Holocene Northern Hemisphere sea-ice distribution-proxy data reconstruction and modelling

A strikingly fast decrease of Arctic sea-ice cover has been recorded for the instrumental period and attributed to anthropogenic climate change, but little is known about natural sea-ice variability. Hence, there is a need for longer sea-ice time series to establish a baseline for natural Arctic sea-ice variability. We compiled 120 proxy-based sea-ice reconstructions from the Arctic Ocean and subarctic marginal seas to evaluate the stability/variability of sea-ice cover during the Holocene. The reconstructions are primarily based on published data combined with a few yet-unpublished records of biological (diatoms, dinoflagellate cysts, foraminifera, ostracods), sedimentological (IRD), and biogeochemical (IP25, PIP25, TOC) sea-ice indicators. Each indicator and record has been interpreted independently. We present all data as long-term annual means (months of sea ice per year). Sea-ice reconstructions are grouped into …