Strengths and limitations of using radiogenic isotope signatures of marine sediments from Baffin Bay for the reconstruction of ice dynamics and paleoenvironments in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland

Abstract

Radiogenic Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope compositions in marine sediments are widely used as provenance tracers delivering valuable information about past environmental conditions. Over the last ten years, several studies performing radiogenic isotope analysis on marine sediment records from Baffin Bay and Labrador Sea highlighted the strength of this method in shedding light upon past glacier dynamics and related environmental changes in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. The main outcomes of our studies include precise information on the opening of Arctic gateways and the setting of oceanic connection from the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic through Baffin Bay. At a more regional scale, these tracers document the late glacial to Holocene dynamics of Baffin Island glaciers, helping to understand how climate and oceanic conditions impacted glacier margin fluctuations. As importantly, our study also highlighted limitations in the sensitivity of radiogenic isotopes from Baffin Bay marine sediments as tracers. Most important for interpreting radiogenic isotope compositions is the availability of a sufficiently dense cover of their properties in bedrock and reference isotope signatures from such remote areas to better resolve potential sediment sources. Another challenge for sediment records obtained from core sites at near-proximity to ice margins is the effect of glacier dynamics on the sediment composition. Intense meltwater discharge can lead to grain size and mineral sorting, which could bias the radiogenic isotope composition of the sediment. Nonetheless, radiogenic isotopes present a significant advantage over lesser availability tracers, such as biological proxies, which can be restricted due to the harsh climate conditions. In several cases, radiogenic isotope analysis also reveals more information about sediment provenance than mineralogical assemblages. All in all, in combination with sedimentological and mineralogical features, the radiogenic Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope compositions of Arctic marine sequences can be used as reliable tracers for changes in sediment provenance.