A continuous record of Holocene eolian activity in West Greenland
Abstract Eolian landforms are widespread alongside proglacial valley-sandurs in West Greenland and comprise low-relief sand sheets, climbing dunes, and upland loess. Sedimentary facies mainly reflect distance to outwash-source zones and the influence of vegetation cover. The sediments show stratific...
Published in: | Quaternary Research |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2003
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0033-5894(03)00037-1 http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589403000371?httpAccept=text/xml http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589403000371?httpAccept=text/plain https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400012011 |
id |
crcambridgeupr:10.1016/s0033-5894(03)00037-1 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crcambridgeupr:10.1016/s0033-5894(03)00037-1 2024-06-23T07:53:13+00:00 A continuous record of Holocene eolian activity in West Greenland Willemse, Nico W. Koster, Eduard A. Hoogakker, Babette van Tatenhove, Frank G.M. 2003 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0033-5894(03)00037-1 http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589403000371?httpAccept=text/xml http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589403000371?httpAccept=text/plain https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400012011 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Quaternary Research volume 59, issue 3, page 322-334 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 journal-article 2003 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1016/s0033-5894(03)00037-1 2024-06-12T04:05:07Z Abstract Eolian landforms are widespread alongside proglacial valley-sandurs in West Greenland and comprise low-relief sand sheets, climbing dunes, and upland loess. Sedimentary facies mainly reflect distance to outwash-source zones and the influence of vegetation cover. The sediments show stratification types typical for poorly to moderately vegetated sand-sheets, alternately laminated silt/peat sequences, and unstratified loess. Twenty-five accelerator mass spectrometry 14 C dates provide the basis for the chronostratigraphy of the inland eolian deposits. 14 C dates from interstratified sand-sheets suggest that the bulk of eolian sands were deposited prior to 3400 cal yr B.P. and after 550 cal yr B.P. This two-phase formation for the inland dunes most likely reflects local changes in proglacial floodplain development and meltwater rerouting associated with a significant recession of the Greenland ice sheet during the mid Holocene climate optimum. Subsequent floodplain regeneration and renewed sand-sheet formation after 550 cal yr B.P. followed when the ice margin readvanced to its present position. In contrast, atmospheric deposition of regionally derived silt in upland peat mires has been continuous since at least 4750 cal yr B.P. Silt influx data demonstrate a strongly episodic history of the intensity of eolian activity over the past five millennia, which tentatively reflects alternating periods of (winter) aridity associated with the variable incursion of maritime air masses over the interior ice-free areas of West Greenland. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet Cambridge University Press Greenland Quaternary Research 59 3 322 334 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Eolian landforms are widespread alongside proglacial valley-sandurs in West Greenland and comprise low-relief sand sheets, climbing dunes, and upland loess. Sedimentary facies mainly reflect distance to outwash-source zones and the influence of vegetation cover. The sediments show stratification types typical for poorly to moderately vegetated sand-sheets, alternately laminated silt/peat sequences, and unstratified loess. Twenty-five accelerator mass spectrometry 14 C dates provide the basis for the chronostratigraphy of the inland eolian deposits. 14 C dates from interstratified sand-sheets suggest that the bulk of eolian sands were deposited prior to 3400 cal yr B.P. and after 550 cal yr B.P. This two-phase formation for the inland dunes most likely reflects local changes in proglacial floodplain development and meltwater rerouting associated with a significant recession of the Greenland ice sheet during the mid Holocene climate optimum. Subsequent floodplain regeneration and renewed sand-sheet formation after 550 cal yr B.P. followed when the ice margin readvanced to its present position. In contrast, atmospheric deposition of regionally derived silt in upland peat mires has been continuous since at least 4750 cal yr B.P. Silt influx data demonstrate a strongly episodic history of the intensity of eolian activity over the past five millennia, which tentatively reflects alternating periods of (winter) aridity associated with the variable incursion of maritime air masses over the interior ice-free areas of West Greenland. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Willemse, Nico W. Koster, Eduard A. Hoogakker, Babette van Tatenhove, Frank G.M. |
spellingShingle |
Willemse, Nico W. Koster, Eduard A. Hoogakker, Babette van Tatenhove, Frank G.M. A continuous record of Holocene eolian activity in West Greenland |
author_facet |
Willemse, Nico W. Koster, Eduard A. Hoogakker, Babette van Tatenhove, Frank G.M. |
author_sort |
Willemse, Nico W. |
title |
A continuous record of Holocene eolian activity in West Greenland |
title_short |
A continuous record of Holocene eolian activity in West Greenland |
title_full |
A continuous record of Holocene eolian activity in West Greenland |
title_fullStr |
A continuous record of Holocene eolian activity in West Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
A continuous record of Holocene eolian activity in West Greenland |
title_sort |
continuous record of holocene eolian activity in west greenland |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2003 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0033-5894(03)00037-1 http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589403000371?httpAccept=text/xml http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589403000371?httpAccept=text/plain https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400012011 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
op_source |
Quaternary Research volume 59, issue 3, page 322-334 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0033-5894(03)00037-1 |
container_title |
Quaternary Research |
container_volume |
59 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
322 |
op_container_end_page |
334 |
_version_ |
1802644779085856768 |