Law Dome Ice Core Accumulation and Climate Index Records 1248-2005

Law Dome, Dome Summit South ice core accumulation composite series contains primary and alternate snowfall records from AD 1248 to 2005, plus a derived atmospheric circulation index. The Australian Antarctic Data Centre compiled data from six ice cores and a surface pit. Records were published in 2010 and represent the best values available at that time.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term snowfall trends in coastal East Antarctica using the primary Law Dome Accumulation series from AD 1248-2005.
• Compare the primary and alternate accumulation series to assess reconstruction uncertainty over the same 757-year period.
• Investigate correlations between the AZ3 Index (Australian Sector Zonal Wave 3) and Antarctic accumulation anomalies for climate teleconnection studies.
• Calibrate ice core chronology by cross-referencing accumulation layers from the six individual core segments listed in the metadata.

Strengths

• Provides a 757-year continuous record of Antarctic snowfall from AD 1248 to 2005.
• Integrates data from six distinct ice cores and one surface pit for composite construction.
• Includes a derived atmospheric circulation index (AZ3) for linking Antarctic accumulation to regional climate patterns.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends in 2005, lacking recent decades of climate data.
• The alternate accumulation series is described as having lower fidelity, indicating potential data quality issues for certain periods.
• Specific row counts, column details, and sample data are unavailable for assessing dataset granularity.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC), compiled for publication in Nature Geoscience.

Collection Method

Constructed from accumulation measurements of six ice cores and one pit drilled at Law Dome, Dome Summit South site.

Time Range

AD 1248 to 2005

Freshness

Data represents a snapshot from publication in 2010, with a last updated date of 2005-12-31.

Geography

Law Dome, coastal East Antarctica (approximately 66°46'S, 112°48'E).