Age determination and faunal composition of sediments off northern Greenland ...

• Main Authors: Nørgaard-Pedersen, Niels, Mikkelsen, Naja, Lassen, Susanne Juul, Kristoffersen, Yngve, Sheldon, Emma
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2014
• Subjects: Arctic Ocean; Foraminifera*; Greenland; Lomonosov Ridge; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.833626; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.833626

We present a record encompassing marine isotope stages 7-1 from a hitherto unexplored and heavily ice-covered area of the Arctic Ocean, the Lomonosov Ridge off the northern Greenland-Canada continental margin, using nannofossil and benthic foraminifera stratigraphy. Planktic foraminifera assemblages are used as a key paleoceanographic proxy, and a surprisingly large variability is found for an interior Arctic Ocean site. Abundant small (63-125 µm) subpolar Turborotalita quinqueloba occur in two sections, possibly representing substages 5e (last interglacial) and 5a (warm interstadial). However, the present-day circulation pattern and the very distant location of high productive regions cannot explain such high abundances of subpolar specimens in the interior, perennially sea ice-covered Arctic Ocean. Hence our proxy record indicates that last interglacial sea ice concentrations were reduced off some areas of northern Greenland-Canada. Whether this was part of a larger regional pattern or it represents the ... : Supplement to: Nørgaard-Pedersen, Niels; Mikkelsen, Naja; Lassen, Susanne Juul; Kristoffersen, Yngve; Sheldon, Emma (2007): Reduced sea ice concentrations in the Arctic Ocean during the last interglacial period revealed by sediment cores off northern Greenland. Paleoceanography, 22(1), PA1218 ...