwater channels eroded into acoustic basement. Their morphological characteristics and size are consistent with incision by subglacial meltwater. To understand how and when these channels formed we have investigated the infill of three channels. Diamictons deposited beneath or proximal to an expanded grounded West Antarctic Ice Sheet are present in two of the channels and these are overlain by glaciomarine sediments deposited after deglaciation. The sediment core from the third channel recovered a turbidite sequence also deposited after the last deglaciation. The presence of deformation till at one core site and the absence of typical meltwater deposits (e.g., sorted sands and gravels) in all three cores suggest that channel incision pre-dates overriding by fast flowing grounded ice during the last glacial period. Given the overall scale of the channels and their incision into bedrock, it is likely that the channels formed over multiple glaciations, possibly since the Miocene, and have been reoccupied on several occasions. This also implies that the channels have survived numerous advances and retreats of grounded ice. (c) 2008 University of Washington. All rights reserved.

An animated reconstruction shows South Pacific plate kinematics, in the reference frame of West Antarctica, between 55 Ma and the present-day. The ocean floor in the region formed due to seafloor spreading between the Antarctic, Pacific, Phoenix and Nazca plates (a plate formed by fragmentation of the Farallon plate early in Oligocene times). The Pacific-Antarctic Ridge remained fairly stable throughout this time, migrating relatively northwestwards, by various mechanisms, behind the rapidly-moving Pacific plate. The Nazca and Phoenix plates also moved quickly, but relatively towards the cast or southeast, and were subducted in these directions beneath the South American and Antarctic plates. Segments of spreading centres forming at the trailing edges of the Nazca and Phoenix plates periodically collided with these subduction zones, resulting in the total destruction of the Nazca Phoenix spreading centre and the partial destruction of the Nazca-Antarctica spreading centre (the Chile Ridge) and Antarctic-Phoenix Ridge, which ceased to operate shortly before its northeasternmost three segments could collide with the Antarctic margin. Following collision of segments of the Chile Ridge, parts of the Antarctic plate underwent subduction at the Chile Trench. After these collisions, slab windows Should have formed beneath both the South American and Antarctic convergent margins, and the animation shows Occurrences of alkaline volcanism that have been, or can newly be, related to them. Further occurrences of alkali basalts, at the margins of the Powell Basin and, more speculatively, James Ross Island, can be related to the formation of a slab window beneath them following the collision of segments of the South America Antarctica spreading centre in the northwest Weddell Sea. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This chapter explores the Middle Miocene to Pliocene terrestrial and marine records of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. The structure of the chapter makes a clear distinction between terrestrial and marine records as well as proximal (on or around Antarctica) and more distal records (Southern Ocean). Particular geographical regions are identified that reflect the areas for which the majority of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic information exist. Specifically, the chapter addresses the terrestrial sedimentary and fjordal environments of the Transantarctic Mountains and Lambert Glacier region, the terrestrial fossil record of Antarctic climate, terrestrial environments of West Antarctica, and the marine records of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS), as well as the marine record of the Southern Ocean. Previous and current studies focusing on modelling Middle Miocene to Pliocene climate, environments and ice sheets are discussed.

Multichannel seismic reflection profiles provide a record of the glacial development in the western Amundsen Sea Embayment during the Neogene. We identified a northwest-dipping reflector series of more than 1 s TWT thickness (>800 m) on the middle continental shelf indicating well-layered sedimentary units. The dipping strata reveal a striking alternation of reflection-poor, almost transparent units and sequences of closely spaced, continuous reflectors. We suggest that the distinct changes in reflection character represent episodes of ice sheet advance and retreat forced by climate changes. Boundaries between acoustic units are sharp, but without chronological data we cannot constrain the rapidity of glacial advances and retreats. Due to the similarity between the seismic stratigraphy and the lithology in bore-hole records from the Amundsen Sea and Ross Sea, we infer that dipping strata have accumulated since an intensification of glaciation in the Miocene. On the inner and middle shelf we can identify at least four episodes of ice sheet expansion. We conclude that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has responded sensitively to climate variations since the Miocene.

The Belgica Trough and the adjacent Belgica Trough Mouth Fan in the southern Bellingshausen Sea (Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean) mark the location of a major outlet for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Late Quaternary. The drainage basin of an ice stream that advanced through Belgica Trough across the shelf during the last glacial period comprised an area exceeding 200,000 km(2) in the West Antarctic hinterland. Previous studies, mainly based on marine-geophysical data from the continental shelf and slope, focused on the bathymetry and seafloor bedforms, and the reconstruction of associated depositional processes and ice-drainage patterns. In contrast, there was only sparse information from seabed sediments recovered by coring. In this paper, we present lithological and clay mineralogical data of 21 sediment cores collected from the shelf and slope of the southern Bellingshausen Sea. Most cores recovered three lithological units, which can be attributed to facies types deposited under glacial, transitional and seasonally open-marine conditions. The clay mineral assemblages document coinciding changes in provenance. The relationship between the clay mineral assemblages in the subglacial and proglacial sediments on the shelf and the glacial diamictons on the slope confirms that a grounded ice stream advanced through Belgica Trough to the shelf break during the past, thereby depositing detritus eroded in the West Antarctic hinterland as soft till on the shelf and as glaciogenic debris flows on the slope. The thinness of the overlying transitional and seasonally open-marine sediments in the cores suggests that this ice advance occurred during the last glacial period. Clay mineralogical, acoustic sub-bottom and seismic data furthermore demonstrate that the palaeo-ice stream probably reworked old sedimentary strata, including older tills, on the shelf and incorporated this debris into its till bed. The geographical heterogeneity of the clay mineral assemblage

The Amundsen Sea Embayment is the most rapidly changing sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and contains enough ice to raise global sea level by 1.2 m. Over the past few years considerable efforts have been made to acquire new data to improve knowledge of the geological strucure, subglacial topography, continental shelf bathymetry and glacial history of this remote region. In this workshop we reviewed the current state of knowledge on the tectonic, climatic and glacial evolution of the Amundsen Sea Embayment. We also considered the influence of tectonic evolution on ice sheet history, through control of palaeotopography, heat flow, and effects of geological substrate on ice dynamics. The workshop focused on identifying remaining open questions and future research priorities.

A 330-km length of the little known continental shelf edge and slope of the Bellingshausen Sea, West Antarctica, is investigated using multibeam swath-bathymetric and sub-bottom profiler evidence. The shelf break is at 650-700 m across the 150-km wide Belgica Trough, and to either side is about 500 m. When full-glacial ice advanced across the shelf to reach the shelf break, it was partitioned into fast- and slow-flowing elements, with an ice stream filling the trough. This had important consequences for the nature and rate of sediment delivery to the adjacent continental slope. Off Belgica Trough, the upper continental slope has convex-outward contours indicating a major sedimentary depocentre of gradient 1-2 degrees. Acoustic profiles and cores from the depocentre show a series of diamictic glacigenic debris flows. The depocentre is interpreted as a trough-mouth fan, built largely by debris delivered from the ice stream. The slope is steeper beyond the trough margins at up to 6 degrees. The main morphological features on the Bellingshausen Sea slope are gully systems and channels. Major canyons and Late Quaternary slides are absent. Most gullies and channels are found on the fan. Gullies are about 15-25 m deep, a few hundred metres wide and some are >25 km long. The largest channel is over 60 km long, about a kilometre wide and 10 to 15 m deep. The channels provide pathways for sediment by-passing of the upper slope and transfer to the continental rise and beyond by turbidity currents. Gullies on the Bellingshausen Sea margin cut through debris flows on the slope. Assuming the debris flows are linked mainly to downslope transport of diamictic debris when ice was at the shelf edge under full-glacial conditions, then those gullies cut into them formed during deglaciation. Belgica Fan is >22,000 km(2) in area and about 60,000 km(3) in volume. It is the largest depocentre identified to date on the continental margin of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, fed by an interior i

Today, Antarctica exhibits some of the harshest environmental conditions for life on Earth. During the last glacial period, Antarctic terrestrial and marine life was challenged by even more extreme environmental conditions. During the present interglacial period, polar life in the Southern Ocean is sustained mainly by large-scale primary production. We argue that during the last glacial period, faunal populations in the Antarctic were limited to very few areas of local marine productivity (polynyas), because complete, multiannual sea-ice and ice shelf coverage shut down most of the Southern Ocean productivity within today's seasonal sea-ice zone. Both marine sediments containing significant numbers of planktonic and benthic foraminifera and fossil bird stomach oil deposits in the adjacent Antarctic hinterland provide indirect evidence for the existence of polynyas during the last glacial period. We advocate that the existence of productive oases in the form of polynyas during glacial periods was essential for the survival of marine and most higher-trophic terrestrial fauna. Reduced to such refuges, much of today's life in the high Antarctic realm might have hung by a thread during the last glacial period, because limited resources available to the food web restricted the abundance and productivity of both Antarctic terrestrial and marine life.