Ice discharge intensities and provenance variations in the Amundsen Sea sector during Plio- and Pleistocene super-interglacials – indicators for past West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse?

西南极冰盖（WAIS）的未来行为仍然是全球气候和海平面预测中最关键的未知数之一（IPCC，2014）。上新世和更新世时期过去的超暖时期可以作为预测未来几十年和几个世纪气候情景的类比。模拟研究表明，在这些时期的温度异常导致部分或全部WAIS崩溃。然而，限制潜在塌陷的近冰地质证据仍然缺乏。IODP失效期间我们从两个地点收集了覆盖这些间隔的岩心。具体而言，冰放电强度（冰筏碎片的量化; IRD）将在571个样本进行调查。此外，沉积物的物源和潜在的崩溃的指标，随后将确定选定的样品，旨在区分东，西南极IRD来源（矿物学和Ar-Ar定年）。该项目的分析工作将由学生助理进行，并可以选择撰写最终论文。所产生的数据将用于与IODP合作者的数据整合、综合和最终出版。

The future behaviour of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) remains one of the most critical unknowns in global climate and sea-level predictions (IPCC, 2014). Past super-warm periods during Plio- and Pleistocene epochs may serve as analogues for climate scenarios predicted for coming decades and centuries. Modeling studies suggest that temperature anomalies dur-ing these periods led to partial or full WAIS collapse. However, ice-proximal geological evi-dence for constraining potential collapses are yet lacking. During IODP Exp. 379 we collected drill cores from two sites covering these intervals. Specifically, ice discharge intensities (quantification of ice-rafted debris; IRD) will be investigated on 571 samples. Further, indica-tors for sediment provenance and potential collapse will subsequently be determined on se-lected samples by aiming to discriminate East and West Antarctic IRD sources (mineralogy and Ar-Ar dating). The analytical work for the project will be performed by student assistants with an option to compose final theses. The produced data will be used for data integration with IODP collaborators, synthesis, and final publication.