Sea ice is an important component of the Earth system with complex dynamics imperfectly documented from direct observations, which are primarily limited to the last 40 years. Whereas large amplitude variations of sea ice have been recorded, especially in the Arctic, with a strikingly fast decrease in recent years partly attributed to the impact of anthropogenic climate changes, little is known about the natural variability of the sea ice cover at multi-decadal to multi-millennial time scales. Hence, there is a need to establish longer sea ice time series to document the full range of sea ice variations under natural forcings.

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