Snapshots of pre-glacial paleoenvironmental conditions along the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica: New palynological and biomarker evidence

The Aurora Subglacial Basin (ASB) catchment contains 3-5 m of sea-level equivalent ice volume that drains to the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica via the Totten Glacier system. Observed thinning and retreat of Totten Glacier indicate regional sensitivity to oceanographic and atmospheric warming. Paleoclimate studies of climatically sensitive catchments are required to understand the evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) and its outlet glacier systems. Recent seismic and sediment studies from the Sabrina Coast document the evolution of the EAIS in the ASB catchment, suggesting that the region has long been sensitive to climatic changes. This study presents new palynological and biomarker data from Sabrina Coast continental shelf sediments. Detailed palynological records were obtained from four short jumbo piston cores (JPC; NBP14-02 JPC-30, -31, -54 and -55), enabling reconstructions of regional vegetation and environments prior to and during Cenozoic EAIS development. The Sabrina Flora is dominated by angiosperms, with Gambierina spp. often exceeding 40% of the assemblage, and diverse Proteaceae, Battenipollis spp., Forcipites spp., Nothofagidites spp., fern, and conifer palynomorphs indicative of an open shrubby ecosystem. Excellent preservation and frequent occurrence of Gambierina spp. clusters suggest that a majority of the Sabrina Flora assemblage is penecontemporaneous with sedimentation; however, some uncertainties remain whether this sedimentation occurred in the Late Cretaceous or the Paleogene. Despite that uncertainty, high abundances of Gambierina spp. and Battenipollis spp., in combination with relatively low (