Abrupt Holocene climate transitions in the northern North Atlantic region recorded by synchronized lacustrine records in Iceland
Two high-sediment-accumulation-rate Icelandic lakes, the glacial lake Hvítárvatn and the non-glaciallake Haukadalsvatn, contain numerous tephra layers of known age, which together with highresolutionpaleomagnetic secular variations allow synchronization with a well-dated marine core from the shelf n...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2013
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379113001157 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33817 |
| _version_ | 1848754051799318528 |
|---|---|
| author | Geirsdottir, A. Miller, Gifford Larsen, D. Olafsdottir, S. |
| author_facet | Geirsdottir, A. Miller, Gifford Larsen, D. Olafsdottir, S. |
| author_sort | Geirsdottir, A. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Two high-sediment-accumulation-rate Icelandic lakes, the glacial lake Hvítárvatn and the non-glaciallake Haukadalsvatn, contain numerous tephra layers of known age, which together with highresolutionpaleomagnetic secular variations allow synchronization with a well-dated marine core from the shelf north of Iceland. A composite standardized climate record from the two lakes provides a single time series that efficiently integrates multi-proxy data that reflect the evolution of summer temperaturesthrough the Holocene. The first-order trends in biogenic silica (BSi), d13C, and C:N rise relatively abruptly following deglaciation, reaching maximum values shortly after 8 ka following a complex minimum between 8.7 and 8.0 ka. The Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) in the lakes is marked by all proxies, with a sharp transition out of the 8 ka cold event into peak summer warmth by 7.9 ka, and continuing warm with some fluctuations until 5.5 ka. Decreasing summer insolation after the HTM is reflected by incremental cooling, initially w5.5 ka, with subsequent cold perturbations recorded by all proxies 4.3 to 4.0 ka and 3.1 to 2.8 ka. The strongest disturbance occurred after 2 ka with initial summer cooling occurring between 1.4 and 1.0 ka, followed by a more severe drop in summer temperatures after 0.7 ka culminating between 0.5 and 0.2 ka. Following each late Holocene cold departure, BSi re-equilibrated at a lower value independent of the sediment accumulation rate. Some of the abrupt shifts may be related to Icelandic volcanism influencing catchment stability, but the lack of a full recovery to pre-existing values after the perturbation suggests increased periglacial activity, decreased vegetation cover, and glacier growth in the highlands of Iceland. The similarity in timing, direction and magnitude of our multi-proxy records from glacial and non-glacial lakes, and from the adjacent marine shelf, suggests that our composite record reflects large-scale shifts in ocean/atmosphere circulation throughout the northern North Atlantic. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:34:16Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-33817 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:34:16Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-338172017-02-28T01:52:15Z Abrupt Holocene climate transitions in the northern North Atlantic region recorded by synchronized lacustrine records in Iceland Geirsdottir, A. Miller, Gifford Larsen, D. Olafsdottir, S. 8.2 Event Holocene paleoclimate Lake sediment Little Ice Age Thermal Maximum Medieval warm period Iceland Holocene Abrupt climate transitions Neoglaciation Two high-sediment-accumulation-rate Icelandic lakes, the glacial lake Hvítárvatn and the non-glaciallake Haukadalsvatn, contain numerous tephra layers of known age, which together with highresolutionpaleomagnetic secular variations allow synchronization with a well-dated marine core from the shelf north of Iceland. A composite standardized climate record from the two lakes provides a single time series that efficiently integrates multi-proxy data that reflect the evolution of summer temperaturesthrough the Holocene. The first-order trends in biogenic silica (BSi), d13C, and C:N rise relatively abruptly following deglaciation, reaching maximum values shortly after 8 ka following a complex minimum between 8.7 and 8.0 ka. The Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) in the lakes is marked by all proxies, with a sharp transition out of the 8 ka cold event into peak summer warmth by 7.9 ka, and continuing warm with some fluctuations until 5.5 ka. Decreasing summer insolation after the HTM is reflected by incremental cooling, initially w5.5 ka, with subsequent cold perturbations recorded by all proxies 4.3 to 4.0 ka and 3.1 to 2.8 ka. The strongest disturbance occurred after 2 ka with initial summer cooling occurring between 1.4 and 1.0 ka, followed by a more severe drop in summer temperatures after 0.7 ka culminating between 0.5 and 0.2 ka. Following each late Holocene cold departure, BSi re-equilibrated at a lower value independent of the sediment accumulation rate. Some of the abrupt shifts may be related to Icelandic volcanism influencing catchment stability, but the lack of a full recovery to pre-existing values after the perturbation suggests increased periglacial activity, decreased vegetation cover, and glacier growth in the highlands of Iceland. The similarity in timing, direction and magnitude of our multi-proxy records from glacial and non-glacial lakes, and from the adjacent marine shelf, suggests that our composite record reflects large-scale shifts in ocean/atmosphere circulation throughout the northern North Atlantic. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33817 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379113001157 Elsevier restricted |
| spellingShingle | 8.2 Event Holocene paleoclimate Lake sediment Little Ice Age Thermal Maximum Medieval warm period Iceland Holocene Abrupt climate transitions Neoglaciation Geirsdottir, A. Miller, Gifford Larsen, D. Olafsdottir, S. Abrupt Holocene climate transitions in the northern North Atlantic region recorded by synchronized lacustrine records in Iceland |
| title | Abrupt Holocene climate transitions in the northern North Atlantic region recorded by synchronized lacustrine records in Iceland |
| title_full | Abrupt Holocene climate transitions in the northern North Atlantic region recorded by synchronized lacustrine records in Iceland |
| title_fullStr | Abrupt Holocene climate transitions in the northern North Atlantic region recorded by synchronized lacustrine records in Iceland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Abrupt Holocene climate transitions in the northern North Atlantic region recorded by synchronized lacustrine records in Iceland |
| title_short | Abrupt Holocene climate transitions in the northern North Atlantic region recorded by synchronized lacustrine records in Iceland |
| title_sort | abrupt holocene climate transitions in the northern north atlantic region recorded by synchronized lacustrine records in iceland |
| topic | 8.2 Event Holocene paleoclimate Lake sediment Little Ice Age Thermal Maximum Medieval warm period Iceland Holocene Abrupt climate transitions Neoglaciation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379113001157 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33817 |