A new concept for the paleoceanographic evolution of Heinrich event 1 in the North Atlantic

New records of planktonic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O and lithic and foraminiferal counts from Eirik Drift are combined with published data from the Nordic Seas and the “Ice Rafted Debris (IRD) belt”, to portray a sequence of events through Heinrich event 1 (H1). These events progressed from an onset of meltwater release at ～19 ka BP, through the ‘conventional’ H1 IRD deposition phase in the IRD belt starting from ～17.5 ka BP, to a final phase between 16.5 and ～15 ka BP that was characterised by a pooling of freshwater in the Nordic Seas, which we suggest was hyperpycnally injected into that basin. After ～15 ka BP, this freshwater was purged from the Nordic Seas into the North Atlantic, which preconditioned the Nordic Seas for convective deep-water formation. This allowed an abrupt re-start of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation in the Nordic Seas at the Bølling warming (14.6 ka BP). In contrast to previous estimates for the duration of H1 (i.e., 1000 years to only a century or two), the total, combined composite H1 signal presented here had a duration of over 4000 yrs (～19–14.6 ka BP), which spanned the entire period of NADW collapse. It appears that deep-water formation and climate are not simply controlled by the magnitude or rate of meltwater addition. Instead the location of meltwater injections may be more important, with NADW formation being particularly sensitive to surface freshening in the Arctic/Nordic Seas.     

The Younger Dryas and the Sea of Ancient Ice

We propose that prior to the Younger Dryas period, the Arctic Ocean supported extremely thick multi-year fast ice overlain by superimposed ice and firn. We re-introduce the historical term paleocrystic ice to describe this. The ice was independent of continental (glacier) ice and formed a massive floating body trapped within the almost closed Arctic Basin, when sea-level was lower during the last glacial maximum. As sea-level rose and the Barents Sea Shelf became deglaciated, the volume of warm Atlantic water entering the Arctic Ocean increased, as did the corresponding egress, driving the paleocrystic ice towards Fram Strait. New evidence shows that Bering Strait was resubmerged around the same time, providing further dynamical forcing of the ice as the Transpolar Drift became established. Additional freshwater entered the Arctic Basin from Siberia and North America, from proglacial lakes and meltwater derived from the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Collectively, these forces drove large volumes of thick paleocrystic ice and relatively fresh water from the Arctic Ocean into the Greenland Sea, shutting down deepwater formation and creating conditions conducive for extensive sea-ice to form and persist as far south as 60°N. We propose that the forcing responsible for the Younger Dryas cold episode was thus the result of extremely thick sea-ice being driven from the Arctic Ocean, dampening or shutting off the thermohaline circulation, as sea-level rose and Atlantic and Pacific waters entered the Arctic Basin. This hypothesis focuses attention on the potential role of Arctic sea-ice in causing the Younger Dryas episode, but does not preclude other factors that may also have played a role.     

Fram Strait ice flux calculations and associated Arctic ice conditions

The areal outflow of ice through Fram Strait during the period 1953–1984 is estimated on a monthly basis from the geostrophic wind and the ice concentration. Summer ice coverage in various sectors of the Arctic is then compared with the computed outflow through Fram Strait in various antecedent periods. Lag correlations indicate that interannual variations of summer ice severity in the Pacific side of the Arctic Basin are consistent with fluctuations of Fram Strait outflow during the previous 3–9 months. The findlings suggest that above-normal outflow of multiyear ice during the winter/spring months may precondition the large-scale pack ice to respond more directly to offshore flow events during the ensuing months.The areas of highest correlation with Fram Strait outflow undergo a pronounced shift in the early 1970's. Coincident changes in the large-scale circulation pattern imply that the source region of the Transpolar Drift Stream shifted westward from the Alaskan to the Siberian waters during this period.     

Thermosteresis and Transportation of Atlantic Water Along Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean

It is summarized based on previous studies that warm and salty Atlantic Water (AW) brings huge amount of heat into Arctic Ocean and influences oceanic heat distribution and climate. Both heat transportation and heat release of AW are key factors affecting the thermal process in Eurasian Basin. The Arctic circumpolar boundary current is the carrier of AW, whose flow velocity varies to influence the efficiency of the warm advection. Because the depth of AW in Eurasian Basin is much shallower than that in Canadian Basin, the upward heat release of AW is an important heat source to supply sea ice melting. Turbulent mixing, winter convention and double-diffusion convention constitute the main physical mechanism for AW upward heat release, which results in the decrease of the Atlantic water core temperature during its spreading along the boundary current. St. Anna Trough, a relatively narrow and long trough in northern continental shelf of Kara Sea, plays a key role in remodeling temperature and salinity characteristics of AW, in which the AW from Fram Strait enters the trough and mixes with the AW from Barents Sea. Since the 21^st Century, AW in the Arctic Ocean has experienced obvious warming and had the influence on the physical processes in downstream Canada Basin, which is attributed to the anomalous warming events of AW inflowing from the Fram Strait. It is inferred that the warming AW is dominated by a long-term warming trend superimposed on low frequency oscillation occurring in the Nordic Seas and North Atlantic Ocean. As the Arctic Ocean is experiencing sea ice decline and Arctic amplification, the role of AW heat release in response to the rapid change needs further investigation.     

History of Sedimentation on the Yermak Plateau during the Recent 190 ka: Communication 2. Paleoceanographic Interpretation

Provenances for the lithogenic part of the sandy fraction of sediments on the Yermak Plateau are located in northern Eurasia. Based on the study of heavy minerals, new indicators are proposed for the ice-rafted material and main systems of surficial water circulation (gyres of the Beaufort Sea and Polar and Siberian currents of the Transpolar drift). Interpretation of the grain size distribution of sediments of warm and cold stages is based on difference in mechanisms of sedimentary material introduction into sea ice. Episodes of the influx of Atlantic warm and saline waters via the Fram Strait into the Arctic Ocean are reconstructed based on CaCO₃ content. The relationship between sedimentary materials transported by icebergs and sea ice during the last 190 ka is given. Hypotheses of the history of surficial circulation in the Arctic Ocean and discharges of Siberian rivers during this period are presented.     

Neodymium isotopes in seawater from the Barents Sea and Fram Strait Arctic-Atlantic gateways

The neodymium concentration, C_Nd, and isotopic composition, ε_Nd, in seawater have been determined in the water column at five sites in the Barents Sea-Fram Strait area where most of the water exchange between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic takes place. In the main Arctic Ocean inflow branch across the Barents Sea the concentration and isotopic composition (C_Nd = 15.5 pmol/kg and ε_Nd = −10.8) are similar to those reported for the northeastern Nordic Seas, which is consistent with this region being a source area for the Arctic inflow. Due to the addition of Nd from Svalbard shelf sediments, the C_Nd in the surface waters above 150 m, in the Fram Strait inflow branch is higher by a factor of 2 and the ε_Nd is shifted to lower values (−11.8).In the stratified Nansen Basin, where cold low salinity water overlies warmer Atlantic water the C_Nd and ε_Nd do not vary with the vertical temperature-salinity structure but are essentially constant and similar to those of the Atlantic inflow throughout the entire water column, down to 3700 m depth, which indicates that the Nd is to a large extent of Atlantic origin.Compared to the Atlantic inflow water, the Nd in the major Arctic Ocean outflow, the Fram Strait, show higher C_Nd in the surface waters above 150 m, and a higher ε_Nd (−9.8) throughout the entire water column down to 1300 m depth. Sources for the more radiogenic Nd isotopic composition in deep water of the Fram Strait outflow most likely involve boundary exchange with sediments on the shelf and slope as the water passes along the Canadian archipelago. River water is a possible source in the surface water but it also seems likely that Pacific water Nd, modified by interactions on the shelf, is an important component in the Fram Strait surface outflow. Changes in the relative proportions of inflow of river water and flow of Pacific water through the Arctic Ocean could thus influence the isotopic composition of Nd in the North Atlantic.     

Modeling North American Freshwater Runoff through the Last Glacial Cycle

The Northern Hemisphere ice sheets decayed rapidly during deglacial phases of the ice-age cycle, producing meltwater fluxes that may have been of sufficient magnitude to perturb oceanic circulation. The continental record of ice-sheet history is more obscured during the growth and advance of the last great ice sheets, ca. 120,000–20,000 yr B.P., but ice cores tell of high-amplitude, millennial-scale climate fluctuations that prevailed throughout this period. These climatic excursions would have provoked significant fluctuation of ice-sheet margins and runoff variability whenever ice sheets extended to mid-latitudes, giving a complex pattern of freshwater delivery to the oceans. A model of continental surface hydrology is coupled with an ice-dynamics model simulating the last glacial cycle in North America. Meltwater discharged from ice sheets is either channeled down continental drainage pathways or stored temporarily in large systems of proglacial lakes that border the retreating ice-sheet margin. The coupled treatment provides quantitative estimates of the spatial and temporal patterns of freshwater flux to the continental margins. Results imply an intensified surface hydrological environment when ice sheets are present, despite a net decrease in precipitation during glacial periods. Diminished continental evaporation and high levels of meltwater production combine to give mid-latitude runoff values that are highly variable through the glacial cycle, but are two to three times in excess of modern river fluxes; drainage to the North Atlantic via the St. Lawrence, Hudson, and Mississippi River catchments averages 0.356 Sv for the period 60,000–10,000 yr B.P., compared to 0.122 Sv for the past 10,000 yr. High-amplitude meltwater pulses to the Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic, and North Pacific occur throughout the glacial period, with ice-sheet geometry controlling intricate patterns of freshwater routing variability. Runoff from North America is staged in the final deglaciation, with a stepped sequence of pulses through the Mississippi, St. Lawrence, Arctic, and Hudson Strait drainages.     

Variability of the Arctic front during the last climatic cycle: application of a novel molecular proxy

In the Nordic Seas, the Arctic front (AF) marks the boundary between the waters of the North Atlantic Drift/Norwegian Current and those of the Arctic domain. Long- or short-term shifts in the position of the AF may affect climate conditions in the northern hemisphere. Arctic water masses are also the loci of modern open ocean convection; hence, defining these areas in the past is important for reconstructing and modelling ocean circulation and its variability. C₃₇ alkenones are biomarkers for some algae of the Class Prymnesiophyceae (e.g. coccolitho-phorids such as Emiliania huxleyi). These alga occur in most parts of the oceans, in ice-free conditions, and are found nowadays throughout the Nordic Seas. We have related the sedimentary abundance of the tetraunsaturated C₃₇ alkenone (C_37:4) to two types of water masses in the Nordic seas. In locations affected by Atlantic water masses percentages of C_37:4 are less than 5%, whereas in Arctic type water masses these increase to more than 5%. We propose that this observation can be used as a modern analogue to reconstruct the position of the AF in North Atlantic Quaternary sediments. Using this novel molecular proxy we can infer that the southward migration of the AF in the NE Atlantic reached ≈ 50 °N during the last glacial maximum (LGM), but perhaps only 60 °N during the Younger Dryas, and that ocean conditions free of sea ice prevailed throughout the Northern North Atlantic in summer.     

Holocene environmental evolution of the SE Greenland Shelf North and South of the Denmark Strait: Irminger and East Greenland current interactions

Holocene climatic and paleoceanographic development of the SE Greenland Shelf is studied from cores MD99-2317 and MD99-2322, at sites north and south of the Denmark Strait, respectively. Lithofacies, IRD counts, calcium carbonate percentages, benthic and planktic foraminiferal assemblages and oxygen isotope analyses, and summer SSTs reveal significant climate variations in the Holocene driven by declining solar insolation and its interaction with waning continental ice sheets, and changing atmospheric pressure patterns. Large changes in the East Greenland and Irminger Currents and the Greenland Ice Sheet are manifested as a 4-part division of the Holocene. An early Holocene cold interval dominated by melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and Polar Front retreat extends from 11.8 to 9.5 cal kyr BP. A cold interval from 9.5 to 8.1 cal kyr BP involved episodic cooling of the Irminger Current resulting from the last phases of Laurentide Ice Sheet deglaciation and delayed the Holocene optimum off East Greenland by 3 kyr relative to peak summer solar insolation, which likely helped to limit the early Holocene melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The period 8.1–3.5 cal kyr BP represents a climatic optimum interval of maximum Greenland Ice Sheet retreat and strong Irminger Current inflow to the Denmark Strait. Between 6.8 and 3.5 cal kyr BP, the Irminger Current penetrated further North into the Nordic Seas than has been observed in recent decades. This signal is consistent with diminished northerly winds, a weaker Greenland High and contracted subpolar gyre. By 5 cal kyr BP, periods of increased Polar Water and decreasing salinity in the Irminger Current suggest a transition toward expansion of the subpolar gyre and increased Polar Water in the EGC. The Neoglacial interval from 3.5 to 0.2 cal kyr BP was cold and variable with increased freshwater forcing from the Arctic Ocean, advance of the Greenland Ice Sheet and southward advance of the Polar Front. Enhanced northerly winds and a strengthened Greenland High are consistent with thicker and more extensive Polar Water and greatly diminished northward advection of Irminger Current in the Denmark Strait.     

Sea-Level Changes and δO Record for the Past 34,000 yr from Mayotte Reef, Indian Ocean

New sea-level and δ¹⁸O curves for the past 34,000 yr, based on uranium–thorium chronology, are proposed for the southwestern part of the Indian Ocean. The archives include cores drilled from onshore coral reefs and submersed samples from foreslope corals of Mayotte in the Comoro Islands. The Mayotte sea-level curve shows a lowstand of 145 ± 5 m below the present level during the last glacial maximum dated at 18,400 yr. This lowstand is supported by the maximum¹⁸O enrichment in the coral colonies. The residual signal (Δδ¹⁸O), controlled by sea-surface temperature changes, indicates that surface waters 18,400 yr ago were approximately 5°C cooler than present. The deglacial sea-level rise is clearly recorded, with a mean rate of about 1.7 cm yr⁻¹between 18,400 and 10,000 yr ago. The deglaciation phase is characterized by a strong¹⁸O depletion marked by two pulses related to meltwater discharges into the North Atlantic Ocean but also characterized by responses specific to the tropical Indian Ocean.     

Freshwater and Atlantic water inflows to the deep northern Barents and Kara seas since ca 13 C ka: : foraminifera and stable isotopes

Foraminiferal stable isotopes and assemblages from Franz Victoria and St. Anna troughs provide a valuable record of freshwater and Atlantic Water flows to the northern Barents and Kara seas from deglaciation to present. The δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C of planktonic Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s) and benthic Elphidium excavatum were up to 1.4‰ lower than present at ca 13, 11.5, and 10 ¹⁴C ka (global sea-level corrected), mostly reflecting substantial freshwater inputs coincident with glacial–marine sediment deposition. Cassidulina teretis exceeded 40% of benthic foraminifera ca 13 and 10 ¹⁴C ka, indicating subsurface penetrations of Atlantic Water. The transition to postglacial marine conditions is marked by a 1‰ rise in foraminiferal δ¹⁸O and a sharp fall in % C. teretis soon after 10 ¹⁴C ka. These changes imply reduced inputs of freshwater and Atlantic Water. Subsequent isotopic and foraminiferal assemblage variations reflect changing Atlantic Water conditions “upstream” in the Nordic Seas and shifts between the warm Fram Strait and cold Barents Sea branches of Atlantic Water. We hypothesize that glacial-isostatically induced deepening by up to 150 m influenced Atlantic Water inflows to the northern Barents Sea during deglaciation and the Holocene. Thus, effects of isostatic recovery have to be factored into paleoceanographic reconstructions.     

Evidence for delayed poleward expansion of North Atlantic surface waters during the last interglacial (MIS 5e)

The Last Interglacial (Marine Isotopic Stage or MIS 5e) surface ocean heat flux from the Rockall Basin (NE Atlantic) towards the Arctic Ocean was reconstructed by analysing dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblages in four sediment cores. Together with records of stable isotopes and ice-rafted detritus, the assemblage data reflect the northward retreat of ice(berg)-laden waters and the gradual development towards interglacial conditions at the transition from the Saalian deglaciation (Termination II) into MIS 5e. At the Rockall Basin, this onset of the Last Interglacial is soon followed by the appearance of the thermophilic dinocyst species Spiniferites mirabilis, with relative abundances higher than those observed at present in the area. North of the Iceland-Scotland Ridge, however, S. mirabilis only appears in significant numbers during late MIS 5e, between ～118 and 116.5 ka. Hence, fully marine Last Interglacial conditions with most intense Atlantic surface water influence occurred during late MIS 5e in the Nordic seas, and consequently also farther north in the Arctic Ocean, and at times when northern hemisphere summer insolation was already significantly decreased. The stratigraphic position of this Late Interglacial optimum is supported by planktic foraminifers and contrasts with the timing of the early Holocene climatic optimum in this area. We interpret the delayed northward expansion of Atlantic waters towards the polar latitudes as a result of the Saalian ice sheet deglaciation and its specific impact on the subsequent water mass evolution in this region.     

北冰洋西部晚第四纪浮游有孔虫氧碳同位素记录的海冰形成速率

北冰洋西部晚第四纪浮游有孔虫Neogloboquadrina pachyderma(sin.)(Nps)壳体的δ18O和δ13C与浮游有孔虫丰度和筏冰碎屑含量的综合研究表明,MIS 7晚期以来,Nps的δ18O和δ13C值出现7次明显的偏轻,可能与海冰形成速率的提高造成轻同位素卤水的生产和下沉相关.偏轻的Nps δ18O和δ13C值对应于极低的浮游有孔虫丰度和筏冰碎屑含量,因此这些轻值与温暖的大西洋水和淡水的输入无关,应当指示进入北冰洋的大西洋水减弱和楚科奇海陆架水的大量减少.相反,Nps δ18O的重值则反映输入北冰洋的淡水和太平洋水的减少;Nps δ13C的重值指示来自陆架流通性更好的表层和盐跃层水向北冰洋的输送.     

Inception of the Northern European ice sheet due to contrasting ocean and insolation forcing

About 115,000 yr ago the last interglacial reached its terminus and nucleation of new ice-sheet growth was initiated. Evidence from the northernmost Nordic Seas indicate that the inception of the last glacial was related to an intensification of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in its northern limb. The enhanced AMOC, combined with minimum Northern hemisphere insolation, introduced a strong sea-land thermal gradient that, together with a strong wintertime latitudinal insolation gradient, increased the storminess and moisture transport to the high Northern European latitudes at a time when the Northern hemisphere summer insolation approached its minimum.     

Luminescence chronology of late pleistocene loess-paleosol and tephra sequences near Fairbanks, Alaska

Thermoluminescence (TL) and infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) sediment-dating methods have been applied to paleosol- and tephra-bearing loess sequences younger than marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 7 at three important sites. TL ages indicate the development of significant paleosols ∼75,000 and ∼30,000 yr ago in the loess sequence at the Gold Hill site. Relatively minor soil development occurred ∼70,000 and ∼48,000 yr ago. Like the ∼75,000-yr-old soil, the 30,000-yr-old soil is apparently of global extent, and consistent in timing with inferred warm intervals elsewhere (e.g., Greenland, Europe, western and central China). At Birch Hill, replicate TL dating of primary loess combined with two earlier TL results from the same site, and with an earlier mean fission-track-glass-shard age of 140,000 ± 10,000 yr for the associated Old Crow tephra, yield a more precise numeric age of 142,300 ± 6600 yr for this Alaska/Yukon chronostratigraphic marker ash bed. Three of the TL ages at the Halfway House site are difficult to interpret, but combined with other evidence, they indicate: (1) the upper 5-6 m of loess from Halfway House is not part of the Gold Hill Loess (equivalent to pre-MIS 5 age) as long thought by T.L. Péwé, but rather is much younger; (2) the regionally significant variegated tephra, found in the Fairbanks and Klondike areas and previously thought to be older than MIS 5, has an age of 77,800 ± 4100 yr (late MIS 5).     

Stratigraphy and timing of eolianite deposition on Rottnest Island, Western Australia

Over 100 whole-rock amino acid racemization (AAR) ratios from outcrops around Rottnest Island (32.0° S Latitude near Perth) indicate distinct pulses of eolian deposition during the late Quaternary. Whole-rock d-alloisoleucine/l-isoleucine (A/I) ratios from bioclastic carbonate deposits fall into three distinct modal classes or “aminozones.” The oldest, Aminozone E, averages 0.33 ± 0.04 (n = 21). Red palaeosol and thick calcrete generally cap the Aminozone E deposits. A younger Aminozone C averages 0.22 ± 0.03 (n = 63); comprising two submodes at 0.26 ± 0.01 (n = 14) and 0.21 ± 0.02 (n = 49). Multiple dune sets of this interval are interrupted by relatively weak, brown to tan “protosols.” A dense, dark brown rendzina palaeosol caps the Aminozone C succession. Ratios from Holocene dune and marine deposits (“Aminozone A”) center on 0.11 ± 0.02 (n = 15), comprising submodes of 0.13 ± 0.01 (9) and 0.09 ± 0.01 (6). Calibration of A/I averages from Aminozones E and A are provided by U/Th and ¹⁴C radiometric ages of 125,000 yr (marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 5e and 2000-6000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. (MIS 1), respectively. The whole-rock A/I results support periodic deposition initiated during MIS 5e, continuing through MIS 5c, and then peaking at the end of MIS 5a, about 70,000-80,000 yr ago. Oceanographic evidence indicates the area was subjected to much colder conditions during MIS 2-4 (10,000 to 70,000 yr ago), greatly slowing the epimerization rate. Eolianite deposition resumed in the mid Holocene (∼6000 yr ago) up to the present. The A/I epimerization pathway constructed from Rottnest Island shows remarkable similarity to that of Bermuda in the North Atlantic (32° N Latitude). These findings suggest that, like Bermuda, the eolian activity on Rottnest occurred primarily during or shortly after interglacial highstands when the shoreline was near the present datum, rather than during glacial lowstands when the coastline was positioned 10-20 km to the west.     

Provenance and sea-ice transportation of Mid-Pliocene and Quaternary sediments, Yermak Plateau, Arctic Ocean (ODP Site 911)

In this study, the clay and heavy mineral analysis of ODP Site 911 sediments is used to investigate the sources and transport mechanisms (sea ice and oceanic currents) of sediments in the Arctic Ocean during the Mid to Late Pliocene (3.10–2.78 Myr) and upper Quaternary (800 kyr to the present). The time period between 3.10 and 3.00 Myr is characterized by a decreasing smectite and increasing illite content, which is interpreted as reflecting cooling conditions. At the beginning of the Mid-Pliocene Global Warmth period at ∼3.00 Myr, the smectite content shows an abrupt increase. This change can also be seen as a drop in the amount of kaolinite and TOC. After 3.00 Myr the kaolinite and TOC values start to increase, probably indicating high rates of reworked glacially eroded matter. During the Pleistocene, smectite shows a lower and illite a higher fluctuation level compared with the Pliocene. This might be due to reigning glacial conditions during the Pleistocene, when the freshwater input was much lower than during the Pliocene. During the Pliocene, the fluctuating heavy minerals might reflect changes in freshwater input from the great Siberian rivers, which would have led to changes in the supply of terrigenous material delivered to the shelf by the rivers. The heavy mineral fluctuation also reflects changes in the amount of sea-ice formation, which correlates with climate variations and the freshwater input from the continent. Based on the composition of the clay and heavy mineral groups in this study, the most likely transportation path is the Siberian branch of the Transpolar Drift.     

Huge Ice‐age lakes in Russia

During an early phase of the Last Ice Age (Weichselian, Valdaian), about 90 000 yr ago, an ice sheet formed over the shallow Barents and Kara seas. The ice front advanced on to mainland Russia and blocked the north‐flowing rivers (Yenissei, Ob, Pechora, Dvina and others) that supply most of the freshwater to the Arctic Ocean. The result was that large ice‐dammed lakes were formed between the ice sheet in the north and the continental water divides to the south. Here we present reconstructions and calculations of the areas and volumes of these lakes. The lake on the West Siberian Plain was nearly twice as large as the largest lake on Earth today. The well‐mapped Lake Komi in northeast Europe and a postulated lake in the White Sea Basin would also rank before the present‐day third largest lake. The lakes overflowed towards the south and thus the drainage of much of the Eurasian continent was reversed. The result was a major change in the water balance on the continent, decreased freshwater supply to the Arctic Ocean, and increased freshwater flow to the Aral, Caspian, Black and Baltic seas. A sudden outburst of the lakes' water to the Arctic Ocean when the ice sheet thinned is postulated. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Age constraints on the late Quaternary evolution of Qinghai Lake, Tibetan Plateau

Dating and geomorphology of shoreline features in the Qinghai Lake basin of northwestern China suggest that, contrary to previous interpretations, the lake likely did not reach levels 66-140 m above modern within the past ∼ 90,000 yr. Maximum highstands of ∼ 20-66 m above modern probably date to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. MIS 3 highstands are undated and uncertain but may have been at or below post-glacial highs. The lake probably reached ∼ 3202-3206 m (+ 8-12 m) during the early Holocene but stayed below ∼ 3202 m after ∼ 8.4 ka. This shoreline history implies significantly different hydrologic balances in the Qinghai Lake basin before ∼ 90 ka and after ∼ 45 ka, possibly the result of a more expansive Asian monsoon in MIS 5.     

Crustal structures of the Canada basin near Alaska, the Lomonosov ridge and adjoining basins near the North Pole

Seismic refraction surveys conducted in 1976 and 1979 over the broken ice surface of the Arctic Ocean, reveal distinctly different crustal structures for the Fram, Makarov and Canada basins. The Canada Basin, characterized by a 2–4 km thick sedimentary layer and a distinct oceanic layer 3B of 7.5 km/s velocity has the thickest crust and is undoubtedly the oldest of the three. The crust of the Makarov Basin has a thin sedimentary layer of less than 1 km and is about 9 km in total thickness. The Fram Basin has a similarly thin sedimentary layer but is 3–4 km thicker than the Makarov as it approaches the Lomonosov Ridge near the North Pole. The ridge itself is cored by material with a velocity of 6.6 km/s and may be a metagabbro similar to oceanic layer 3A. This ridge root material extends to a depth of about 27 km, where a change occurs to upper-mantle material with a velocity of 8.3 km/s. The core is overlain by up to 6 km of material with a velocity of about 4.7 km/s which could be oceanic layer 2A basalts or continental crystalline rocks with some sedimentary material.The Fram Basin probably began to open contemporaneously with the North Atlantic about 70 m.y. ago, by spreading along the Nansen-Gakkel Ridge. Although not yet dated, the Makarov Basin is probably no older than the initiation of the Fram Basin and may be much younger. The Alpha Ridge may once have been part of the Lomonosov Ridge, splitting off to form the Makarov Basin between 70 and 25 m.y. ago and possibly contributing to the Eurekan Orogeny of 25 m.y. ago, evident on Ellesmere Island. In contrast, the likely age of the Canada Basin lies in the 125–190 m.y. range and may have been formed by the counter-clockwise rotation of Alaska and the Northwind Ridge away from the Canadian Arctic Islands. The Lomonosov Ridge emerges from this scenario as a block resulting from a strike-slip shear zone on the European continental shelf, related to the opening of the Canada basin (180-120 my) and then becomes an entity broken from this shelf by the opening of the Eurasia Basin (70-0 m.y.).