Perennial Ice Research Articles

Fungi in perennial cave ice

Screening of 1000-years old ice layers from the perennial ice block in Ghețarul de la Scarișoara Cave (Romania) revealed the presence of a diverse fungal community. The ice layers were deposited annually by freezing of percolating water containing debris from the surface. Using molecular techniques, based on DGGE fingerprinting of 18S rRNA gene fragments and sequencing, we detected fungi in presently-forming ( i.e. , 1-year old) and in 400 and 900 years old ice layers, respectively. The fungal community profiles in enriched cultures were relatively different compared to those derived from the corresponding environmental ice samples. The community profiles of fungi cultivated at 15°C were more complex compared to the DGGE profiles of fungi cultivated at 4°C. The fungal community was dominated by sequences belonging to the cryophilic yeast Mrakia stokesii in all ice samples. Another cryophilic fungus, Mrakia gelida , was only identified in recent ice samples. Sequences of more ubiquitous fungi Aureobasidium pullulans , Teberdinia hygrophila , Hyphoderma praetermissum , Leucosporidium yakuticum , Candida sp., Cercomonas sp., Thelebolus sp., alongside several yet uncultured fungi, were also identified

High-resolution ground-penetrating radar profiles of perennial lake ice in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Horizon attributes, unconformities, and subbottom penetration

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is not commonly used to study lake ice, and in general, the ground-based use of radar frequencies greater than 500 MHz in cryosphere geophysics is rare, due to a general interest in deeper stratigraphy and the difficulty of extensive profiling over rough snow surfaces. Our goal was to find further information on the origin of the deposition and formation of intra-ice layers, bottom topography, and subbottom deposits using GPR with pulses centered near 850 MHz on two permanently ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. The profiles were obtained using a one-person sled operation over Lake Bonney, which is typical of lakes in the region, having an ice thickness that ranges between 3 and 5 m, and Lake Vida, where the maximum ice depth is at least 27 m. Lake Bonney exhibits a semicontinuous sediment horizon at approximately a 2-m depth and several minor horizons. In contrast, Lake Vida contains unconformably eroded and folded continuous reflection horizons, packages of minor horizons between major horizons, evidence of incised fluvial deposition along the bottom, and subbottom penetration of at least 4.5 m in some areas. Where the ice thickness is less than 20 m, the lake is frozen to the bottom. Most horizon waveform phase attributes indicate relatively lower permittivity than in the surrounding matrix. Consequently, we interpreted these strata to be caused by layers of pure ice embedded within a salty and dirty ice matrix, which were formed during minor flooding. These findings supported previous conclusions that Lake Vida ice formed from surface runoff in combination with periods of ablation.

Did a bi-polar multi-level oceanic oscillation cause the Little Ice Age and other high latitude climate extremes?

Variations of ice-rafted sand and sediment from deep-sea cores beneath the North Atlantic Drift imply 1500yr cycles of the Drift flow and its associated climate warmth in northern North Atlantic regions. The Drift cycle is part of a complex bi-polar oceanic oscillation. Central to the oscillation is the relatively higher sea surface salinity of the high-latitude Greenland Sea that enables the winter sinking of surface water to form North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). This drives the oscillation, and the NADW is replaced by water from the Drift. The oscillation causes climate extremes in both northern and southern high latitudes and is framed here in a sinusoidal model. The model is consistent with and may explain the early medieval climate optimum, the subsequent Little Ice Age, the recent record maximum area of Antarctic winter sea ice, and the related record low rate of Antarctic Bottom Water (ABW) formation. The negative feedback of lower salinity ABW entering the northern North Atlantic tends to inhibit NADW formation and the northward Drift flow. The positive feedback of warmer and higher salinity NADW mixing into the Southern Ocean around Antarctica tends to reduce sea ice formation and enhance the rate of ABW formation. Because of these feedbacks, the rate of NADW formation oscillates over a range less than a maximum without feedback, the rate of ABW formation oscillates over a range greater than a minimum without feedback, and the phase of NADW oscillation in the model leads the ABW oscillation by 375 years. The model predicts another northern North Atlantic climate optimum about 2500 AD. However, increases in penetration of the polar ocean by flow of Atlantic water in the process of replacing the sinking NADW suggest that an interval of extreme warmth in the northeastern North Atlantic may occur within decades. This penetration could result in the loss of perennial sea ice along the northern coast of Greenland. Much of the inferred increase of northward winter flow of northeastern North Atlantic water into the Greenland Sea in recent decades may be due to stronger NADW formation caused by greater salt contributions to the Drift from the Mediterranean outflow.

Variations of Okhotsk Sea oxygen minimum zone: Comparison of foraminiferal and sedimentological records for latest MIS 12–11c and latest MIS 2–1

Abstract Benthic foraminiferal assemblage compositions, foraminiferal and sedimentological proxies were analyzed in core MD01-2415 from the northern slope of the Okhotsk Sea to compare variations of productivity and oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) intensity during the latest marine isotope stage (MIS) 12–11c and latest MIS 2–1. The benthic assemblages reveal close similarity between the two climatic cycles. The absence of benthic assemblages during the latest MIS 12 and the presence of the low-productivity Angulogerina angulosa assemblage during the latest MIS 2 suggest the disappearance of the OMZ. This regime was related to almost perennial ice cover with periods of active ice rafting during the latest MIS 12, while it was attributed to prolonged seasonal ice cover, low surface productivity and enhanced formation of well-oxygenated water masses in the Okhotsk Sea during the latest MIS 2. In deglacial times, the OMZ gradually intensified, as evidenced by the high-productivity Uvigerina akitaensis assemblage during the early termination (T) TV and early TI and the low oxygen-tolerant Bolivina spissa assemblage during the late TV and late TI. The orbitally forced similar rises of the global sea level during TV and TI caused a large offshore supply of organic matter. Synchronously, nutrients from the melting sea ice and shelf erosion promoted high surface (mainly carbonate) productivity. As a result, a high and sustained flux of particulate, degraded and refractory organic matter enhanced oxygen consumption in bottom waters and sediments, leading to the similar gradual OMZ intensifications. The B. spissa assemblage also points to expansion of oxygen-depleted water mass from the North Pacific into the Okhotsk Sea, fostering the OMZ intensifications. The phytodetritus-related Islandiella norcrossi assemblage indicates weakening of the OMZ during full interglacial times of MIS 11c and MIS 1. After stabilization of the global sea level, nutrients were mainly delivered by regional upwelling and fluvial discharge, favoring increased biogenic opal and carbonate production in the surface water, similar to the present. In this way, moderate to high (although less than deglacial) and pulsed flux of predominantly particulate organic matter caused the weakening of the oxygen consumption and OMZ. Notably, during MIS 11c, the benthic assemblage with the dominance of the taxa with dissolution-resistant tests, such as Miliammina herzensteini, Karreriella baccata and Martinottiella communis, reflects carbonate dissolution events in sediments. These events might have been resulted from an interruption of the local surface carbonate production and inflow of more carbonate-corrosive water masses from the North Pacific driven by a drawdown of the global ocean carbonate saturation.

Perennial ice and snow‐covered land as important ecosystems for birds and mammals

AbstractAimTo investigate the role of perennial ice and snow‐covered land in the environment of birds and mammals, and to what degree vertebrates are parts of terrestrial glacial ecosystems.LocationGlobal.MethodsThe synthesis was based on a review of existing literature.ResultsThe relationship between perennial ice and snow‐covered land and birds and mammals is generally poorly known and behaviours associated with such areas are likely underreported. Nevertheless, the review revealed that a relatively large range of species actively use and spend large amounts of time on ice covered land. Foraging or seeking relief from both climatic and different biotic factors are the main behaviours associated with these landscapes, but for some species they are also important areas for food caching, water, play and travel, and even as nesting grounds. In well‐used sites, birds and mammals are likely important contributors to the nutrient cycling of glacial ecosystems.Main conclusionsDespite increased global temperatures and rapid glacial melting in recent years, perennial ice and snow‐covered landscapes have largely escaped management attention, likely due to them being viewed as inhospitable. It is, however, becoming increasingly clear that a large range of organisms inhabit and make use of the ice, and that these areas constitute high‐quality parts of their habitats. It is therefore essential that glacierized areas are properly described, classified and managed as threatened ecosystems.

The state of the Arctic Ocean, its variability and prediction—An overview

The Arctic is a complex and integral part of the Earth system, influencing the global surface energy and moisture budgets, atmospheric and oceanic circulations, and geosphere-biosphere feedback. Some key influences are linked to the recent changes in the multiyear sea ice cover and the ocean. The ice cover is particularly important because it buffers air-sea heat fluxes and through ice-albedo feedback strongly influences Earth’s absorption of solar radiation, especially by the ocean. Global warming has been most visibly manifested in the Arctic through a declining perennial sea ice cover, which has intensified during the late 1990s and the 2000s, resulting in record minima ice cover in 2007 and in 2012. This talk will provide an overview of the recent states and variability of the Arctic Ocean. We will focus on physical changes of potential relevance to the Arctic acoustics, including the past and present climatological changes, evolution of the upper ocean stratification and water masses, mesoscale processes, including eddies, mixing, coastal and boundary currents, and their linkages to the changing regime of the sea ice cover from multi-year to first-year sea ice. Finally, the latest advancements and outstanding challenges in modeling and prediction of arctic climate change will be discussed.

Automated cloud and cloud shadow identification in Landsat MSS imagery for temperate ecosystems

Automated cloud and cloud shadow identification algorithms designed for Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) satellite images have greatly expanded the use of these Earth observation data by providing a means of including only clear-view pixels in image analysis and efficient cloud-free compositing. In an effort to extend these capabilities to Landsat Multispectal Scanner (MSS) imagery, we introduce MSS clear-view-mask (MSScvm), an automated cloud and shadow identification algorithm for MSS imagery. The algorithm is specific to the unique spectral characteristics of MSS data, relying on a simple, rule-based approach. Clouds are identified based on green band brightness and the normalized difference between the green and red bands, while cloud shadows are identified by near infrared band darkness and cloud projection. A digital elevation model is incorporated to correct for topography-induced illumination variation and aid in identifying water. Based on an accuracy assessment of 1981 points stratified by land cover and algorithm mask class for 12 images throughout the United States, MSScvm achieved an overall accuracy of 84.0%. Omission of thin clouds and bright cloud shadows constituted much of the error. Perennial ice and snow, misidentified as cloud, also contributed disproportionally to algorithm error. Comparison against a corresponding assessment of the Fmask algorithm, applied to coincident TM imagery, showed similar error patterns and a general reduction in accuracy commensurate with differences in the radiometric and spectral richness of the two sensors. MSScvm provides a suitable automated method for creating cloud and cloud shadow masks for MSS imagery required for time series analyses in temperate ecosystems. • Automated cloud/shadow identification algorithm for Landsat MSS data. • Enhances integration of MSS data into time series analysis with TM/ETM +/OLI. • Overall algorithm accuracy of 84.0%, with better performance for thick clouds. • Compared relatively well to coincident assessment of Fmask applied to TM data. • Performs well for most conditions except semi-transparent clouds and snow.

Palaeoceanography of the Barents Sea continental margin, north of Nordaustlandet, Svalbard, during the last 74 ka

We investigated gravity core HH11‐09GC from 488 m water depth at the northern Svalbard margin in order to reconstruct changes in Atlantic Water (AW) inflow to the Arctic Ocean. The study was based on the distribution patterns of benthic and planktic foraminifera, benthic and planktic oxygen and carbon isotopes, lithology and physical properties of the sediments. The core contains sediments from Marine Isotope Stages (MISs) 5a to 1. MIS 4 was characterized by glacial conditions and at c. 65 ka the Svalbard‐Barents Sea Ice Sheet (SBIS) advanced. Polynya was formed in front of the SBIS at c. 62 ka. During late MIS 3 (32–29 ka) and MIS 2 (22–20 ka), a strong influence of AW resulted in high productivity of both planktic and benthic foraminiferal faunas. During 23–22 ka, the SBIS advanced to the shelf edge. The last deglaciation began at 18.5 ka and at 16.9 ka ‘a peak’ influx of meltwater from the retreating SBIS caused a weakening of the ocean circulation. At the start of the Bølling‐Allerød interstadial at c. 15.5 ka, inflow of relatively warm AW probably intensified the release of meltwater at 14 and 12.8 ka. This probably led to expansion of sea ice cover during the Younger Dryas stadial. The late Holocene from 3.7 ka was characterized by the presence of seasonal to perennial sea ice cover and a slight warming of the bottom waters. The sea ice cover decreased for a short period at 1.5 ka owing to the advection of relatively warm AW. Correlation with results from the northwestern Svalbard margin shows that the patterns of ice retreat and advance correlate closely with changes in inflow of AW and were regulated by meltwater discharge, sea ice export and insolation.

New Aspects of High-Mountain Palaeobiogeography: A Synthesis of Data from Forefields of Receding Glaciers and Ice Patches in the Tärna and Kebnekaise Mountains, Swedish Lapland

Recent recession of high-mountain glacier ice and perennial snow and ice patches has exposed megafossil and macrofossil tree remnants and peat, offering a new source of Holocene high alpine vegetat ...

Snow depth on Arctic sea ice derived from radar: In situ comparisons and time series analysis

AbstractThe snow radar being flown on NASA's Operation IceBridge, ongoing aircraft campaigns to the Arctic and the Antarctic are providing unique observations of the depth of snow on the sea ice cover. In this paper, we focus on the radar‐derived snow depth results from the 2009–2012 Arctic campaigns. We develop and evaluate the use of a distinct snow layer tracker to measure snow depth based on a Support Vector Machine (SVM) supervised learning algorithm. The snow radar is designed to detect both the air‐snow and snow‐ice interfaces using ultrawideband frequencies from 2 to 8 GHz. The quality, errors, and repeatability of the snow radar snow depth estimates are examined, based on comparisons with in situ data obtained during two separate sea ice field campaigns, the GreenArc 2009 and the CryoVEx 2011 campaigns off Greenland in the Lincoln Sea. Finally, we analyze 4 years (2009–2012) of three annually repeated sea ice flight lines obtained in early spring, located off Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. We examine the annual variations of snow depth differences between perennial and seasonal ice when available. Overall, the snow layer tracker produced consistent, accurate results for snow depths between 0.10 and ∼0.60 m. This was confirmed with comparisons with the two data sets from the in situ measurement campaigns as well as with the time series analysis, and is consistent with other published results.

Life under ice in the perennial ice‐covered Lake Glubokoe in Summer (East Antarctica)

AbstractThis study focuses on hydrological and biotic variables in Lake Glubokoe, which is located in Thala Hills of Enderby Land (East Antarctica). Water and sediment samples and physical measurements were collected once a week in the austral summer (19 December 2010 – 6 February 2011). This lake exhibits perennial ice cover that reached a thickness of 2.5–2.7 m during the study period. A very low concentration of planktonic chlorophyll‐a (0.06–0.45 μg L−1) was measured in the lake, indicating its ultra‐oligotrophic status. The water was poorly populated by algae and metazoans, especially in upper waters below ice cover to a depth of 2 m. Small planktonic organisms (2–5 μm) were observed throughout the study period, but larger organisms (>8 μm) such as the cyanobacteria Planktolyngbya limnetica occurred only during the warmest period (January). Only few individuals of metazoans (rotifers) were found in planktonic samples. Due to deep light penetration (10–15% of incoming active solar radiation reached the depth of 30 m), thick cyanobacterial mats (30 cm) cover all the bottom surface (grey silts) in the lake. Abundant benthic biota associated with these mats was found (up to 1000 ind. m−2). Among the benthic metazoans, bdelloid rotifers and tardigrades were the dominating taxa. The results of this study suggest a typical ecological feature of most subglacial lakes in East Antarctica is that metazoans are very poor in the pelagic zone, preferring instead to occupy an area near the lake bottom because of a favourable constant temperature of 4 °C, good level of dissolved oxygen and available food resources as the bacterial detritus.

Rapid disappearance of perennial ice on Canada's most northern lake

AbstractField records, aerial photographs, and satellite imagery show that the perennial ice cover on Ward Hunt Lake at Canada's northern coast experienced rapid contraction and thinning after at least 50 years of relative stability. On all dates of sampling from 1953 to 2007, 3.5 to 4.3 m of perennial ice covered 65–85% of the lake surface in summer. The ice cover thinned from 2008 onward, and the lake became ice free in 2011, an event followed by 26 days of open water conditions in 2012. This rapid ice loss corresponded to a significant increase in melting degree days (MDD), from a mean (±SD) of 80.4 (±36.5) MDD (1996–2007) to 136.2 (±16.4) MDD (2008–2012). The shallow bathymetry combined with heat advection by warm inflows caused feedback effects that accelerated the ice decay. These observations show how changes across a critical threshold can result in the rapid disappearance of thick perennial ice.

Sea-ice distribution in the modern Arctic Ocean: Biomarker records from trans-Arctic Ocean surface sediments

Records of the spatial and temporal variability of Arctic Ocean sea ice are of significance for understanding the causes of the dramatic decrease in Arctic sea-ice cover of recent years. In this context, the newly developed sea-ice proxy IP25, a mono-unsaturated highly branched isoprenoid alkene with 25 carbon atoms biosynthesized specifically by sea-ice associated diatoms and only found in Arctic and sub-Arctic marine sediments, has been used to reconstruct the recent spatial sea-ice distribution. The phytoplankton biomarkers 24S-brassicasterol and dinosterol were determined alongside IP25 to distinguish ice-free or permanent ice conditions, and to estimate the sea-ice conditions semi-quantitatively by means of the phytoplankton-IP25 index (PIP25). Within our study, for the first time a comprehensive data set of these biomarkers was produced using fresh and deep-frozen surface sediment samples from the Central Arctic Ocean proper (>80°N latitude) characterised by a permanent ice cover today and recently obtained surface sediment samples from the Chukchi Plateau/Basin partly covered by perennial sea ice. In addition, published and new data from other Arctic and sub-Arctic regions were added to generate overview distribution maps of IP25 and phytoplankton biomarkers across major parts of the modern Arctic Ocean. These comprehensive biomarker data indicate perennial sea-ice cover in the Central Arctic, ice-free conditions in the Barents Sea and variable sea-ice situations in other marginal seas. The low but more than zero values of biomarkers in the Central Arctic supported the low in-situ productivity there. The PIP25 index values reflect modern sea-ice conditions better than IP25 alone and show a positive correlation with spring/summer sea ice.When calculating and interpreting PIP25 index as a (semi-quantitative) proxy for reconstructions of present and past Arctic sea-ice conditions from different Arctic/sub-Arctic areas, information of the source of phytoplankton biomarkers and the possible presence of allochthonous biomarkers is needed, and the records of the individual biomarkers always should be considered as well.

Density stratification effects on the ice lead heat balance and perennial ice melting in the Central Arctic

Analyzed are ice conditions and observational data on perennial ice melting in the Arctic basin obtained from SP-31 (1990) and SHEBA (1998) drifting stations. Considered are external and internal reasons for perennial ice melting, in particular, the so called stratification effect. It is supposed that effects of the feedback between perennial ice melting and ice-free water area heightened by the stratification effect resulted in the rapid reduction of the perennial ice area in the Canadian part of the Arctic in the 1990s.

Preconditioning of the 2007 sea-ice melt in the eastern Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean

AbstractDuring summer 2007, perennial sea ice in the Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean, experienced an unprecedented amount of basal melt. It has previously been shown that this basal melt was linked to an increase in open-water fraction, increasing absorption of solar radiation into the ocean. GPS ice drifters, deployed around the site where the unprecedented basal melt was observed, provide a coincident observation of local divergence. This divergence is used to drive a multi-thickness category thermodynamic sea-ice model. We demonstrate that ∼ 75% of the observed open-water fraction by midsummer 2007 can be attributed to ice pack divergence during the growth season, preconditioning the ice pack for early melt in summer. Divergence during the melt season explains the remaining 25% of open water. Enhanced ice pack divergence in spring and summer 2007, in response to the increased transport of ice out of the Beaufort Sea, was sufficient to explain the melt observed in summer 2007 and the heat stored in the upper ocean at the end of summer.

Simulating transient ice-ocean Ekman transport in the Regional Arctic System Model and Community Earth System Model

AbstractThis work evaluates the fidelity of the polar marine Ekman layer in the Regional Arctic System Model (RASM) and Community Earth System Model (CESM) using sea-ice inertial oscillations as a proxy for ice-ocean Ekman transport. A case study is presented that demonstrates that RASM replicates inertial oscillations in close agreement with motion derived using the GPS. This result is obtained from a year-long case study pre-dating the recent decline in perennial Arctic sea ice, using RASM with sub-hourly coupling between the atmosphere, sea-ice and ocean components. To place this work in context, the RASM coupling method is applied to CESM, increasing the frequency of oceanic flux exchange from once per day in the standard CESM configuration, to every 30 min. For a single year simulation, this change causes a considerable increase in the median inertial ice speed across large areas of the Southern Ocean and parts of the Arctic sea-ice zone. The result suggests that processes associated with the passage of storms over sea ice (e.g. oceanic mixing, sea-ice deformation and surface energy exchange) are underestimated in Earth System Models that do not resolve inertial frequencies in their marine coupling cycle.

Separating snow, clean and debris covered ice in the Upper Indus Basin, Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalayas, using Landsat images between 1998 and 2002

Summary The Hindukush Karakoram Himalayan mountains contain some of the largest glaciers of the world, and supply melt water from perennial snow and glaciers to the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) upstream of Tarbela dam, which constitutes greater than 80% of the annual flows, and caters to the needs of millions of people in the Indus Basin. It is therefore important to study the response of perennial snow and glaciers in the UIB under changing climatic conditions, using improved hydrological modeling, glacier mass balance, and observations of glacier responses. However, the available glacier inventories and datasets only provide total perennial-snow and glacier cover areas, despite the fact that snow, clean ice and debris covered ice have different melt rates and densities. This distinction is vital for improved hydrological modeling and mass balance studies. This study, therefore, presents a separated perennial snow and glacier inventory (perennial snow-cover on steep slopes, perennial snow-covered ice, clean and debris covered ice) based on a semi-automated method that combines Landsat images and surface slope information in a supervised maximum likelihood classification to map distinct glacier zones, followed by manual post processing. The accuracy of the presented inventory falls well within the accuracy limits of available snow and glacier inventory products. For the entire UIB, estimates of perennial and/or seasonal snow on steep slopes, snow-covered ice, clean and debris covered ice zones are 7238 ± 724, 5226 ± 522, 4695 ± 469 and 2126 ± 212 km2 respectively. Thus total snow and glacier cover is 19,285 ± 1928 km2, out of which 12,075 ± 1207 km2 is glacier cover (excluding steep slope snow-cover). Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) estimates based on the Snow Line Elevation (SLE) in various watersheds range between 4800 and 5500 m, while the Accumulation Area Ratio (AAR) ranges between 7% and 80%. 0 °C isotherms during peak ablation months (July and August) range between ∼ 5500 and 6200 m in various watersheds. These outputs can be used as input to hydrological models, to estimate spatially-variable degree day factors for hydrological modeling, to separate glacier and snow-melt contributions in river flows, and to study glacier mass balance, and glacier responses to changing climate.

High-resolution record of late glacial and deglacial sea ice changes in Fram Strait corroborates ice–ocean interactions during abrupt climate shifts

The transition from last glacial to deglacial and subsequently to modern interglacial climate conditions was accompanied by abrupt shifts in the palaeoceanographic setting in the subpolar North Atlantic. Knowledge about the role that sea ice coverage played during these rapid climate reversals is limited since most marine sediment cores from the higher latitudes provide only a coarse temporal resolution and often poorly preserved microfossils. Here we present a highly resolved reconstruction of sea ice conditions that characterised the eastern Fram Strait – a key area for water mass exchange between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic – for the past 30 ka BP. This reconstruction is based on the distribution of the sea ice biomarker IP25 and phytoplankton derived biomarkers in a sediment core from the continental slope of western Svalbard. During the late glacial (30 ka to 19 ka BP), recurrent advances and retreats of sea ice characterised the study area and point to a hitherto less considered oceanic (and/or atmospheric) variability. A long-lasting perennial sea ice coverage in eastern Fram Strait persisted only at the very end of the Last Glacial Maximum (i.e. from 19.2 to 17.6 ka BP) and was abruptly reduced at the onset of Heinrich Event 1 – coincident with or possibly even inducing the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Further maximum sea ice conditions prevailed during the Younger Dryas cooling event and support the assumption of an AMOC reduction due to increased formation and export of Arctic sea ice through Fram Strait. A significant retreat of sea ice and sea surface warming are observed for the Early Holocene.

An early to mid-Pleistocene deep Arctic Ocean ostracode fauna with North Atlantic affinities

An early to middle Pleistocene ostracode fauna was discovered in sediment core P1-93-AR-23 (P23, 76.95°N, 155.07°W) from 951meter water depth from the Northwind Ridge, western Arctic Ocean. Piston core P23 yielded more than 30,000 specimens and a total of about 30 species. Several early to mid-Pleistocene species in the genera Krithe, Echinocythereis, Pterygocythereis, and Arcacythere are now extinct in the Arctic and show taxonomic affinities to North Atlantic Ocean species. Our results suggest that there was a major ostracode faunal turnover during the global climate transitions known as the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT, ~1.2 to 0.7Ma) and the Mid-Brunhes Event (MBE, ~400ka) reflecting the development of perennial sea ice during interglacial periods and large ice shelves during glacial periods over the last 400,000years.

Pliocene to Pleistocene climate and environmental history of Lake El'gygytgyn, Far East Russian Arctic, based on high-resolution inorganic geochemistry data

Abstract. The 3.6 Ma sediment record of Lake El'gygytgyn/NE Russia, Far East Russian Arctic, represents the longest continuous climate archive of the terrestrial Arctic. Its elemental composition as determined by X-ray fluorescence scanning exhibits significant changes since the mid-Pliocene caused by climate-driven variations in primary production, postdepositional diagenetic processes, and lake circulation as well as weathering processes in its catchment. During the mid- to late Pliocene, warmer and wetter climatic conditions are reflected by elevated Si / Ti ratios, indicating enhanced diatom production in the lake. Prior to 3.3 Ma, this signal is overprinted by intensified detrital input from the catchment, visible in maxima of clastic-related proxies, such as K. In addition, calcite formation in the early lake history points to enhanced Ca flux into the lake caused by intensified weathering in the catchment. A lack of calcite deposition after ca. 3.3 Ma is linked to the development of permafrost in the region triggered by cooling in the mid-Pliocene. After ca. 3.0 Ma the elemental data suggest a gradual transition to Pleistocene-style glacial–interglacial cyclicity. In the early Pleistocene, the cyclicity was first dominated by variations on the 41 kyr obliquity band but experienced a change to a 100 kyr eccentricity dominance during the middle Pleistocene transition (MPT) at ca. 1.2–0.6 Ma. This clearly demonstrates the sensitivity of the Lake El'gygytgyn record to orbital forcing. A successive decrease of the baseline levels of the redox-sensitive Mn / Fe ratio and magnetic susceptibility between 2.3 and 1.8 Ma reflects an overall change in the bottom-water oxygenation due to an intensified occurrence of pervasive glacial episodes in the early Pleistocene. The coincidence with major changes in the North Pacific and Bering Sea paleoceanography at ca. 1.8 Ma implies that the change in lake hydrology was caused by a regional cooling in the North Pacific and the western Beringian landmass and/or changes in the continentality. Further increases in total organic carbon and total nitrogen content after ca. 1.6 Ma are attributed to reduced organic matter decay in the sediment during prolonged anoxic periods. This points to more extensive periods of perennial ice coverage, and thus, to a progressive shifts towards more intense peak glacial periods. In the course of the Pleistocene glacial–interglacial sequence eight so-called "super-interglacials" occur. Their exceptionally warm conditions are reflected by extreme Si / Ti peaks accompanied by lows in Ti, K, and Fe, thus indicating extraordinary high lake productivity.