2000 Years of Climate Variablity from Arctic Lakes

 

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Pollen-based reconstructions of late Holocene climate from the central and western Canadian Arctic

Peros, M.C. and Gajewski, K.

Lake SL06.  Photo credit: K. Gajewski

Abstract

Study Location

In this study we investiage lakes seidments from two sites in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Lake MB01, on southwestern Victoria Island, and Lake SL06, on the southern Boothia Peninsula. Field site photo by K. Gajewski.

Climate Proxy

We used fossil pollen (percentages and influx values), biogenic silica, organic matter, and magnetic susceptibility to study the late Holocene climate history of the region. Click here to view the full data from MB01 and SL06.

Results

Quantitative reconstructions of late Holocene climate based on modern and fossil pollen data show maximum warmth at both sites occurring around 300 AD, followed by a gradual decrease in temperature, likely representing the Neoglacial cooling. The pollen influx values record shorter-duration periods of higher pollen production, which may be linked to more optimal growing conditons, with the most recent of these periods occurring over the 20th century.

References

  • Peros MC, Gajewski K (2008) Holocene climate and vegetation change on Victoria Island, western Canadian Arctic. Quaternary Sci Rev 27:235-249
  • Zabenskie S, Gajewski K (2007) Post-Glacial climatic change on Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada. Quaternary Res 68:261-27

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