The West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat in Pine Island Bay, Amndsen Sea, Antarctica, as documented by clay mineral assemblages

该研究旨在提高我们对南极西部冰盖末次盛冰期后冰消历史的认识。它建立在别林斯高晋海调查的基础上，集中在阿蒙森海松岛湾的大陆架上。这一地区极为重要，因为它位于松岛冰川和思韦茨冰川的近海，这两个冰川在当今南极洲表现出最迅速的冰变薄和接地线退缩。主要研究了大陆架沉积物的粘土矿物组合，但也研究了大陆坡几个地点的沉积物。调查地表样品以绘制单个粘土矿物的分布图，以确定不同的粘土矿物省、源区和目前的运输途径和过程。对岩芯样品进行分析，以破译粘土矿物学特征的时间和空间变化，以便重建冰盖和冰川的最大冰川范围、冰流方向、冰下和重力沉积过程以及冰盖的退缩历史。

The study aims in improving our understanding of the deglaciation history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet after the last glacial maximum. It builds on investigations in Bellingshausen Sea and concentrates on the continental shelf of Pine Island Bay in Amundsen Sea. This region is extremely important, because it is located offshore from Pine Island Glacier and Thwaites Glacier, which exhibit the most rapid ice thinning and grounding line retreat in present-day Antarctica. Mainly sediments from the continental shelf, but also from a few sites at the continental slope are studied for their clay mineral assemblages. Surface samples are investigated to map the distribution of the individual clay minerals in order to identify different clay mineral provinces, source areas and present transport pathways and processes. Core samples are analysed to decipher temporal and spatial changes in the clay mineralogical signature in order to reconstruct the maximum glacial extent of the ice sheet and glaciers, the ice flow directions, the subglacial and gravitational depositional processes and the retreat history of the ice sheet.