Reappraisal of Antarctic seasonal sea-ice at the Last Glacial Maximum

We used modern analog technique applied to Antarctic diatoms to quantitatively reconstruct seasonal sea‐ice extent at the Last Glacial Maximum. Winter maximum sea‐ice limit occurred around 48°S in the Atlantic and western Indian sectors, around 55°S in the eastern Indian and western Pacific sectors, and around 58–60°S in the eastern Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Summer maximum sea‐ice extents during the last ice age and today are similar, which contradicts CLIMAP's findings. This implies a reduced summer albedo feedback of the Southern Hemisphere and a greater transfer of heat and moisture from the ocean to the atmosphere than shown by previous qualitative studies.