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| 2. |
- Pearce, Danni M., et al.
(author)
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The glacial geomorphology of upper Godthabsfjord (Nuup Kangerlua) in southwest Greenland
- 2018
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In: Journal of Maps. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1744-5647. ; 14:2, s. 45-55
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is known to have experienced widespread retreat over the last century. Information on outlet glacier dynamics, prior to this, are limited due to both a lack of observations and a paucity of mapped or mappable deglacial evidence which restricts our understanding of centennial tomillennial timescale dynamics of the GrIS. Here we present glacial geomorphological mapping, for upper Godthabsfjord, covering 5800km(2) at a scale of 1:92,000, using a combination of ASTER GDEM V2, a medium-resolution DEM (error <10m horizontal and <6m vertical accuracy), panchromatic orthophotographs and ground truthing. This work provides a detailed geomorphological assessment for the area, compiled as a single map, comprising of moraines, meltwater channels, streamlined bedrock, sediment lineations, ice-dammed lakes, trimlines, terraces, gullied sediment and marine limits. Whilst some of the landforms have been previously identified, the new information presented here improves our understanding of ice margin behaviour and can be used for future numerical modelling and landform dating programmes.Data also form the basis for palaeoglaciological reconstructions and contribute towards understanding of the centennial to millennial timescale record of this sector of the GrIS.
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| 3. |
- Rea, Brice R., et al.
(author)
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Atmospheric circulation over Europe during the Younger Dryas
- 2020
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In: Science Advances. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 2375-2548. ; 6:50
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Younger Dryas (YD) was a period of rapid climate cooling that occurred at the end of the last glaciation. Here, we present the first palaeoglacier-derived reconstruction of YD precipitation across Europe, determined from 122 reconstructed glaciers and proxy atmospheric temperatures. Positive precipitation anomalies (YD versus modern) are found along much of the western seaboard of Europe and across the Mediterranean. Negative precipitation anomalies occur over the Fennoscandian ice sheet, the North European Plain, and as far south as the Alps. This is consistent with a more southerly and zonal storm track, which is linked to a concomitant southern location of the Polar Frontal Jet Stream, generating cold air outbreaks and enhanced cyclogenesis, especially over the eastern Mediterranean. This atmospheric configuration resembles the modern Scandinavian (SCAND) circulation over Europe (a blocking high pressure over Scandinavia pushing storm tracks south and east), and by analogy, a seasonally varying palaeoprecipitation pattern is interpreted.
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| 4. |
- Schoenrock, Kathryn M., et al.
(author)
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Biodiversity of Kelp Forests and Coralline Algae Habitats in Southwestern Greenland
- 2018
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In: Diversity. - : MDPI. - 1424-2818. ; 10:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- All marine communities in Greenland are experiencing rapid environmental change, and to understand the effects on those structured by seaweeds, baseline records are vital. The kelp and coralline algae habitats along Greenland's coastlines are rarely studied, and we fill this knowledge gap for the area around Nuuk, west Greenland. Using subtidal swath surveys, photo-quadrats, and grab samples, we characterised the diversity of floral and faunal assemblages in kelp forests and coralline algae beds. The most abundant herbivore assemblages and the most diverse communities occur in the interstitial habitats of rhodolith beds. In kelp forests, species diversity is higher in epi-benthic (photo-quadrat) and mid-water (swath) surveys. These habitats are not mutually exclusive; Agarum clathratum is prominent in coralline algal habitats, while crustose coralline algae cover the bedrock under kelp holdfasts. Overall, the suite of surveys used capture the diverse communities within kelp forests and coralline algae in Greenland and their differing role in the life history of the inhabitants. Furthermore, coralline algae beds are an important carbonate store, with CaCO3 concentrations ranging from 28.06 to 103.73 gm(-3). Our research sets the baseline for continued investigations and monitoring of these important habitats and their supported fisheries.
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| 5. |
- Schoenrock, Kathryn M., et al.
(author)
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Influences of salinity on the physiology and distribution of the Arctic coralline algae, Lithothamnion glaciale (Corallinales, Rhodophyta)
- 2018
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In: Journal of Phycology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0022-3646 .- 1529-8817. ; 54:5, s. 690-702
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In Greenland, free-living red coralline algae contribute to and dominate marine habitats along the coastline. Lithothamnion glaciale dominates coralline algae beds in many regions of the Arctic, but never in Godthabsfjord, Greenland, where Clathromorphum sp. is dominant. To investigate environmental impacts on coralline algae distribution, calcification and primary productivity were measured insitu during summers of 2015 and 2016, and annual patterns of productivity in L.glaciale were monitored in laboratory-based mesocosm experiments where temperature and salinity were manipulated to mimic high glacial melt. The results of field and cold-room measurements indicate that both L.glaciale and Clathromorphum sp. had low calcification and photosynthetic rates during the Greenland summer (2015 and 2016), with maximum of 1.225 +/- 0.17 or 0.002 +/- 0.023mol CaCO3.g(-1).h(-1) and -0.007 +/- 0.003 or -0.004 +/- 0.001mg O-2.L-1.h(-1) in each species respectively. Mesocosm experiments indicate L.glaciale is a seasonal responder; photosynthetic and calcification rates increase with annual light cycles. Furthermore, metabolic processes in L.glaciale were negatively influenced by low salinity; positive growth rates only occurred in marine treatments where individuals accumulated an average of 1.85 +/- 1.73mg.d(-1) of biomass through summer. These results indicate high freshwater input to the Godthabsfjord region may drive the low abundance of L.glaciale, and could decrease species distribution as climate change increases freshwater input to the Arctic marine system via enhanced ice sheet runoff and glacier calving.
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| 6. |
- Schofield, J. Edward, et al.
(author)
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Pushing the Limits : Palynological Investigations at the Margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Norse Western Settlement
- 2022
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In: Environmental Archaeology. - : Routledge. - 1461-4103 .- 1749-6314. ; 27:2, s. 228-242
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper presents two high-resolution pollen records dating to ?AD 1000?1400 that reveal the impacts of Norse colonists on vegetation and landscape around a remote farmstead in the Western Settlement of Greenland. The study is centred upon a ?centralised farm? (ruin group V53d) in Austmannadalen, near the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet (64?13?N, 49?49?W). The climate is low arctic and considered marginal in terms of its suitability for the type of pastoral agriculture that the Norse settlers introduced. The data reveal that at a short distance (?500?m) from the farm buildings, the palynological ?footprint? for settlement becomes extremely indistinct, the only clear palaeoenvironmental evidence for a human presence being elevated levels of microscopic charcoal. This contrasts with the Eastern Settlement, where a strong palynological signature for Norse landn?m is evident, from the local (individual farm) through to the regional (landscape) scale. The palynological data from Austmannadalen, and the Western Settlement more generally, imply that farming occurred at very low intensity. This aligns with ideas that promote the importance of hunting, and trade in valuable Arctic commodities (e.g. walrus ivory), ahead of a search for new pasture as the dominant motivation driving the Norse settlement of this region.
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