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This study uses a multiproxy approach including the first use of 187Os/188Os, %C37:4 biomarkers, carbonate content, sedimentological grain size, geochemical X‐ray fluorescence and microfossil benthic foraminifera species combined with radiocarbon dating, measured on six cores from across the Skagerrak, in order to study the Lateglacial to Middle Holocene history of the area. A new chronostratigraphic framework is developed based on the appearance of specific benthic foraminifera species along with changes in carbonate/X‐ray fluorescence and grain size data. This allowed the correlation of cores based on a series of radiocarbon dated tie points. Analysing the cores together reveals several events recorded in the Skagerrak including: (i) an increased freshwater input (bracketed between 13.3 and 11.3 cal. ka BP) signified by radiogenic 187Os/188Os values, high %C37:4 values and an increase in sand content; (ii) the Glomma drainage event, signified by a sudden appearance of Valvulineria as well as higher %C37:4; and (iii) the opening of the Danish Straits and English Channel leading to the development of modern‐day conditions and circulation patterns in the Skagerrak, signified by the appearance of Hyalinea balthica and a fall in %C37:4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new shore‐level displacement curve for southern Lolland and the Femern Belt in south‐eastern Denmark based on 94 new and four published radiocarbon ages of organic material and shells of marine molluscs. Mires existed in the deeper parts of the Femern Belt during the Early Holocene, and a large lake formed as the water level gradually rose. The lake phase was followed first by a brackish‐water phase from c. 8500 cal a bp and by a marine phase after c. 7800 cal a bp when the relative sea level was ~8 m lower than at present. Over the past 6500 years the sea level has gradually risen by ~2 m and reached its highest level in recent times. There are no indications of a higher than present sea level in the area and no indications of 1–2 m sea‐level oscillations as reported from other parts of the region. The relative sea‐level curve for southern Lolland differs from relative sea‐level curves from northern parts of Denmark, which are more influenced by glacio‐isostatic uplift. Southern Lolland has been uplifted by 4–5 m over the last 8000 years, whereas the Limfjord region in northern Denmark has been uplifted by around 12 m during the same period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the Pingorsuit Glacier in North‐West Greenland, an organic‐rich deposit that had recently emerged from the retreating ice cap was discovered at an elevation of 480 m above sea level. This paper reports on macrofossil analyses of a coarse detritus gyttja and peaty soil, which occurred beneath a thin cover of till and glacifluvial deposits. The sediments contained remains of vascular plants, mosses, beetles, caddisflies, midges, bryozoans, sponges and other invertebrates. The flora includes black spruce, tree birch, boreal shrubs and wetland and aquatic taxa, which shows that mires, lakes and ponds were present in the area. We describe a new extinct waterwort species Elatine odgaardii. The fossils were deposited in a boreal environment with a mean July air temperature that was at least 9 °C higher than at present. The fossil assemblages show strong similarities with others from Greenland that have been assigned an Early Pleistocene age, and we suggest a similar age for the sediments found at the margin of the Pingorsuit Glacier. At the Pingorsuit Glacier in North‐West Greenland, an organic‐rich deposit was discovered at an elevation of 480 m above sea level. The sediments contained remains of vascular plants, mosses, beetles, caddisflies, midges, bryozoans, sponges and other invertebrates. The fossils were deposited in a boreal environment with a mean July air temperature that was at least 9 °C higher than at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of the flooding of the Danish/German/Swedish straits and the first marine influence in the Baltic Basin after the Ancylus Lake stage has been much debated. Here we present 47 new radiocarbon ages from sediment cores retrieved from Danish waters, ages that record the marine transgression of the area. Most of the ages are based on shells of marine molluscs, hence the ages are uncertain because we do not know the precise reservoir age in the past. We use a reservoir age of 400 years, which is based on dating of museum specimens collected live before testing of nuclear bombs. It appears from the ages that the Great Belt (Storebælt) was inundated before The Sound (Øresund). The oldest ages on marine shells from the northern part of the Great Belt region are about 8.9 cal. ka BP. From the central part of the Great Belt, the oldest ages are about 8.2 cal. ka BP, in Mecklenburg Bay 8.1 cal. ka BP and in the Arkona Basin 7.1 cal. ka BP. Sediments deposited prior to the occurrence of marine molluscs contain brackish‐water ostracods (Cyprideis torosa and Cytheromorpha fuscata); the sediments are usually laminated and non‐bioturbated mud. The brackish‐water phase may have lasted 500–1000 years. The youngest lake deposits without signs of marine influence are dated to c. 8.8 cal. ka BP (central Great Belt), 8.7 cal. ka BP (Little Belt) and 8.5 cal. ka BP (Arkona Basin). We see no evidence for marine influence at c. 10 cal. ka BP as recorded by some studies from the Baltic Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an age–depth model based on an ultra‐high‐resolution, 80‐m‐thick sedimentary succession from a marine continental shelf basin, the Kattegat. This is an area of dynamic deglaciation of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet during the Late Pleistocene. The Kattegat is also a transitional area between the saline North Sea and the brackish Baltic Sea. As such, it records general development of currents and exchange between these two systems. Data for the succession were provided through the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site M0060. The site indicates onset of deglaciation at c. 18 ka BP and relatively continuous sedimentation until 13 ka BP. At this point, sediments record a hiatus until c. 9–7 ka BP. The uppermost sedimentary unit contains redeposited material, but it is estimated to represent only the last c. 9–7 ka BP. The age–depth model is based on 17 select, radiocarbon‐dated samples and is integrated with a set of physical and chemical proxies. The integrated records provide novel constraints on the timing of major palaeoenvironmental changes, such as the transition from glaciomarine proximal to glaciomarine distal and marine conditions, and their connections to known major events and processes in the region and the North Atlantic. Depositional evidence specifically documents connections between the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet behaviour and atmospheric and oceanic warming. Glacial retreat may have also depended on topographic factors such as changes in basin width and depth, linked to relative sea level changes and land uplift. The results indicate an early response of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet to changing climate, and the ice sheet's possible influence on oceanic circulation during the Late Pleistocene deglaciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holocene sedimentation patterns and environmental development in Aarhus Bay, Denmark, were reconstructed based on proxy analyses of two sediment cores (M1 and M5). Together, the two cores offer an opportunity to examine the history of the area during the past c. 10 000 years. The investigation consisted of acoustic mapping and multi‐proxy analyses of the sediment cores including macrofossils, sediment physical properties, sediment accumulation rates, grain size, and X‐ray fluorescence elemental counts. Radiocarbon dating of the two sediment successions revealed that they cover the periods c. 10 000–3700 cal. a BP (M1) and c. 4400 cal. a BP to the present (M5). The data from the M1 site indicate the presence of a near‐shore lake environment between c. 10 000 and 9000 cal. a BP. The first intrusion of marine water into the area is dated to c. 9000 cal. a BP. In the following c. 1300 years, brackish‐water conditions prevailed in the area characterized by a mixture of taxa from marine, limnic and terrestrial habitats, reflecting a shallow estuarine environment. Around 7700 cal. a BP full marine conditions were established, accompanied by a marked increase in sedimentation rates. The changes to full marine conditions and higher sedimentation rates are probably due to a significant sea‐level rise leading to flooding of former land areas and intensified erosion. A subsequent distinct decrease in sedimentation rates around 6350 cal. a BP is presumably linked to a previously documented sea‐level drop about this time. Continuous sedimentation ceased around 3700 cal. a BP in the central part of the bay, most probably due to a major sea‐level lowering involving widespread erosion. In the eastern and deeper part of the bay, sedimentation continued until today. Fully marine conditions prevailed there for at least the last 4400 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we use a combined biomarker and macrofossil approach to reconstruct the Holocene climate history recorded in Trifna Sø, Skallingen area, eastern North Greenland. Chronological information is derived from comparison of lithological, biogeochemical and macrofossil characteristics with a well‐dated record from nearby Lille Sneha Sø. Following local deglaciation around c. 8 cal. ka BP, the local peak warmth occurred between c. 7.4 and 6.2 cal. ka BP as indicated by maximum macrofossil abundances of warmth‐demanding plants (Salix arctica and Dryas integrifolia) and invertebrates (Daphnia pulex and Chironomidae). Warm conditions were dominated by terrestrial organic matter (OM) sedimentation as implied by the alkane‐based Paq ratio, but increased aquatic productivity is indicated when temperature was highest around 6.5 cal. ka BP. The n‐C29/n‐C31 alkane ratio shows that vegetation in the catchment was dominated by shrubs after deglaciation, but shifted towards relatively more grassy/herbaceous vegetation during peak warmth. After 5.4 cal. ka BP, the disappearance of warmth‐demanding plant and invertebrate macrofossils indicates cooling in the Skallingen area. This cooling was characterized by a significant shift towards dominance of aquatic OM sedimentation in Trifna Sø as implied by high Paq ratios. Cooling was also associated with a shift in vegetation type from dwarf‐shrub heaths towards relatively more herbaceous vegetation in the catchment, stronger erosion and more oligotrophic conditions in the lake. Our data show that mean air temperatures inferred using branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) do not seem to accurately reflect the local climatic history. Irrespective of calibration, methylation of branched tetraethers (MBT) palaeothermometry cannot be reconciled with the macrofossil evidence and seems to be biased by either changing brGDGT sources (in situ vs. soil‐derived) or changing species assemblages and/or an unknown physiological response to changing environmental conditions at high latitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lateglacial submarine lake sediments are reported for the first time from the Kattegat Sea in southern Scandinavia. The Lateglacial sediments were collected from a vibrocore that contained, from top to bottom, Holocene marine muddy sand, Holocene brackish‐water mud, Early Holocene peat with remains of Betula pubescens and telmatic plants, Lateglacial lake deposits that are the focus of this paper, and homogenous sand. Radiocarbon dating of terrestrial plant remains from the Lateglacial sediments gave ages between 12 400 and 12 800 cal a bp, corresponding to the Younger Dryas. The Lateglacial sediments contain remains of Betula nana and other plants indicating a tundra‐like open landscape with dwarf shrub heaths, which is typical for the region. Remains of macrolimnophytes indicate shallow carbonate‐rich, cool lake waters. Remains of larvae of Trichoptera and Chironomidae dominate the invertebrate fauna and indicate a fairly species‐rich fauna. Half of the trichopteran taxa today have their distribution north of Denmark or show a generally northern distribution in Europe. The lake sediments are found at ∼ 24 m below sea level, and the presence of lake sediments shows that this part of Kattegat had not been transgressed by the sea during the Younger Dryas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a pre‐site survey and construction of a new metro route and station in Copenhagen, fossiliferous organic‐rich sediments were encountered. This paper reports on multidisciplinary investigations of these organic sediments, which occurred beneath a sediment succession with a lower till, glacifluvial sand and gravel, an upper till and glacifluvial sand. The organic sediments were underlain by glacifluvial sand and gravel. The organic‐rich sediments, which were up to 0.5 m thick, accumulated in a low‐energy environment, possibly an oxbow lake. They were rich in plant fossils, which included warmth‐demanding trees and other species, such as Najas minor, indicating slightly higher summer temperatures than at present. Freshwater shells were also frequent. Bithynia opercula allowed the sediments to be put into an aminostratigraphical framework. The amino acid racemization (AAR) ratios indicate that the organic sediments formed during Marine Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7), which is consistent with optically stimulated luminescence dating that gave ages of 206 and 248 ka from the underlying minerogenic deposit. The assemblages from Trianglen are similar to interglacial deposits from the former Free Port (1.4 km away) in Copenhagen, except that Corbicula and Pisidium clessini were not found at Trianglen. The presence of these bivalves at the Free Port and the ostracod Scottia tumida at Trianglen indicates a pre‐Eemian age. AAR data from archived Bithynia opercula from the Free Port were almost identical to those from Trianglen, indicating that the two sites are contemporary. We suggest the Trianglen interglacial be used as a local name for the MIS 7 interglacial deposits in Copenhagen. MIS 7 deposits have rarely been documented from the region, but MIS 7 deposits may have been mistaken for other ages. The use of AAR ratios in Bithynia opercula has a great potential for correlation of interglacial non‐marine deposits in mainland northern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of interglacial successions are critical to our understanding of the environmental history of an area. Analyses of macrofossil remains of plants and invertebrates from Eemian sediments exposed in a coastal cliff section at Borðoyarvík near Klaksvík, Bordoy, northeastern Faroe Islands, indicate that the sediments accumulated in a coastal lagoon. The fossil flora comprises tree birch Betula sect. Albae and we suggest that birch forests were found locally at sheltered sites in the area. Tree birch also occurred on the islands during the mid-Holocene. The only other woody plant recovered from the Eemian deposit is the dwarf-shrub Empetrum nigrum, which is common on the islands today. Remains of herbaceous plants are rare but include Viola, Ajuga, Myosotis, Urtica dioica and Ranunculus. The bryophyte flora is species-rich and most of the fragments belong either to stream species or to species of humid or wet habitats. The fossil flora and fauna also comprise a number of freshwater species that probably lived in an oligotrophic lake and in streams in the catchment of the lagoon. The climate during deposition of the lagoonal sediments was similar to the Holocene oceanic climate of the Faroe Islands. The study adds to our understanding of Eemian environments in the North Atlantic region and helps to fill a knowledge gap about the history of the flora and fauna of the Faroe Islands, which is of biogeographical importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uummannaq Fjord, West Greenland, held the Uummannaq Ice Stream system that drained an estimated ~6% of the Greenland Ice Sheet (Gr IS) 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 Gr IS margin in the central-inland sector of the Uummannaq Fjord system. We find that ice retreated to or within the present Gr IS margin at 10.8±0.2 ka (n = 6). Although this 'final deglaciation' to or within the present Gr IS 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 Gr IS throughout the Uummannaq Fjord system probably relates to the influence of varying fjord geometry on marine glacier behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late- and postglacial geological evolution of the southern Kattegat connection to the Great Belt was investigated from high-resolution seismic data and radiocarbon-dated sediment cores in order to elucidate the Ancylus Lake drainage/Littorina Sea transgression. It was found that glacial deposits form the acoustic basement and are covered by Lateglacial ( LG) marine sediments and postglacial ( PG; Holocene) material. The LG deposits form a highstand systems tract, whereas the PG deposits cover a full depositional sequence, consisting of a lowstand systems tract ( PG I), transgressive systems tract ( PG II; subdivided into three parasequences) and finally a highstand systems tract ( PG III). PG I sand deposits (11.7-10.8 cal. ka BP) are found in a major western channel and in a secondary eastern channel. PG II (10.8-9.8 cal. ka BP) consists of estuarine and coastal deposits linked to an estuary located at the mouth of the channels. Both channels drained fresh water from south to north. The PG III, that is younger than 9.8 cal. ka BP, represents the threshold marine flooding at the southeastern branch of the palaeo-Great Belt channel. At 9.3 cal. ka BP, fully marine conditions were established, shortly before the flooding of the threshold to the northern part of the Great Belt. These early Holocene spits and sand bars are preserved as features on the present seabed, probably as a result of the rapid sea-level rise that led to back-stepping of the early Holocene palaeo-coast system. This study shows no evidence of major erosion or delta deposition linked to the emptying of the Ancylus Lake, which suggests that continuous water flow from the south characterized the area, without any major drainage event of the Ancylus Lake impacting the southwestern Kattegat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coring through glaciotectonically stacked Quaternary sediments situated below sea level on the island of Møn, Denmark, recovered a succession of interstadial sediments of Middle Weichselian age. Plant and animal remains including insects found in laminated sand and mud indicate deposition in a lake surrounded by dwarf shrubs, herbs, mosses and rare trees. The insect fauna indicates a mean July temperature of 8-12 °C, suggesting an arctic to sub-arctic environment, while winter temperatures around −8 to −22 °C suggest periglacial conditions with permafrost. Luminescence dating of sediment samples gave ages from 48-29 ka, and radiocarbon dating indicates deposition of plant fragments between 45 and 36 ka BP. The fossil assemblage from Møn shows close resemblance to those from other sites with similar ages found in the vicinity of the western Baltic Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lacustrine record from a small lake, Lille Sneha Sø, in the Skallingen area indicates that the region was deglaciated in the early Holocene, prior to 8000 cal. a BP. Deglaciation was probably triggered by high temperatures, but it took more than 1000 years for the lake and the catchment to stabilize. Chironomids were amongst the first invertebrates to colonize the lake. The fossil chironomid assemblage is fairly rich and comparable to other records from further south in Greenland. The pioneer vegetation in the area consisted of mosses and herbaceous plants. The oldest remains of woody plants ( Salix arctica) are dated to c. 7700 cal. a BP, and remains of Dryas integrifolia appear at around 6700 cal. a BP; these are the only woody plants recorded. Maximum concentrations of chironomids, maximum occurrence of ephippia of the water flea Daphnia pulex, highest organic matter contents and lowest minerogenic input from c. 7700 to 4400 cal. a BP probably reflect the Holocene thermal maximum ( HTM). The highest temperatures during the HTM are indicated around 7000 cal. a BP, when Salix arctica, which is considered a warmth-loving plant, had a maximum. Comparisons with Holocene records from East and North Greenland show similar immigration histories and similar trends, with the Little Ice Age as the coldest period during the Holocene, culminating about 150 years ago. Subsequent warming does not indicate environmental conditions comparable to the HTM yet at this stage. The occurrence of several warmth-demanding species particularly in the early Holocene sediments indicates redeposition and implies that temperatures in the past, most likely during an interglacial period, were significantly higher than during the HTM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we present Holocene organic carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, carbon isotope ratio and macrofossil data from a small freshwater lake near Sisimiut in south-west Greenland. The lake was formed c. 11 cal ka BP following retreat of the ice sheet margin and is located above the marine limit in this area. The elemental and isotope data suggest a complex deglaciation history of interactions between the lake and its catchment, reflecting glacial retreat and post-glacial hydrological flushing probably due to periodic melting of local remnant glacial ice and firn areas between 11 and 8.5 cal ka BP. After 8.5 cal ka BP, soil development and associated vegetation processes began to exert a greater control on terrestrial-aquatic carbon cycling. By 5.5 cal ka BP, in the early Neoglacial cooling, the sediment record indicates a change in catchment-lake interactions with consistent δ13C while C/N exhibits greater variability. The period after 5.5 cal ka BP is also characterized by higher organic C accumulation in the lake. These changes (total organic carbon, C/N, δ13C) are most likely the result of increasing contribution (and burial) of terrestrial organic matter as a result of enhanced soil instability, as indicated by an increase in Cenococcum remains, but also Sphagnum and Empetrum. The impact of glacial retreat and relatively subdued mid- to late Holocene climate variation at the coast is in marked contrast to the greater environmental variability seen in inland lakes closer to the present-day ice sheet margin. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sisimiut area was deglaciated in the early Holocene, c. 11 cal. ka BP. At that time the lowlands were inundated by the sea, but the isostatic rebound surpassed the global sea-level rise, and the lowlands emerged from the sea. The pioneer vegetation in the area consisted of mosses and herbaceous plants. The oldest remains of woody plants ( Empetrum nigrum) are dated to c. 10.3 cal. ka BP, and remains of Salix herbacea and Harrimanella hypnoides are found in slightly younger sediments. The maximum occurrence of statoblasts of the bryozoan Plumatella repens from c. 10 to 4.5 cal. ka BP probably reflects the Holocene thermal maximum, which is also indicated in geochemical proxies of the lake sediments. A maximum in organic matter accumulation in one of the three studied lakes c. 3 cal. ka BP can probably be ascribed to a late Holocene short-duration temperature maximum or a period of increased aridity. Cenococcum geophilum sclerotia are common in the late Holocene, implying increased soil erosion during the Neoglaciation. A comparison with sediment and macrofossil records from inland shows similar Holocene trends and a similar immigration history. It also reveals that there has been a significant gradient throughout the Holocene, from an oceanic and stable climate at the outer coast to a more continental and unstable climate with warmer summers and drier conditions close to the margin of the Greenland ice sheet, where the buffer capacity of the sea is lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wohlfarth, B., Alexanderson, H., Ampel, L., Bennike, O., Engels, S., Johnsen, T., Lundqvist, J. & Reimer, P. 2010: Pilgrimstad revisited - a multi-proxy reconstruction of Early/Middle Weichselian climate and environment at a key site in central Sweden. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00192.x. ISSN 0300-9483. The site Pilgrimstad in central Sweden has often been cited as a key locality for discussions of ice-free/ice-covered intervals during the Early and Middle Weichselian. Multi-proxy investigations of a recently excavated section at Pilgrimstad now provide a revised picture of the climatic and environmental development between ∼80 and 36 ka ago. The combination of sedimentology, geochemistry, OSL and C dating, and macrofossil, siliceous microfossil and chironomid analyses shows: (i) a lower succession of glaciofluvial/fluvial, lacustrine and glaciolacustrine sediments; (ii) an upper lacustrine sediment sequence; and (iii) Last Glacial Maximum till cover. Microfossils in the upper lacustrine sediments are initially characteristic for oligo- to mesotrophic lakes, and macrofossils indicate arctic/sub-arctic environments and mean July temperatures >8 °C. These conditions were, however, followed by a return to a low-nutrient lake and a cold and dry climate. The sequence contains several hiatuses, as shown by the often sharp contacts between individual units, which suggests that ice-free intervals alternated with possible ice advances during certain parts of the Early and Middle Weichselian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schmidt, S., Wagner, B., Heiri, O., Klug, M., Bennike, O. & Melles, M. 2010: Chironomids as indicators of the Holocene climatic and environmental history of two lakes in Northeast Greenland. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00173.x. ISSN 0300-9483. Two Holocene sediment sequences from arctic lakes on Store Koldewey, an island in Northeast Greenland, were investigated for fossil chironomid assemblages. A total of 18 and 21 chironomid taxa were identified in 290- and 252-cm-long sediment sequences from Duck Lake and Hjort Lake, respectively. The chironomid assemblages were very similar in the two lakes. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to compare fossil chironomid assemblages from Store Koldewey with chironomid assemblages and environmental conditions presently found in Canadian Arctic lakes and, hence, to infer environmental changes for Northeast Greenland. The first chironomids appeared at c. 9500 cal. a BP in Hjort Lake, and 500 years later in Duck Lake. Taxa typical for cold and nutrient-poor arctic lakes dominated the earliest assemblages. Chironomid assemblages with taxa typical of higher summer air temperatures and lakes with higher nutrient availability occur between 8000 and 5000 cal. a BP. This period probably marks the regional Holocene thermal maximum, which is relatively late compared with some palaeoenvironmental records from East Greenland. One possible reason could be the location of Store Koldewey at the very outer coast, with local climatic conditions strongly influenced by the cold East Greenland Current. From around 5000 cal. a BP, chironomid assemblages in Duck Lake and Hjort Lake again became more typical of those presently found in Northeast Greenland, indicating relatively cold and nutrient-poor conditions. This shift coincides with an increase of ice-rafting debris off East Greenland and an intensification of the East Greenland Current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bennike, O., Knudsen, K. L., Abrahamsen, N., Böcher, J., Cremer, H. & Wagner, B. 2010: Early Pleistocene sediments on Store Koldewey, northeast Greenland. Boreas, Vol. 39, pp. 603–619. 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00147.x. ISSN 0300-9483. Marine Quaternary deposits, here named the Store Koldewey Formation, are found at ∼120 m above sea level in northeast Greenland (76°N). The sequence is referred to the Olduvai normal polarity subchron at 1.95–1.78 Ma BP based on palaeomagnetic studies (palaeomagnetically reversed), amino acid epimerization ratios and evidence from marine and non-marine fossils. The sediments and the fauna show that the sequence was deposited on a mid or inner shelf, and some elements of the marine mollusc and foraminiferal assemblages indicate water temperatures between −1 and +1 °C and seasonal sea ice cover during deposition. Mean summer air temperatures were around 6 °C higher than at present, as demonstrated by the occurrence of southern extralimital terrestrial species. Well-preserved remains of land plants indicate that the adjacent land area was dominated by sub-arctic forest-tundra with the trees Larix and Betula, shrubs, herbs and mosses. Most of the species represented as fossils have recent circumpolar geographical ranges. An extinct brachiopod species and an extinct gastropod species have been found, but the other macrofossils are referred to extant species. The brachiopod is erected as a new genus and species, Laugekochiana groenlandica. Correlation of the Koldewey Formation with the Île de France Formation farther to the north is suggested. Member A of the Kap København Formation in North Greenland is referred to the Late Pliocene, whereas Member B of the Kap København Formation is suggested to be slightly older than the Store Koldewey Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wagner, B., Bennike, O., Cremer, H. & Klug, M. 2010: Late Quaternary history of the Kap Mackenzie area, northeast Greenland. Boreas, Vol. 39, pp. 492–504. 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00148.x. ISSN 0300-9483. The Kap Mackenzie area on the outer coast of northeast Greenland was glaciated during the last glacial stage, and pre-Holocene shell material was brought to the area. Dating of marine shells indicates that deglaciation occurred in the earliest Holocene, before 10 800 cal. a BP. The marine limit is around 53 m a.s.l. In the wake of the deglaciation, a glaciomarine fauna characterized the area, but after c. one millennium a more species-rich marine fauna took over. This fauna included Mytilus edulis and Mysella sovaliki, which do not live in the region at present; the latter is new to the Holocene fauna of northeast Greenland. The oldest M. edulis sample is dated to c. 9500 cal. a BP, which is the earliest date for the species from the region and indicates that the Holocene thermal maximum began earlier in the region than previously documented. This is supported by driftwood dated to c. 9650 cal. a BP, which is the earliest driftwood date so far from northeastern Greenland and implies that the coastal area was at least partly free of sea ice in summer. As indicated by former studies, the Storegga tsunami hit the Kap Mackenzie area at c. 8100 cal. a BP. Loon Lake, at 18 m a.s.l., was isolated from the sea at c. 6200 cal. a BP, which is distinctly later than expected from existing relative sea-level curves for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2.9 m long sedimentary record was studied from a small lake, here referred to as Duck Lake, located at 76°25′N, 18°45′W on Store Koldewey, an elongated island off the coast of Northeast Greenland. The sediments were investigated for their geophysical and biogeochemical characteristics, and for their fossil chironomid assemblages. Organic matter began to accumulate in the lake at 9.1 cal. kyr BP, which provides a minimum age for the deglaciation of the basin. Although the early to mid-Holocene is known as a thermal maximum in East Greenland, organic matter accumulation in the lake remained low during the early Holocene, likely due to late plant immigration and lack of nutrient availability. Organic matter accumulation increased during the middle and late Holocene, when temperatures in East Greenland gradually decreased. Enhanced soil formation probably led to higher nutrient availability and increased production in the lake. Chironomids are abundant throughout the record after 9.1 cal. kyr BP and seem to react sensitively to changes in temperature and nutrient availability. It is concluded that relative temperature reconstructions based on biogeochemical data have to be regarded critically, particularly in the period shortly after deglaciation when nutrient availability was low. Chironomids may be a suitable tool for climatic reconstructions even in those high arctic environments. However, a better understanding of the ecology of chironomids under these extreme conditions is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The harp seal ( Phoca groenlandica) is a low-arctic species that is currently a rare visitor to Danish waters. However, bone remains from archaeological and geological deposits in Denmark and the Baltic Sea testify to a regular presence of harp seals in this region during the mid-Holocene. The paradox of the presence of a low-arctic seal species in southern Scandinavia during the mid-Holocene thermal maximum has been widely discussed. In order to improve the Holocene chronology for the presence of harp seal in Denmark, 24 bone remains of the species were radiocarbon dated. The oldest date is around 4100 cal. yr BC, indicating that the harp seal arrived several millennia after fully marine conditions were established in Danish waters. The majority of the dated specimens fall within two age groups, one centred around 3900 cal. yr BC (11 dates), the other around 2700 cal. yr BC (7 dates). It is argued that these two groups may reflect periods with suitable living conditions for the harp seal in Danish waters and that this is connected with an enhanced inflow of high-salinity North Sea water and higher biological productivity. Six dates show a scattered distribution between c. 1400 cal. yr BC and c. AD 1000, suggesting sporadic visits of the harp seal to Danish waters during the late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results from an investigation of relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area in south Greenland from c. 11 000 cal. yr BP to the present. Isolation and transgression sequences from six lakes and two tidal basins have been identified using stratigraphical analyses, magnetic susceptibility, XRF and macrofossil analyses. Macrofossils and bulk sediments have been dated by AMS radiocarbon dating. Maximum and minimum altitudes for relative sea level are provided from two deglaciation and marine lagoon sequences. Initially, relative sea level fell rapidly and reached present-day level at ∼⃒9000 cal. yr BP and continued falling until at least 8800 cal. yr BP. Between 8000 and 6000 cal. yr BP, sea level reached its lowest level of around 6–8  m below highest astronomical tide (h.a.t.). At around 3750 cal. yr BP, sea level has reached above 2.7  m below h.a.t. and continued to rise slowly, reaching the present-day level between ∼⃒2000 cal. yr BP and the present. As in the Nanortalik area further south, initial isostatic rebound caused rapid isolation of low elevation basins in the Qaqortoq area. Distinct isolation contacts in the sediments are observed. The late Holocene transgression is less well defined and occurred over a longer time interval. The late Holocene sea-level rise implies reloading by advancing glaciers superimposed on the isostatic signal from the North American Ice Sheet. One consequence of this transgression is that settlements of Palaeo-Eskimo cultures from ∼⃒4000 cal. yr BP may have been transgressed by the sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of the southern Greenland Ice Sheet is interpreted from a synthesis of geological data and palaeoclimatic information provided by the ice-sheet cores. At the Last Glacial Maximum the ice margin would have been at the shelf break and the ice sheet was fringed by shelf ice. Virtually all of the present ice-free land was glaciated. The initial ice retreat was controlled by eustatic sea level rise and was mainly by calving. When temperatures increased, melt ablation led to further ice-margin retreat and areas at the outer coast and mountain tops were deglaciated. Retreat was interrupted by a readvance during the Neria stade that may correlate with the Younger Dryas cooling. The abrupt temperature rise at the Younger Dryas-Holocene transition led to a fast retreat of the ice margin, and after ∼9 ka BP the ice sheet was smaller than at present. Expansion of the ice cover began in the Late Holocene, with a maximum generally during the Little Ice Age. The greatest changes in ice cover occurred in lowland areas, i.e. in the region of the Qassimiut lobe. The date of the historical maximum advance shows considerable spatial variability and varies between AD 1600 and the present. Local anomalous readvances are seen at possibly 7-8 ka and at c. 2 ka BP. A marked relative sea level rise is seen in the Late Holocene; this is believed to reflect a direct glacio-isostatic response to increasing ice load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of shallow seismic records, vibrocoring, macrofossil analyses and AMS radiocarbon-dating, five stratigraphical units have been distinguished from the deepest parts of the central Great Belt (Storebælt) in southern Scandinavia. Widespread glacial deposits are followed by two lateglacial units confined to deeply incised channels and separated by an erosional boundary. Lateglacial Unit I dates from the time interval from the last deglaciation to the Allerød; lateglacial Unit II is of Younger Dryas age. Early Holocene deposits show a development from river deposits and lake-shore deposits to large lake deposits, corresponding to a rising shore level. Lake deposits are found up to 20 m below the sea floor, and the lake extended over some 200-300 km 2 . The early Holocene freshwater deposits are dated to the time interval c. 10 900 to c. 8800 cal. yr BP and the oldest shells of marine molluscs from the Great Belt are dated to c. 8100 cal. yr BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of subfossil insect remains (Diptera, Chironomidae) from an interglacial site at Narsaarsuk near Thule Air Base, NW Greenland, was undertaken to complement our understanding of last interglacial environments in the Arctic by analogue matching to modern chironomid assemblages. The subfossil larval midge head capsules were well preserved and 82% of the chironomid remains were identified as eight different extant chironomid taxa. The assemblage was dominated by the lotic Diamesa (43.8%), a number of lentic taxa ( Hydrobaenus, Psectrocladius, Cricotopus/Orthocladius ) and a few semi-aquatic taxa ( Smittia, Chaetocladius ). A single black fly head capsule (Diptera, Simuliidae) was registered. The interglacial sample was compared to subfossil chironomid assemblages from 42 lakes in West Greenland, two glacier lakes (with and without river influence) and a quantitative zoobenthos study from Narsaq Elv. Similarity analysis, analogue matching and multidimensional scaling suggest a lotic, cold, glacier-fed interglacial palaeo-biotope. Quantitative temperature reconstruction was not possible owing to a high dissimilarity to modern lentic chironomid assemblages from West Greenland. However, the simple numerical methods convincingly managed to reflect an interglacial river and stream environment, which can be difficult to document from other palaeoecological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last glacial stage, Washington Land in western North Greenland was probably completely inundated by the Greenland Ice Sheet. The oldest shell dates from raised marine deposits that provide minimum ages for the last deglaciation are 9300 cal. yr BP (northern Washington Land) and 7600 cal. yr BP (SW Washington Land). These dates indicate that Washington Land, which borders the central part of Nares Strait separating Greenland from Ellesmere Island in Canada, did not become free of glacier ice until well into the Holocene. The elevation of the marine limit falls from 110 m a.s.l. in the north to 60 m a.s.l. in the southwest. The recession was followed by readvance of glaciers in the late Holocene, and the youngest shell date from Neoglacial lateral moraines north of Humboldt Gletscher is 600 cal. yr BP. Since the Neoglacial maximum, probably around 100 years ago, glaciers have receded. The Holocene marine assemblages comprise a few southern extralimital records, notably of Chlamys islandica dated to 7300 cal. yr BP. Musk ox and reindeer disappeared from Washington Land recently, perhaps in connection with the cold period that culminated about 100 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shallow seismic data and vibrocore information, sequence stratigraphic and faunal evidence have been used for documentation of Late Weichselian reactivation of faulting in the south central Kattegat, southern Scandinavia. The study area is situated on the Fennoscandian Border Zone, where tectonic activity has been recurrent since Early Palaeozoic time and still occurs, as shown by present earthquake activity. New data from the area south of the island of Anholt show that after deglaciation fast isostatic rebound resulted in reactivation of a NW–SE striking normal fault system. This tectonic episode is dated to a period starting shortly before 15.0 cal. ka BP and ending around 13.5 cal. ka BP, after regression had already reached a level of about 30 m b.s.l. The vertical displacement associated with the faulting was in the order of 20 m. More generally, the results support the previously reported late Weichselian sea-level highstand, which was followed by forced regression until the eustatic sea-level rise surpassed the rate of glacio-isostatic rebound in early Preboreal. Our findings further imply that drainage of the Baltic Ice Lake through the Øresund at c. 15 cal. ka BP (Bergsten & Nordberg 1992) may have been triggered by tectonic activity in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismoacoustic profiles from the Arkona Basin show a late Pleistocene and Holocene succession of several distinct reflectors. The physical, sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical properties of more than 30 sediment cores were analysed in order to assign these reflectors to specific sedimentary discontinuity layers. Additionally, AMS [sup 14]C data and biostratigraphic information were gathered. Based on this multi-proxy approach, seven lithostratigraphic units (AI, AII, B to F) were distinguished. These consist of fine-grained clay, silt and mud, and are separated from each other by thin basin-wide traceable sandy layers (S[sub ab]-S[sub ef]). The most sensitive parameter to mark the lithostratigraphic boundaries is the weight percentage of the grain-size fraction >63 µm. In addition, some of the quartz-grain-dominated sandy layers cause the strong reflection lines recorded in seismoacoustic profiles. The sandy layers are interpreted to reflect enhanced hydrodynamic energy induced by episodes of basin-wide water-level low-stand conditions. These low stands resulted from waterlevel drops that occurred frequently during the Baltic Sea's history and presumably affected the entire Baltic basin. The thick fine-grained units AI, AII to F, in which coarser material is absent, represent water-level high-stands. We conclude that the units AI and AII are Baltic Ice Lake sediments deposited before and after the Billingen-1 regression, respectively. We assign the most prominent sandy layer S[sub ab] to the final drainage of the Baltic Ice Lake (Billingen-2), whereas the sandy layers between units B, C, D and E are related to the Yoldia Sea and Ancylus Lake regressions of the Baltic Sea's history. The uppermost fine-grained unit F with its high organic carbon content contains marine sediments deposited after the Littorina Transgression. The macroscopically well-visible sediment colour change from reddish/brown-to-grey, previously interpreted as a regional stratigraphic boundary, varies from core to core. It has been shown by our new data that this colour change has a diagenetic origin, and thus does not represent a stratigraphic boundary. Previous subdivisions therefore have to be revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyses of a sediment core from the Great Belt documented the local presence of fluvial deposits. The sediments consisted of silt, clay, sand and organic detritus and they contained macroscopical remains of a mixture of terrestrial, telmatic, lacustrine and fluvial plants and animals. Most noteworthy was the abundance of remains of caddisfly larvae, totalling at least 24 species, which were dominated by fluvial species. Thus, filter-feeding hydropsychids made up approximately 95% out of 1496 identified specimens, the dominating species being Hydropsyche contubernalis and H. pellucidula. The present-day requirements of the recorded species point to a fairly fast-flowing river, at least locally, with areas of stones (some with moss growth) and gravel, but also to more slowly-flowing parts with sand, fine and coarse detritus. This river may have been considerably larger than any present-day Danish river. It appears that the fluvial deposits formed locally in connection with flooding of the area south of the core position. AMS radiocarbon dating shows that the sequence was deposited very rapidly during the early Holocene, about 10650 to 10250 cal. years BP. The occurrence of the lentic Leptocerus tineiformis points to a climate at least as warm as today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden in North-East Greenland is at present covered by a floating glacier. Raised marine deposits in the surrounding area contain shells of marine molluscs, bones of marine mammals and pieces of driftwood. A fairly systematic sampling of such material has been conducted, followed by extensive radiocarbon dating. We suggest that the Greenland ice sheet extended onto the shelf offshore North-East Greenland during isotope stage 2, perhaps even reaching the shelf break. During the subsequent recession of the ice sheet, the entrance of Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden had become ice-free by 9.7 cal. ka BP. The recession culminated between 7.7 and 4.5 cal. ka BP, during which time the fjord was glacier-free along its entire 80 km length. No dates younger than 4.5 cal. ka BP are available on marine material from the fjord, and it seems probable that the fjord has been continuously covered by the floating glacier since this time. The maximum glaciation was attained around AD 1900, after which thinning and recession took place. The marine limit increases from c. 40 m above sea level near the present margin of the Inland Ice to c. 65 m above sea level at the outer coast. These figures fit into the regional pattern of the marine limit for areas both to the south and north. The marine fauna comprise two bivalves, Macoma calcarea and Serripes groenlandicus, that may represent a southern element present during the Holocene temperature optimum. Remains of three taxa of southern extralimital terrestrial and limnic plants were dated to 5.1 cal. ka BP, and remains of another extralimital plant were dated to 8.8 and 8.5 cal. ka BP. The known Holocene time ranges of the willow Salix arctica and the lemming Dicrostonyx torquatus have been extended back to 8.8 and 6.4 cal. ka BP, respectively, providing minimum dates for their immigration to Greenland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shallow seismic profiling indicated the presence of a drowned lagoon-barrier system formed during the transgression of the southern Kattegat, and investigations of core material have confirmed this. Studies of plant and animal macrofossils show that the lagoonal sediments contain a mixture of marine, brackish, lacustrine, telmatic and terrestrial taxa, and analyses of foraminifers indicate brackish-water conditions. Low oxygen isotope values obtained on shells of marine molluscs also point to lowered salinity. The lagoonal sediments are situated at depths between 24 and 35 m below present sea level. They are dated to between c. 10.5 cal. ka BP and c. 9.5 cal. ka BP, and reflect a period characterized by a moderate relative sea level rise. The lagoonal sediments are underlain by lateglacial glaciomarine clay and silt, which are separated from the Holocene deposits by an unconformity. The earliest Holocene sediments consist of littoral sand with gravel, stones and shells; these sediments were formed during the transgression of the area before the barrier island-lagoon system was developed. The lagoonal sediments are overlain by mud, which contains animal remains that indicate increasing water depths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Aim The aim of this paper is to describe and interpret early Holocene floras and faunas. Location The floras and faunas come from various localities in North-east Greenland. Methods Sediment samples were wet sieved, and macrofossils picked out and dated by the AMS radiocarbon-dating method. Results Sediments, dated to the first centuries after the last glacial stage came to an abrupt end, contain a macroflora of bryophytes and a few herbs, and we suggest that these plant remains represent a pioneer vegetation entirely without woody plants. The named species of herbs are either confined to the northern parts of Greenland at present, or they become increasingly more important towards the north. Crowberry is the oldest woody plant recovered; it was present at 10.4 cal. ka BP, and it appears to have been common during the early Holocene in East Greenland. Main conclusions We suggest that the majority of the extant flora of vascular plants of East Greenland arrived by long distance dispersal during the Holocene. Some species may also have arrived during the late-glacial, and a few hardy species that are adapted to low summer temperatures may have survived the last glacial stage in nonglaciated areas. Some hardy animals may also have survived, but the majority of the fauna are considered Holocene immigrants. We suggest that migrating birds and storms, perhaps in combination, are under-appreciated dispersal vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most discussed stages in the history of the Baltic Sea is the Ancylus Lake phase. This paper presents detailed information from the Darss Sill threshold area as well as the adjacent basins, i.e. the Mecklenburg Bay and Arkona Basin located in the southwesternmost Baltic. The threshold area was transgressed at the Baltic Ice Lake maximum phase and during the following regression about 10.3 ka BP a river valley was incised in the Darss Sill to a level of 23-24 m below present sea level (b.s.l.). Preboreal sediments in the study area show lowstand basin deposition in the Arkona Basin and the existence of a local lake in Mecklenburg Bay. The lowstand system is followed by the Ancylus Lake transgression that reached a maximum level of 19 m b.s.l. Thus, at the maximum level the water depth was about 5 m over the threshold, and the shore level fall during the Ancylus Lake regression must be in the same range. The Darss Sill area is the key area for drainage of the Ancylus Lake, and if the previously suggested regression of 8-10 m in southeastern Sweden is to be achieved, isostatic rebound must also play a role. The existence of the so-called Dana River in the Darss Sill area cannot be supported by our investigations. We observed no signs of progressive erosion of the Darss Sill area in the Early Holocene, and there are no prograding systems in Mecklenburg Bay that can be related to the Ancylus Lake regression. On the contrary, local lakes developed in Mecklenburg Bay and in the Darss Sill threshold area. In the Darss Sill area, marl was deposited in a lake in the valley that developed after the final drainage of the Baltic Ice Lake. Studies of diatoms and macrofossils, combined with seismic interpretation and radiocarbon dating, provide detailed information about the chronology and the relative shore level of these lake phases as well as about environmental conditions in the lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]