Glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic change during the last glaciation of eastern Ellesmere Island, Canada
A 300 km transect along the east coast of Ellesmere Island fills a major gap in the late Quaternary data base of the Canadian High Arctic. The last glacial maximum (LGM) is marked by prominent moraines and meltwater channels that terminate within 30 km of modern ice margins. Shells in glaciomarine d...
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1996
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crcansciencepubl:10.1139/e96-060 2024-09-15T17:57:01+00:00 Glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic change during the last glaciation of eastern Ellesmere Island, Canada England, John 1996 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e96-060 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e96-060 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences volume 33, issue 5, page 779-799 ISSN 0008-4077 1480-3313 journal-article 1996 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/e96-060 2024-07-25T04:10:07Z A 300 km transect along the east coast of Ellesmere Island fills a major gap in the late Quaternary data base of the Canadian High Arctic. The last glacial maximum (LGM) is marked by prominent moraines and meltwater channels that terminate within 30 km of modern ice margins. Shells in glaciomarine deposits, collected beyond the LGM, indicate deglaciation by more extensive ice prior to 35 ka BP. More than 60 14 C dates from glaciomarine sediments provide a chronology for past ice dynamics during the LGM. To the north, while many areas remained ice free due to severe aridity, several glaciers remained in contact with the sea until 7.1 ka BP. Farther south, most glaciers reached the coast and significantly infilled several fiords. This southward increase in glacier extent is due to larger glacial catchment basins and increased precipitation towards storm tracks in northern Baffin Bay. The earliest dates on deglaciation along the transect range from 8.1 to 7.7 ka BP. Initial retreat was controlled by the extent of the marine-based ice margins, which were destabilized by calving. Once landward of the sea, many glaciers stabilized until ~6.5 ka BP. Considerable interfiord variability in glacier dynamics is apparent. A paleoclimatic model is proposed linking past glacier activity in the Canadian High Arctic with the available ice core record. Greenland ice cores show that colder intervals, with depleted δ 18 O, were associated with reduced precipitation and storminess, which may have constrained ice buildup prior to ~15 ka BP. In contrast, the abrupt rise in δ 18 O after ~15 ka signals the onset of regional warming associated with increased storminess and precipitation (up to 200%). This may have occasioned a late buildup of High Arctic glaciers, which remained close to the last ice limit well into the Holocene. Article in Journal/Newspaper Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Ellesmere Island glacier glacier* Greenland Greenland ice cores ice core Canadian Science Publishing Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 33 5 779 799 |
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Open Polar |
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Canadian Science Publishing |
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crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
description |
A 300 km transect along the east coast of Ellesmere Island fills a major gap in the late Quaternary data base of the Canadian High Arctic. The last glacial maximum (LGM) is marked by prominent moraines and meltwater channels that terminate within 30 km of modern ice margins. Shells in glaciomarine deposits, collected beyond the LGM, indicate deglaciation by more extensive ice prior to 35 ka BP. More than 60 14 C dates from glaciomarine sediments provide a chronology for past ice dynamics during the LGM. To the north, while many areas remained ice free due to severe aridity, several glaciers remained in contact with the sea until 7.1 ka BP. Farther south, most glaciers reached the coast and significantly infilled several fiords. This southward increase in glacier extent is due to larger glacial catchment basins and increased precipitation towards storm tracks in northern Baffin Bay. The earliest dates on deglaciation along the transect range from 8.1 to 7.7 ka BP. Initial retreat was controlled by the extent of the marine-based ice margins, which were destabilized by calving. Once landward of the sea, many glaciers stabilized until ~6.5 ka BP. Considerable interfiord variability in glacier dynamics is apparent. A paleoclimatic model is proposed linking past glacier activity in the Canadian High Arctic with the available ice core record. Greenland ice cores show that colder intervals, with depleted δ 18 O, were associated with reduced precipitation and storminess, which may have constrained ice buildup prior to ~15 ka BP. In contrast, the abrupt rise in δ 18 O after ~15 ka signals the onset of regional warming associated with increased storminess and precipitation (up to 200%). This may have occasioned a late buildup of High Arctic glaciers, which remained close to the last ice limit well into the Holocene. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
England, John |
spellingShingle |
England, John Glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic change during the last glaciation of eastern Ellesmere Island, Canada |
author_facet |
England, John |
author_sort |
England, John |
title |
Glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic change during the last glaciation of eastern Ellesmere Island, Canada |
title_short |
Glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic change during the last glaciation of eastern Ellesmere Island, Canada |
title_full |
Glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic change during the last glaciation of eastern Ellesmere Island, Canada |
title_fullStr |
Glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic change during the last glaciation of eastern Ellesmere Island, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic change during the last glaciation of eastern Ellesmere Island, Canada |
title_sort |
glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic change during the last glaciation of eastern ellesmere island, canada |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
1996 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e96-060 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e96-060 |
genre |
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Ellesmere Island glacier glacier* Greenland Greenland ice cores ice core |
genre_facet |
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Ellesmere Island glacier glacier* Greenland Greenland ice cores ice core |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences volume 33, issue 5, page 779-799 ISSN 0008-4077 1480-3313 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/e96-060 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences |
container_volume |
33 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
779 |
op_container_end_page |
799 |
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1810433212393979904 |