HR: 14:25h
AN: C13A-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Organic Remains from the Istorvet Ice Cap, Liverpool Land, East Greenland: A Record of Late Holocene Climate Change
AU: * Lowell, T V
EM: Thomas.Lowell@uc.edu
AF: Department of Geology, 500 Geology/Physics Building University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, United States
AU: Kelly, M A
EM: meredith@ldeo.columbia.edu
AF: Geochemistry, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory PO Box 1000, Palisades, NY 10964, United States
AU: Hall, B
EM: BrendaH@maine.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Bryand Global Science Center University of Maine, Orono, ME 04473, United States
AU: Hall, B
EM: BrendaH@maine.edu
AF: Climate Change Institute, Bryand Global Science Center University of Maine, Oronon, ME 04473, United States
AU: Smith, C A
EM: smicb@email.uc.edu
AF: Department of Geology, 500 Geology/Physics Building University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, United States
AU: Garhart, K
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Bryand Global Science Center University of Maine, Orono, ME 04473, United States
AU: Travis, S
EM: stravis@gcionline.com
AF: GCI, 41086 Tiller Road, Soldiers Grove, WI 54655, United States
AU: Denton, G H
EM: gdenton@maine.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Bryand Global Science Center University of Maine, Orono, ME 04473, United States
AU: Denton, G H
EM: gdenton@maine.edu
AF: Climate Change Institute, Bryand Global Science Center University of Maine, Oronon, ME 04473, United States
AB: Radiocarbon dates of emergent organic remains along the western margin of Istorvet ice cap (70.8°N, 22.2°W) indicate a time when the ice cap was smaller than at present. This ice cap, similar to others in east Greenland, exhibits "historic" moraines ~1-2 km in front of the presently retreating ice margins. At Istorvet, ice margin retreat has exposed a thin (~8 cm) organic horizon and in situ plant remains in bedrock cracks lie less than 10 m away from the present ice margin (453 m asl in 2006). Clusters of multi-species vegetation also were found on two nuntaks (to 719 m asl) located ~3 km from the historic drift limit. All organic remains were located in protected bedrock lees. On the west side of the ice-cap, vegetation is sparse but present at elevations near the ice margin. Both the ice cap geometry and the presence of overrun organic remains indicate past temperatures at least as warm as those at present. At Istorvet plant remains yielded 12 number of radiocarbon dates. These ages, when converted to calendar years, range from A.D. 400 to 1014, with the largest concentration from A.D. 800 to 1014. This work hones the conclusion of Funder (1978) who reported general climate deterioration since 800 BC. Moreover, it indicates warm conditons at this latitude at the time of Norse colonization of Greenland.
DE: 0700 CRYOSPHERE (4540)
DE: 1605 Abrupt/rapid climate change (4901, 8408)
DE: 1621 Cryospheric change (0776)
DE: 4900 PALEOCEANOGRAPHY (0473, 3344)
DE: 4914 Continental climate records
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting