Sea ice is critically important to atmospheric and oceanic processes through impacts on solar reflectivity, heat trapping capacity, biological productivity, ocean circulation and ventilation. Recent observations demonstrate that Arctic sea ice is decreasing, particularly in summer and early autumn, and Antarctic sea ice is decreasing and increasing in localized regions, but as a continent in general remaining within the range of variability of the last 200 years. Knowledge of changes in past and prediction of future Antarctic sea-ice extent is imperative to the understanding of future Antarctic, Southern Hemisphere and global climate. Antarctic sea-ice measurements made by satellite observations only go back to 1978. Prior to this time sea-ice extent and concentration data were based on shipboard observations. However, sea-ice proxies have been developed through satellite and observational data comparisons with ice-core sodium, nonsea-salt sulfate or methylsulfonate. Using data collected as part of the International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE) ice-core array we investigate the association between not just single chemical species, but all of the aforementioned ice-core chemical species and satellite sea-ice data. The correlation with satellite sea-ice extent, gridded to 36–10° sectors, and ice-core chemistry satellite data varies with ice-core site region clarifying the utilization of these tools for some portions of Antarctica and offering important insights. The ITASE ice-core array will eventually yield a 200 year plus annually resolved sea-ice reconstruction for significant portions of East and West Antarctica.