Pliocene climate change on Ellesmere Island, Canada : annual variability determined from stable isotopes of fossil wood
Tree-ring analyses have contributed significantly to investigations of climate change and climate cycles, including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Stable isotope climate proxies (?18O, ?D, and ?13C) have enhanced tradi...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Other Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Thesis |
Language: | English |
Published: |
University of Saskatchewan
2006
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-06262006-162818 |
id |
ftusaskatchewan:oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/etd-06262006-162818 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftusaskatchewan:oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/etd-06262006-162818 2023-05-15T15:00:00+02:00 Pliocene climate change on Ellesmere Island, Canada : annual variability determined from stable isotopes of fossil wood Csank, Adam Zoltan Patterson, William P. Basinger, James F. Renaut, Robin W. Holmden, Chris Cota-Sánchez, J. Hugo Ansdell, Kevin M. June 2006 http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-06262006-162818 en_US eng University of Saskatchewan http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-06262006-162818 TC-SSU-06262006162818 Pliocene Arctic Climate change Stable isotopes Tree-rings text Thesis 2006 ftusaskatchewan 2022-01-17T11:51:45Z Tree-ring analyses have contributed significantly to investigations of climate change and climate cycles, including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Stable isotope climate proxies (?18O, ?D, and ?13C) have enhanced traditional ring-width data, although poor preservation of ancient wood has generally constrained reconstruction of stable isotope proxy records to the Holocene and Late Pleistocene. An opportunity to apply these stable isotope methods to older wood has been presented by recovery of remains of Mixed-Coniferous Boreal Vegetation, in Early Pliocene (4-5 Ma) deposits at Strathcona Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Canada (~79°N). An exceptionally well-preserved tree trunk, identified as Larix (larch) through wood anatomical characteristics, from this high Arctic site provided a 203-year tree-ring record, from which we present the first high-resolution, secular isotope record of Pliocene climate. ?18O, ?D, and ?13C isotope values indicate a variable climate with alternating intervals of cool/wet to warm/dry weather. These fluctuations in climate may be attributable to phase changes in climate cycles observed in the record. A growing season mean temperature of 14.4 °C was calculated from isotopic analysis of gastropod shells. Palaeoclimatic modeling of tree isotope values has revealed growing season temperatures of 11-15 °C, and estimated isotope values of precipitation of –18.3 ‰ (?18O) and –228 ‰ (?D). Both palaeotemperature estimates and source water calculations are comparable to those found in a modern Boreal Forest. Time-series wavelet analysis was applied to these data revealing prominent short ( Thesis Arctic Climate change Ellesmere Island North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation University of Saskatchewan: eCommons@USASK Arctic Canada Ellesmere Island Pacific Strathcona ENVELOPE(99.200,99.200,-67.417,-67.417) Strathcona Fiord ENVELOPE(-82.915,-82.915,78.719,78.719) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Saskatchewan: eCommons@USASK |
op_collection_id |
ftusaskatchewan |
language |
English |
topic |
Pliocene Arctic Climate change Stable isotopes Tree-rings |
spellingShingle |
Pliocene Arctic Climate change Stable isotopes Tree-rings Csank, Adam Zoltan Pliocene climate change on Ellesmere Island, Canada : annual variability determined from stable isotopes of fossil wood |
topic_facet |
Pliocene Arctic Climate change Stable isotopes Tree-rings |
description |
Tree-ring analyses have contributed significantly to investigations of climate change and climate cycles, including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Stable isotope climate proxies (?18O, ?D, and ?13C) have enhanced traditional ring-width data, although poor preservation of ancient wood has generally constrained reconstruction of stable isotope proxy records to the Holocene and Late Pleistocene. An opportunity to apply these stable isotope methods to older wood has been presented by recovery of remains of Mixed-Coniferous Boreal Vegetation, in Early Pliocene (4-5 Ma) deposits at Strathcona Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Canada (~79°N). An exceptionally well-preserved tree trunk, identified as Larix (larch) through wood anatomical characteristics, from this high Arctic site provided a 203-year tree-ring record, from which we present the first high-resolution, secular isotope record of Pliocene climate. ?18O, ?D, and ?13C isotope values indicate a variable climate with alternating intervals of cool/wet to warm/dry weather. These fluctuations in climate may be attributable to phase changes in climate cycles observed in the record. A growing season mean temperature of 14.4 °C was calculated from isotopic analysis of gastropod shells. Palaeoclimatic modeling of tree isotope values has revealed growing season temperatures of 11-15 °C, and estimated isotope values of precipitation of –18.3 ‰ (?18O) and –228 ‰ (?D). Both palaeotemperature estimates and source water calculations are comparable to those found in a modern Boreal Forest. Time-series wavelet analysis was applied to these data revealing prominent short ( |
author2 |
Patterson, William P. Basinger, James F. Renaut, Robin W. Holmden, Chris Cota-Sánchez, J. Hugo Ansdell, Kevin M. |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Csank, Adam Zoltan |
author_facet |
Csank, Adam Zoltan |
author_sort |
Csank, Adam Zoltan |
title |
Pliocene climate change on Ellesmere Island, Canada : annual variability determined from stable isotopes of fossil wood |
title_short |
Pliocene climate change on Ellesmere Island, Canada : annual variability determined from stable isotopes of fossil wood |
title_full |
Pliocene climate change on Ellesmere Island, Canada : annual variability determined from stable isotopes of fossil wood |
title_fullStr |
Pliocene climate change on Ellesmere Island, Canada : annual variability determined from stable isotopes of fossil wood |
title_full_unstemmed |
Pliocene climate change on Ellesmere Island, Canada : annual variability determined from stable isotopes of fossil wood |
title_sort |
pliocene climate change on ellesmere island, canada : annual variability determined from stable isotopes of fossil wood |
publisher |
University of Saskatchewan |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-06262006-162818 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(99.200,99.200,-67.417,-67.417) ENVELOPE(-82.915,-82.915,78.719,78.719) |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Ellesmere Island Pacific Strathcona Strathcona Fiord |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Ellesmere Island Pacific Strathcona Strathcona Fiord |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Ellesmere Island North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Ellesmere Island North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-06262006-162818 TC-SSU-06262006162818 |
_version_ |
1766332118208610304 |