Introduction

The late Quaternary climate history of the East Antarctic is of great importance, since the role of the Antarctic region in global climate change is still not fully understood. Climate reconstructions based on ice cores and on sediment cores from the open ocean often provide equivocal results, which points to regional differences and complex feedbacks. Archives from the few ice-free coastal areas in the East Antarctic therefore provide valuable information on the climate history along the coast and form a link between off-shore records and the interior of the continent.

In Austral summer 2007 extensive fieldwork was carried out on the ice-free islands of Rauer Group, eastern Prydz Bay, with logistical support of RV Polarstern. Marine and lacustrine sediment sequences recovered from the islands in close proximity to the present ice sheet margin provide unique material for the reconstruction of climatic and environmental conditions during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Additionally geomorphological investigations complete the picture of glaciation, deglaciation and relative sea level.