Articles | Volume 15, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1171-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1171-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
01 Jul 2019
Research article |
| 01 Jul 2019
| 01 Jul 2019
A reconstruction of warm-water inflow to Upernavik Isstrøm since 1925 CE and its relation to glacier retreat
Flor Vermassen
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and
Greenland (GEUS), Copenhagen, Denmark
Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of
Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Nanna Andreasen
Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and
Greenland (GEUS), Copenhagen, Denmark
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University
of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
David J. Wangner
Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and
Greenland (GEUS), Copenhagen, Denmark
Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of
Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Nicolas Thibault
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University
of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz
Centre for Past Climate Studies, Arctic Research Centre, and Climate
Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Department of
Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Rebecca Jackson
Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and
Greenland (GEUS), Copenhagen, Denmark
Sabine Schmidt
CNRS, OASU, EPOC, UMR5805, Pessac Cedex, France
Kurt H. Kjær
Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of
Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Camilla S. Andresen
Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and
Greenland (GEUS), Copenhagen, Denmark
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We carried out foraminiferal, stable isotope, and sedimentological analyses of a marine sediment core retrieved from the Northeast Greenland shelf. This region is highly sensitive to climate variability because it is swept by the East Greenland Current, which is the main pathway for sea ice and cold waters that exit the Arctic Ocean. The palaeoceanographic reconstruction reveals significant variations in the water masses and in the strength of the East Greenland Current over the last 9400 years.
Kate E. Ashley, Xavier Crosta, Johan Etourneau, Philippine Campagne, Harry Gilchrist, Uthmaan Ibraheem, Sarah E. Greene, Sabine Schmidt, Yvette Eley, Guillaume Massé, and James Bendle
Biogeosciences, 18, 5555–5571, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5555-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5555-2021, 2021
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We explore the potential for the use of carbon isotopes of algal fatty acid as a new proxy for past primary productivity in Antarctic coastal zones. Coastal polynyas are hotspots of primary productivity and are known to draw down CO2 from the atmosphere. Reconstructions of past productivity changes could provide a baseline for the role of these areas as sinks for atmospheric CO2.
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Short summary
By studying microfossils from sediments in Upernavik Fjord we investigate the role of ocean warming on the retreat of Upernavik Isstrøm during the past ~90 years. The reconstruction of Atlantic-derived waters shows a pattern similar to that of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, corroborating previous studies. The response of Upernavik Isstrøm to ocean forcing has been variable in the past, but the current retreat may be temporarily tempered by cooling bottom waters in the coming decade.
By studying microfossils from sediments in Upernavik Fjord we investigate the role of ocean...
