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

Williams, Kerstin M.; Short, Susan K.; Andrews, John T.; Jennings, Anne E.; Mode, William N.; Syvitski, James P. M.

doi:10.7202/033026ar

Cited by 39 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(42 reference statements)

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“…Late Holocene oceanographic conditions off West Greenland have previously mainly been studied in cores from the Nares Strait (Williams, 1990;Williams et al, 1995;Lavac et al, 2001;Mudie et al, 2005Mudie et al, , 2007 and Disko Bugt (Lloyd, 2005, Moros et al, 2006 showing significant changes in ocean circulation through the Holocene.…”

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confidence: 98%

Hydrography and climate of the last 4400 years in a SW Greenland fjord: implications for Labrador Sea palaeoceanography

et al. 2007

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A multiproxy record including benthic foraminifera, diatoms and XRF data of a marine sediment core from a SW Greenland fjord provides a detailed reconstruction of the oceanographic and climatic variations of the region during the last 4400 cal. years. The lower part of our record represents the final termination of the Holocene Thermal Maximum. After the onset of the `Neoglaciation' at approximately 3.2 ka cal. BP, the fjord system was subject to a number of marked hydrographical changes that were closely linked to the general climatic and oceanographic development of the Labrador Sea and the North Atlantic region. Our data show that increased advection of Atlantic water (Irminger Sea Water) from the West Greenland Current into the Labrador Sea was a typical feature of Northeast Atlantic cooling episodes such as the `Little Ice Age' and the `European Dark Ages', while the advection of Irminger Sea Water decreased significantly during warm episodes such as the `Mediaeval Warm Period' and the `Roman Warm Period'. Whereas the `Mediaeval Warm Period' was characterized by relatively cool climate as suggested by low meltwater production, the preceding `Dark Ages' display higher meltwater runoff and consequently warmer climate. When compared with European climate, these regional climate anomalies indicate persisting patterns of advection of colder, respectively warmer air masses in the study region during these periods and thus a long-term seesaw climate pattern between West Greenland and Europe.

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confidence: 98%

Hydrography and climate of the last 4400 years in a SW Greenland fjord: implications for Labrador Sea palaeoceanography

et al. 2007

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“…The latter exists in a small part of southernmost Greenland, which is therefore classified in some schemes as Subarctic, rather than Low Arctic (Funder, 1989). Forest tundra was approaching its modern limit in northeastern Québec-Labrador (Short and Nichols, 1977;Williams et al, 1995). Forest tundra and boreal forest remained north of their present positions in the Dubawnt Lake-Ennadai Lake region of Nunavut, based on macrofossils dating from 3.54-4.0 ka BP (Bryson et al, 1965;Nichols, 1972b).…”

Section: Ka Bpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Quaternary Vegetation History of Northern North America Based on Pollen, Macrofossil, and Faunal Remains*

Dyke

2007

gpq

113

118

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AbstractBiome maps spanning the interval from the last glacial maximum to modern times are presented. The biome distributions at 18 ka BP were probably as nearly in equilibrium with climate as are the modern distributions, but deglacial biomes were probably in disequilibrium. Ice sheet configuration was a strong control of climate until 7 ka BP. Regional climate trends can be inferred from changing biome distributions, but during periods of disequilibrium, biome distributions under-represent summer warming. Because of summer cooling by 2-4 °C during the Holocene, largely in the last 3-5 ka, middle and certain early Holocene biome distributions and species compositions are reasonable analogues of future equilibrium displacements due to equivalent warming, at least in areas that were long-since deglaciated. Past biome migration rates in response to rapid regional warming during deglaciation were mainly in the range of 100-200 m per year. If these rates pertain in the future, biomes may shift 10-20 km in most regions over the next century. A major impediment to using former Holocene conditions as a guide to future conditions is that warmer Holocene summers were accompanied by colder winters, whereas warmer future summers will be accompanied by warmer winters.

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“…The underlying causes are still debated (Koc et al 1993;Williams et al 1995;Snowball et al 2004 and references therein).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Holocene climate variability in the denmark strait region ‐ a land‐sea correlation of new and existing climate proxy records

Andresen

Björck

2005

Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography

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. Two well dated Holocene sediment records bordering the Denmark Strait region have been used to reconstruct past climate variability. The content of biogenic silica, classic and organic material and moss in a lacustrine record from Lake N14 has been used to infer past variability in precipitation and temperature in southern Greenland. Sedimentologic and petrologic composition of sand in a shelf sediment record from the Djúpáll trough is used to infer past variability in the northwestern storm activity on northwestern Iceland, which probably also affected the inflow of polar waters from the East Greenland Current. Our evaluation of these records with a number of previous studies from the region documents Holocene climatic optimum conditions peaking between 8000 and 6500 calendar years before present (cal yr BP). Mid‐Holocene climate deterioration set in around 5000 cal yr BP followed by a further marked setback around 3500 cal yr BP. A stacking of climate variability on a centennial timescale from previous studies in the area shows a fairly good correspondence to the timing of marked cold and warm events as evidenced from the Lake N14 and the Djúpáll trough records. Cooler periods are explained as the response to marked incursions of ice‐laden polar water from the Arctic Ocean to the Denmark Strait region. Cool northerly and northwesterly winds along the East Greenland coast in relation to frequent strong atmospheric low pressure in the Barents Sea, coupled with strong high pressure over Greenland, would have favoured southward export of polar waters. A comparison with the proxy records of nuclide production (14C and 10Be) suggests that solar activity may have had some influence on the atmospheric pressure distribution in the Denmark Strait region.

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

Cited by 39 publications

References 36 publications

Hydrography and climate of the last 4400 years in a SW Greenland fjord: implications for Labrador Sea palaeoceanography

Hydrography and climate of the last 4400 years in a SW Greenland fjord: implications for Labrador Sea palaeoceanography

Late Quaternary Vegetation History of Northern North America Based on Pollen, Macrofossil, and Faunal Remains*

Holocene climate variability in the denmark strait region ‐ a land‐sea correlation of new and existing climate proxy records

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