Instability of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream over the last 45,000 years

Larsen, Nicolaj K.; Levy, Laura B.; Carlson, Anders E.; Buizert, Christo; Olsen, Jesper; Strunk, Astrid; Bjørk, Anders A.; Skov, Daniel

doi:10.1038/s41467-018-04312-7

Cited by 77 publications

(142 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…However, it should be noted that many of the existing dates are conventional radiocarbon ages of several molluscs and should be treated with caution. In northeast Greenland, a recent study based on dating of reworked mollusc fragments in moraines reached a similar conclusion that the GrIS was smaller than present during MIS 3 (41‐26k cal a BP) and that the LGM expansion occurred after 26k cal a BP (Larsen et al , ). Overall, these findings suggest that the GrIS extent in northern Greenland was similar to today or even smaller during MIS 3.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…(A) Reconstruction of ice‐margin fluctuations in the Qaanaaq area and Inglefield Bredning based on 14 C ages of reworked molluscs (red), 10 Be ages of boulders (blue), 14 C ages of sediment cores (green) and 14 C ages of mosses (black). (B) Summer temperature reconstruction at 79°N (Larsen et al , ; Buizert et al , ). (C) Accumulation rate at NEEM (Rasmussen et al , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Glacial history of the Greenland Ice Sheet and a local ice cap in Qaanaaq, northwest Greenland

Søndergaard

Larsen

Olsen

et al. 2019

J Quaternary Science

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In this study, we present new information on the glacial history of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) and a local ice cap in Qaanaaq, northwest Greenland. We use geomorphological mapping, 10Be exposure dating of boulders, analysis of lake cores, and 14C dating of reworked marine molluscs and subfossil plants to constrain the glacial history. Our 14C ages of reworked marine molluscs reveal that the ice extent in the area was at or behind its present‐day position from 42.2 ± 0.4 to 30.6 ± 0.3k cal a BP after which the GrIS expanded to its maximum position during the Last Glacial Maximum. We find evidence of early ice retreat in the deep fjord (Inglefield Bredning) at 11.9 ± 0.6 ka whereas the Taserssuit Valley was deglaciated ~4 ka later at 7.8 ± 0.1k cal a BP. A proglacial lake record suggests that the local ice cap survived the Holocene Thermal Maximum but moss kill‐dates reveal that it was smaller than present for a period of time before 3.3 ± 0.1k until 0.9 ± 0.1k cal a BP, following which the ice in the area expanded towards its Little Ice Age extent. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacial history of the Greenland Ice Sheet and a local ice cap in Qaanaaq, northwest Greenland

Søndergaard

Larsen

Olsen

et al. 2019

J Quaternary Science

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“…However, we removed 15% of the outer shell in the sample pretreatment, and therefore, it seems unlikely that contamination has affected the radiocarbon ages (Larsen et al . ). Instead, we suggest that old radiocarbon ages reflect a period during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (~60 to 25 ka) when the outlet glaciers of Flade Isblink were smaller than at present.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…ka BP by dating reworked marine shells in moraines adjacent to the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (Larsen et al . ). A reduction in ice‐rafted debris and lower sedimentation rates in the marine cores at 81°N suggest that deglaciation from the shelf began ~20 cal.…”

Section: Finderup Land North Greenlandmentioning

confidence: 97%

Local ice caps in Finderup Land, North Greenland, survived the Holocene Thermal Maximum

Larsen

Levy

Strunk

et al. 2019

Boreas

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Local glaciers and ice caps (GICs) comprise only ~5.4% of the total ice volume, but account for ~14–20% of the current ice loss in Greenland. The glacial history of GICs is not well constrained, however, and little is known about how they reacted to Holocene climate changes. Specifically, in North Greenland, there is limited knowledge about past GIC fluctuations and whether they survived the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM, ~8 to 5 ka). In this study, we use proglacial lake records to constrain the ice‐marginal fluctuations of three local ice caps in North Greenland including Flade Isblink, the largest ice cap in Greenland. Additionally, we have radiocarbon dated reworked marine molluscs in Little Ice Age (LIA) moraines adjacent to the Flade Isblink, which reveal when the ice cap was smaller than present. We found that outlet glaciers from Flade Isblink retreated inland of their present extent from ~9.4 to 0.2 cal. ka BP. The proglacial lake records, however, demonstrate that the lakes continued to receive glacial meltwater throughout the entire Holocene. This implies that GICs in Finderup Land survived the HTM. Our results are consistent with other observations from North Greenland but differ from locations in southern Greenland where all records show that the local ice caps at low and intermediate elevations disappeared completely during the HTM. We explain the north–south gradient in glacier response as a result of sensitivity to increased temperature and precipitation. While the increased temperatures during the HTM led to a complete melting of GICs in southern Greenland, GICs remained in North Greenland probably because the melting was counterbalanced by increased precipitation due to a reduction in Arctic sea‐ice extent and/or increased poleward moisture transport.

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“…Peary Land marks the only true readvance of three local glaciers during the Younger Dryas cooling event (12.9–11.7 ka; Rasmussen et al, ), at ~13.0–11.8 ka with bracketed minimum‐limiting 10 Be exposure ages and maximum limiting optically stimulated luminescence dates on three terminal moraines (Larsen et al, ). At the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream, 10 Be and 14 C chronologies record a retreat between 11.7 ± 0.6 ka and 9.3 ± 0.4 ka also associated with increased atmospheric and ocean temperatures at the end of the YD (Larsen et al, ).…”

Section: Early To Late Holocene Gis Morainesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early to Late Holocene Surface Exposure Ages From Two Marine‐Terminating Outlet Glaciers in Northwest Greenland

Reusche

Marcott

Ceperley

et al. 2018

Geophysical Research Letters

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Terrestrial chronologies from southern Greenland provide a detailed deglacial history of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS). The northern GIS margin history, however, is less established. Here we present surface exposure ages from moraines associated with two large outlet glaciers, Petermann and Humboldt, in the northwestern sector of the GIS. These moraine chronologies indicate a Little Ice Age advance of the ice sheet margin before ~0.3 ka and a possible equivalent advance of similar magnitude prior to ~2.8 ka. An early Holocene moraine at Humboldt Glacier was abandoned by 8.3 ± 1.7 ka and is contemporaneous with other moraines deposited along the entire western GIS margin. This widespread ice margin stability between ~9 and 8 ka indicates that while this margin was influenced by warming atmospheric temperatures during the early Holocene, the warming was likely overprinted with the effect of the abrupt climate cooling at 9.3 and 8.2 ka.

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Instability of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream over the last 45,000 years

Cited by 77 publications

References 70 publications

Glacial history of the Greenland Ice Sheet and a local ice cap in Qaanaaq, northwest Greenland

Glacial history of the Greenland Ice Sheet and a local ice cap in Qaanaaq, northwest Greenland

Local ice caps in Finderup Land, North Greenland, survived the Holocene Thermal Maximum

Early to Late Holocene Surface Exposure Ages From Two Marine‐Terminating Outlet Glaciers in Northwest Greenland

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