Holocene climate history of the Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador, Canada) established from pollen and dinoflagellate cyst assemblages covering the past 7000 years

• Published in: The Holocene
• Main Authors: Richerol, Thomas, Fréchette, Bianca, Rochon, André, Pienitz, Reinhard
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2015
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada; Labrador Sea; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959683615596823; https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0959683615596823; https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/0959683615596823

This study documents the past ~7000 years of Holocene climatic history for Labrador and Nunatsiavut, using a sedimentary sequence of more than 8 m retrieved in Nachvak fjord, one of the northernmost fjords of Nunatsiavut. Using a multi-proxy approach combining a solid Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS)- 14 C chronology and the fossil assemblages of pollen grains and dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts), we were able to compare terrestrial and marine records in an effort to obtain a better understanding of the mid- to late-Holocene climate history of the Nunatsiavut. Records begin at the end of the deglaciation and showed a general delay in the sequence of climate events which followed, both in terrestrial and marine realms. The presence of Pentapharsodinium dalei in great abundance in Nachvak Fjord revealed a strong influence of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea until ~3000 yr BP. Afterward, its rather fast disappearance marked the increased influence of Arctic waters. The last 1000 years show climate stability in the region over the marine realm and a cooling trend over terrestrial landscapes.