Abstract
Abstract. Originating from the boreal forest and often transported over large distances, driftwood characterizes many Arctic coastlines. Here we present a combined assessment of radiocarbon (14C) and dendrochronological (ring width) age estimates of driftwood samples to constrain the progradation of two Holocene beach-ridge systems near the Lena Delta in the Siberian Arctic (Laptev Sea). Our data show that the 14C ages obtained on syndepositional driftwood from beach deposits yield surprisingly coherent chronologies for the coastal evolution of the field sites. The dendrochronological analysis of wood from modern drift lines revealed the origin and recent delivery of the wood from the Lena River catchment. This finding suggests that the duration of transport lies within the uncertainty of state-of-the-art 14C dating and thus substantiates the validity of age indication obtained from driftwood. This observation will help us better understand the response of similar coastal systems to past climate and sea-level changes.
Highlights
The Arctic Ocean is strongly influenced by terrestrial runoff, and driftwood is a common feature in its coastal waters (Peterson et al, 2002; Yang et al, 2002; Woo and Thorne, 2003)
Arctic driftwood mainly originates from the largest rivers in the boreal forests of Eurasia and North America, and trees are primarily mobilized by riverbank erosion during peak summer runoff (Gurnell et al, 2002; Costard et al, 2014; Kramer and Wohl, 2017)
By comparing 14C dates from buried driftwood with dendrochronological estimates of the age of modern drift lines in an Arctic coastal setting of eastern Siberia, this study shows that reliable age indication for Holocene coastal change can be obtained from syndepositional driftwood
Summary
The Arctic Ocean is strongly influenced by terrestrial runoff, and driftwood is a common feature in its coastal waters (Peterson et al, 2002; Yang et al, 2002; Woo and Thorne, 2003). Studies in Arctic coastal and marine environments have used the presence, location, species, and age of driftwood to infer the long-term variability of ocean current dynamics, sea-ice conditions, and the occurrence of storm surges Dyke et al, 1991; Forman et al, 1996, 2007; Funder et al, 2011). The advantage of using a terrestrial deposit for radiocarbon dating in a marine context is that reservoir corrections are not necessary.
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