Holocene Reconstruction of the West Greenland Current and the Greenland Ice Sheet Margin Near Disko Bay Using Foraminiferal Assemblages

Download or read book Holocene Reconstruction of the West Greenland Current and the Greenland Ice Sheet Margin Near Disko Bay Using Foraminiferal Assemblages written by Mariah E. Walton and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent Greenland Ice Sheet retreat has been shown to be caused at least in part by ocean subsurface warming. Foraminiferal assemblages and IRD counts from four marine sediment cores in the region of Disko Bay (West Greenland) are presented here to help explore the relationship between oceans and ice sheets. Faunal shifts indicate that Atlantic Waters via the West Greenland Current (WGC) were first felt in the bay sometime between 9 and 8.5 cal. kyr BP. A dramatic rise in calcareous fauna from 6.2 - 3.5 cal. kyr BP in all cores indicates a significant shift in the strength of the WGC, with Atlantic associated fauna peaking at 4.5 cal. kyr BP. This coincides with the believed retreat of Jakobshavn Isbrae behind its present margin, suggesting that subsurface warming may have played a part in the ice stream's retreat in the past.