Recently released Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (LST) collection 6.1 (C6.1) products are useful for understanding ice–atmosphere interactions over East Antarctica, but their accuracy should be known prior to application. This study assessed Level 2 and Level 3 MODIS C6.1 LST products (MxD11_L2 and MxD11C1) in comparison with the radiance-derived in situ LSTs from 12 weather stations. Significant cloud-related issues were identified in both LST products. By utilizing a stricter filter based on automatic weather station cloud data, despite losing 29.4% of the data, accuracy of MODIS LST was greatly improved. The cloud-screened MODIS LST exhibited cold biases (−5.18 to −0.07°C, and root mean square errors from 2.37 to 6.28°C) than in situ LSTs at most stations, with smaller cold biases at inland stations, but larger ones at coastal regions and the edge of plateau. The accuracy was notably higher during warm periods (October–March) than during cold periods (April–September). The cloud-screened MODIS C6.1 LST did not show significant improvements over C5 (Collection 5) version across East Antarctica. Ice-crystal precipitation occurring during temperature inversions at the surface (Tair-Tsurface) played a crucial role in MODIS LST accuracy on inland plateau. In coastal regions, larger MODIS LST biases were observed when the original measurements were lower.

A physical oceanographic, geophysical and marine geological survey of Edward VIII Gulf, Kemp Coast, collected data from conductivity–temperature–depth casts, multi-beam bathymetric swath mapping and 3.5 kHz sub-bottom surveying. Modified circumpolar deep water (mCDW) is observed in Edward VIII Gulf, as well as notable bathymetric features including mega-scale glacial lineations and a 1750 m-deep trough. Sedimentological, geochemical, rock-magnetic and micropalaeontological analysis of two kasten cores document regional palaeoclimate and palaeo-oceanographic conditions over the past 8000 years, with a warm period occurring from c. 8 to 4 ka and a shift to cooler conditions beginning at c. 4 ka and persisting until at least 0.9 ka. Sediment packages > 40 m thick within deep troughs in Edward VIII Gulf present potential targets for higher-resolution Holocene and deglacial climate studies. Despite the presence of mCDW on the shelf, inland bed topography consisting of highland terrain suggests the likelihood of relative stability of this sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Recent work has highlighted the sensitivity of marine-terminating glaciers to decadal-scale changes in the ocean–climate system in parts of East Antarctica. However, compared to Greenland, West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, little is known about recent glacier change and potential cause(s), with several regions yet to be studied in detail. In this paper, we map the terminus positions of 135 glaciers along the coastline of Victoria Land, Oates Land and George V Land from 1972–2013 at a higher temporal resolution (sub-decadal intervals) than in previous research. These three regions span a range of climatic and oceanic conditions and contain a variety of glacier types. Overall, from 1972–2013, 36% of glaciers advanced, 25% retreated and the remainder showed no discernible change. On sub-decadal timescales, there were no clear trends in glacier terminus position change. However, marine-terminating glaciers experienced larger terminus position changes compared with terrestrial glaciers, and those with an unconstrained floating tongue exhibited the largest variations. We conclude that, unlike in Greenland, West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, there is no clear glacier retreat in the study area and that most of the variations are more closely linked to glacier size and terminus type.

We present a relative sea-level (RSL) history, constrained by AMS radiocarbon-dated marine–freshwater transitions in isolation basins from a site adjacent to the Lambert Glacier, East Antarctica. The RSL data suggest an initial ice retreat between c. 15,370 and 12,660 cal yr B.P Within this period, meltwater pulse IA (mwp IA, between c. 14,600–14,200 and 14,100–13,700 cal yr B.P.) occurred; an exceptionally large ice melting event, inferred from far-field sea-level records. The RSL curve shows a pronounced highstand of approximately 8 m between c. 7570–7270 and 7250–6950 cal yr B.P. that is consistent with the timing of the RSL highstand in the nearby Vestfold Hills. This is followed by a fall in RSL to the present. In contrast to previous findings, the isolation of the lakes in the Larsemann Hills postdates the isolation of lakes with similar sill heights in the Vestfold Hills. An increase in RSL fall during the late Holocene may record a decline in the rate of isostatic uplift in the Larsemann Hills between c. 7250–6950 and 2847–2509 cal yr B.P., that occurred in response to a documented mid-Holocene glacier readvance followed by a late-Holocene retreat.

The Greenland and East and West Antarctic ice sheets are assessed as being the source of ice that produced an Eemian sea level 6 m higher than present sea level. The most probable source is total collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet accompanied by partial collapse of the adjacent sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet in direct contact with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This conclusion is reached by applying a simple formula relating the “floating fraction” of ice along flowlines to ice height above the bed. Increasing the floating fraction lowered ice elevations enough to contribute up to 4.7 m to global sea level. Adding 3.3 m resulting from total collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet accounts for the higher Eemian sea level. Partial gravitational collapse that produced the present ice drainage system of Amery Ice Shelf contributes 2.3 m to global sea level. These results cast doubt on the presumed stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, but destabilizing mechanisms remain largely unknown. Possibilities include glacial surges and marine instabilities at the respective head and foot of ice streams.

Surface mineralogical compositions and their association to modern processes are well known from the east Atlantic and south-west Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean, but data from the interface of these areas - the Prydz Bay–Kerguelen region - is still missing. The objective of our study was to provide mineralogical data of reference samples from this region and to relate these mineralogical assemblages to hinterland geology, weathering, transport and depositional processes. Clay mineral assemblages were analysed by means of X-ray diffraction technique. Heavy mineral assemblages were determined by counting of gravity-separated grains under a polarizing microscope. Results show that by use of clay mineral assemblages four mineralogical provinces can be subdivided: i) continental shelf, ii) continental slope, iii) deep sea, iv) Kerguelen Plateau. Heavy mineral assemblages in the fine sand fraction are relatively uniform except for samples taken from the East Antarctic shelf. Our findings show that mineralogical studies on sediment cores from the study area have the potential to provide insights into past shifts in ice-supported transport and activity and provenance of different water masses (e.g. Antarctic slope current and deep western boundary current) in the Prydz Bay–Kerguelen region.

We present 21Ne exposure ages of erosional glaciogenic rock surfaces on nunataks in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica: i) in the Prince Albert Mountains and ii) near Mesa Range. These nunataks are located directly at the margin of the polar plateau and therefore provide an immediate record of ice volume changes of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, not biased by ice shelf grounding or narrow valley sections downstream the outlet glaciers. The sampling locations overlook the present ice surface by less than 200 m, but were last covered by ice 3.5 Ma bp (minimum age, not corrected for erosion). This strongly indicates that the ice sheet has not been substantially thicker than today since at least the early Pliocene, which supports the hypothesis of a stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet. First absolute ages are reported for the alpine topography above the erosive trimline that typically marks the upper limit of glacial activity in northern Victoria Land. Unexpectedly low nuclide concentrations suggest that erosion rates on the alpine topography are considerably higher due to the steep slopes than those affecting flat erosional surfaces carrying Antarctic tors.

The question of how stable the climate in Antarctica has been during the last few million years compared to the rest of the planet is still controversial. This study attempts to add new information to the discussion by reconstructing the timing and spatial extent of glacial advances in northern Victoria Land over tens of thousands to millions of years. In Terra Nova Bay region, surface exposure ages and erosion rates of glacially rounded bedrock and glacial erratics have been determined using the cosmogenic nuclides 3He, 10Be and 21Ne. Three morphological units have been analysed. They yield minimum ages of 11 to 34 ka, 309 ka, and 2.6 Ma, respectively. Erosion rates were as low as 20 cm Ma−1 since middle Pliocene time. Taking erosion into account, the oldest surface is 5.3 Ma old. Pleistocene glacier advances had considerable extent, reaching up to 780 m above modern ice levels, but have been restricted to the valleys since at least mid-Pliocene. The existence of landscapes of mid-Pliocene age in northern Victoria Land implies that the climatic stability of the McMurdo Dry Valleys is not unique within the Transantarctic Mountains, but rather the expression of a constantly cold and hyperarid climate regime in entire Victoria Land.

Geochemical and magnetic data from glacigenic sediments can be useful indicators of past environments and climate. In this paper, the results of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and rock magnetic analyses are presented for samples from the Pagodroma Group, an assemblage of pre-Quaternary glacimarine sediments preserved as remnants along the raised flanks of the Lambert Graben, Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica. Samples were obtained from four formations: Mount Johnston, Battye Glacier, Fisher Bench and Bardin Bluffs, which range in age from late Oligocene or early Miocene through to Pliocene or early Pleistocene. Principal component analysis of the XRF data indicates the occurrence of two main element assemblages, which we infer are determined by the presence in the Bardin Bluffs formation of a significant component derived from Permo–Triassic sedimentary rocks of the Amery Group. Calculation of chemical indices of alteration suggests that the values reflect provenance differences rather than the syndepositional weathering environment. Multidomain ferrimagnetic grains mainly dominate the magnetic mineral assemblages of the samples, probably magnetite, with varying concentrations of high coercivity material, probably hematite.