We analyzed biomarker concentrations on 41 surface sediment samples from the continental shelves of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Amundsen and Weddell Seas, specifically: highly branched isoprenoids, phytosterols and archaeal isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) for reconstructing recent sea-ice distribution patterns and water temperatures, respectively. Alongside our biomarker-based results, sea-ice distributions obtained from satellite observations and estimated sea-ice patterns and sea surface temperatures deduced from model simulations are presented.