Holocene palaeoceanographic evolution off West Greenland ...

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages from a core southwest of Disko Bugt provide a Holocene perspective (last ~7 ka BP) on ice-sheet/ocean interactions between the West Greenland Current (WGC) and the West Greenland ice sheet. Changes in the fauna reveal significant variations in the water mass propert...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Perner, Kerstin, Moros, Matthias, Jennings, Anne E, Lloyd, Jeremy M, Knudsen, Karen Luise
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: PANGAEA 2019
Subjects:
EGC
IC
WGC
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.898319
https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.898319
Description
Summary:Benthic foraminiferal assemblages from a core southwest of Disko Bugt provide a Holocene perspective (last ~7 ka BP) on ice-sheet/ocean interactions between the West Greenland Current (WGC) and the West Greenland ice sheet. Changes in the fauna reveal significant variations in the water mass properties (temperature and salinity) of the WGC through time. From 7.3 to 6.2 ka BP, a relatively warm/strong WGC influences ice-sheet melt in Disko Bugt and causes enhanced meltwater production, resulting in low surface-water productivity. The most favourable oceanographic conditions occur from 5.5 to 3.5 ka BP, associated with 'thermal optimum-like' conditions, encompassing minimum ice sheet extent in the Disko Bugt area. These conditions are attributed to: (1) reduced meltwater influence as the ice sheet is land based and (2) enhanced contribution of warm/saline water masses from the Irminger Current to the WGC. The transition into the late Holocene (last ~3.5 ka BP) is characterized by a cooling of oceanographic ... : Supplement to: Perner, Kerstin; Moros, Matthias; Jennings, Anne E; Lloyd, Jeremy M; Knudsen, Karen Luise (2013): Holocene palaeoceanographic evolution off West Greenland. The Holocene, 23(3), 374-387 ...