The 8.2 ka BP event in north eastern North America: first combined oxygen and hydrogen isotopic data from peat in Newfoundland.

• Published in: Journal of Quaternary Science
• Main Authors: Daley, T.J., Barber, K.E., Hughes, P.D.M., Loader, N.J., Leuenberger, M., Street-Perrott, F.A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Canada; Newfoundland; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/397712/; https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/397712/1/Daley%2520et%2520al%25208.2%2520O%2520and%2520D%2520JQS%25202016.pdf

Finding direct evidence for atmospheric circulation change in terrestrial records of Holocene climate variability remains a fundamental challenge. Here we present the first combined stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic palaeorecord from a peatland core in Newfoundland, Canada. Sphagnum cellulose samples were isolated from a core from Nordan's Pond Bog, Newfoundland, and analysed for ?D values. Combined with existing ?18O data, the resulting ?D/?18O bi-plot correlates directly with existing measurements of the modern (late 20th century) isotopic composition of precipitation from GNIP stations in Nova Scotia and Labrador, implying a close relationship between the estimated isotopic composition of source water used by the mosses and that of the source precipitation. We use the relative variations between the two isotope records to test the hypothesis that atmospheric circulation changed in the millennium following the 8.2-ka BP climate event. The data reveal a secondary complex isotopic response ?200 years (8250–8050 a BP) after a primary oxygen isotopic event that is widespread in the north Atlantic region. This secondary event is characterized by a divergence in oxygen and hydrogen isotope records that can most plausibly be explained by the augmentation of precipitation moisture from a more distant and more continental vapour source.