Data from: Rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in West Greenland
In arid landscapes across the globe, aeolian processes are key drivers of landscape change, but arid Arctic regions are often overlooked. In the Kangerlussuaq region of West Greenland, strong katabatic winds have removed discrete patches of soil and vegetation, exposing unproductive glacial till and...
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ftzenodo:oai:zenodo.org:4940531 2024-09-15T18:08:56+00:00 Data from: Rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in West Greenland Heindel, Ruth C. Culler, Lauren E. Virginia, Ross A. 2017-12-05 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v82g6 unknown Zenodo https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683616687381 https://zenodo.org/communities/dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v82g6 oai:zenodo.org:4940531 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode Late Holocene deflation erosion rate Little Ice Age Holocene lichenometry aeolian erosion info:eu-repo/semantics/other 2017 ftzenodo https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v82g610.1177/0959683616687381 2024-07-26T09:35:54Z In arid landscapes across the globe, aeolian processes are key drivers of landscape change, but arid Arctic regions are often overlooked. In the Kangerlussuaq region of West Greenland, strong katabatic winds have removed discrete patches of soil and vegetation, exposing unproductive glacial till and bedrock. Although lake-sediment records suggest that landscape destabilization began approximately 1000 years ago, the upland soil erosion has never been directly dated. We use a novel application of lichenometry to estimate the rates and timing of soil erosion. We show that the formation of deflation patches occurred approximately 800–230 years ago, in general agreement with lake-sediment records. In West Greenland, the 'Little Ice Age' (AD 1350–1880) was characterized by a cold and arid climate, conditions that increased susceptibility to erosion. On average, deflation patches are expanding at a rate of 2.5 cm yr−1, and variation in the rate of patch expansion cannot be explained by proximity to the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), slope, aspect, elevation, or patch size. An erosional threshold exists in this aeolian system, with climate conditions necessary for patch formation likely harsher than those necessary for continued patch expansion, a result that has implications for land management in arid regions. Currently, deflation patches are expanding throughout the study region and are forming in areas close to the GrIS, but future deflation rates are dependent on projected climate and potential land-use changes. Our results stress the importance of aeolian processes in arid polar landscapes such as Kangerlussuaq, and demonstrate the use of aeolian landforms in paleoclimate reconstructions and predicting future landscape change. Lichen Diameters Raw Rhizocarpon sp. lichen diameters from soil deflation patches in West Greenland. We measured all yellow-green Rhizocarpon sp. without identifying to the species level. Lichen diameter measurements were collected along transects perpendicular to the active margin of the ... Other/Unknown Material Greenland Ice Sheet Kangerlussuaq Zenodo |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Zenodo |
op_collection_id |
ftzenodo |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Late Holocene deflation erosion rate Little Ice Age Holocene lichenometry aeolian erosion |
spellingShingle |
Late Holocene deflation erosion rate Little Ice Age Holocene lichenometry aeolian erosion Heindel, Ruth C. Culler, Lauren E. Virginia, Ross A. Data from: Rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in West Greenland |
topic_facet |
Late Holocene deflation erosion rate Little Ice Age Holocene lichenometry aeolian erosion |
description |
In arid landscapes across the globe, aeolian processes are key drivers of landscape change, but arid Arctic regions are often overlooked. In the Kangerlussuaq region of West Greenland, strong katabatic winds have removed discrete patches of soil and vegetation, exposing unproductive glacial till and bedrock. Although lake-sediment records suggest that landscape destabilization began approximately 1000 years ago, the upland soil erosion has never been directly dated. We use a novel application of lichenometry to estimate the rates and timing of soil erosion. We show that the formation of deflation patches occurred approximately 800–230 years ago, in general agreement with lake-sediment records. In West Greenland, the 'Little Ice Age' (AD 1350–1880) was characterized by a cold and arid climate, conditions that increased susceptibility to erosion. On average, deflation patches are expanding at a rate of 2.5 cm yr−1, and variation in the rate of patch expansion cannot be explained by proximity to the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), slope, aspect, elevation, or patch size. An erosional threshold exists in this aeolian system, with climate conditions necessary for patch formation likely harsher than those necessary for continued patch expansion, a result that has implications for land management in arid regions. Currently, deflation patches are expanding throughout the study region and are forming in areas close to the GrIS, but future deflation rates are dependent on projected climate and potential land-use changes. Our results stress the importance of aeolian processes in arid polar landscapes such as Kangerlussuaq, and demonstrate the use of aeolian landforms in paleoclimate reconstructions and predicting future landscape change. Lichen Diameters Raw Rhizocarpon sp. lichen diameters from soil deflation patches in West Greenland. We measured all yellow-green Rhizocarpon sp. without identifying to the species level. Lichen diameter measurements were collected along transects perpendicular to the active margin of the ... |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Heindel, Ruth C. Culler, Lauren E. Virginia, Ross A. |
author_facet |
Heindel, Ruth C. Culler, Lauren E. Virginia, Ross A. |
author_sort |
Heindel, Ruth C. |
title |
Data from: Rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in West Greenland |
title_short |
Data from: Rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in West Greenland |
title_full |
Data from: Rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in West Greenland |
title_fullStr |
Data from: Rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in West Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Data from: Rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in West Greenland |
title_sort |
data from: rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in west greenland |
publisher |
Zenodo |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v82g6 |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet Kangerlussuaq |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet Kangerlussuaq |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683616687381 https://zenodo.org/communities/dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v82g6 oai:zenodo.org:4940531 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v82g610.1177/0959683616687381 |
_version_ |
1810446316185059328 |