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The region of north Iceland is highly sensitive climatically owing to its location with respect to atmospheric and oceanographic fronts. In this study we present total carbonate and 18 O records of benthic and planktic Foraminifera from nine sediment cores from the North Iceland Shelf. The results of this work indicate that the deglaciation of the Vestfirdir Peninsula was completed by 10 200 cal. yr BP. The 8200 cal. yr BP cold event is present only as a minor isotopic event, and seems not to have had much of a cooling effect on the bottom waters of the northwest Iceland shelf. The Holocene maximum warmth, attributed to a stronger North Icelandic Irminger Current, occurred between ca. 7800 and 6200 cal. yr BP. Over the past 4500 cal. yr BP a general cooling trend has occurred on the North Iceland Shelf, and superimposed on this overall cooling trend are a number of oscillations between periods when relatively warmer and cooler waters occupied the shelf. Relatively cooler waters were present at 4200-4000 cal. yr BP, 3200-2900 cal. yr BP, 2500-2350 cal. yr BP and 600-200 cal. yr BP, whereas relatively warmer waters were present on the shelf at 3750-3450 cal. yr BP, 2800-2600 cal. yr BP and 1700-1000 cal. yr BP.

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