Glacial history and paleoceanography of the southern Yermak Plateausince 132 ka BP

• The southern Yermak Plateau (YP) is situated at the entrance to the Arctic Ocean in the narrow MarginalIce Zone (MIZ) between the Polar and Arctic Fronts, north-west of Svalbard. A gravity core JM10-02GChas been analysed in order to reconstruct paleoceanographic conditions and the movement of the seaice margin as well as the glacier ice conditions of the SvalbardeBarents Sea Ice Sheet (SBIS) during theLast InterglacialeGlacial cycle. The distribution of planktic and benthic foraminifera, planktic and benthicoxygen and carbon isotopes and variations in ice-rafted debris (IRD) has been investigated. The sedimentcore covers the time interval from the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6/5e transition (Termination II, c.132 ka BP) to the early Holocene. During Termination II (TII), the SBIS retreated and the sea ice marginwas in distal position whereas during MIS 5 to MIS 4 the sea ice margin was close to the core site. Severalcore intervals interpreted as representing MIS 5e, MIS 5c, MIS 5a, MIS 3 and MIS 1 were barren ofcalcareous microfossils whereas the intervals representing MIS 4 and MIS 2 were characterised by highproductivity (HP) of planktic and benthic foraminifera. These “glacial” HP zones were associated with theopen water conditions resulting from the advection of Atlantic Water (AW) and retreat of the sea icemargin. The barren zones during MIS 5, MIS 3 and MIS 1 resulted from the proximity of the sea icemargin whereas during MIS 2 the likely cause was an advance of the SBIS.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Geology

geologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)