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Contribution of melting Antarctic Ice Sheets (AIS) to rising sea level remains one of the least quantified inputs to predictive models for the future. To improve these estimates, International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 374 cored five sites in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, to examine the stability of the AIS to past intervals of global warmth. Site U1523 proved difficult to core because of the presence of gravel lags and indurated intervals; thus, we cored three holes with overlapping stratigraphy at that site to recover a more complete stratigraphic section. Given these challenges, no attempt was made to create a composite depth scale or stratigraphic splice during the expedition. Here we use a combination of physical property data (primarily magnetic susceptibility and natural gamma radiation), X-ray fluorescence core scanning, and visual core description to construct a core composite depth below seafloor (CCSF) depth scale to the base of Hole U1523B. This composite depth scale is discontinuous because of challenging coring conditions and variable core recovery, although there are several intervals of reasonably good stratigraphic continuity between 0 and 26 m CCSF and 82 and 96 m CCSF. We also created a stratigraphic splice from 0 to 93.95 m CCSF, although the splice is only continuous to 15.82 m CCSF. Additionally, we mapped the off-splice interval of Core 374-U1523E-1H to the composite depth scale over several intervals with significant core disturbance by stretching and squeezing to obtain a best fit. Development of the composite depth scale and stratigraphic splice will improve postcruise research results by allowing scientists to compare samples from different holes on the same depth scale. 

This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology. The associated NCEI study type is Paleoceanography. The data include parameters of paleoceanography with a geographic location of Southern Ocean. The time period coverage is from 59000000 to 5000000 in calendar years before present (BP). See metadata information for parameter and study location details. Please cite this study when using the data.