| 1. |
- Hogan, Kelly A., et al.
(author)
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Glacial sedimentation, fluxes and erosion rates associated with ice retreat in Petermann Fjord and Nares Strait, north-west Greenland
- 2020
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In: The Cryosphere. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1994-0416 .- 1994-0424. ; 14:1, s. 261-286
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Petermann Fjord is a deep ( > 1000 m) fjord that incises the coastline of north-west Greenland and was carved by an expanded Petermann Glacier, one of the six largest outlet glaciers draining the modern Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). Between 5 and 70 m of unconsolidated glacigenic material infills in the fjord and adjacent Nares Strait, deposited as the Petermann and Nares Strait ice streams retreated through the area after the Last Glacial Maximum. We have investigated the deglacial deposits using seismic stratigraphic techniques and have correlated our results with high-resolution bathymetric data and core lithofacies. We identify six seismoacoustic facies in more than 3500 line kilometres of subbottom and seismic-reflection profiles throughout the fjord, Hall Basin and Kennedy Channel. Seismo-acoustic facies relate to bedrock or till surfaces (Facies I), subglacial deposition (Facies II), deposition from meltwater plumes and icebergs in quiescent glacimarine conditions (Facies III, IV), deposition at grounded ice margins during stillstands in retreat (grounding-zone wedges; Facies V) and the redeposition of material downslope (Facies IV). These sediment units represent the total volume of glacial sediment delivered to the mapped marine environment during retreat. We calculate a glacial sediment flux for the former Petermann ice stream as 1080-1420 m(3) a(-1) per metre of ice stream width and an average deglacial erosion rate for the basin of 0.29-0.34 mm a(-1). Our deglacial erosion rates are consistent with results from Antarctic Peninsula fjord systems but are several times lower than values for other modern GrIS catchments. This difference is attributed to fact that large volumes of surface water do not access the bed in the Petermann system, and we conclude that glacial erosion is limited to areas overridden by streaming ice in this large outlet glacier setting. Erosion rates are also presented for two phases of ice retreat and confirm that there is significant variation in rates over a glacial-deglacial transition. Our new glacial sediment fluxes and erosion rates show that the Petermann ice stream was approximately as efficient as the palaeo-Jakobshavn Isbra at eroding, transporting and delivering sediment to its margin during early deglaciation.
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| 2. |
- Nilsson, Andreas, et al.
(author)
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Recurrent ancient geomagnetic field anomalies shed light on future evolution of the South Atlantic Anomaly
- 2022
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424. ; 119:24
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The strength of the geomagnetic field has decreased rapidly over the past two centuries, coinciding with an increasing field asymmetry due to the growth of the South Atlantic Anomaly. The underlying processes causing the decrease are debated, which has led to speculation that the field is about to reverse. Here, we present a geomagnetic field model based on indirect observations over the past 9,000 y and identify potential ancient analogs. The model is constructed using a probabilistic approach that addresses problems with age uncertainties and smoothing of sedimentary data that have hampered previous attempts. We find evidence for recurrent hemispherical field asymmetries, related to quasiperiodic millennial-scale variations in the dipole moment. Our reconstruction indicates that minima in the dipole moment tend to coincide with geomagnetic field anomalies, similar to the South Atlantic Anomaly. We propose that the period around 600 BCE, characterized by a strongly asymmetric field, could provide an analog to the present-day field. The analogy implies that the South Atlantic Anomaly will likely disappear in next few hundred years, accompanied by a return to a more symmetric field configuration and possibly, a strengthening of the axial dipole field.
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| 3. |
- Reilly, Brendan T., et al.
(author)
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Holocene break-up and reestablishment of the Petermann Ice Tongue, Northwest Greenland
- 2019
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 218, s. 322-342
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Over the last decade, two major calving events of the Petermann Ice Tongue in Northwest Greenland have led to speculation on its future stability and contribution to further Greenland Ice Sheet mass loss. However, it has been unclear if these events are anomalous or typical within the context of limited historical observations. We extend the historical record of the floating ice tongue using the stratigraphy of Petermann Fjord sediments to provide a longer-term perspective. Computed tomography (CT) scans, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) scans, Ice-Rafted Debris (IRD) counts, and the magnetic properties of specific particle size fractions constrain changes in depositional processes and sediment sources at our core sites, allowing for reconstructions of past behavior of the Petermann Ice Tongue. Radiocarbon dating of foraminifera, Pb-210, and paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) provide age control and help to address uncertainties in radiocarbon reservoir ages. A floating ice tongue in Petermann Fjord formed in late glacial time as Petermann Glacier retreated from an advanced grounded position. This paleo-ice tongue broke-up during the early Holocene when high northern latitude summer insolation was higher than present. After gradual regrowth of the ice tongue associated with regional cooling, the ice tongue reached its historical extent only within the last millennium. Little or no ice tongue was present for nearly 5000 years during the middle Holocene, when decadal mean regional temperatures are estimated to be 0.8-2.9 degrees C higher than preindustrial (1750 CE) and seasonal sea-ice in the Lincoln Sea was reduced. This pre-historical behavior shows that recent anthropogenic warming may already be in the range of ice tongue instability and future projected warming increases the risk of ice tongue break-up by the mid-21st Century.
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