Boulder-strewn flats in a high-latitude macrotidal embayment, Baffin Island: geomorphology, formation, and future stability

Hatcher, S.; Forbes, Donald L.; Manson, Gavin K.

doi:10.1139/cjes-2021-0019

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 36 publications

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“…While much of this is recirculated within the tidal flats, some coarse material makes it to deeper waters as ice-rafted debris (IRD; Dale et al 2002). Waves and current export finer sediment from the flats (Hatcher et al 2021). Meta Incognita and Hall peninsulas flank Frobisher Bay to the southwest and northeast, respectively (Fig.…”

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Marine record of late-glacial readvance and last recession of Laurentide ice, inner Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, Arctic Canada

2022

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The Cockburn Substage readvance marks the last major late-glacial advance of the northeast sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet on Baffin Island. The causes of this abrupt, late reversal of retreat are still unclear, but greater chronological control may provide some insight. To date, the literature has focused on the large terminal moraines in the region, providing a date of readvance (c. 9.5-8.5 ka cal BP). In Frobisher Bay, the Cockburn Substage readvance and recession onshore are marked by a series of moraines spread over ~20 km along the inner bay. Acoustic marine mapping reveals five distinct transverse ridges, morphologically suggestive of grounding-zone wedges, and two later fields of DeGeer moraines on the floor of the inner bay. These indicate that the style of ice retreat (beginning no later than 8.5 ka cal BP) changed over time from punctuated recession of a floating ice-front (20 km over >680 years, with four pauses) to more regular tidewater ice-front retreat, reaching the head of the bay 900 years or more after withdrawal from the outer Cockburn limit. The established chronology for final recession in the region is based largely on radiocarbon dating of bulk shell samples and single shells of deposit-feeding molluscs, notably <i>Portlandia arctica</i>, affected by old carbon from carbonate-rich sediments. Sedimentary analysis and judicious sampling for <sup>14</sup>C dating of glaciomarine and marine facies in seabed sediment cores enables development of a late- and postglacial lithostratigraphy that indicates final withdrawal of ice from the drainage basin by 7 ka cal BP.

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confidence: 99%

Marine record of late-glacial readvance and last recession of Laurentide ice, inner Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, Arctic Canada

2022

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Landscape and Seascape Responses to Canada’s Changing Climate

et al. 2022

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Living under Arctic kelp forests: linking soft-bottom communities to kelp cover in the Canadian Arctic

Lavoie,

Howland,

Filbee-Dexter

et al. 2024

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Kelp forests are dominant habitats along Canadian Arctic coastlines. While their extent and productivity are expected to change dramatically due to global warming, their role in supporting Arctic coastal biodiversity remains poorly explored. Leveraging an extensive data set encompassing core samples, video transects, and environmental data, this study explores the patterns and drivers of benthic diversity, particularly focusing on kelp cover, across 4 Eastern Canadian Arctic regions. We show that the widespread soft bottoms in many subtidal coastal Arctic areas are associated with high densities of the kelp Saccharina latissima, often growing in mixed stands with Laminaria solidungula and Alaria esculenta. These kelps enhance the diversity of invertebrate communities thriving in the sediment below, increasing densities in specific groups and promoting subsurface feeding activity. Interregional comparisons indicate that high turbidity conditions typically lead to low macroalgal cover and low invertebrate richness, whereas extensive sea ice cover can favor high macroalgal abundance and unique diverse communities. Conditions of intermediate open-water duration and high water clarity support tall kelp forests, hosting approximately 70% of local rare taxa. Based on these surveys, we provide a list of Arctic invertebrate taxa according to their level of selectivity for kelp forests as habitats. Despite variation among regions, kelp forests enhance biodiversity and drive unique benthic communities in the Canadian Arctic. Due to their ecological significance and potential vulnerability, we recommend efforts to integrate kelp forests into marine protected areas and minimize human-induced damaging activities within or near these habitats.

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Boulder-strewn flats in a high-latitude macrotidal embayment, Baffin Island: geomorphology, formation, and future stability

Cited by 3 publications

References 36 publications

Marine record of late-glacial readvance and last recession of Laurentide ice, inner Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, Arctic Canada

Marine record of late-glacial readvance and last recession of Laurentide ice, inner Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, Arctic Canada

Landscape and Seascape Responses to Canada’s Changing Climate

Living under Arctic kelp forests: linking soft-bottom communities to kelp cover in the Canadian Arctic

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