The principal objective of this multi-institutional and international project is the reconstruction of a 2,000-year paleoclimatic record with high temporal resolution (annual to decadal) for the southern Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic Peninsula region exhibits two distinctly different climatic regimes. Therefore, three different drilling sites (200-3000m cores) are selected to provide information about both climatic regimes. The paleoclimatic reconstruction is part of an ongoing comprehensive research program designed to assess the temporal synchroneity and characteristics of the most recent Neoglacial (Little Ice Age) event as it is preserved within ice cores at various latitudes. Establishing the link between climatic variations from low latitudes and from the polar regions will facilitate interpretation of globally significant fluctuation within the longer climatic records. These ice cores may provide further documentation and details of the mechanics of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the key sites for global climatic and environmental reconstruction from ice cores and is a necessary link between the ice core record from the interior of Antarctica and South America. This project is undertaken in cooperation with the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Washington.
