Seafloor evidence of glaciation in Baffin Bay, revealed by bathymetric and Parasound data

• Main Author: Ibrahim, Amr
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: HafenCity University Hamburg 2016
• Subjects: Baffin Bay; Greenland; Baffin; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/42686/; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.49270

The ice sheet which was covering west Greenland was also covering most of the continental shelf east Baffin Bay. The MSM44 cruise was conducted to investigate and map the glacial features in several parts of Baffin Bay, especially Melville Bay. This cruise was equipped with two multibeam systems and one parametric sub-bottom profiler, among other systems. The very reliable bathymetric and Parasound data revealed a vast variety of glacial features of the seabed of Baffin Bay including mega scale glacial lineations, iceberg scours, drumlines, grounding zone wedges, among others. The glacial features which were observed in the study area inferred that the maximum extent of the west Greenland ice sheet was about 200 km distance from the current shoreline. Since these glacial features are still preserved without any deformation, then they occurred during the last glacial maximum. The ice sheet retreated from the west Greenland continental shelf in different dynamics that varied from fast, slow, or episodic retreat. Iceberg scours were observed all over the study area. They extensively scoured the seabed of the inter-trough highs east Baffin Bay. In some areas, a prevalent scours direction was detected, and in some other areas the scours were oriented randomly. The data from this thesis can be used as a base for future researches which aim more understanding of the former ice dynamics in Baffin Bay.