Late Quaternary denudation of the Alps,valley and lake fillings and modern river loads

Erosional denudation of the Alps and their role as sediment source underwent major changes throughout the Quaternary, by repeated glaciation and deglaciation. The sediment fluxes of 16 major Alpine drainage basins were quantified by determining the sediment volumes which have been trapped in valleys and lake basins. These became sedimentologically closed after the last glacier retreat around 17 000 cal. BP. The sediment volumes distributed over their provenance areas yield mean mechanical denudation rates between 250 to 1060 mm ka^–1. In contrast, modern denudation rates, derived from river loads and delta surveys, range from 30 to 360 mm ka^–1. Relief, such as mean elevation and slope, turned out to be the primary control of both modern and Late Glacial mechanical denudation. Rock types seem to be responsible for some scatter of the data, but their role is masked by other factors. Modern denudation rates increase with higher proportions of bare rocks and glaciated area, but decrease with forest cover. An area-weighted extrapolation of the studied drainage basins to the entire Alps on the basis of major morphotectonic zones yields a mean denudation rate of 620 mm ka^–1 over the last 17 000 years. This rate clearly exceeds the modern rate of 125 mm ka^–1. Lake sediments and palaeoclimatic reconstructions confirm that the sediment yield of the Alps reached a maximum during deglaciation when large masses of unconsolidated materials were available, vegetation was scarse, and transport capacities were high. During the early Holocene sediment yield declined to a minimum before some climate deterioration and human activities again accelerated erosional processes. Assuming a denudation rate in the early Holocene half of the modern one, the Late Glacial denudation rates must have been in the order of 1100 to 2900 mm ka^–1. Consequently, denudation rates during a glacial/interglacial cycle probably varied by a factor of 14, which lies well within the range of other studies in central Europe, Scandinavia and North America. From large scale sediment budgets of perialpine sedimentary basins the overall denudation rate of the Alps during the Quaternary has been c. 400 mm ka^–1, i.e. about one third lower than the estimate for the last 17000 years. This can be well explained by the outstanding role which deglaciation played in the time span studied here.     

OSL and 14C chronologies of a Holocene sedimentary record (Garding‐2 core) from the German North Sea coast

The history of sea‐level change and sediment accumulation since the last deglaciation along the German North Sea coast is still controversial because of a limitation in the quantity and quality of chronological data. In the current study, the chronology of a 16‐ka coastal sedimentary record from the Garding‐2 core, retrieved from the Eiderstedt Peninsula in Schleswig‐Holstein, northern Germany, was established using OSL and AMS ¹⁴C dating techniques. The robust chronology using 14 radiocarbon and 25 OSL dates from the Garding‐2 core is the first long‐term record that covers the Holocene as well as the last deglaciation period in one succession in the German North Sea area. It provides a new insight into understanding the Holocene transgression and coastal accumulation histories. The combined evidence from the sedimentology and chronology investigations indicates that an estuarine environment dominated in Eiderstedt Peninsula from 16 to 13 ka, followed by a depositional hiatus between 13 and 8.3 ka, attributed to erosion caused by the Holocene transgression; the onset of the Holocene transgression at the core site occurred at around 8.3 ka. The sea level continued to rise with a decelerated rate until around 3 ka. Since 3 ka, the shoreline has begun to prograde. Foreshore (tidal flat) sediments have been deposited at the drilling site with a very high sedimentation rate of about 10 m ka^?1. At around 2 ka, a sandy beach deposit accumulated in the sedimentary succession, indicating that the coastline shifted landward, which may represent a small‐scale transgression in the late Holocene. At around 1.5 ka, terrestrial clastic sediment started to accumulate, indicating a retreat of the relative sea level in this area, which may be related to local diking activities undertaken since the 11th century.     

Holocene sedimentation in the Skagerrak interpreted from chirp sonar and core data

High‐resolution chirp sonar profiling in the northeastern Skagerrak shows acoustically stratified sediments draping a rough‐surfaced substratum. A 32 metre long sediment core retrieved from the survey area encompasses the entire Holocene and latest Pleistocene. The uppermost seismo‐acoustic units in the chirp profiles represent Holocene marine sediments. The lowermost unit is interpreted as ice‐proximal glacial‐marine sediments rapidly deposited during the last deglaciation. The end of ice‐proximal sedimentation is marked by a strong reflector, interpreted to have been formed during latest Pleistocene time as a consequence of rapid ice retreat and drastically lowered sedimentation rate. The subsequent distal glacial‐marine sediments were deposited with initially high sedimentation rates caused by an isostatic rebound‐associated sea‐level fall. Based on correlation between the core and the chirp sonar profiles using measured sediment physical properties and AMS ¹⁴C dating, we propose a revised position for the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary in the seismo‐acoustic stratigraphy of the investigated area. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Glacial and climate history of the last 24 000 years in the Polar Ural Mountains,Arctic Russia,inferred from partly varved lake sediments

We present a well‐dated, high‐resolution and continuous sediment record spanning the last c. 24 000 years from lake Bolshoye Shchuchye located in the Polar Ural Mountains, Arctic Russia. This is the first continuous sediment succession reaching back into the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ever retrieved from this region. We reconstruct the glacial and climate history in the area since the LGM based on sedimentological and geochemical analysis of a 24‐m‐long sediment core. A robust chronology was established using a combination of AMS ¹⁴C‐dating, the position of the Vedde Ash and varve counting. The varved part of the sediment core spans across the LGM from 24 to 18.7 cal. ka BP. We conclude that the lake basin remained ice‐free throughout the LGM, but that mountain glaciers were present in the lake catchment. A decrease in both glacial varve preservation and sedimentation rate suggests that these glaciers started to retreat c. 18.7 cal. ka BP and had disappeared from the catchment by 14.35 cal. ka BP. There are no indications of glacier regrowth during the Younger Dryas. We infer a distinct climatic amelioration following the onset of the Holocene and an Early to Middle Holocene thermal optimum between 10–5 cal. ka BP. Our results provide a long‐awaited continuous and high‐resolution record of past climate that supplements the existing, more fragmentary data from moraines and exposed strata along river banks and coastal cliffs around the Russian Arctic.     

Lateglacial and early Holocene climatic oscillations on the western Svalbard margin,European Arctic

A multi proxy sediment core record on the continental margin off western Svalbard, European Arctic, reflects large climatic and oceanographic oscillations at the Lateglacial–early Holocene transition. Based on studies of planktonic foraminifera, their stable oxygen and carbon isotopic composition and ice rafted debris, we have reconstructed the last 14 cal. ka BP. The period 14–13.5 cal. ka BP was characterized by highly unstable climatic conditions. Short-lived episodes of warming alternated with meltwater pulses and enhanced iceberg rafting. This period correlates to a regional warming of the northern North Atlantic. An overall decrease in meltwater took place during the deglaciation (14–10.8 cal. ka BP). The late Younger Dryas and subsequent transition into the early Holocene is characterized by a reduced flux of planktonic foraminifera and increased iceberg rafting. A major warming took place from 10.8 to 9.7 cal. ka BP, the influence of meltwater ceased and the flux of warm Atlantic Water increased. From 9.7 to 8.8 cal. ka BP, the western Svalbard margin surface waters were significantly warmer than today. This warm period, the thermal maximum, was followed by an abrupt cooling at 8.8. cal. ka BP, caused by an increased influence of Arctic Water from the Arctic Ocean. The results document that the European Arctic was very sensitive to climatic and oceanographic changes at the end of the last glacial and during the Holocene.     

Lateglacial ice-cap dynamics in NW Scotland: evidence from the fjords of the Summer Isles region

The seaboard of western Scotland is a classic fjord landscape formed by glaciation over at least the last 0.5 Ma. We examine the glacial geology preserved in the fjords (or sea lochs) of the Summer Isles region of NW Scotland using high-resolution seismic data, multibeam swath bathymetry, seabed sediment cores, digital terrain models, aerial photographs, and field investigations. Detailed analyses include seismic facies and lithofacies interpretations; sedimentological and palaeoenvironmental analyses; and radiocarbon dating of selected microfauna. Our results indicate that the Pleistocene sediments of the Summer Isles region, on- and offshore, can be subdivided into several lithostratigraphic formations on the basis of seismic character, geomorphology and sedimentology. These are: subglacial tills; ice-distal and glacimarine facies; ice-proximal and ice-contact facies; moraine assemblages; and Holocene basin fill. The submarine landscape is also notable for its large-scale mass-movement events – the result of glaciodynamic, paraglacial or seismotectonic processes. Radiocarbon dating of marine shells indicate that deglaciation of this part of NW Scotland was ongoing between 14 and 13 ka BP – during the Lateglacial Interstadial (Greenland Interstadial 1) – consistent with cosmogenic surface-exposure ages from previous studies. A sequence of numerous seafloor moraine ridges charts oscillatory retreat of the last ice sheet from a buoyant calving margin in The Minch to a firmly grounded margin amongst the Summer Isles in the early part of Lateglacial Interstadial (GI-1) (pre-14 ka BP). Subsequent, punctuated, frontal retreat of the ice mass occurred in the following ～1000 years, during which time ice-cap outlet glaciers became topographically confined and restricted to the fjords. A late-stage readvance of glaciers into the inner fjords occurred soon after 13 ka BP, which calls into question the accepted limits of ice extent during the Younger Dryas Stadial (Greenland Stadial 1). We examine the wider implications of our chronostratigraphic model, discussing the implications for British Ice Sheet deglaciation, Lateglacial climate change, and the style and rates of fjord sedimentation.     

High-time resolution AMS C data sets for Lake Baikal and Lake Hovsgol sediment cores: Changes in radiocarbon age and sedimentation rates during the transition from the last glacial to the Holocene

High-time resolution ¹⁴C dating of Lake Baikal sediment cores indicates negative and positive anomalies of calculated linear sedimentation rate (LSR; 1.1 and 35.6 cm/ka, respectively) during the period of climate transition from the last glacial to Holocene. The timing of the Lake Baikal apparent LSR anomalies is consistent with that of the changes in the atmospheric radiocarbon concentration (Δ¹⁴C) during Younger Dryas rapid cooling event. ¹⁴C dating of lipids in the Lake Baikal surface sediments revealed that the sources of sedimentary lipids were different in each basin. In the Northern Basin of Lake Baikal, the ¹⁴C age of total lipids from the surface sediment (4.0 ¹⁴C ka) was found to be older than that of TOC (1.6 ¹⁴C ka). By contrast, the ¹⁴C age of total lipids in the Southern Basin was younger than that of the TOC by ca. 0.7–3.0 ka.In the Lake Hovsgol sediment cores, ages of the main lithologic boundaries during the last glacial–interglacial transition were estimated based on new ¹⁴C data sets. TOC concentration in the cores started to rapidly increase at 13.8 ± 0.3 ¹⁴C ka at the base of the basinwide finely laminated layer deposited during Bølling/Allerød. The base of the layer diatomaceous mud corresponds to the end of Younger Dryas event (10.6 ± 0.1 ¹⁴C ka).     

Earliest Holocene deglaciation of the central Uummannaq Fjord system,West Greenland

Uummannaq Fjord, West Greenland, held the Uummannaq Ice Stream system that drained an estimated ~6% of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) during the Last Glacial Maximum. Published ages for the final deglaciation in Uummannaq Fjord vary from as early as c. 9.8 ka to as late as c. 5.3 ka. Assessing this variability requires additional chronological controls to improve the deglaciation history of central West Greenland. Here, we combine ¹⁴C dating of lake sediment cores with cosmogenic ¹⁰Be exposure dating at sites adjacent to the present GrIS margin in the central‐inland sector of the Uummannaq Fjord system. We find that ice retreated to or within the present GrIS margin at 10.8±0.2 ka (n = 6). Although this ‘final deglaciation’ to or within the present GrIS margin across the Uummannaq Fjord system varies from c. 10.8 to 5.3 ka, all chronologies indicate collapse from the continental shelf to the inner fjords at c. 11.0 ka, which occurred at a net retreat rate of 300–1100 m a⁻¹. The Uummannaq Fjord system deglaciated c. 1000 years earlier than the major fjord system to the south, Disko Bugt. However, similarly rapid retreat rates of the two palaeo‐ice stream systems suggest that their collapse may have been aided by high calving rates. The asynchronous deglaciation of the GrIS throughout the Uummannaq Fjord system probably relates to the influence of varying fjord geometry on marine glacier behaviour.     

Surmounting luminescence age overestimation in Alaska-margin Arctic Ocean sediments by use of ‘micro-hole’ quartz dating

Because of several difficulties with the application of radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dating to Arctic Ocean sediments, numeric dating techniques are needed that can complement, supplant and reach beyond the ¹⁴C method. However, large age overestimates (often >7 kyr) for near-sediment-water-interface horizons from Arctic Ocean cores have been almost universal when luminescence dating has been applied to multigrain aliquots of fine silt (4–11 μm) quartz and feldspar grains. Here micro-hole quartz-grain photon-stimulated-luminescence (PSL) dating is applied to the 0.5–2.0 cm horizons of multicores from high-sedimentation-rate sites spanning depths from 87 m to 1140 m at the Alaska margin of the Arctic Ocean. Expected near zero ages (0–200 a) result when grains larger than ～11 μm are used, demonstrating that fine-silt age overestimations here and perhaps elsewhere in the Arctic Ocean are a function of grain and aliquot size. At the 87 m site, the micro-hole PSL approach revealed no significant gradient in age estimates over the 1–26 cm horizon range, implying that bioturbation reached to at least 26 cm. Micro-hole PSL dating of 25–62 μm quartz grains from trans-ocean sea-ice sediment also produced expected near zero ages, in contrast to earlier reported long-bleach multigrain PSL results from 4–11 μm fractions of the same samples. The micro-hole PSL approach thus surmounts the age overestimation problem associated with the use of multigrain silt fractions, and overcomes limitations of the ¹⁴C method in this region. Finally, results unexpectedly suggest the potential of micro-hole quartz PSL for use in provenance studies of Arctic Ocean sea-ice sediment.     

Late Weichselian and Holocene sediment flux and sedimentation rates in Andfjord and Vågsfjord,North Norway

Late Weichselian and Holocene sediment flux and sedimentation rates in a continental‐shelf trough, Andfjord, and its inshore continuation, Vågsfjord, North Norway, have been analysed. The study is based on sediment cores and high‐resolution acoustic data. Andfjord was deglaciated between 14.6 and 13 ¹⁴C kyr BP (17.5 and 15.6 calibrated (cal.) kyr BP), the Vågsfjord basin before 12.5 ¹⁴C kyr BP (14.7 cal. kyr BP), and the heads of the inner tributary fjords about 9.7 ¹⁴C kyr BP (11.2 cal. kyr BP). In Andfjord, five seismostratigraphical units are correlated to a radiocarbon dated lithostratigraphy. Three seismostratigraphical units are recognised in Vågsfjord. A total volume of 23 km³ post‐glacial glacimarine and marine sediments was mapped in the study area, of which 80% are of Late Weichselian origin. Sedimentation rates in outer Andfjord indicate reduced sediment accumulation with increasing distance from the ice margin. The Late Weichselian sediment flux and sedimentation rates are significantly higher in Vågsfjord than Andfjord. Basin morphology, the position of the ice front and the timing of deglaciation are assumed to be the reasons for this. Late Weichselian sedimentation rates in Andfjord and Vågsfjord are comparable to modern subpolar glacimarine environments of Greenland, Baffin Island and Spitsbergen. Downwasting of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet, and winnowing of the banks owing to the full introduction of the Norwegian Current, caused very high sedimentation rates in parts of the Andfjord trough at the Late Weichselian–Holocene boundary. Holocene sediment flux and sedimentation rates in Andfjord are about half the amount found in Vågsfjord, and about one‐tenth the amount of Late Weichselian values. A strong bottom current system, established at the Late Weichselian–Holocene boundary, caused erosion of the Late Weichselian sediments and an asymmetric Holocene sediment distribution. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene chronostratigraphy of northeastern Baffin Bay based on radiocarbon and palaeomagnetic data

The northeastern Baffin Bay continental margin, which experiences high sediment accumulation rates, is an excellent location to study Holocene sedimentary variations. However, it is often difficult to obtain reliable chronologies of the sediment archives using traditional methods (δ¹⁸O and radiocarbon) due to specific oceanographic conditions (e.g. corrosive bottom waters). Here we propose a chronostratigraphy of three cores collected on the northwestern Greenland margin (AMD14‐204, AMD14‐210 and AMD14‐Kane2B) based on a combination of radiocarbon dating and palaeomagnetic records. Geophysical properties of discrete samples were used to verify the reliability of the palaeomagnetic records. Palaeomagnetic analyses indicate a strong and stable natural remanent magnetization carried by low coercivity ferrimagnetic minerals (magnetite) in the pseudo‐single domain grain size range. Correlation of the full palaeomagnetic vector (inclination, declination, and relative palaeointensity) was used to establish a reliable chronostratigraphical framework for two of the cores (AMD14‐204 and AMD14‐210) and to propose an original palaeomagnetic record for the previously ¹⁴C‐dated core AMD14‐Kane2B that covers most of the Holocene. Overall, this new chronostratigraphy allowed improvement of the timing of the main palaeoenvironmental changes that occurred in this area during the Holocene.     

Influence of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and relative sea‐level changes on sediment dynamics in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence since the last deglaciation

Physical properties, grain size, bulk mineralogy, elemental geochemistry and magnetic parameters of three sediment piston cores recovered in the Laurentian Channel from its head to its mouth were investigated to reconstruct changes in detrital sediment provenance and transport related to climate variability since the last deglaciation. The comparison of the detrital proxies indicates the succession of two sedimentary regimes in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL) during the Holocene, which are associated with the melting history of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) and relative sea‐level changes. During the early Holocene (10–8.5 cal. ka BP), high sedimentation rates together with mineralogical, geochemical and magnetic signatures indicate that sedimentation in the EGSL was mainly controlled by meltwater discharges from the local retreat of the southeastern margin of the LIS on the Canadian Shield. At this time, sediment‐laden meltwater plumes caused the accumulation of fine‐grained sediments in the ice‐distal zones. Since the mid‐Holocene, postglacial movements of the continental crust, related to the withdrawal of the LIS (c. 6 cal. ka BP), have triggered significant variations in relative sea level (RSL) in the EGSL. The significant correlation between the RSL curves and the mineralogical, geochemical, magnetic and grain‐size data suggest that the RSL was the dominant force acting on the sedimentary dynamics of the EGSL during the mid‐to‐late Holocene. Beyond 6 cal. ka BP, characteristic mineralogical, geochemical, magnetic signatures and diffuse spectral reflectance data suggest that the Canadian Maritime Provinces and western Newfoundland coast are the primary sources for detrital sediments in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with the Canadian Shield acting as a secondary source. Conversely, in the lower St. Lawrence Estuary, detrital sediments are mainly supplied by the Canadian Shield province. Finally, our results suggest that the modern sedimentation regime in the EGSL was established during the mid‐Holocene.     

Late Quaternary climate change record from two long sediment cores from Guaymas Basin,Gulf of California

Modern Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California, Mexico) is a region of high diatom productivity where exceptional preservation factors maintain biannually alternating sediment deposition as annual varves. New sediment cores from Guaymas Basin (MD02‐2512 and MD02‐2515) present the opportunity to construct climate records from below the last glacial period. A low‐resolution age model has been constructed from oxygen isotope analysis, correlation with other dated short piston cores from Guaymas Basin and an estimate of sedimentation rate. MD02‐2512 from eastern Guaymas Basin has an age range from the Holocene to late marine isotope stage 6 (MIS 6); MD02‐2515 from western Guaymas Basin has an age range from ～8000 to 40 000 yr. Shipboard analyses of colour reflectance, magnetic susceptibility and sediment density are combined with continuous X‐ray fluorescence scans to reconstruct a picture of glacial climate in the Gulf of California. Eastern Guaymas Basin is affected by glacial sea level fall, which results in a drastic change in productivity rates and sediment type. The laminated record of MIS 5 allows comparison with the Holocene, showing a similarity of sedimentation patterns during deglaciation and a series of very rapid variations just prior to the last glaciation. In western Guaymas Basin there are a series of Younger Dryas‐like events during the glacial, typified by low productivity and high terrigenous input. Long‐term climate and productivity changes appear to be caused by the southward displacement of the Subtropical High pressure zone. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A ∼25 ka Indian Ocean monsoon variability record from the Andaman Sea

Recent paleoclimatic work on terrestrial and marine deposits from Asia and the Indian Ocean has indicated abrupt changes in the strength of the Asian monsoon during the last deglaciation. Comparison of marine paleoclimate records that track salinity changes from Asian rivers can help evaluate the coherence of the Indian Ocean monsoon (IOM) with the larger Asian monsoon. Here we present paired Mg/Ca and δ¹⁸O data on the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber (white) from Andaman Sea core RC12-344 that provide records of sea-surface temperature (SST) and δ¹⁸O of seawater (δ¹⁸O_sw) over the past 25,000 years (ka) before present (BP). Age control is based on nine accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates on mixed planktic foraminifera. Mg/Ca-SST data indicate that SST was ∼3 °C cooler during the last glacial maximum (LGM) than the late Holocene. Andaman Sea δ¹⁸O_sw exhibited higher than present values during the Lateglacial interval ca 19–15 ka BP and briefly during the Younger Dryas ca 12 ka BP. Lower than present δ¹⁸O_sw values during the BØlling/AllerØd ca 14.5–12.6 ka BP and during the early Holocene ca 10.8–5.5 ka BP are interpreted to indicate lower salinity, reflect some combination of decreased evaporation–precipitation (E–P) over the Andaman Sea and increased Irrawaddy River outflow. Our results are consistent with the suggestion that IOM intensity was stronger than present during the BØlling/AllerØd and early Holocene, and weaker during the late glaciation, Younger Dryas, and the late Holocene. These findings support the hypothesis that rapid climate change during the last deglaciation and Holocene included substantial hydrologic changes in the IOM system that were coherent with the larger Asian monsoon.     

Estimating selenium removal by sedimentation from the Great Salt Lake,Utah

The mass of Se deposited annually to sediment in the Great Salt Lake (GSL) was estimated to determine the significance of sedimentation as a permanent Se removal mechanism. Lake sediment cores were used to qualitatively delineate sedimentation regions (very high to very low), estimate mass accumulation rates (MARs) and determine sediment Se concentrations. Sedimentation regions were defined by comparison of isopach contours of Holocene sediment thicknesses to linear sedimentation rates determined via analysis of ²¹⁰Pb, ²²⁶Ra, ⁷Be and ¹³⁷Cs activity in 20 short cores (<5 cm), yielding quantifiable results in 13 cores. MARs were developed via analysis of the same radioisotopes in eight long cores (>10 cm). These MARs in the upper 1–2 cm of each long core ranged from 0.019 to 0.105 g_sed/cm²/a. Surface sediment Se concentrations in the upper 1 or 2 cm of each long core ranged from 0.79 to 2.47 mg/kg. Representative MARs and Se concentrations were used to develop mean annual Se removal by sedimentation in the corresponding sedimentation region. The spatially integrated Se sedimentation rate was estimated to be 624 kg/a within a range of uncertainty between 285 and 960 kg/a. Comparison to annual Se loading and other potential removal processes suggests burial by sedimentation is not the primary removal process for Se from the GSL.     

Holocene permafrost history and cryostratigraphy in the High‐Arctic Adventdalen Valley,central Svalbard

This paper presents the history and cryostratigraphy of the upper permafrost in the High‐Arctic Adventdalen Valley, central Svalbard. Nineteen frozen sediment cores, up to 10.7 m long, obtained at five periglacial landforms, were analysed for cryostructures, ice, carbon and solute contents, and grain‐size distribution, and were ¹⁴C‐ and OSL‐dated. Spatial variability in ice and carbon contents is closely related to the sedimentary history and mode of permafrost aggradation. In the valley bottom, saline epigenetic permafrost with pore ice down to depths of 10.7 m depth formed in deltaic sediments since the mid‐Holocene; cryopegs were encountered below 6 m. In the top 1 to 5 m, syngenetic and quasi‐syngenetic permafrost with microlenticular, lenticular, suspended and organic‐matrix cryostructures developed due to loess and alluvial sedimentation since the colder late Holocene, which resulted in the burial of organic material. At the transition between deltaic sediments and loess, massive ice bodies occurred. A pingo developed where the deltaic sediments reached the surface. On hillslopes, suspended cryostructure on solifluction sheets indicates quasi‐syngenetic permafrost aggradation; lobes, in contrast, were ice‐poor. Suspended cryostructure in eluvial deposits reflects epigenetic or quasi‐syngenetic permafrost formation on a weathered bedrock plateau. Landform‐scale spatial variations in ground ice and carbon relate to variations in slope, sedimentation rate, moisture conditions and stratigraphy. Although the study reveals close links between Holocene landscape evolution and permafrost history, our results emphasize a large uncertainty in using terrain surface indicators to infer ground‐ice contents and upscale from core to landform scale in mountainous permafrost landscapes.     

Lateglacial and Holocene environmental history of the central Kola region,northwestern Russia revealed by a sediment succession from Lake Imandra

Bolshaya Imandra, the northern sub-basin of Lake Imandra, was investigated by a hydro-acoustic survey followed by sediment coring down to the acoustic basement. The sediment record was analysed by a combined physical, biogeochemical, sedimentological, granulometrical and micropalaeontological approach to reconstruct the regional climatic and environmental history. Chronological control was obtained by ¹⁴C dating, ¹³⁷Cs, and Hg markers as well as pollen stratigraphy and revealed that the sediment succession offers the first continuous record spanning the Lateglacial and Holocene for this lake. Following the deglaciation prior to c. 13 200 cal. a BP, the lake's sub-basin initially was occupied by a glacifluvial river system, before a proglacial lake with glaciolacustrine sedimentation established. Rather mild climate, a sparse vegetation cover and successive retreat of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS) from the lake catchment characterized the Bølling/Allerød interstadial, lasting until 12 710 cal. a BP. During the subsequent Younger Dryas chronozone, until 11 550 cal. a BP, climate cooling led to a decrease in vegetation cover and a re-advance of the SIS. The SIS disappeared from the catchment at the Holocene transition, but small glaciers persisted in the mountains at the eastern lake shore. During the Early Holocene, until 8400 cal. a BP, sedimentation changed from glaciolacustrine to lacustrine and rising temperatures caused the spread of thermophilous vegetation. The Middle Holocene, until 3700 cal. a BP, comprises the regional Holocene Thermal Maximum (8000–4600 cal. a BP) with relatively stable temperatures, denser vegetation cover and absence of mountain glaciers. Reoccurrence of mountain glaciers during the Late Holocene, until 30 cal. a BP, presumably results from a slight cooling and increased humidity. Since c. 30 cal. a BP Lake Imandra has been strongly influenced by human impact, originating in industrial and mining activities. Our results are in overall agreement with vegetation and climate reconstructions in the Kola region.     

Evidence of multiple thermokarst lake generations from an 11 800‐year‐old permafrost core on the northern Seward Peninsula,Alaska

Permafrost degradation influences the morphology, biogeochemical cycling and hydrology of Arctic landscapes over a range of time scales. To reconstruct temporal patterns of early to late Holocene permafrost and thermokarst dynamics, site‐specific palaeo‐records are needed. Here we present a multi‐proxy study of a 350‐cm‐long permafrost core from a drained lake basin on the northern Seward Peninsula, Alaska, revealing Lateglacial to Holocene thermokarst lake dynamics in a central location of Beringia. Use of radiocarbon dating, micropalaeontology (ostracods and testaceans), sedimentology (grain‐size analyses, magnetic susceptibility, tephra analyses), geochemistry (total nitrogen and carbon, total organic carbon, δ¹³C_org) and stable water isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δD, d excess) of ground ice allowed the reconstruction of several distinct thermokarst lake phases. These include a pre‐lacustrine environment at the base of the core characterized by the Devil Mountain Maar tephra (22 800±280 cal. a BP, Unit A), which has vertically subsided in places due to subsequent development of a deep thermokarst lake that initiated around 11 800 cal. a BP (Unit B). At about 9000 cal. a BP this lake transitioned from a stable depositional environment to a very dynamic lake system (Unit C) characterized by fluctuating lake levels, potentially intermediate wetland development, and expansion and erosion of shore deposits. Complete drainage of this lake occurred at 1060 cal. a BP, including post‐drainage sediment freezing from the top down to 154 cm and gradual accumulation of terrestrial peat (Unit D), as well as uniform upward talik refreezing. This core‐based reconstruction of multiple thermokarst lake generations since 11 800 cal. a BP improves our understanding of the temporal scales of thermokarst lake development from initiation to drainage, demonstrates complex landscape evolution in the ice‐rich permafrost regions of Central Beringia during the Lateglacial and Holocene, and enhances our understanding of biogeochemical cycles in thermokarst‐affected regions of the Arctic.     

Late Pleistocene submarine mass movements: occurrence and causes

An extensive study of Late Pleistocene continental slope submarine mass movements was undertaken. Twenty-six well-dated mass movements occurred during the last 45 ka BP in the North Atlantic sector. A latitudinal trend is observed: between 45 and 12 ka BP most events occur in the mid- to low-latitudes, post-12 ka BP high-latitude occurring events dominate. A cluster of events is associated with the Last Glacial sea level lowstand and Termination 1B. Further events are associated with Termination 1A and the Holocene. Prior to 23 ka BP no clear relationship with the ice core atmospheric methane record is observed, in contrast during and following the deglaciation there is a possible relationship with atmospheric methane. High-latitude mass movements are primarily controlled by cyrospheric-induced variations in sedimentation and local sea level. In high latitudes, the glaciation subdues mass movement activity through reduced seisimicity, sediment supply and ocean temperatures. Deglaciation increases the sediment supply, seisimicity and ocean temperatures, thus increasing the likelihood of continental slope failures. For example the Storegga event coincides with high isostatic uplift and postglacial seisimicity, while the Andøya and Trænadjupet events occur before and after the peak rates respectively. In contrast low latitudes experience greater risk of slope failures during glacial periods from falling sea levels, although during the deglacial and interglacial period there is a potential for failure from changes in deposition centres and rates, as well as warming ocean temperatures potentially leading to dissociation of gas hydrates. The ongoing rapid deglaciation of coastal Greenland and Antarctica and consequent rapid input of sediment, isostatic uplift, crustal stress release and warming bottom water temperature at the shelf break will increase the risk of continental slope failure in these regions.     

The last deglaciation of the Norwegian Channel – geomorphology,stratigraphy and radiocarbon dating

Based on high‐resolution TOPAS acoustic data, bathymetric data sets and sediment cores from the Norwegian Channel, the last retreat of the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream has been investigated. Mapping of ice‐marginal features such as grounding‐zone wedges and terminal moraines off western Norway suggest that the retreat of the grounding line in this part of the channel was interrupted by frequent stillstands, whereas the channel south of the threshold at Jæren does not have crossing ice‐marginal landforms. Three main seismic units have been identified, and, based on their seismic characteristics, in addition to study of sediment cores, these units are interpreted as till (U1), glacial marine sediment (U2) and Holocene hemipelagic sediment (U3). Based on new and published radiocarbon dates of the lower part of U2, combined with dates from the adjacent areas, it is concluded that the grounding line started to retreat from the shelf edge at about 19 ka and that the inner part of Skagerrak was ice free at 17.6 ka. This gives an average retreat rate of 450 m a⁻¹, which is generally higher than mean retreat rates estimated for other palaeo‐ice streams (15–310 m a⁻¹).