Late Quaternary Marine and Terrestrial Environments, Northwestern Baffin Island, Northwest Territories

Short, Susan K.; Andrews, John T.; Williams, Kerstin M.; Weiner, Nancy; Elias, Scott A.

doi:10.7202/032974ar

Cited by 20 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…), and multi‐proxy records indicate amelioration (Short et al . ). A Holocene range expansion of various terrestrial Arctic plants and animals (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…, b) in Barrow Strait, and by diatom and foraminiferal data in Strathcona Sound (NW Baffin Island; Short et al . ). Dyke et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…), whereas Short et al . () documented prominent Holocene environmental changes on NW Baffin Island based on multiproxy analysis of terrestrial, marine and lacustrine sediments. The late Quaternary environmental history of the central channels based on bio‐ and lithostratigraphy, seismics and subbottom profiling has been described by Blasco et al .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The deglacial to postglacial marine environments ofSEBarrowStrait,CanadianArcticArchipelago

Pieńkowski

England

Furze

et al. 2011

Boreas

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Core 86027‐144 (74°15.56′N, 91°14.21′W) represents a rare, continuous record of Late Pleistocene to Holocene sediments from High Arctic Canada extending from the end of the Last Glaciation. Based on microfossils (dinocysts, non‐pollen palynomorphs, benthic and planktonic foraminifera), foraminiferal δ18O and δ13C, and sedimentology, seven palaeoenvironmental zones were identified. Zone I (>10.8 cal. ka BP) records deglaciation, ice‐sheet destabilization, float‐off and subsequent break‐up. Zone II (c. 10.8–10.4 cal. ka BP) shows ice‐proximal to ice‐distal glaciomarine conditions, interrupted by pervasive land‐fast sea‐ice marked by a hiatus in coarse sediment deposition. Significant biological activity starts in Zone III (10.4–9.9 cal. ka BP), where planktonic foraminifera (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma) suggest early oceanic throughflow. Surface waters flowed NW–SE; however, the deep‐water origin remains unclear (potentially NW Arctic Ocean or Baffin Bay). Postglacial amelioration (open‐water season greater than present) in Zone IV (9.9–7.8 cal. ka BP) perhaps corresponds to the regional ‘Holocene Thermal Maximum’ previously proposed. A transitional period (Zone V; 7.8–6.7 cal. ka BP) of rapid environmental change fluctuating on a scale not observed today is marked by increasing sea‐ice and reduced oceanic influence. This probably signals the exclusion of deeper Atlantic water owing to the glacio‐isostatic shallowing of inter‐island sills, coupled with generally cooling climate. Conditions analogous to those at present, with increased sea‐ice and modern microfossil assemblages, commence at c. 6.7 cal. ka BP (zones VI–VII). Although climate ultimately forces long‐term environmental trends, core 86027‐144 data imply that regional dynamics, especially changes in sea‐level, exert a significant control on marine conditions throughout the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

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“…), and multi‐proxy records indicate amelioration (Short et al . ). A Holocene range expansion of various terrestrial Arctic plants and animals (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…, b) in Barrow Strait, and by diatom and foraminiferal data in Strathcona Sound (NW Baffin Island; Short et al . ). Dyke et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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The deglacial to postglacial marine environments ofSEBarrowStrait,CanadianArcticArchipelago

Pieńkowski

England

Furze

et al. 2011

Boreas

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“…However, the marine core record, based on eight cores, from the Baffin Island coast as discussed in Williams (1990a), from Strathcona Sound (Short et al, 1994) in the north and from Frobisher Bay in the south, suggests a different scenario. A time of initial glacial melt prior to 8 or 9 ka is often indicated by a spike in the diatom record, suggested by an enhanced flux of frustules to the sea floor.…”

Section: Diatomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2-4 ka, calcareous foraminifera indicate that Atlantic water occupied the seafloor at both sites (Fig. 8) Short et al, 1994). Vilks et al (1969) inferred that the sills in the western archipelago were deeper due to isostatic loading and the Atlantic water from the Arctic Ocean flowed into the Diaz et al, 1989, fig.…”

Section: Barrow Strait and Strathcona Soundmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Eastern Canadian Arctic at ca. 6 ka BP: A Time of Transition

Williams¹,

Short²,

Andrews³

et al. 2007

gpq

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The middle Holocene was a time of definite environmental transition in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. Based on several proxy indicators (pollen, diatoms, foraminifera, molluscs and nearshore sedimentation rates), it appears that a thermal maximum occurred around middle Holocene (6-4 ka), several thousand years after the insolation maximum — a lag caused by the thermal inertia of the earlier massive ice sheet. Terrestrial records indicate that a warming began around 6 ka, both in the subarctic (Labrador - Ungava) and on Baffin Island. Marine records, on the other hand, suggested major water structure changes around 6 ka both in the Northeastern Canadian Arctic and also along the East Greenland coast with evidence of a marine surface water temperature maximum at 8 ka. We hypothesize that the marine circulation changes, both along the Baffin Island and along the East Greenland coasts, were primarily driven by glacio-isostatic uplift of the Arctic Channels. With the cessation of water flow of Atlantic (warmer) origin, and decrease in water volume from the deeper parts of the Arctic Ocean through the Arctic Channels, the export through the Fram and Denmark straits increased and the water column changed. Changes in the concentration and duration of sea ice along the eastern Canadian coast would have had important repercussions on the biota of the coastal marine and terrestrial ecosystems.L'Holocène moyen a été une période de transition bien déterminée dans l'est de l'Arctique canadien. Selon de nombreux indicateurs (pollen, diatomées, foraminifères, mollusques et taux de sédimentation côtiers), il semble qu'un maximum thermique ait été atteint vers le milieu de l'Holocène (6-4 ka), plusieurs milliers d'années après le maximum d'insolation — un retard dû à l'inertie thermique causée par la présence de l'immense inlandsis. Les données terrestres démontrent qu'un réchauffement s'est amorcé vers 6 ka, à la fois dans le subarctique (Labrador, Ungava) et dans l'île de Baffin. Les données marines, d'autre part, indiquent qu'il y a eu des changements de structure de l'eau vers 6 ka à la fois dans le nord-est de l'Arctique canadien et le long de la côte du Groenland avec des indices de températures maximales marines de surface à 8 ka. Nous posons l'hypothèse selon laquelle les changements de circulation marine, à la fois le long de l'île de Baffin et le long de la côte est du Groenland ont été provoqués par le relèvement isostatique des chenaux arctiques. Avec l'arrêt de l'écoulement (plus chaud) en provenance de l'Atlantique et la diminution du cubage d'eau provenant des grandes profondeurs de l'océan Arctique dans les chenaux arctiques, l'évacuation par les détroits de Fram et du Danemark s'est accrue et la colonne d'eau s'est modifiée. Les changements de concentration et de durée de la glace marine le long de la côte est du Canada auraient eu d'importantes répercussions sur les écosystèmes marins côtiers et terrestres.Das mittlere Holozân war eine eindeutige Umwelt-Ùbergangszeit in der ostkanadischen Arktis. Gestùtzt auf zahlr...

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Sea‐surface conditions in northernmost Baffin Bay during the Holocene: palynological evidence

Levac

Vernal

Blake

2001

J Quaternary Science

132

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The analysis of cores collected in northernmost Baffin Bay, from within the area of the North Water Polynya, permits definition of a composite sedimentary sequence ca. 12 m thick spanning the last 10 000 14 C yr, with only a few discontinuities. Palynological analyses were performed in order to reconstruct changes in surface water conditions and biogenic production. Transfer functions, using dinocyst assemblages, were applied to estimate sea-surface temperature (SST) and salinity, as well as the seasonal duration of sea ice cover. At the base of the record, prior to 9300 14 C yr BP, dinocysts and organic linings of benthic foraminifers are sparse, indicating harsh conditions and low productivity. After ca. 9300 14 C yr BP, the increased concentration of benthic foraminifers (up to 10 3 linings cm −3 ) and dinocyst fluxes (10 2 -10 3 cysts cm −2 yr −1 ) reveals high biological productivity related to open-water conditions. The early to middle Holocene, from ca. 9000 to ca. 3600 14 C yr BP, is marked by relatively high species diversity in dinocyst assemblages and the significant occurrence of autotrophic taxa such as Spiniferites elongatus, Pentapharsodinium dalei and Impagidinium pallidum. This assemblage suggests conditions at least as warm as at present. From ca. 6400 to ca. 3600 14 C yr BP, transfer functions indicate warmer conditions than at present, with SST in August fluctuating up to 5.5°C. After 3600 14 C yr BP, the dinocyst record suggests a trend of decreasing temperature toward modern values, marked by recurrent cooling events.

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Late Quaternary Marine and Terrestrial Environments, Northwestern Baffin Island, Northwest Territories

Cited by 20 publications

References 42 publications

The deglacial to postglacial marine environments ofSEBarrowStrait,CanadianArcticArchipelago

The deglacial to postglacial marine environments ofSEBarrowStrait,CanadianArcticArchipelago

The Eastern Canadian Arctic at ca. 6 ka BP: A Time of Transition

Sea‐surface conditions in northernmost Baffin Bay during the Holocene: palynological evidence

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