Evidence for a mid-Pleistocene change of ice-drift pattern in the Nordic seas.

Helmke, Jan P., Bauch, Henning A. and Mazaud, Alain (2003) Evidence for a mid-Pleistocene change of ice-drift pattern in the Nordic seas. Journal of Quaternary Science, 18 . pp. 183-191. DOI 10.1002/jqs.735.

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Abstract

Sediment proxy records from a continuous, 1.5 million year long deep-sea sediment core from a site in the western Norwegian Sea were used to obtain new insights into the nature of palaeoceanographic change in the northern North Atlantic (Nordic seas) during the climatic shift of the Mid-Pleistocene Revolution (MPR). Red-green sediment colour and magnetic susceptibility records both reveal significant differences in their mean values when comparing the intervals older than 700 000 yr (700 ka) with those from the past 500 kyr. The timing and duration of these changes indicates that the MPR in the Nordic seas is characterised by a gradual transition lasting about 200 kyr. Together with further sedimentological evidence this suggests that the mid-Pleistocene climate shift was accompanied by a general change in ice-drift pattern. It is further proposed that prior to the onset of the major late Pleistocene glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere a significant proportion of the ice in the eastern Nordic seas originated from a southern provenance, whereas later it dominantly came from the surrounding landmasses.

Document Type: Article
Keywords: Nordic seas; Mid-Pleistocene Revolution; palaeoclimatic change; ice-rafted debris; ice-drift pattern
Research affiliation: HGF-AWI
OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB1 Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics > FB1-P-OZ Paleo-Oceanography
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: Wiley, Quaternary Research Association
Projects: Laptev Sea System, Permafrost
Date Deposited: 18 Feb 2008 17:25
Last Modified: 08 Aug 2019 09:28
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/6118

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