To improve quantitative interpretation of ice core aeolian dust records a systematic methodical comparison has been made involving methods of water-insoluble particle counting (Coulter Counter and laser-sensing particle detector), soluble ions (ion chromatography, IC, and continuous flow analysis, CFA), elemental analysis (inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, ICP-MS, at pH 1 and after full acid digestion), and water-insoluble elemental analysis (proton induced X-ray emission, PIXE). Ice core samples covering the last deglaciation have been used from the EPICA Dome C (EDC) and the EPICA Dronning Maud Land (EDML) ice cores. All methods correlate very well amongst each other. The ratios of glacial age concentrations to Holocene concentrations, which are typically a factor ~100, differ significantly between the methods, but differences are limited to a factor < 2 for most methods with insoluble particles showing the largest change. The recovery of ICP-MS measurements depends on the digestion method and is different for different elements and during different climatic periods. EDC and EDML samples have similar dust composition, which suggests a common dust source or a common mixture of sources for the two sites. The analysed samples further reveal a change of dust composition during the last deglaciation.

Supplement to: Ruth, Urs; Barbante, Carlo; Bigler, Matthias; Delmonte, Barbara; Fischer, Hubertus; Gabrielli, Paolo; Gaspari, Vania; Kaufmann, Patrik R; Lambert, Fabrice; Maggi, Valter; Marino, Federica; Petit, Jean Robert; Udisti, Roberto; Wagenbach, Dietmar; Wegner, Anna; Wolff, Eric William (2008): Proxies and measurement techniques for mineral dust in Antarctic ice cores. Environmental Science and Technology, 42(15), 5675-5681