Holocene precipitation seasonality in northern Svalbard: Influence of sea ice and regional ocean surface conditions

Kjellman, Sofia E.; Schomacker, Anders; Thomas, Elizabeth K.; Håkansson, Lena; Duboscq, Sandrine; Cluett, A.; Farnsworth, Wesley R.; Allaart, Lis; Cowling, Owen; McKay, Nicholas P.; Brynjólfsson, Skafti; Inǵólfsson, Ólafur

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106388

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…We focus this discussion on submerged/floating aquatic plants and Salix spp., although all isotope data are illustrated (Figure 6, Table ). Furthermore, we focus this discussion on the isotopic values for C 22 and C 28 n ‐alkanoic acids because they are often considered aquatic and terrestrial endmembers, respectively, in paleoclimate reconstructions (Cowling et al., 2020; Hou et al., 2006; Kjellman et al., 2020; Thomas et al., 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to the evidence that modern terrestrial and aquatic Arctic plants can produce overlapping chain length distributions, Holocene plant wax records suggest that different chain length waxes reflect different sources. Several Arctic lake mid‐ and long‐chain plant wax δ 2 H records exhibit different trends throughout the Holocene (Balascio et al., 2018; Kjellman et al., 2020; Thomas et al., 2016). Different isotopic trends suggest the different chain length waxes reflect different source water pools, and thus they are derived from distinct plant sources (Thomas et al., 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Contributions to Sedimentary Plant Waxes in a Modern Arctic Lake Setting

et al. 2022

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The Arctic is the fastest-warming region on Earth, with mean annual temperatures expected to increase 10°C by the end of the century under the most extreme scenarios (IPCC, 2021). Arctic precipitation is also expected to increase as local evaporation from newly ice-free seas and poleward moisture transport increase (Bintanja & Andry, 2017) (Singh et al., 2017). This rapid climate change is exacerbated by positive feedbacks primarily linked to decreasing albedo (Holland & Bitz, 2003). Records of past Arctic climate change, including water cycle change, can provide crucial long-term perspectives to understand how this region will respond to future climate change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Contributions to Sedimentary Plant Waxes in a Modern Arctic Lake Setting

et al. 2022

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“…The δ 2 H of aquatic plant‐derived mid‐chain n ‐alkanoic acids at lake Austre Nevlingen on northern Svalbard also reflects amount‐weighted mean annual precipitation δ 2 H (Kjellman et al ., 2020). Reduced seasonal sea ice duration around Svalbard in the early Holocene is coincident with 2 H‐depleted mid‐chain n ‐alkanoic acids, suggesting that, unlike southern Baffin Island, enhanced local winter moisture transport is strongly linked to reduced sea ice cover (Kjellman et al ., 2020). The different mechanisms causing changes in mean annual precipitation δ 2 H between these two regions could be due to differences in seasonal precipitation regimes on Baffin Island and on Svalbard.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The different mechanisms causing changes in mean annual precipitation δ 2 H between these two regions could be due to differences in seasonal precipitation regimes on Baffin Island and on Svalbard. At present, Baffin Island has a seasonally variable precipitation amount, with dry winters and moist summers, while Svalbard experiences muted changes in seasonal precipitation amount, with winters slightly wetter than summers (Kjellman et al ., 2020). In addition, northern Svalbard is close to the seasonal sea ice minimum extent, and therefore may be more strongly impacted by changes in sea ice than southern Baffin Island, which is close to the seasonal sea ice maximum (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Southern Baffin Island mean annual precipitation isotopes modulated by summer and autumn moisture source changes during the past 5800 years

Gorbey

Thomas

Crump

et al. 2021

J Quaternary Science

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Paleo water isotope records can elucidate how the Arctic water cycle responded to past climate changes. We analyze the hydrogen isotope composition (δ2H) of plant‐derived n‐alkanoic acids (waxes) from Lake Qaupat, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada, to assess moisture sources and seasonality during the past 5.8 ka. We compare this record to a sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA)‐inferred vascular plant record from the same lake, aiming to overcome the uncertainty of plant community impacts on leaf waxes. As the sedaDNA record reveals a stable plant community after the colonization of Betula sp. at 6.1 ka, we interpret plant wax δ2H values to reflect climate, specifically mean annual precipitation δ2H. However, the distributions of n‐alkanoic acid homologs suggest that aquatic mosses, which are not represented in the sedaDNA record, may become more abundant towards the present. Therefore, we cannot exclude the possibility that changes in the plant community cause changes in the plant wax δ2H record, particularly long‐chain waxes, which become less abundant through this record. We find that Lake Qaupat mid‐chain plant wax δ2H is enriched coincident with high Labrador Sea summer surface temperature, which suggests that local moisture sources in summer and early autumn have the greatest impact on precipitation isotopes in this region.

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“…This was followed by deglaciation, which was completed ca. 10.5 ka BP (Mangerud et al, 1992;Svendsen & Mangerud, 1997;Lønne & Lyså 2005, Farnsworth et al, 2020. Deglaciation was followed by up-valley seawater ingression, up to 13.5 km from the current end of the fjord (Cable et al, 2018;Lonne & Nemec, 2004) and the deposition of foredelta and deltaic deposits.…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Permafrost saline water and Early to Mid-Holocene permafrost aggradation in Svalbard

Rotem

Lyakhovsky

Christiansen³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Abstract. Deglaciation in Svalbard was followed-up by seawater ingression and the deposition of marine (deltaic) sediments in fjord valleys, while elastic rebound resulted in fast land uplift and the exposure of these sediment to the atmosphere, therefore the formation of epigenetic permafrost. This was then followed by the accumulation of aeolian sediments, which froze syngenetically. The permafrost was drilled in the east Adventdalen valley, Svalbard, 3–4 km from the maximum up-valley reach of post-deglaciation seawater ingression, and its ground ice was measured for chemistry. While ground ice in the syngenetic part is basically fresh the epigenetic part reveals a frozen fresh-saline water interface (FSI), with chloride concentrations increasing from the top of the epigenetic part (depth of 5.5 m) to about 15 % that of seawater at 11 m. We applied a one-dimensional freezing model in order to examine the rate of top-down permafrost aggradation, which could accommodate with the observed frozen FSI. The model examined permafrost development under different scenarios of mean average air temperature, water-freezing temperature and the degree of pore-water freezing. We found that even at the relatively high temperatures of the Early to mid-Holocene, permafrost could aggrade quite fast, e.g. down to 15 to 33 m in 200 years, therefore allowing freezing of the fresh-saline water interface despite of the relatively fast rebound rate and the resultant increase in topographic gradients toward the sea. This could be aided by non-complete pore water freezing, which possibly lead to slightly faster aggradation, resulting in the freezing of the entire marine section at that location (23 m) within less than 200 years. We conclude that freezing should have occurred immediately after the exposure of the marine sediment to atmospheric conditions.

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Holocene precipitation seasonality in northern Svalbard: Influence of sea ice and regional ocean surface conditions

Cited by 15 publications

References 82 publications

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Contributions to Sedimentary Plant Waxes in a Modern Arctic Lake Setting

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Contributions to Sedimentary Plant Waxes in a Modern Arctic Lake Setting

Southern Baffin Island mean annual precipitation isotopes modulated by summer and autumn moisture source changes during the past 5800 years

Permafrost saline water and Early to Mid-Holocene permafrost aggradation in Svalbard

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