Deuterium excess in an East Antarctic ice core suggests higher relative humidity at the oceanic surface during the last glacial maximum
Résumé
A continuous deuterium excess profile (d = δD − 8δ18O) was obtained from the Dome C ice core spanning ∼ 32,000 yr. It exhibits significant variations over this period. In particular, d was 4.5‰ lower around 18,000 yr BP than over the past 7,500 yr, interpreted as reflecting higher relative humidity (estimated ∼90%) over the oceanic areas providing moisture for Antarctic precipitation.