Abstract: The Arctic is one of the most sensitive areas to global climate change because of its strong influence on global thermohaline circulation and atmospheric circulation. In particular, changes in Arctic sea ice and sea level have affected the opening and closure of the Bering Strait, water mass exchange and ocean circulation, as well as exposure of Arctic continental margins. The Chukchi, East Siberian and Laptev seas are the largest marginal seas in the Arctic Ocean and have undergone significant oceanographic changes during glacial–interglacial cycles. In this review, we present Quaternary oceanographic and climatic changes in the Chukchi, East Siberian and Laptev seas, and then discuss advantages and disadvantages of different paleoceanographic and paleoenvironmental records based on a diverse range of proxies. In the comparatively comprehensive and systematic body of research on Quaternary paleoceanography of the Siberian Arctic seas, we found that paleoceanographic records (i.e. oceanography, sea level, sea surface temperature and salinity, sea ice) were influenced by changes in the Earth’s orbit and the amount of radiant energy reaching the Earth, as well as ice sheet mass balance, sea level changes and Arctic river discharge. We also provide suggestions for future paleoclimate and paleoceanographic research in this region.

Key words: Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Laptev Sea, Quaternary paleoceanography