Holocene sedimentation in coastal areas of northwestern Ross Sea (Antarctica).

Sediment cores and box cores collected in two coastal areas of the north-western Ross Sea (Antarctica) highlight the possibility of studying the Late Holocene period in detail. In this work we propose a study on two box cores collected in the Cape Hallett and Wood Bay areas during the 2005 PNRA oceanographic cruise. This study is performed within the framework of the PNRA-ESF HOLOCLIP Project. The data set includes: magnetic susceptibility, X-ray analyses, 210Pb, 14C dating, diatoms and foraminifera assemblages, organic carbon, and grain-size analyses. Furthermore XRF core scanner analyses, colour analysis from digital images, and major, minor and trace element concentration analyses (ICP-AES) are performed. Data show that the box core sediments represent a very recent sedimentation in which it is possible to observe the parameter variability probably linked to climate variability/changes: estimated sedimentation rate testifies to the box cores very short time record (a few hundred years).