Seasonal sea ice persisted through the Holocene Thermal Maximum at 80°N

The cryospheric response to climatic warming responsible for recent Arctic sea ice decline can be elucidated using marine geological archives which offer an important long-term perspective. The Holocene Thermal Maximum, between 10 and 6 thousand years ago, provides an opportunity to investigate sea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communications Earth & Environment
Main Authors: Pieńkowski, Anna J., Husum, Katrine, Belt, Simon T., Ninnemann, Ulysses S, Köseoğlu, Denizcan, Divine, Dmitry V., Smik, Lukas, Knies, Jochen, Hogan, Kelly, Noormets, Riko
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Nature Research 2021
Subjects:
VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Geosciences: 450
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450
Arctic
Barents Sea
Foraminifera*
Phytoplankton
Sea ice
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10037/21769
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00191-x
Description
Summary:The cryospheric response to climatic warming responsible for recent Arctic sea ice decline can be elucidated using marine geological archives which offer an important long-term perspective. The Holocene Thermal Maximum, between 10 and 6 thousand years ago, provides an opportunity to investigate sea ice during a warmer-than-present interval. Here we use organic biomarkers and benthic foraminiferal stable isotope data from two sediment cores in the northernmost Barents Sea (>80 °N) to reconstruct seasonal sea ice between 11.7 and 9.1 thousand years ago. We identify the continued persistence of sea-ice biomarkers which suggest spring sea ice concentrations as high as 55%. During the same period, high foraminiferal oxygen stable isotopes and elevated phytoplankton biomarker concentrations indicate the influence of warm Atlantic-derived bottom water and peak biological productivity, respectively. We conclude that seasonal sea ice persisted in the northern Barents Sea during the Holocene Thermal Maximum, despite warmer-than-present conditions and Atlantic Water inflow.

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