# NEEM ice core: Saharan dust share in Greenland rose during cold stadials of the last glacial period

- Published: 2026-11-11 08:51 UTC
- Section: Planet › Earth sciences
- Tags: Greenland dust provenance, NEEM ice core, Dansgaard–Oeschger events, last glacial period, stadials and interstadials, Pb and Sr isotopes, Saharan dust, East Asian deserts, kaolinite-to-chlorite ratio, chemical index of alteration
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-68bb5c5e3ca21fc994525c7c_neem_ice_core/

**Pb and Sr isotopes, mineralogy and geochemistry of the NEEM ice core show East Asian deserts dominated Greenland dust throughout, while Saharan input grew in stadials.**

![NEEM ice core: Saharan dust share in Greenland rose during cold stadials of the last glacial period](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/c10408e26d90cb61.jpg)
*Helle Astrid Kjær, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0*

Researchers analysed samples from the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) ice core covering the entire last glacial period (LGP), according to a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Greenland ice-core records show dust concentration about 15 times higher in cold stadial periods than in warmer interstadial periods [1]. The authors measured Pb and Sr isotopic composition, mineralogy and geochemistry at a resolution of about 800 years [1].

Pb and Sr isotopic compositions, kaolinite-to-chlorite ratios and chemical index of alteration values were higher during stadials than during interstadials [1]. Comparison with potential source areas, including East Asian deserts and the Sahara, indicated that East Asian deserts remained the dominant contributors to Greenland dust throughout the LGP. Contributions from the Sahara increased during stadial intervals [1].

The authors suggest that the shift likely reflects climate-driven changes in atmospheric circulation patterns that transported dust to Greenland. The dust variations are linked to Dansgaard–Oeschger climatic fluctuations, abrupt changes on millennial timescales. According to the authors, the relative contributions of the source regions to these fluctuations had remained poorly constrained [1].

## Sources

1. [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2618898123)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-68bb5c5e3ca21fc994525c7c_neem_ice_core/