High-Resolution Studies of High Arctic Paleoclimate from Varved Lake Sediments

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award will be used to help recover annually laminated (varved) sediments from three lakes on northern Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic to reconstruct Late Holocene climate variations from the last 5,000-6,000 years. The sediments from Ellesmere Island offer the opportunity for high-resolution records of past climate variations in a region where few paleoclimatic records exist. Varve thickness and grain size characteristics of each sedimentary layer may reflect changes in summer temperature conditions in the region. The research will focus on the warmest episodes of the time period. The relationship of summer temperature changes to proxies of past changes in total solar irradiance, episodes of explosive volcanism, and variability in Earth-Sun orbital geometries will be examined to test the hypothesis that solar forcing has influenced climate at high latitudes. This research will be of value to a broad spectrum of researchers across the science community by helping place modern Arctic climate conditions in a long-term perspective by examining the frequency and timing of warm climate episodes in the region over time.