Radiogenic Isotope Signatures of Holocene Sediments from Kane Basin: Linkage with the Re-opening and Evolution of Nares Strait

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Madaj ◽  
Friedrich Lucassen ◽  
Claude Hillaire-Marcel ◽  
Simone A. Kasemann
Keyword(s):  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Baffin Bay ◽  
Low Salinity ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past ◽  
Nares Strait ◽  
The North ◽  
Sediment Input ◽  
Detrital Sediment

<p>The re-opening of the Arctic Ocean-Baffin Bay gateway through Nares Strait, following the Last Glacial Maximum, has been partly documented, discussed and revised in the past decades. The Nares Strait opening has led to the inception of the modern fast circulation pattern carrying low-salinity Arctic water towards Baffin Bay and further towards the Labrador Sea. This low-salinity water impacts thermohaline conditions in the North Atlantic, thus the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Available land-based and marine records set the complete opening between 9 and 7.5 ka BP [1-2], although the precise timing and intensification of the southward flowing currents is still open to debate. A recent study of a marine deglacial sedimentary record from Kane Basin, central Nares Strait, adds information about subsequent paleoceanographic conditions in this widened sector of the strait and proposed the complete opening at ~8.3 ka BP [3].</p><p>We present complementary radiogenic strontium, neodymium and lead isotope data of the siliciclastic detrital sediment fraction of this very record [3] further documenting the timing and pattern of Nares Strait opening from a sediment provenance approach. The data permit to distinguish detrital material from northern Greenland and Ellesmere Island, transported to the core location from both sides of Nares Strait. Throughout the Holocene, the evolution of contributions of these two sources hint to the timing of the ice break-up in Kennedy Channel, north of Kane Basin, which led to the complete opening of Nares Strait [3]. The newly established gateway of material transported to the core location from the north via Kennedy Channel is recorded by increased contribution of northern Ellesmere Island detrital sediment input. This shift from a Greenland (Inglefield Land) dominated sediment input to a northern Ellesmere Island dominated sediment input supports the hypothesis of the newly proposed timing of the complete opening of Nares Strait at 8.3 ka BP [3] and highlights a progressive trend towards modern-like conditions, reached at about 4 ka BP.</p><p>References:</p><p>[1] England (1999) Quaternary Science Reviews, 18(3), 421–456. [2] Jennings et al. (2011) Oceanography, 24(3), 26-41. [3] Georgiadis et al. (2018) Climate of the Past, 14 (12), 1991-2010.</p>

Hydrographic Changes in Nares Strait (Canadian Arctic Archipelago) in Recent Decades Based on δ18O Profiles of Bivalve Shells

ARCTIC ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta E. Torres ◽  
Daniela Zima ◽  
Kelly K. Falkner ◽  
Robie W. Macdonald ◽  
Mary O'Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Baffin Bay ◽  
Nares Strait ◽  
The North ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Oxygen Isotopic ◽  
Bivalve Shells

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nares Strait is one of three main passages of the Canadian Archipelago that channel relatively fresh seawater from the Arctic Ocean through Baffin Bay to the Labrador Sea. Oxygen isotopic profiles along the growth axis of bivalve shells, collected live over the 5 – 30 m depth range from the Greenland and Ellesmere Island sides of the strait, were used to reconstruct changes in the hydrography of the region over the past century. The variability in oxygen isotope ratios is mainly attributed to variations in salinity and suggests that the northern end of Nares Strait has been experiencing an increase in freshwater runoff since the mid 1980s. The recent changes are most pronounced at the northern end of the strait and diminish toward the south, a pattern consistent with proximity to the apparently freshening Arctic Ocean source in the north and mixing with Baffin Bay waters as the water progresses southward. This increasing freshwater signal may reflect changes in circulation and ice formation that favor an increased flow of relatively fresh waters from the Arctic Ocean into Nares Strait. </span>

Geophysical Studies in Baffin Bay and some Tectonic Implications

1972 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Keen ◽  
D. L. Barrett ◽  
K. S. Manchester ◽  
D. I. Ross
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Crust ◽  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Spreading Center ◽  
Labrador Sea ◽  
Baffin Bay ◽  
Definitive Evidence ◽  
Nares Strait ◽  
The North

A recent seismic refraction experiment in the deep central region of Baffin Bay showed that it is underlain by oceanic crust. This paper describes the results of gravity, magnetic, and seismic reflection profiling measurements in the bay. There is no definitive evidence for a buried ridge or for magnetic lineations in the center of the area. The magnetic and gravity anomaly fields have been used to define the boundary between the oceanic and continental crust around the bay and therefore the extent of oceanic crust presumed to have been formed by sea-floor spreading. Some of the characteristics of the seismic reflection lines across the continental margins, perhaps typical of this area, are also discussed. The results have been used to reconstruct the history of opening of Baffin Bay in conjuction with geophysical measurements in the Labrador Sea to the south and over the Alpha Ridge in the Arctic Ocean to the north. An attempt has been made to reconcile the geometry of opening with continental geology. Two phases of spreading are suggested. The first involves openings, in both the Labrador Sea and in Baffin Bay, about a pole in the Canadian Arctic Islands. The second, most recent stage of opening, requires that the Nares Strait was once a transform fault, perhaps connecting a Baffin Bay spreading center to the Alpha Ridge to the north.

scholarly journals Abundance of Atlantic walrus in Western Nares Strait, Baffin Bay Stock, during summer

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert EA Stewart ◽  
Erik W Born ◽  
Rune Dietz ◽  
Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen ◽  
Frank Farsø Rigét ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Surface ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Baffin Bay ◽  
Nares Strait ◽  
The North ◽  
North Water Polynya ◽  
Odobenus Rosmarus ◽  
North Water ◽  
Odobenus Rosmarus Rosmarus

Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) belonging to the Baffin Bay subpopulation occur year round in the North Water polynya (NOW) between NW Greenland and eastern Ellesmere Island (Canada). They are hunted for subsistence purposes by residents of the Qaanaaq area (NW Greenland) bordering the NOW to the east and by Canadian Inuit at the entrance to Jones Sound in Nunavut. During the open-water period NW Greenland is virtually devoid of walruses which concentrate along eastern and southern Ellesmere Island at this time of the year. To determine the abundance of walruses in the NOW area, aerial surveys were conducted in August of 1999, 2008, and 2009. In July 2009, nine satellite-linked transmitters were deployed in nearby Kane Basin. Surveys on 9 and 20 August 2009 along eastern Ellesmere Island were the most extensive and were augmented with concomitant data on haul-out and at water surface activity from three (1 F, 2 M) of the nine tags that were still functioning. We therefore focus on the 2009 surveys. Walruses were observed on the ice and in water primarily in Buchanan Bay and Princess Marie Bay where the remaining functional tags were located. The Minimum Counted population (MCP) was 571 on 20 August. Adjusting the MCP of walruses on ice for those not hauled out, the estimate of abundance of walruses in the Baffin Bay stock was 1,251(CV=1.00, 95% CI = 1,226) when adjusted by the proportion of tags ‘dry’ at the time of the survey and 1,249 (CV=1.12, 95% CI = 1,370) when adjusted by the average time tags were dry. The surveys did not cover all potential walrus summering habitat along eastern Ellesmere Island and are negatively biased to an unknown degree.

scholarly journals Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada

1979 ◽  
Vol 22 (86) ◽  
pp. 25-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Koerner
Keyword(s):  
Regional Variation ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
High Accumulation ◽  
Baffin Bay ◽  
North West ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
The North ◽  
Adiabatic Cooling ◽  
Very High

AbstractMeasurements made on traverses over ice caps in the Queen Elizabeth Islands show that there is a region of very high accumulation (>40 g cm–2 year–1) on the slopes facing Baffin Bay and one of low accumulation (<15 g cm–2 year–1) in the interior parts of northern Ellesmere Island. Ablation rates in summer show much less regional variation over the same ice caps except for lower rates along the north-west edge of the islands and possibly on the Baffin Bay slopes as well. However, there is a stronger relationship between ablation and elevation which is exponential below the firn line. From the fractional 18O content of the snow it is shown that Baffin Bay contributes significant amounts of moisture (>20% of the total) to the Baffin Bay slopes. In addition the Arctic Ocean is seen as another, but much less significant, moisture source. The δ18O data show two effects on the condensation processes—an orographic one (i.e. adiabatic cooling) and a distance-from-source effect (isobaric cooling) where the source is somewhere to the south-east of the islands.

scholarly journals Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada

1979 ◽  
Vol 22 (86) ◽  
pp. 25-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Koerner
Keyword(s):  
Regional Variation ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
High Accumulation ◽  
Baffin Bay ◽  
North West ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
The North ◽  
Adiabatic Cooling ◽  
Very High

AbstractMeasurements made on traverses over ice caps in the Queen Elizabeth Islands show that there is a region of very high accumulation (&gt;40 g cm–2year–1) on the slopes facing Baffin Bay and one of low accumulation (&lt;15 g cm–2year–1) in the interior parts of northern Ellesmere Island. Ablation rates in summer show much less regional variation over the same ice caps except for lower rates along the north-west edge of the islands and possibly on the Baffin Bay slopes as well. However, there is a stronger relationship between ablation and elevation which is exponential below the firn line. From the fractional18O content of the snow it is shown that Baffin Bay contributes significant amounts of moisture (&gt;20% of the total) to the Baffin Bay slopes. In addition the Arctic Ocean is seen as another, but much less significant, moisture source. The δ18O data show two effects on the condensation processes—an orographic one (i.e. adiabatic cooling) and a distance-from-source effect (isobaric cooling) where the source is somewhere to the south-east of the islands.

scholarly journals Kennedy Channel and its geophysical lineaments: new evidence that the Wegener Fault is a myth

1969 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 69-72
Author(s):  
Thorkild M. Rasmussen ◽  
Peter R. Dawes
Keyword(s):  
Continental Drift ◽  
Strike Slip ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Plate Tectonic ◽  
Western Margin ◽  
Nares Strait ◽  
The North ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
North Western

2010, the year under review, marks the centennial of perhaps the most controversial structure in the Arctic: the Wegener Fault, the 1000-km long fracture that is supposed to underlie Nares Strait and define the north-western margin of an independent Greenland plate (Fig. 1). The seaway between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, Canada, was branded a megashear by Frank Taylor who, purely on physiographic expression, postulated massive Tertiary strike-slip (Taylor 1910). This revolutionary idea fittingly found a place in Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift and thereafter in plate-tectonic theory with Greenland drifting hundreds of kilometres from North America along what Tuzo Wilson subsequently dubbed the ‘Wegener Fault’ (Wilson 1963).

scholarly journals Glaciated landscapes along Smith Sound, Ellesmere Island, Canada and Greenland

1999 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weston Blake
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Baffin Bay ◽  
Nares Strait ◽  
The North ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Late Wisconsinan ◽  
Island Coast

AbstractBoth the Ellesmere Island and Greenland coasts of Smith Sound, at 78°20' N to 78°50' N, exhibit exceptionally well-sculptured and heavily striated Precambrian bedrock. The glacial features were created by the southward flow of the “Smith Sound Ice Stream”, which overrode Pim Island (550 m), where Smith Sound is > 500 m deep and 40 km wide. The Smith Sound Ice Stream was the drainageway to Baffin Bay for ice derived from the coalescence of the Innuitian and Greenland ice sheets over Kane Basin, the shallowest part (much of it <200m) of the Nares Strait system, in late-Wisconsinan (Weichselian) time. The north-south oriented glacial features along the outermost coasts of Smith Sound contrast markedly with the present-day eastward flow of outlet glaciers from the Prince of Wales Icefield (Ellesmere Island) and the westward flow of outlet glaciers from the Greenland ice sheet (Inglefield Land). The oldest 14C ages on marine shells and lake sediments show that glacier ice had receded from the Ellesmere Island coast of Smith Sound by 9000 14C yr BP. The heads of the three longest fiords, 120-140 km to the west and northwest, did not become ice-free until 450014C yr BP.

scholarly journals Holocene polynya dynamics and their interaction with oceanic heat transport in northernmost Baffin Bay

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Jackson ◽  
Anna Bang Kvorning ◽  
Audrey Limoges ◽  
Eleanor Georgiadis ◽  
Steffen M. Olsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Baffin Bay ◽  
The North ◽  
North Water ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ocean Conditions

AbstractBaffin Bay hosts the largest and most productive of the Arctic polynyas: the North Water (NOW). Despite its significance and active role in water mass formation, the history of the NOW beyond the observational era remains poorly known. We reconcile the previously unassessed relationship between long-term NOW dynamics and ocean conditions by applying a multiproxy approach to two marine sediment cores from the region that, together, span the Holocene. Declining influence of Atlantic Water in the NOW is coeval with regional records that indicate the inception of a strong and recurrent polynya from ~ 4400 yrs BP, in line with Neoglacial cooling. During warmer Holocene intervals such as the Roman Warm Period, a weaker NOW is evident, and its reduced capacity to influence bottom ocean conditions facilitated northward penetration of Atlantic Water. Future warming in the Arctic may have negative consequences for this vital biological oasis, with the potential knock-on effect of warm water penetration further north and intensified melt of the marine-terminating glaciers that flank the coast of northwest Greenland.

scholarly journals Modeling the climatic implications of the Guliya δ<sup>18</sup>O record during the past 130 ka

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1885-1914
Author(s):  
D. Xiao ◽  
P. Zhao ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
X. Zhou
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Precession Cycle ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Anomalous Pattern

Abstract. Using an intermediate-complexity UVic Earth System Climate Model (UVic Model), the geographical and seasonal implications and an indicative sense of the historical climate found in the δ18O record of the Guliya ice core (hereinafter, the Guliya δ18O) are investigated under time-dependent orbital forcing with an acceleration factor of 100 over the past 130 ka. The results reveal that the simulated late-summer (August–September) Guliya surface air temperature (SAT) reproduces the 23-ka precession and 43-ka obliquity cycles in the Guliya δ18O. Furthermore, the Guliya δ18O is significantly correlated with the SAT over the Northern Hemisphere (NH), which suggests the Guliya δ18O is an indicator of the late-summer SAT in the NH. Corresponding to the warm and cold phases of the precession cycle in the Guliya temperature, there are two anomalous patterns in the SAT and sea surface temperature (SST) fields. The first anomalous pattern shows an increase in the SAT (SST) toward the Arctic, possibly associated with the joint effect of the precession and obliquity cycles, and the second anomalous pattern shows an increase in the SAT (SST) toward the equator, possibly due to the influence of the precession cycle. Additionally, the summer (winter) Guliya and NH temperatures are higher (lower) in the warm phases of Guliya late-summer SAT than in the cold phases. Furthermore, the Guliya SAT is closely related to the North Atlantic SST, in which the Guliya precipitation may act as a "bridge" linking the Guliya SAT and the North Atlantic SST.

scholarly journals Interpretation of Slar Imagery of Sea Ice in Nares Strait and the Arctic Ocean

1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (73) ◽  
pp. 193-213
Author(s):  
Moira Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
North Pole ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Canadian Forces ◽  
Nares Strait ◽  
The North ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Ice Edge ◽  
Airborne Sensors

AbstractSLAR imagery of Nares Strait was obtained on three flights carried out in. January, March, and August of 1973 by Canadian Forces Maritime Proving and Evaluation Unit in an Argus aircraft equipped with a Motorola APS-94D SLAR; the March flight also covered two lines in the Arctic Ocean, from Alert 10 the North Pole and from the Pole down the long. 4ºE. meridian to the ice edge at about lat. 80º N. No observations on the ground were possible, but -some back-up was available on all flights from visual observations recorded in the air, and on the March flight from infrared line-scan and vertical photography.The interpretation of ice features from the SLAR imagery is discussed, and the conclusion reached that in spite of certain ambiguities the technique has great potential which will increase with improving resolution, Extent of coverage per distance flown and independence of light and cloud conditions make it unique among airborne sensors.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document