A continuous 293-year record of volcanic events in an ice core from Lambert Glacier basin, East Antarctica

During the 18th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE-18, 2001-2002), a 102.18m ice core was drilled at site LGB69 (70 degrees 50'06.6 '' S, 77 degrees 04'28.9 '' E, 1850m a.s.l., accumulation rate 70 cm yr(-1)), located to the east of the Lambert Glacier basin. This ice core has been analysed for chemical composition. Based on the high definition of seasonal variations of major ions, the ice core was dated to cover 293 years (AD 1708-2001), with errors at the bottom end within +/- 2 years. The non-sea salt SO42- time series provides a proxy for historical volcanic eruptions preserved in the core, and high non-sea salt SO42- concentrations are well correlated to some documented volcanic events, such as Tambora (AD 1815), Cosiguina (AD 1835), Krakatoa (AD 1883) and Tarawera (AD 1886).