During Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE), ice cores were extracted with a 9-cm internal diameter ice corer on landfast ice in the coastal area off Zhongshan Station (69.37°S; 76.36°E), East Antarctica. Totally 25 ice cores were obtained within an area of 20 m by 20 m throughout two ice seasons from November 2004 to December 2006. The ice cores were then quickly cut lengthwise into vertical sections of 0.05-0.10 m thick, sealed in clean plastic containers and then returned to the cold laboratory of Zhongshan Station. Ice density was measured with a mass/volume method. Ice salinity was measured by a portable conductivity meter.