A late-glacial high-resolution site and source temperature record derived from the EPICA Dome C isotope records (East Antarctica)

The timing and synchronisation of Greenland and Antarctic climate events that occurred during the last glacial period are still under debate, as is the magnitude of temperature change associated with these events. Here we present detailed records of local and moisture-source temperature changes spanning the period 27^45 kyr BP from water stable isotope measurements (ND and N18O) in the recently drilled EPICA Dome C ice core, East Antarctic plateau. Using a simple isotopic model, site (vTsite) and source (vTsource) temperatures are extracted from the initial 50-yr high-resolution isotopic records, taking into account the changes in seawater isotopic composition. The deuterium isotope variability is very similar to the less precise ND record from the Vostok ice core, and the site temperature inversion leads to a temperature profile similar to the classical palaeothermometry method, due to compensations betwee