Southeast Greenland Research Articles

Break-up related 2170–2120 Ma mafic dykes across the North Atlantic craton: Final dismembering of a North Atlantic-Dharwar craton connection?

Progress with supercontinental reconstructions relies on accurate age determinations for continental geological units such as mafic dyke swarms. Here we present zircon and baddeleyite U-Pb ID-TIMS isotope data of six mafic dykes from the Archean North Atlantic craton in present-day southern West and South-East Greenland. Two dykes in southern West Greenland yield crystallization ages of 2021 ± 4 Ma, for the NE-trending Hamborgersund dyke, and 2125 ± 9 Ma, for the E-trending Angissunguaq dyke. Additional age determinations of mafic dykes from South-East Greenland are 2166 ± 8 Ma and 2158 ± 8 Ma for two E–W trending dykes, herein named the Skjoldungen dykes, and 2137 ± 11 and 2124 ± 11 for two ENE and NE trending dykes, respectively. The name Ruinnæsset dykes is proposed for this slightly younger, ca. 2137–2124 Ma, generation of dykes in SE Greenland, and Nuuk dykes for coeval ca. 2125 Ma dykes in SW Greenland. The Skjoldungen and the Ruinnæsset dykes have primordial mantle geochemical signatures, with only minor LILE-enrichments. These signatures differ from other, more ‘lithospheric’, Proterozoic dykes within the region, and may reflect highly attenuated lithospheric extension during their emplacement. Coeval mafic magmatism in North Atlantic and Dharwar cratons suggests that these two fragments coexisted within a common Paleoproterozoic supercraton. A lack of younger age-matches further argue for ca. 2170–2140 Ma rifting and subsequent break-up of this Dharwar-North Atlantic connection, prior to the 2137–2124 Ma emplacement of the Ruinnæsset dykes. Other global age correlations are discussed and a likely paleogeographic reconstruction of North Atlantic craton together with the Dharwar and Superior cratons within a Paleoproterozoic supercraton is presented.

Burial and exhumation history of the Jameson Land Basin, East Greenland, estimated from thermochronological data from the Blokelv-1 core

Apatite fission-track analysis (AFTA) data in two Upper Jurassic core samples from the 231 m deep Blokelv-1 borehole, Jameson Land, East Greenland, combined with vitrinite reflectance data and regional AFTA data, define three palaeo-thermal episodes. We interpret localised early Eocene (55– 50 Ma) palaeotemperatures as representing localised early Eocene heating related to intrusive activity whereas we interpret late Eocene (40–35 Ma) and late Miocene (c. 10 Ma) palaeotemperatures as representing deeper burial followed by successive episodes of exhumation. For a palaeogeothermal gradient of 30°C/km and likely palaeo-surface temperatures, the late Eocene palaeotemperatures require that the Upper Jurassic marine section in the borehole was buried below a 2750 m thick cover of Upper Jurassic – Eocene rocks prior to the onset of late Eocene exhumation. As these sediments are now near outcrop at c. 200 m above sea level, they have been uplifted by at least 3 km since maximum burial during post-rift thermal subsidence. The results are consistent with estimates of rock uplift on Milne Land since the late Eocene and with interpretation of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) data off South-East Greenland suggesting that mid-Cenozoic uplift of the margin triggered the marked influx of coarse clastic turbidites during the late Oligocene above a middle Eocene to upper Oligocene hiatus.

New observations and ontogenetic transformation of photogenic tissues in the tubeshoulder Sagamichthys schnakenbecki (Platytroctidae, Alepocephaliformes).

Several species of the luminescent tubeshoulder fish (family Platytroctidae) show extensive ontogenetic transformations in the development of bioluminescent structures from larvae to adults. Several types of luminescent tissues are present in platytroctids, although these tissues are poorly known for most species because specimens are rarely observed. The present study describes the ontogenetic transformation of photogenic structures in Sagamichthys schnakenbecki, a species that is found in meso and bathy-pelagic depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Five newly described luminous structures are included in addition to a review of all known bioluminescent tissues described in the family. The newly discovered photogenic tissues were observed at the pectoral-fin base in early juveniles, as a pair of large globule-like tissues inside the caudal peduncle of early juveniles, at the pelvic girdle of late juveniles and early adults and as photogenic tissue observed as pigment over the cleithral bone in adults. A peculiar skin-slit structure, which was observed only in S. schnakenbecki, is described and discussed. Skin slits were associated with certain bioluminescent structures during the transformation into adulthood. In addition, coI sequence data from nine of 13 recognized platytroctid genera were used to construct the first molecular phylogenetic tree for the family. Finally, the first photographic evidence of the rarely observed luminous discharge of a tubeshoulder shoulder organ is presented from observations off south-east Greenland.

Wintertime Fjord‐Shelf Interaction and Ice Sheet Melting in Southeast Greenland

AbstractA realistic numerical model was constructed to simulate the oceanic conditions and circulation in a large southeast Greenland fjord (Kangerdlugssuaq) and the adjacent shelf sea region during winter 2007–2008. The major outlet glaciers in this region recently destabilized, contributing to sea level rise and ocean freshening, with increased oceanic heating a probable trigger. It is not apparent a priori whether the fjord dynamics will be influenced by rotational effects, as the fjord width is comparable to the internal Rossby radius. The modeled currents, however, describe a highly three‐dimensional system, where rotational effects are of order‐one importance. Along‐shelf wind events drive a rapid baroclinic exchange, mediated by coastally trapped waves, which propagate from the shelf to the glacier terminus along the right‐hand boundary of the fjord. The terminus was regularly exposed to around 0.5 TW of heating over the winter season. Wave energy dissipation provoked vertical mixing, generating a buoyancy flux which strengthened overturning. The coastally trapped waves also acted to strengthen the cyclonic mean flow via Stokes' drift. Although the outgoing wave was less energetic and located at the opposite sidewall, the fjord did exhibit a resonant response, suggesting that fjords of this scale can also exhibit two‐dimensional dynamics. Long periods of moderate wind stress greatly enhanced the cross‐shelf delivery of heat toward the fjord, in comparison to stronger events over short intervals. This suggests that the timescale over which the shelf wind field varies is a key parameter in dictating wintertime heat delivery from the ocean to the ice sheet.

Retrieval of Englacial Firn Aquifer Thickness From Ice‐Penetrating Radar Sounding in Southeastern Greenland

AbstractAn extensive perennial firn aquifer was previously mapped in Helheim Glacier, Southeast Greenland. However, critical constraints on aquifer thickness have been so far unobtainable without expensive field observations. Here we present a novel method that combines very high frequency airborne deep ice radar and ice sheet modeling to retrieve aquifer thickness and its evolution at Helheim Glacier. Using 2012–2014 radar measurements, we identify three aquifers of 4–25 m thick, with a total area of 1,934 km2 and water storage of 2.2 ± 1.5 Gt, about half the volume of previous estimates. The aquifer system is dynamic, and its thickness varies interannually at a rate similar to changes in surface mass balance. The rapid upstream migration of the saturated aquifer implies that this feature has the potential to increase its storage potential in upper Greenland. Together, a combination of very high‐ and ultra high frequency radar sounding provides a powerful tool to characterize englacial firn aquifers.

Surface Meltwater Impounded by Seasonal Englacial Storage in West Greenland

AbstractThe delivery of surface meltwater through englacial drainage systems to the bed of the Greenland Ice Sheet modulates ice flow through basal lubrication. Recent studies in Southeast Greenland have identified a perennial firn aquifer; however, there are few observations quantifying the input or residence time of water within the englacial system and it remains unknown whether water can be stored within solid ice. Using hourly stationary radar measurements, we present observations of englacial and episodic subglacial water in the ablation zone of Store Glacier in West Greenland. We find significant storage of meltwater in solid ice damaged by crevasses extending down to 48 m below the ice surface during the summer, which is released or refrozen during winter. This is a significant hydrological component newly observed in the ablation zone of Greenland that could delay the delivery of meltwater to the bed, changing the ice dynamic response to surface meltwater.

Greenland ice mass loss during the Younger Dryas driven by Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation feedbacks

Understanding feedbacks between the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is crucial for reducing uncertainties over future sea level and ocean circulation change. Reconstructing past GrIS dynamics can extend the observational record and elucidate mechanisms that operate on multi-decadal timescales. We report a highly-constrained last glacial vertical profile of cosmogenic isotope exposure ages from Sermilik Fjord, a marine-terminating ice stream in the southeast sector of the GrIS. Our reconstruction reveals substantial ice-mass loss throughout the Younger Dryas (12.9-11.7 ka), a period of marked atmospheric and sea-surface cooling. Earth-system modelling reveals that southern GrIS marginal melt was likely driven by strengthening of the Irminger Current at depth due to a weakening of the AMOC during the Younger Dryas. This change in North Atlantic circulation appears to have drawn warm subsurface waters to southeast Greenland despite markedly cooler sea surface temperatures, enhancing thermal erosion at the grounding lines of palaeo ice-streams, supporting interpretation of regional marine-sediment cores. Given current rates of GrIS meltwater input into the North Atlantic and the vulnerability of major ice streams to water temperature changes at the grounding line, this mechanism has important implications for future AMOC changes and northern hemisphere heat transport.

Genesis of the Paleoproterozoic Ammassalik Intrusive Complex, south-east Greenland

The Paleoproterozoic Ammassalik Intrusive Complex of south-east Greenland is located at the margin between the Rae Craton to the north and the North Atlantic Craton to the south. The complex is part of the Nagssugtoqidian Mobile Belt emplaced at mid- to lower-crustal level and represents an eastward continuation of the Nagssugtoqidian Orogen of western Greenland. We present new whole-rock geochemical and isotopic data (whole-rock Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, U-Pb, Lu-Hf and zircon U-Pb, Lu-Hf, O) acquired from the Ammassalik Intrusive Complex, with the aim of reassessing its petrogenesis and evolution. The intrusive rocks and surrounding host-rocks show typical calc-alkaline signatures as well as negative Ta, Nb and Ti anomalies. The new U-Pb age data indicate a protracted magmatic history over ca. 40 Ma, involving at least three successive magmatic pulses between ca. 1910 and 1870 Ma emplaced into a granulite facies biotite-garnet paragneiss with ca. ≤ 1990 Ma protolith ages. Whole-rock trace element and isotope geochemistry indicate that the magmas that formed the Ammassalik Intrusive Complex were derived from a mildly enriched (εNd0 = −0.8 to –3.8; εSr0 = +24 to +42) and deep, garnet-bearing (MREE/HREE fractionated patterns) mantle source, possibly the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. However, the observed decreasing zircon εHf values with time (εHf0 = +2.8 to −12.5) indicate increasing degrees of crustal contamination involving variably 18O-enriched crustal material (δ18O = 7–9‰) into the mafic magmas of the complex. This interpretation suggests that the mantle-derived magma do not have a deep, garnet-bearing source, but that the continental arc signature in the Ammassalik Intrusive Complex igneous rocks may have been inherited from the assimilation of partial melts of the garnet-bearing host-rocks. In addition, based on the new crystallisation ages broadly coeval with the Columbia supercontinent build up, marked by the formation of world-class Ni-Cu deposits globally, it is proposed that the Ammassalik Intrusive Complex and the south-east Greenland region were in direct continuity of the mineralised Kotalahti belt (Svecofennian Province, Finland). Together with the recent discovery of Ni-Cu mineralisation in the Ammassalik Intrusive Complex, our study further supports the high prospectivity of south-east Greenland for orthomagmatic Ni-Cu deposits.

Age and temperature-time evolution of retrogressed eclogite-facies rocks in the Paleoproterozoic Nagssugtoqidian Orogen, South-East Greenland: Constrained from U-Pb dating of zircon, monazite, titanite and rutile

LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircon, monazite, titanite and rutile was carried out to investigate the temperature-time evolution of eclogite-facies rocks in the Kuummiut Terrane of the Paleoproterozoic Nagssugtoqidian Orogen in South-East Greenland. The terrane is dominated by Archean TTG gneiss and a variety of supracrustal rocks; basic dykes intruded the gneiss during Paleoproterozoic deformation. Detrital zircon in garnet-kyanite schist gives Archean to Paleoproterozoic dates and confines the maximum deposition of the metasediment precursor to 2107 ± 21 Ma. Intrusion of the metabasic dykes occurred at 2146 ± 63 and 2092 ± 22 Ma, within error of the detrital zircon date, possibly indicating near-contemporaneous dyke emplacement and sedimentation. About 200 m.y. after dyke emplacement, the Kuummiut Terrane underwent a clockwise PT-evolution, involving eclogite-facies metamorphism and subsequent exhumation into the mid crust. The majority of zircon, monazite and titanite give metamorphic dates between 1891 ± 10 and 1882 ± 3 Ma. Although the REE patterns in metamorphic zircon reflect growth at eclogite-facies conditions, the zircons are associated with retrograde mineral assemblages and their dates are indistinguishable from amphibolite-facies titanite. This may be interpreted to indicate that the timing of eclogite- and high-pressure amphibolite-facies metamorphism overlap within error, consistent with rapid and tectonically-controlled exhumation. However, previous studies have shown that the REE and U-Pb systematics in zircon may be decoupled during retrograde metamorphism, and the range in dates is thus best interpreted to reflect mineral growth and recrystallization during high-pressure amphibolite-facies retrogression. Monazite and titanite dates between 1872 ± 70 and 1821 ± 31 Ma reflect regional medium-pressure amphibolite-facies metamorphism and mark the final stages of compressional deformation in the Kuummiut Terrane. The subsequent thermal evolution was associated with titanite growth until 1738 ± 61 Ma, a time where the majority of rutile cooled below its closure temperature. The youngest rutile dates at 1645 ± 63 and 1617 ± 91 Ma correlate with the emplacement of post-tectonic intrusive complexes. Collectively, the data show that after an initial tectonically-controlled exhumation, the Kuummiut Terrane experienced relatively slow, erosion-controlled cooling with only minor thermal perturbations during the waning stages of metamorphic and magmatic activity.

Holocene history of the Helheim Glacier, southeast Greenland

Helheim Glacier ranks among the fastest flowing and most ice discharging outlets of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). After undergoing rapid speed-up in the early 2000s, understanding its long-term mass balance and dynamic has become increasingly important. Here, we present the first record of direct Holocene ice-marginal changes of the Helheim Glacier following the initial deglaciation. By analysing cores from lakes adjacent to the present ice margin, we pinpoint periods of advance and retreat. We target threshold lakes, which receive glacial meltwater only when the margin is at an advanced position, similar to the present. We show that, during the period from 10.5 to 9.6 cal ka BP, the extent of Helheim Glacier was similar to that of todays, after which it remained retracted for most of the Holocene until a re-advance caused it to reach its present extent at c. 0.3 cal ka BP, during the Little Ice Age (LIA). Thus, Helheim Glacier's present extent is the largest since the last deglaciation, and its Holocene history shows that it is capable of recovering after several millennia of warming and retreat. Furthermore, the absence of advances beyond the present-day position during for example the 9.3 and 8.2 ka cold events as well as the early-Neoglacial suggest a substantial retreat during most of the Holocene.

The deglaciation of coastal areas of southeast Greenland

Large marine-terminating glaciers around the margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet have retreated, accelerated and thinned over the last two decades. Relatively little is known about the longer term behaviour of the Greenland Ice Sheet, yet this information is valuable for assessing the significance of modern changes. We address this by reporting 11 new beryllium-10 (10Be) exposure ages from previously uninvestigated coastal areas across southeast Greenland. The new ages are combined with existing data from the region to assess the timing of glacier retreat after the Last Glacial Maximum. The results show that deglaciation occurred first in the north of the region (~68°N) and progressed southwards. This north–south progression is attributed to the influence of the warm Irminger Current on the ice margin. Areas in the south of the region were isolated from the warm waters by the shallow bathymetry of the continental shelf. This demonstrates that oceanographic forcing paced the deglaciation of southeast Greenland through the Younger Dryas and early Holocene. In most areas of southeast Greenland bedrock ages are systematically older than their counterpart boulder samples; this offset is likely the result of inherited 10Be content in bedrock surfaces. This suggests that subglacial erosion during the last glacial cycle was insufficient to completely remove pre-existing 10Be content. Alternatively, this pattern may be the signature of a substantial retreat and advance cycle prior to final Holocene deglaciation.

Ice front change of marine-terminating outlet glaciers in northwest and southeast Greenland during the 21st century

ABSTRACTThe increasingly negative mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) over the last ~25 years has been associated with enhanced surface melt and increased ice loss from marine-terminating outlet glaciers. Accelerated retreat during 2000–2010 was concentrated in the southeast and northwest sectors of the ice sheet; however, there was considerable spatial and temporal variability in the timing and magnitude of retreat both within and between these regions. This behaviour has yet to be quantified and compared for all glaciers in both regions. Furthermore, it is unclear whether retreat has continued after 2010 in the northwest, and whether the documented slowdown in the southeast post-2005 has been sustained. Here, we compare spatial and temporal patterns of frontal change in the northwest and southeast GrIS, for the period 2000–2015. Our results show near-ubiquitous retreat of outlet glaciers across both regions for the study period; however, the timing and magnitude of inter-annual frontal position change is largely asynchronous. We also find that since 2010, there is continued terminus retreat in the northwest, which contrasts with considerable inter-annual variability in the southeast. Analysis of the role of glacier-specific factors demonstrates that fjord and bed geometry are important controls on the timing and magnitude of glacier retreat.

Southeast Greenland Winter Precipitation Strongly Linked to the Icelandic Low Position

Abstract Greenland’s largest precipitation flux occurs in its southeast (SE) region during the winter, controlled primarily by easterly winds and frequent cyclogenesis in the North Atlantic. Several studies have attempted to link SE Greenland precipitation to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) but results are inconsistent. This work uses reanalysis, automatic weather station data, and regional climate model output to show that the east–west position of the Icelandic low is a better predictor of SE Greenland precipitation (average correlation of r = −0.48 in DJF) than climate indices such as the NAO (r = −0.06 in DJF). In years when the Icelandic low is positioned extremely west, moisture transport increases up to ~40% (or up to 40 kg m−1 s−1) off the SE Greenland coast compared to when the low is in an extreme east position. Furthermore, in years when the Icelandic low is positioned extremely west, storm track density and intensity increase just off the SE coast of Greenland. Thus, the Icelandic low’s longitudinal position dominates SE Greenland ice sheet’s wintertime precipitation, a positive term in the ice sheet mass balance. Given SE Greenland’s importance in the overall ice sheet mass balance, the position of the Icelandic low is therefore important for making projections of future sea level.

Explaining uneven mass loss

Ice Sheets The Greenland Ice Sheet, along with the Antarctic Ice Sheet and glaciers worldwide, is melting at an accelerating rate. This melting is not uniform, however, with adjacent fjords often exhibiting quite different behaviors. What can account for those differences? Millan et al. present oceanographic observations and bathymetric data from the vicinity of 20 major glaciers in southeast Greenland, which show that retreating glaciers occupy deep valleys exposed to warm Atlantic water, whereas stable ones rest on sills away from warm water. These observations can explain the complex pattern of ice-front positions from the 1930s to the present. Geophys. Res. Lett. 10.1002/2017GL076561 (2018).

Precipitation regimes over central Greenland inferred from 5 years of ICECAPS observations

Abstract. A novel method for classifying Arctic precipitation using ground based remote sensors is presented. Using differences in the spectral variation of microwave absorption and scattering properties of cloud liquid water and ice, this method can distinguish between different types of snowfall events depending on the presence or absence of condensed liquid water in the clouds that generate the precipitation. The classification reveals two distinct, primary regimes of precipitation over the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS): one originating from fully glaciated ice clouds and the other from mixed-phase clouds. Five years of co-located, multi-instrument data from the Integrated Characterization of Energy, Clouds, Atmospheric state, and Precipitation at Summit (ICECAPS) are used to examine cloud and meteorological properties and patterns associated with each precipitation regime. The occurrence and accumulation of the precipitation regimes are identified and quantified. Cloud and precipitation observations from additional ICECAPS instruments illustrate distinct characteristics for each regime. Additionally, reanalysis products and back-trajectory analysis show different synoptic-scale forcings associated with each regime. Precipitation over the central GIS exhibits unique microphysical characteristics due to the high surface elevations as well as connections to specific large-scale flow patterns. Snowfall originating from the ice clouds is coupled to deep, frontal cloud systems advecting up and over the southeast Greenland coast to the central GIS. These events appear to be associated with individual storm systems generated by low pressure over Baffin Bay and Greenland lee cyclogenesis. Snowfall originating from mixed-phase clouds is shallower and has characteristics typical of supercooled cloud liquid water layers, and slowly propagates from the south and southwest of Greenland along a quiescent flow above the GIS.

Influence of Barrier Wind Forcing on Heat Delivery Toward the Greenland Ice Sheet

AbstractA high‐resolution numerical hydrodynamic model of Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord and the adjacent southeast Greenland shelf region was constructed in order to investigate the dynamics of fjord‐shelf exchange. Recent studies have suggested that rapid exchange flows, driven by along‐shelf barrier wind events, are the dominant agent of exchange between fjord and shelf. These events are prone to occur during the winter, when freshwater forcing is minimal and observations of the fjord interior are scarce. Subglacial freshwater discharge was held at zero, so that any buoyancy‐driven overturning circulation was driven by melting alone. The model described a geostrophically balanced background flow transporting water masses between the fjord mouth and the glacier terminus, indicating that rotational effects are of order‐one importance. Barrier wind events were found to trigger coastally trapped internal wave activity within fjord, temporarily enhancing exchange and vertical mixing, and causing warm water to oscillate in the along‐fjord direction. These internal waves were also found to enhance the background flow via Stokes' drift. Heat delivery through the fjord mouth was smaller than that recorded in summer observations, however the system is more effective at delivering this heat to the head of the fjord. There exists the potential for wintertime melting at the ice‐ocean interface to be significant to the same order as summertime melting.

Vulnerability of Southeast Greenland Glaciers to Warm Atlantic Water From Operation IceBridge and Ocean Melting Greenland Data.

We employ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Operation IceBridge high‐resolution airborne gravity from 2016, NASA's Ocean Melting Greenland bathymetry from 2015, ice thickness from Operation IceBridge from 2010 to 2015, and BedMachine v3 to analyze 20 major southeast Greenland glaciers. The results reveal glacial fjords several hundreds of meters deeper than previously thought; the full extent of the marine‐based portions of the glaciers; deep troughs enabling warm, salty Atlantic Water (AW) to reach the glacier fronts and melt them from below; and few shallow sills that limit the access of AW. The new oceanographic and topographic data help to fully resolve the complex pattern of historical ice front positions from the 1930s to 2017: glaciers exposed to AW and resting on retrograde beds have retreated rapidly, while glaciers perched on shallow sills or standing in colder waters or with major sills in the fjords have remained stable.

Direct Evidence of Meltwater Flow Within a Firn Aquifer in Southeast Greenland

AbstractWithin the lower percolation zone of the southeastern Greenland ice sheet, meltwater has accumulated within the firn pore space, forming extensive firn aquifers. Previously, it was unclear if these aquifers stored or facilitated meltwater runoff. Following mixing of a saline solution into boreholes within the aquifer, we observe that specific conductance measurements decreased over time as flowing freshwater diluted the saline mixture in the borehole. These tests indicate that water flows through the aquifer with an average specific discharge of 4.3 × 10−6 m/s (σ = 2.5 × 10−6 m/s). The specific discharge decreases dramatically to 0 m/s, defining the bottom of the aquifer between 30 to 50 m depth. The observed flow indicates that the firn pore space is a short‐term (<30 years) storage mechanism in this region. Meltwater flows out of the aquifer, likely into nearby crevasses, and possibly down to the base of the ice sheet and into the ocean.

A 60 Year Record of Atmospheric Aerosol Depositions Preserved in a High‐Accumulation Dome Ice Core, Southeast Greenland

AbstractThe Southeastern Greenland Dome (SE‐Dome) has both a high elevation and a high accumulation rate (1.01 m we yr−1), which are suitable properties for reconstructing past environmental changes with a high time resolution. For this study, we measured the major ion fluxes in a 90 m ice core drilled from the SE‐Dome region in 2015 and present the records of annual ion fluxes from 1957 to 2014. From 1970 to 2010, the trend of nonsea‐salt (nss) SO42− flux decreases, whereas that for NH4+ increases, tracking well with the anthropogenic SOx and NH3 emissions mainly from North America. The result suggests that these fluxes reflect histories of the anthropogenic SOx and NH3 emissions. In contrast, the decadal trend of NO3− flux differs from the decreasing trend of anthropogenic NOx emissions. Although the cause of this discrepancy remains unclear, it may be related to changes in particle formation processes and chemical scavenging rates caused by an increase in sea salt and dust and/or a decrease in nssSO42−. We also find a high average NO3− flux (1.13 mmol m−2 yr−1) in the ice core, which suggests a negligible effect from postdepositional NO3− loss. Thus, the SE‐Dome region is an excellent location for reconstructing nitrate fluxes. Over a decadal time scale, our NO3− flux record is similar to those from other ice cores in Greenland high‐elevation sites, suggesting that NO3− concentration records from these ice cores are reliable.

Shelf–Open Ocean Exchange Forced by Wind Jets

AbstractThe general problem of exchange from a shallow shelf across sharp topography to the deep ocean forced by narrow, cross-shelf wind jets is studied using quasigeostrophic theory and an idealized primitive equation numerical model. Interest is motivated by katabatic winds that emanate from narrow fjords in southeast Greenland, although similar topographically constrained wind jets are found throughout the world’s oceans. Because there is no net vorticity input by the wind, the circulation is largely confined to the region near the forcing. Circulation over the shelf is limited by bottom friction for weakly stratified flows, but stratification allows for much stronger upper-layer flows that are regulated by weak coupling to the lower layer. Over the sloping topography, the topographic beta effect limits the deep flow, while, for sufficient stratification, the upper-layer flow can cross the topography to connect the shelf to the open ocean. This can be an effective transport mechanism even for short, strong wind events because damping of the upper-layer flow is weak. A variety of transients are generated for an abrupt onset of winds, including short topography Rossby waves, long topographic Rossby waves, and inertial waves. Using parameters representative of southeast Greenland, katabatic wind events will force an offshore transport of O(0.4) Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) that, when considered for 2 days, will result in an offshore flux of O(5 × 1010) m3.