A high resolution GCM is used to examine the effect of changes in local surface climate parameters on the ice sheets that can influence the interpretation of the isotopic signal of the ice from deep cores. The model suggests that the 10 ¿C difference between the LGM surface temperature deduced from borehole thermometry and that deduced from the water isotope analysis to a great extent may be due to a modification of the precipitation seasonality in central Greenland. For central East Antarctica, the model tends to suggest a weak opposite bias. ¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union