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Letter

Nature Geoscience 2, 281–285 (1 April 2009) | doi:10.1038/ngeo474

Influence of Patagonian glaciers on Antarctic dust deposition during the last glacial period

David E. Sugden , Robert D. McCulloch , Aloys J.-M. Bory & Andrew S. Hein

Ice cores provide a record of changes in dust flux to Antarctica, which is thought to reflect changes in atmospheric circulation and environmental conditions in dust source areas. Isotopic tracers suggest that South America is the dominant source of the dust, but it is unclear what led to the variable deposition of dust at concentrations 20–50 times higher than present in glacial-aged ice.