Ole Bennike

Synchronized terrestrial-atmospheric deglacial records around the North Atlantic

On the basis of synchronization of three carbon-14 (14C)-dated lacustrine sequences from Sweden with tree ring and ice core records, the absolute age of the Younger Dryas-Preboreal climatic shift was determined to be 11,450 to 11,390 ± 80 years before the present. A 150-year-long cooling in the early Preboreal, associated with rising Δ14C values, is evident in all records and indicates an ocean ventilation change. This cooling is similar to earlier deglacial coolings, and box-model calculations suggest that they all may have been the result of increased freshwater forcing that inhibited the strength of the North Atlantic heat conveyor, although the Younger Dryas may have begun as an anomalous meltwater event.

Palaeoecological studies of Holocene lake sediments from west Greenland

Abstract Colonisation by plants and animals and subsequent biotic development in west Greenland was studied by analyses of macrofossils in four Holocene lake sequences. One of the lake basins, located near the outer coast, was deglaciated shortly after the transition from the last glacial stage to the Holocene, and a basal date of 12,100–11,300 cal. years BP was obtained. Two of the lake basins located near the margin of the Greenland ice sheet were deglaciated several millennia later. The oldest sediments contain low-diversity floras and faunas. Some of the first immigrants were Chironomidae and Daphnia pulex, soon followed by other insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates. Water mosses, Ranunculus confervoides, Hippuris vulgaris and Potamogeton filiformis were among the first plants that colonised the lakes. The earliest Holocene terrestrial flora in west Greenland was probably entirely herbaceous, with Salix herbacea and Empetrum nigrum being some of the first woody plants to arrive. A number of invertebrates are new to the fossil fauna of Greenland, and the ostracod Ilyocypris bradyi that was found in one sequence, from 7000 to 6500 cal. years BP, has not been recorded from Greenland before.

Stratified interglacial lacustrine sediments from Baffin Island, Arctic Canada: chronology and paleoenvironmental implications

Thirteen of 18 piston cores recovered from ‘Robinson Lake’ in the mid-Arctic vegetation zone of Baffin Island, Arctic Canada, penetrated stratified lacustrine sediment beneath a thin over-consolidated diamict (till) and postglacial lacustrine sediment. The sub-till lacustrine units are up to 120 cm thick, of which the upper several decimeters frequently contain thick, layered mats of aquatic moss; pollen and diatoms are common throughout both lacustrine units. A series of 23 AMS 14C dates defines the chronology of the postglacial sequence, which records a succession from a pioneer grass- and Oxyria-dominated tundra between 10.4 and 8 ka BP, to a sedge-dominated tundra after 8 ka BP. Limiting 14C dates place the sub-till lacustrine sediments more than 40 ka BP; 10 luminescence dates centered on 85 ka indicate they were deposited late in oxygen isotope stage (OIS) 5. The dominance of shrub and tree pollen, especially shrub birch and alder, in sub-till lacustrine samples, indicates low-arctic tundra farther north than at any time during the Holocene. Pollen concentrations are comparable to or higher than in the Holocene units. Cooling late in the interglacial is indicated by declining birch and alder pollen percentages in the upper part of the section. Diatom floras in both the sub-till and postglacial lacustrine sequences indicate similar development of lake-water chemistry, but input of silica and weathering products was greater in the older lake cycle, suggesting more vigorous catchment processes. Macrofossils in the sub-till units are characteristic of lakes ice-free in summer. Based on pollen assemblages indicating local and regional vegetation diagnostic of summer temperatures higher than the Holocene, we interpret the sub-till lacustrine units to be of interglacial character. By analogy with Holocene plant succession in central and eastern Canada, all of Keewatin and Labrador/Ungava must have been ice free throughout this interval, suggesting essentially complete deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet at the time.

Anomalously mild Younger Dryas summer conditions in southern Greenland

The first late-glacial lake sediments found in Greenland were analyzed with respect to a variety of environmental variables. The analyzed sequence covers the time span between 14400 and 10500 calendar yr B.P., and the data imply that the conditions in southernmost Greenland during the Younger Dryas stadial, 12800-11550 calendar yr B.P., were characterized by an arid climate with cold winters and mild summers, preceded by humid conditions with cooler summers. Climate models imply that such an anomaly may be explained by local climatic phenomenon caused by high insolation and Fohn effects. It shows that regional and local variations of Younger Dryas summer conditions in the North Atlantic region may have been larger than previously found from proxy data and modeling experiments.

Estimates of South Greenland late-glacial ice limits from a new relative sea level curve

Abstract Marine–lacustrine isolation contacts from seven basins in the Nanortalik area, South Greenland have been analysed and dated. The basins were isolated from the sea as a consequence of isostatic rebound following deglaciation. The isolation contacts were identified with litho- and biostratigraphical analyses, especially sedimentary changes, grey scale analyses and analyses of macroscopical remains of plants and animals. Dating was performed by analytical mass spectroscopy radiocarbon dating of macrofossils and bulk sediment samples. A slow initial relative sea level fall that begins at 13.8 cal ka BP changes to a rapid relative sea level fall before the sea level fell below the present-day sea level just prior to 10 cal ka BP. The emergence curve goes further back in time than any previous emergence curve constructed from Greenland, which reflects the early deglaciation of the studied region. The glacio-isostatic crustal rebound following deglaciation was around 110 m. The sea level history indicates that the margin of the Greenland ice sheet probably extended out to the shelf margin during the Last Glacial Maximum, and that the ice thickness must have been at least 1500 m over the outer coast. Thus the highest coastal mountains would have been ice-covered, which is surprising given their alpine character. In addition, the major part of the recession of the ice must have occurred relatively late and quickly, maybe from 14 to 12 cal ka BP. The late Holocene transgression may, at least in part, be due to increased isostatic loading as a consequence of advancing glaciers during the Neoglaciation.

A high‐resolution14C dated sediment sequence from southwest Sweden: age comparisons between different components of the sediment

A macrofossil-rich glaciomarine–marine–lacustrine sediment from a soft-water lake in southwestern Sweden has provided an opportunity to 14C date different components of its sediments. Bulk sediment dates are 100 to 500 yr older than fragile terrestrial macrofossils of corresponding levels, with a mean age difference of ca. 300 yr. This is explained by the presence of old and reworked organic material in the sediment. Five age comparisons between terrestrial macrofossils and periostraca of marine bivalves (probably Arctica islandica) of Allerod age give a mean age difference of 380 yr, i.e. slightly greater than the present reservoir age of 340 ± 30 yr for the Swedish west coast. This difference is roughly the same as for the marine macroalga Desmarestia aculeata. A date from shell carbonate fragments of Mytilus edulis yields an age that is more than 1000 yr older than corresponding periostraca and terrestrial macrofossils and 500–1000 yr older than the age of the supposed deglaciation of the site. Altogether this indicates a larger marine reservoir effect during the Allerod than at present.

Colonisation of Greenland by plants and animals after the last ice age: a review

In the light of data from the Greenland ice sheet concerning the ice-age climate, and palaeoecological studies of interglacial and Early Holocene deposits, the concept that a large proportion of Greenlands plants and animals may have survived during the ice ages is evaluated. While ice-free areas (refugias) were present, it is concluded that only hardy, cold-adapted species could have survived, which also explains why so few clearly endemic species are present in Greenland. Most members of the present biota are considered to be postglacial immigrants. Some species came to Greenland by walking or flying, but most arrived by passive, long-distance, chance dispersal, carried by wind, sea currents, and, in particular, birds. Transport by birds may explain why so many species arrived from Europe, because vast numbers of geese in particular migrate from northwest Europe to Greenland.

Holocene relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area, southern Greenland

We present results from an investigation of relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area in south Greenland from c. 11 000 cal. yr BP to the present. Isolation and transgression sequences from six lakes and two tidal basins have been identified using stratigraphical analyses, magnetic susceptibility, XRF and macrofossil analyses. Macrofossils and bulk sediments have been dated by AMS radiocarbon dating. Maximum and minimum altitudes for relative sea level are provided from two deglaciation and marine lagoon sequences. Initially, relative sea level fell rapidly and reached present-day level at similar to 9000 cal. yr BP and continued falling until at least 8800 cal. yr BP. Between 8000 and 6000 cal. yr BP, sea level reached its lowest level of around 6-8 m below highest astronomical tide (h.a.t.). At around 3750 cal. yr BP, sea level has reached above 2.7 m below h.a.t. and continued to rise slowly, reaching the present-day level between similar to 2000 cal. yr BP and the present. As in the Nanortalik area further south, initial isostatic rebound caused rapid isolation of low elevation basins in the Qaqortoq area. Distinct isolation contacts in the sediments are observed. The late Holocene transgression is less well defined and occurred over a longer time interval. The late Holocene sea-level rise implies reloading by advancing glaciers superimposed on the isostatic signal from the North American Ice Sheet. One consequence of this transgression is that settlements of Palaeo-Eskimo cultures from similar to 4000 cal. yr BP may have been transgressed by the sea. (Less)

A multi-proxy study of Pliocene sediments from Île de France, North-East Greenland

Abstract A multi-technique approach has been used to study a Pliocene shallow water marine deposit, designated the Ile de France Formation, in North-East Greenland. The sequence is correlated on the basis of 87Sr–86Sr ratios in shells and palaeomagnetic studies with the Gauss normal polarity chron, which is dated to between 2.60 and 3.58 Ma years BP. This dating is in accordance with amino acid epimerisation and evidence from dinoflagellates, foraminifers and molluscs. Sediments, marine molluscs and foraminifers show that the sequence was deposited on the inner shelf, below storm wave base. Seawater temperatures were much higher than today, as demonstrated by the occurrence of a number of southern extra-limital species. The same applies to air temperature, and the few remains of land plants may indicate a forested upland with Picea and Thuja. A number of extinct taxa are present, including Nucula jensenii that is erected as a new species.

Quaternary vertebrates from Greenland: A review

Abstract Remains of fishes, birds and mammals are rarely reported from Quaternary deposits in Greenland. The oldest remains come from Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene deposits and comprise Atlantic cod, hare, rabbit and ringed seal. Interglacial and interstadial deposits have yielded remains of cod, little auk, collared lemming, ringed seal, reindeer and bowhead whale. Early and Mid-Holocene finds include capelin, polar cod, red fish, sculpin, three-spined stickleback, Lapland longspur, Arctic hare, collared lemming, wolf, walrus, ringed seal, reindeer and bowhead whale. It is considered unlikely that vertebrates could survive in Greenland during the peak of the last glaciation, but many species had probably already immigrated in the Early Holocene.