Late Quaternary Marine and Terrestrial Environments, Northwestern Baffin Island, Northwest Territories

Paleoenvironmental data were analyzed from terrestrial, lake, and marine sediments collected near Arctic Bay, Baffin Island, N.W.T. Eighteen new radiocarbon dates provide chronological control, superseding earlier results. Spuriously old dates were obtained from both sandy peats and low-organic lake...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Géographie physique et Quaternaire
Main Authors: Short, Susan K., Andrews, John T., Williams, Kerstin M., Weiner, Nancy J., Elias, Scott A.
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal 1994
Subjects:
Arctic
Arctic Bay
Baffin Island
Mousse
Northwest Territories
Organic Lake
Arctic bay
Arctique*
Baffin
Foraminifera*
Sea ice
Online Access:http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/032974ar
https://doi.org/10.7202/032974ar
Description
Summary:Paleoenvironmental data were analyzed from terrestrial, lake, and marine sediments collected near Arctic Bay, Baffin Island, N.W.T. Eighteen new radiocarbon dates provide chronological control, superseding earlier results. Spuriously old dates were obtained from both sandy peats and low-organic lake sediments. The most reliable dates were from marine shells and foraminifera. They indicate that déglaciation was underway by 9000 BP rather than 16,000 BP. Over the period of the record, the local environment was characterized by a high arctic pollen assemblage dominated by grass, sedge, and willow; a middle Holocene warm period is indicated by increased willow, herb, and moss values. Sea-ice conditions were severe enough to inhibit the growth of diatoms until ca. 6300 BP and ice proximal and deglacial conditions prevailed in the fiords until ca. 6000 BP. Diatom productivity increased between 3000 BP and 2500 BP, suggesting warmer surface waters and less sea ice. After 2000 BP diatom accumulation decreased sharply, due to a cooling of climate. The foraminifera indicate a major change in bottom water conditions ca. 4000 BP as the benthic species shift from a calcareous to an arenaceous assemblage. On a procédé à l'analyse des données paléoenvironnementales tirées de sédiments terrestres, marins et lacustres, près de Arctic Bay. Dix-huit nouvelles dates au radiocarbone ont permis d'établir une nouvelle chronologie. Les dates les plus anciennes, et les moins fiables, ont été obtenus dans des tourbes sableuses et des sédiments lacustres à basse teneur organique. Les dates les plus sûres proviennent de coquillages marins et des foraminifères. Elles indiquent que la déglaciation était en cours dès 9000 BP plutôt qu'à 16 000 BP. Pendant la période relevée, l'environnement dans le haut Arctique était caractérisé au niveau local par un assemblage pollinique dominé par l'herbe, le carex et le saule; à l'Holocène moyen, les valeurs croissantes du saule, de l'herbe et de la mousse reflètent une période chaude. La densité de la ...

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