May 23, 2017 Journal article Open Access

Stable accumulation patterns around Dome C, East Antarctica, over the last glacial cycle

Donald D. Blankenship; Catherine Ritz; Jason L. Roberts; Jason L. Roberts; Massimo Frezzotti; Frédéric Parrenin; Marie G. P. Cavitte; Duncan A. Young

Abstract. We reconstruct the pattern of surface accumulation in the region around Dome C, East Antarctica, through the last glacial cycle. We use a set of internal isochrones interpreted from various ice-penetrating radar surveys and a 1D pseudo-steady ice flow model to invert for both time-averaged accumulation rates and paleoaccumulation rates between isochrone pairs. We observe that the surface accumulation pattern is stable through the last 128 kyrs, both the large-scale (100s km) gradients which reflect current modeled and observed precipitation gradients in the region, as well as the small-scale (10s km) accumulation variations linked to snow redistribution at the surface due to changes in its slope and curvature in the prevailing wind direction. This suggests a stable position of the dome throughout the last glacial cycle.