An extensive subfossil deposit of the arctic moss Aplodon wormskioldii
A 2.6-m-thick subfossil peat deposit, composed entirely of the arctic moss Aplodon wormskioldii, is described from the Carey Islands, northwestern Greenland (76°44′ N, 73°13′ W). Radiocarbon dates indicate that the peat began forming approximately 6500 years ago and stopped forming some 4500 to 4000...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Botany |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1978
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b78-224 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b78-224 |
| Summary: | A 2.6-m-thick subfossil peat deposit, composed entirely of the arctic moss Aplodon wormskioldii, is described from the Carey Islands, northwestern Greenland (76°44′ N, 73°13′ W). Radiocarbon dates indicate that the peat began forming approximately 6500 years ago and stopped forming some 4500 to 4000 years ago; thus, its growth coincided with the postglacial warm period (Hypsithermal interval). The present-day habitat of A. wormskioldii, on dung or otherwise enriched substrates, is difficult to reconcile with its persistence and abundance at a specific site in the high arctic for over two millenia. |
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