Articles | Volume 18, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3415-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3415-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Jul 2024
Research article |
| 29 Jul 2024
| 29 Jul 2024
Sea-ice conditions from 1880 to 2017 on the Northeast Greenland continental shelf: a biomarker and observational record comparison
Department of Geoscience, Arctic Research Centre, and iClimate Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Kirsten Fahl
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Matthias Moros
Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Seestraße 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
Alice Carter-Champion
Department of Geoscience, Arctic Research Centre, and iClimate Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Henrieka Detlef
Department of Geoscience, Arctic Research Centre, and iClimate Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Ruediger Stein
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Faculty of Geosciences and Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System & Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ocean University of China (OUC), Qingdao, China
Christof Pearce
Department of Geoscience, Arctic Research Centre, and iClimate Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz
Department of Geoscience, Arctic Research Centre, and iClimate Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Related authors
Joanna Davies, Jennifer Middleton, David Harning, Peter Washam, William D'Andrea, and Brendan Reilly
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5321, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5321, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluate the use of organic (sea-ice biomarkers and phytoplankton sterols) and inorganic (10Be, 230Th) proxies from sediment cores in Petermann Fjord to investigate oceanic advection and glacial dynamics. We find that that lateral advection, enhanced by buoyant subglacial melt, plays an important role in transporting these proxies beneath the ice shelf, highlighting the potential to use a multi-proxy approach to reconstruct advective heat flux patterns in basal-melt-dominated environments.
Joanna Davies, Jennifer Middleton, David Harning, Peter Washam, William D'Andrea, and Brendan Reilly
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5321, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5321, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluate the use of organic (sea-ice biomarkers and phytoplankton sterols) and inorganic (10Be, 230Th) proxies from sediment cores in Petermann Fjord to investigate oceanic advection and glacial dynamics. We find that that lateral advection, enhanced by buoyant subglacial melt, plays an important role in transporting these proxies beneath the ice shelf, highlighting the potential to use a multi-proxy approach to reconstruct advective heat flux patterns in basal-melt-dominated environments.
Zhengquan Yao, Han Feng, Ruediger Stein, Yanguang Liu, Xuefa Shi, Yuri Vasilenko, Seung-Il Nam, Linsen Dong, Fengdeng Shi, Kunshan Wang, Zhihua Chen, Shuqing Qiao, Qiuling Li, Song Zhao, Xinyue Pei, Huiyu Guo, and Yaru Liu
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 6649–6665, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-6649-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-6649-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We present an open-access compilation of mineralogical and geochemical provenance data for surface sediments across the Arctic Ocean. The Circum-Arctic Sediment PROvenance Database (CASPROD) integrates four provenance proxies, including bulk sediment Sr–Nd isotopes, detrital zircon U–Pb ages, clay mineral assemblages, and detrital mineral compositions, from more than 4000 stations in the Arctic Ocean. All datasets are standardized with consistent metadata and are provided in multiple machine-readable formats.
Arnaud Nicolas, Jens Hefter, Hendrik Grotheer, Tommaso Tesi, Ruediger Stein, Alessio Nogarotto, Eduardo Queiroz Alves, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Clim. Past, 21, 2579–2599, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2579-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2579-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed a high-resolution marine sediment record from the Laptev Sea to reconstruct deglacial permafrost thaw events during the last 16 kyr. Using biomarkers and radiocarbon dating, we found that peaks in pre-aged terrigenous material coincided with rapid sea-level rise, indicating coastal erosion as the main mobilization mechanism. This research provides insights into past permafrost carbon release, informing predictions of future climate-permafrost feedback in a warming world.
Wanyee Wong, Bjørg Risebrobakken, Malin Ödalen, Amandine Aline Tisserand, Kirsten Fahl, Ruediger Stein, and Eystein Jansen
Clim. Past, 21, 2225–2242, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2225-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-2225-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Sea ice variability in the eastern Fram Strait between, and within, individual Greenland Stadials and Interstadials is documented by high-resolution proxy reconstructions. Unlike the southeastern Nordic Seas and North Atlantic, these changes were less linked to Greenland climate oscillations. Instead, they were driven by ocean heat transport, regulated by the interplay between the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation strength and sea ice cover in the southeastern Nordic Seas.
Lasse Z. Jensen, Julie K. Simonsen, Ada Pastor, Christof Pearce, Per Nørnberg, Lars Chresten Lund-Hansen, Kai Finster, and Tina Šantl-Temkiv
Aerosol Research, 3, 81–100, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-81-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-81-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our study explores particles in Arctic soils and streams that influence ice formation in clouds. By analyzing these environments, we identified specific microorganisms producing these particles. This research, which measured these particles in Arctic streams for the first time, provides new insights into their ecological role and transfer from soil to water. Our findings help us understand their production, sources, and potential impact on climate.
Lara F. Pérez, Paul C. Knutz, John R. Hopper, Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Matt O'Regan, and Stephen Jones
Sci. Dril., 33, 33–46, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-33-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-33-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Greenland ice sheet is highly sensitive to global warming and a major contributor to sea level rise. In Northeast Greenland, ice–ocean–tectonic interactions are readily observable today, but geological records that illuminate long-term trends are lacking. NorthGreen aims to promote scientific drilling proposals to resolve key scientific questions on past changes in the Northeast Greenland margin that further affected the broader Earth system.
Christof Pearce, Karen Søby Özdemir, Ronja Forchhammer Mathiasen, Henrieka Detlef, and Jesper Olsen
Geochronology, 5, 451–465, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-451-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-451-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Reliable chronologies lie at the base of paleoclimatological reconstructions. When working with marine sediment cores, the most common dating tool for recent sediments is radiocarbon, but this requires calibration to convert it to calendar ages. This calibration requires knowledge of the marine radiocarbon reservoir age, and this is known to vary in space and time. In this study we provide 92 new radiocarbon measurements to improve our knowledge of the reservoir age around Greenland.
Alistair J. Monteath, Matthew S. M. Bolton, Jordan Harvey, Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Christof Pearce, and Britta Jensen
Geochronology, 5, 229–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-229-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-229-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Accurately dating ocean cores is challenging because the radiocarbon age of water masses varies substantially. We identify ash fragments from eruptions more than 4000 km from their source and use these time markers to develop a new age–depth model for an ocean core in Placentia Bay, North Atlantic. Our results show that the radiocarbon age of waters masses in the bay varied considerably during the last 10 000 years and highlight the potential of using ultra-distal ash deposits in this region.
Markus Czymzik, Rik Tjallingii, Birgit Plessen, Peter Feldens, Martin Theuerkauf, Matthias Moros, Markus J. Schwab, Carla K. M. Nantke, Silvia Pinkerneil, Achim Brauer, and Helge W. Arz
Clim. Past, 19, 233–248, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-233-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-233-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Productivity increases in Lake Kälksjön sediments during the last 9600 years are likely driven by the progressive millennial-scale winter warming in northwestern Europe, following the increasing Northern Hemisphere winter insolation and decadal to centennial periods of a more positive NAO polarity. Strengthened productivity variability since ∼5450 cal yr BP is hypothesized to reflect a reinforcement of NAO-like atmospheric circulation.
Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, Lisa A. Warden, Carlo Berg, Klaus Jürgens, and Matthias Moros
Clim. Past, 18, 2271–2288, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-2271-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-2271-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Reconstruction of past climate conditions is important for understanding current climate change. These reconstructions are derived from proxies, enabling reconstructions of, e.g., past temperature, precipitation, vegetation, and sea surface temperature (SST). Here we investigate a recently developed SST proxy based on membrane lipids of ammonium-oxidizing archaea in the ocean. We show that low salinities substantially affect the proxy calibration by examining Holocene Baltic Sea sediments.
Mimmi Oksman, Anna Bang Kvorning, Signe Hillerup Larsen, Kristian Kjellerup Kjeldsen, Kenneth David Mankoff, William Colgan, Thorbjørn Joest Andersen, Niels Nørgaard-Pedersen, Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Naja Mikkelsen, and Sofia Ribeiro
The Cryosphere, 16, 2471–2491, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2471-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2471-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
One of the questions facing the cryosphere community today is how increasing runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet impacts marine ecosystems. To address this, long-term data are essential. Here, we present multi-site records of fjord productivity for SW Greenland back to the 19th century. We show a link between historical freshwater runoff and productivity, which is strongest in the inner fjord – influenced by marine-terminating glaciers – where productivity has increased since the late 1990s.
Teodora Pados-Dibattista, Christof Pearce, Henrieka Detlef, Jørgen Bendtsen, and Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz
Clim. Past, 18, 103–127, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-103-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-103-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We carried out foraminiferal, stable isotope, and sedimentological analyses of a marine sediment core retrieved from the Northeast Greenland shelf. This region is highly sensitive to climate variability because it is swept by the East Greenland Current, which is the main pathway for sea ice and cold waters that exit the Arctic Ocean. The palaeoceanographic reconstruction reveals significant variations in the water masses and in the strength of the East Greenland Current over the last 9400 years.
Cited articles
Alonso-García, M., Andrews, J. T., Belt, S. T., Cabedo-Sanz, P., Darby, D., and Jaeger, J.: A comparison between multiproxy and historical data (ad 1990–1840) of drift ice conditions on the East Greenland Shelf (∼ 66° N), Holocene, 23, 1672–1683, https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683613505343, 2013.
AMAP: Snow, water, ice and permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA): Climate change and the cryosphere. Scientific report, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), Gaustadalleen 21, N-0349 Oslo, Norway, https://www.amap.no (last access: 12 June 2024), 2011.
Andreasen, N., Jackson, R., Rudra, A., Nøhr-Hansen, H., Sanei, H., Bojesen-Koefoed, J., Seidenkrantz, M.-S., Pearce, C., Thibault, N., and Ribeiro, S.: From land to sea: provenance, composition, and preservation of organic matter in a marine sediment record from the North-East Greenland shelf spanning the Younger Dryas–Holocene, Boreas, 52, 459–475, https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12630, 2023.
Andrews, J. T., Darby, D., Eberle, D., Jennings, A. E., Moros, M., and Ogilvie, A.: A robust, multisite Holocene history of drift ice off northern Iceland: implications for North Atlantic climate, Holocene, 19, 71–77, https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683608098953, 2009.
Årthun, M., Onarheim, I. H., Dörr, J., and Eldevik, T.: The Seasonal and Regional Transition to an Ice-Free Arctic, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2020GL090825, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090825, 2021.
Belt, S. T.: Source-specific biomarkers as proxies for Arctic and Antarctic sea ice, Org. Geochem., 125, 277–298, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2018.10.002, 2018.
Belt, S. T.: What do IP25 and related biomarkers really reveal about sea ice change?, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 204, 216–219, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.11.025, 2019.
Belt, S. T. and Müller, J.: The Arctic sea ice biomarker IP25: a review of current understanding, recommendations for future research and applications in palaeo sea ice reconstructions, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 79, 9–25, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.12.001, 2013.
Belt, S. T., Massé, G., Rowland, S. J., Poulin, M., Michel, C., and LeBlanc, B.: A novel chemical fossil of palaeo sea ice: IP25, Org. Geochem., 38, 16–27, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2006.09.013, 2007.
Belt, S. T., Brown, T. A., Ringrose, A. E., Cabedo-Sanz, P., Mundy, C. J., Gosselin, M., and Poulin, M.: Quantitative measurement of the sea ice diatom biomarker IP25 and sterols in Arctic sea ice and underlying sediments: Further considerations for palaeo sea ice reconstruction, Org. Geochem., 62, 33–45, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2013.07.002, 2013.
Belt, S. T., Cabedo-Sanz, P., Smik, L., Navarro-Rodriguez, A., Berben, S. M. P., Knies, J., and Husum, K.: Identification of paleo Arctic winter sea ice limits and the marginal ice zone: Optimised biomarker-based reconstructions of late Quaternary Arctic sea ice, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 431, 127–139, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.09.020, 2015.
Boon, J. J., Rijpstra, W. I. C., De Lange, F., De Leeuw, J. W., Yoshioka, M., and Shimizu, Y.: Black Sea sterol–a molecular fossil for dinoflagellate blooms, Nature, 277, 125–127, https://doi.org/10.1038/277125a0, 1979.
Clotten, C., Stein, R., Fahl, K., and De Schepper, S.: Seasonal sea ice cover during the warm Pliocene: Evidence from the Iceland Sea (ODP Site 907), Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 481, 61–72, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.10.011, 2018.
Clotten, C., Stein, R., Fahl, K., Schreck, M., Risebrobakken, B., and De Schepper, S.: On the causes of Arctic sea ice in the warm Early Pliocene, Sci. Rep., 9, 989, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-37047-y, 2019.
Cormier, M.-A., Rochon, A., de Vernal, A., and Gélinas, Y.: Multi-proxy study of primary production and paleoceanographical conditions in northern Baffin Bay during the last centuries, Mar. Micropaleontol., 127, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2016.07.001, 2016.
Davies, J., Mathiasen, A. M., Kristiansen, K., Hansen, K. E., Wacker, L., Alstrup, A. K. O., Munk, O. L., Pearce, C., and Seidenkrantz, M.-S.: Linkages between ocean circulation and the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream in the Early Holocene, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 286, 107530, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107530, 2022.
Detlef, H., Reilly, B., Jennings, A., Mørk Jensen, M., O'Regan, M., Glasius, M., Olsen, J., Jakobsson, M., and Pearce, C.: Holocene sea-ice dynamics in Petermann Fjord in relation to ice tongue stability and Nares Strait ice arch formation, The Cryosphere, 15, 4357–4380, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4357-2021, 2021.
Detlef, H., O'Regan, M., Stranne, C., Jensen, M. M., Glasius, M., Cronin, T. M., Jakobsson, M., and Pearce, C.: Seasonal sea-ice in the Arctic's last ice area during the Early Holocene, Commun. Earth Environ., 4, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00720-w, 2023.
de Vernal, A., Gersonde, R., Goosse, H., Seidenkrantz, M.-S., and Wolff, E. W.: Sea ice in the paleoclimate system: the challenge of reconstructing sea ice from proxies – an introduction, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 79, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.08.009, 2013.
Divine, D. V. and Dick, C.: Historical variability of sea ice edge position in the Nordic Seas, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 111, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JC002851, 2006.
Fahl, K. and Stein, R.: Modern seasonal variability and deglacial/Holocene change of central Arctic Ocean sea-ice cover: New insights from biomarker proxy records, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 351–352, 123–133, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.07.009, 2012.
Fahnestock, M., Abdalati, W., Joughin, I., Brozena, J., and Gogineni, P.: High Geothermal Heat Flow, Basal Melt, and the Origin of Rapid Ice Flow in Central Greenland, Science, 294, 2338–2342, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1065370, 2001.
Georgiadis, E., Giraudeau, J., Jennings, A., Limoges, A., Jackson, R., Ribeiro, S., and Massé, G.: Local and regional controls on Holocene sea ice dynamics and oceanography in Nares Strait, Northwest Greenland, Mar. Geol., 422, 106115, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2020.106115, 2020.
Gjelstrup, C. V. B., Sejr, M. K., de Steur, L., Christiansen, J. S., Granskog, M. A., Koch, B. P., Møller, E. F., Winding, M. H. S., and Stedmon, C. A.: Vertical redistribution of principle water masses on the Northeast Greenland Shelf, Nat. Commun., 13, 7660, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35413-z, 2022.
Higgins, A. K.: North Greenland ice islands, Polar Record, 25, 207–212, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247400010809, 1989.
Huang, W.-Y. and Meinschein, W. G.: Sterols as ecological indicators, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 43, 739–745, https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(79)90257-6, 1979.
Hughes, N. E., Wilkinson, J. P., and Wadhams, P.: Multi-satellite sensor analysis of fast-ice development in the Norske Øer Ice Barrier, northeast Greenland, Ann. Glaciol., 52, 151–160, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931633, 2011.
Hvidberg, C. S., Grinsted, A., Dahl-Jensen, D., Khan, S. A., Kusk, A., Andersen, J. K., Neckel, N., Solgaard, A., Karlsson, N. B., Kjær, H. A., and Vallelonga, P.: Surface velocity of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS): assessment of interior velocities derived from satellite data by GPS, The Cryosphere, 14, 3487–3502, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3487-2020, 2020.
Jackson, R., Kvorning, A. B., Limoges, A., Georgiadis, E., Olsen, S. M., Tallberg, P., Andersen, T. J., Mikkelsen, N., Giraudeau, J., Massé, G., Wacker, L., and Ribeiro, S.: Holocene polynya dynamics and their interaction with oceanic heat transport in northernmost Baffin Bay, Sci. Rep., 11, 10095, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88517-9, 2021.
Kapsch, M.-L., Graversen, R. G., Tjernström, M., and Bintanja, R.: The Effect of Downwelling Longwave and Shortwave Radiation on Arctic Summer Sea Ice, J. Climate, 29, 1143–1159, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0238.1, 2016.
Khan, S. A., Kjær, K. H., Bevis, M., Bamber, J. L., Wahr, J., Kjeldsen, K. K., Bjørk, A. A., Korsgaard, N. J., Stearns, L. A., van den Broeke, M. R., Liu, L., Larsen, N. K., and Muresan, I. S.: Sustained mass loss of the northeast Greenland ice sheet triggered by regional warming, Nat. Clim. Change, 4, 292–299, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2161, 2014.
Khan, S. A., Choi, Y., Morlighem, M., Rignot, E., Helm, V., Humbert, A., Mouginot, J., Millan, R., Kjær, K. H., and Bjørk, A. A.: Extensive inland thinning and speed-up of Northeast Greenland Ice Stream, Nature, 611, 727–732, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05301-z, 2022.
Killick, R., Beaulieu, C., Taylor, S., and Hullait, H.: Envcpt: Detection of structural changes in climate and environment time series, r package version 1.1.3., https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/EnvCpt/index.html (last access: 16 August 2023), 2021.
Kim, J.-H., Gal, J.-K., Jun, S.-Y., Smik, L., Kim, D., Belt, S. T., Park, K., Shin, K.-H., and Nam, S.-I.: Reconstructing spring sea ice concentration in the Chukchi Sea over recent centuries: insights into the application of the PIP25 index, Environ. Res. Lett., 14, 125004, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab4b6e, 2019.
Koch, L.: The East Greenland Ice, C. A. Reitzel, 373 pp., 1945.
Kolling, H. M., Stein, R., Fahl, K., Perner, K., and Moros, M.: Short-term variability in late Holocene sea ice cover on the East Greenland Shelf and its driving mechanisms, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl., 485, 336–350, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.06.024, 2017.
Kolling, H. M., Stein, R., Fahl, K., Sadatzki, H., de Vernal, A., and Xiao, X.: Biomarker Distributions in (Sub)-Arctic Surface Sediments and Their Potential for Sea Ice Reconstructions, Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 21, e2019GC008629, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008629, 2020.
Lloyd, J. M., Ribeiro, S., Weckström, K., Callard, L., Ó Cofaigh, C., Leng, M. J., Gulliver, P., and Roberts, D. H.: Ice-ocean interactions at the Northeast Greenland Ice stream (NEGIS) over the past 11,000 years, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 308, 108068, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108068, 2023.
López-Quirós, A., Junna, T., Davies, J., Andresen, K. J., Nielsen, T., Haghipour, N., Wacker, L., Olsen Alstrup, A. K., Munk, O. L., Rasmussen, T. L., Pearce, C., and Seidenkrantz, M.-S.: Retreat patterns and dynamics of the former Norske Trough ice stream (NE Greenland): An integrated geomorphological and sedimentological approach, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 325, 108477, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108477, 2024.
Massé, G., Rowland, S. J., Sicre, M.-A., Jacob, J., Jansen, E., and Belt, S. T.: Abrupt climate changes for Iceland during the last millennium: Evidence from high resolution sea ice reconstructions, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 269, 565–569, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2008.03.017, 2008.
Mayer, C., Schaffer, J., Hattermann, T., Floricioiu, D., Krieger, L., Dodd, P. A., Kanzow, T., Licciulli, C., and Schannwell, C.: Large ice loss variability at Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier, Northeast-Greenland, Nat. Commun., 9, 2768, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05180-x, 2018.
Meier, W. N. and Stroeve, J.: An Updated Assessment of the Changing Arctic Sea Ice Cover, Oceanography, 35, 10–19, 2022.
Moros, M., Andersen, T. J., Schulz-Bull, D., Häusler, K., Bunke, D., Snowball, I., Kotilainen, A., Zillén, L., Jensen, J. B., Kabel, K., Hand, I., Leipe, T., Lougheed, B. C., Wagner, B., and Arz, H. W.: Towards an event stratigraphy for Baltic Sea sediments deposited since AD 1900: approaches and challenges, Boreas, 46, 129–142, https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12193, 2017.
Mouginot, J., Rignot, E., Scheuchl, B., Fenty, I., Khazendar, A., Morlighem, M., Buzzi, A., and Paden, J.: Fast retreat of Zachariæ Isstrøm, northeast Greenland, Science, 350, 1357–1361, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aac7111, 2015.
Müller, J., Wagner, A., Fahl, K., Stein, R., Prange, M., and Lohmann, G.: Towards quantitative sea ice reconstructions in the northern North Atlantic: A combined biomarker and numerical modelling approach, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 306, 137–148, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.04.011, 2011.
Müller, J., Werner, K., Stein, R., Fahl, K., Moros, M., and Jansen, E.: Holocene cooling culminates in sea ice oscillations in Fram Strait, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 47, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.04.024, 2012.
Nagler, T., Rott, H., Hetzenecker, M., Wuite, J., and Potin, P.: The Sentinel-1 Mission: New Opportunities for Ice Sheet Observations, Remote Sens., 7, 9371–9389, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs70709371, 2015.
Navarro-Rodriguez, A., Belt, S. T., Knies, J., and Brown, T. A.: Mapping recent sea ice conditions in the Barents Sea using the proxy biomarker IP25: implications for palaeo sea ice reconstructions, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 79, 26–39, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.11.025, 2013.
Nghiem, S. V., Rigor, I. G., Perovich, D. K., Clemente-Colón, P., Weatherly, J. W., and Neumann, G.: Rapid reduction of Arctic perennial sea ice, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL031138, 2007.
Ogi, M., Yamazaki, K., and Wallace, J. M.: Influence of winter and summer surface wind anomalies on summer Arctic sea ice extent, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, 1–5, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL042356, 2010.
Onarheim, I. H., Eldevik, T., Smedsrud, L. H., and Stroeve, J. C.: Seasonal and Regional Manifestation of Arctic Sea Ice Loss, J. Climate, 31, 4917–4932, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0427.1, 2018.
Pedersen, J. B. T., Kaufmann, L. H., Kroon, A., and Jakobsen, B. H.: The Northeast Greenland Sirius Water Polynya dynamics and variability inferred from satellite imagery, Geogr. Tidsskr.-De., 110, 131–142, https://doi.org/10.1080/00167223.2010.10669503, 2010.
Perner, K., Moros, M., Lloyd, J. M., Jansen, E., and Stein, R.: Mid to late Holocene strengthening of the East Greenland Current linked to warm subsurface Atlantic water, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 129, 296–307, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.007, 2015.
Perner, K., Moros, M., Jansen, E., Kuijpers, A., Troelstra, S. R., and Prins, M. A.: Subarctic Front migration at the Reykjanes Ridge during the mid- to late Holocene: evidence from planktic foraminifera, Boreas, 47, 175–188, https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12263, 2018.
Perner, K., Moros, M., Otterå, O. H., Blanz, T., Schneider, R. R., and Jansen, E.: An oceanic perspective on Greenland's recent freshwater discharge since 1850, Sci. Rep., 9, 17680, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53723-z, 2019.
Perovich, D., Meier, W., Tschudi, M., Hendricks, S., Petty, A. A., Divine, D., Farrell, S., Gerland, S., Haas, C., Kaleschke, L., Pavlova, O., Ricker, R., Tian-Kunze, X., Wood, K., and Webster, M.: Arctic Report Card 2020: Sea Ice, United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Physical Sciences Laboratory (U.S.), Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (Fort Collins, Colo.), https://doi.org/10.25923/N170-9H57, 2020.
Pieńkowski, A. J., Gill, N. K., Furze, M. F., Mugo, S. M., Marret, F., and Perreaux, A.: Arctic sea-ice proxies: Comparisons between biogeochemical and micropalaeontological reconstructions in a sediment archive from Arctic Canada, Holocene, 27, 665–682, https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683616670466, 2017.
Polyak, L., Belt, S. T., Cabedo-Sanz, P., Yamamoto, M., and Park, Y.-H.: Holocene sea-ice conditions and circulation at the Chukchi-Alaskan margin, Arctic Ocean, inferred from biomarker proxies, Holocene, 26, 1810–1821, https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683616645939, 2016.
Polyakov, I. V., Alexeev, V. A., Ashik, I. M., Bacon, S., Beszczynska-Möller, A., Carmack, E. C., Dmitrenko, I. A., Fortier, L., Gascard, J.-C., Hansen, E., Hölemann, J., Ivanov, V. V., Kikuchi, T., Kirillov, S., Lenn, Y.-D., McLaughlin, F. A., Piechura, J., Repina, I., Timokhov, L. A., Walczowski, W., and Woodgate, R.: Fate of Early 2000s Arctic Warm Water Pulse, B. Am. Meteor. Soc., 92, 561–566, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010BAMS2921.1, 2011.
Rahaman, W., Smik, L., Köseoğlu, D., N, L., Tarique, M., Thamban, M., Haywood, A., Belt, S. T., and Knies, J.: Reduced Arctic sea ice extent during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period concurrent with increased Atlantic-climate regime, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 550, 116535, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116535, 2020.
Reeh, N., Thomsen, H. H., Higgins, A. K., and Weidick, A.: Sea ice and the stability of north and northeast Greenland floating glaciers, Ann. Glaciol., 33, 474–480, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756401781818554, 2001.
Rontani, J.-F., Belt, S. T., Vaultier, F., and Brown, T. A.: Visible light induced photo-oxidation of highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes: Significant dependence on the number and nature of double bonds, Org. Geochem., 42, 812–822, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2011.04.013, 2011.
Rontani, J.-F., Belt, S. T., Vaultier, F., Brown, T. A., and Massé, G.: Autoxidative and Photooxidative Reactivity of Highly Branched Isoprenoid (HBI) Alkenes, Lipids, 49, 481–494, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-014-3891-x, 2014.
Rontani, J.-F., Belt, S. T., and Amiraux, R.: Biotic and abiotic degradation of the sea ice diatom biomarker IP25 and selected algal sterols in near-surface Arctic sediments, Org. Geochem., 118, 73–88, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2018.01.003, 2018.
Schaffer, J., Appen, W.-J. von, Dodd, P. A., Hofstede, C., Mayer, C., de Steur, L., and Kanzow, T.: Warm water pathways toward Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier, Northeast Greenland, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 122, 4004–4020, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JC012462, 2017.
Schneider, W. and Budéus, G.: The North East Water polynya (Greenland Sea), Polar Biol., 14, 1–9, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00240265, 1994.
Seidenkrantz, M.-S., Andersen, J. R., Andresen, K., J., Bendtsen, J., Brice, C., Ellegaard, M., Eriksen, L. N., Gariboldi, K., Le Duc, C., Mathiasen, A. M., Nielsen, T., Ofstad, S., Pearce, C., Rasmussen, T., L., Ribeiro, S., Rysgaard, S., Røy, H., Scholze, C., Schultz, M., and Wagner, D. J.: NorthGreen2017 – a Marine Research Expedition to NE Greenland Onboard “R/V 1029 Dana” September 17 to October 1, Cruise Report, Aarhus University, 2018.
Sévellec, F., Fedorov, A. V., and Liu, W.: Arctic sea-ice decline weakens the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, Nat. Clim. Change, 7, 604–610, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3353, 2017.
Sørensen, M.: Walrus Island – A pivotal place for High Arctic Palaeo-Eskimo societies in Northeast Greenland, etudinuit, 36, 183–205, https://doi.org/10.7202/1015959ar, 2012.
Sneed, W. A. and Hamilton, G. S.: Recent changes in the Norske Øer Ice Barrier, coastal Northeast Greenland, Ann. Glaciol., 57, 47–55, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2016.21, 2016.
Stein, R., Fahl, K., and Müller, J.: Proxy reconstruction of Arctic Ocean sea ice history – From IRD to IP25, Polarforschung, Polarforschung, 82, 37–71, 2012.
Stein, R., Fahl, K., Schreck, M., Knorr, G., Niessen, F., Forwick, M., Gebhardt, C., Jensen, L., Kaminski, M., Kopf, A., Matthiessen, J., Jokat, W., and Lohmann, G.: Evidence for ice-free summers in the late Miocene central Arctic Ocean, Nat. Commun., 7, 11148, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11148, 2016.
Stein, R., Fahl, K., Gierz, P., Niessen, F., and Lohmann, G.: Arctic Ocean sea ice cover during the penultimate glacial and the last interglacial, Nat. Commun., 8, 373, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00552-1, 2017.
Syring, N., Stein, R., Fahl, K., Vahlenkamp, M., Zehnich, M., Spielhagen, R. F., and Niessen, F.: Holocene changes in sea-ice cover and polynya formation along the eastern North Greenland shelf: New insights from biomarker records, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 231, 106173, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106173, 2020a.
Syring, N., Lloyd, J. M., Stein, R., Fahl, K., Roberts, D. H., Callard, L., and O'Cofaigh, C.: Holocene Interactions Between Glacier Retreat, Sea Ice Formation, and Atlantic Water Advection at the Inner Northeast Greenland Continental Shelf, Paleoceanogr. Paleocl., 35, e2020PA004019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020PA004019, 2020b.
Thomas, D. N.: Sea Ice, John Wiley & Sons, 666 pp., 2017.
Vare, L. L., Massé, G., and Belt, S. T.: A biomarker-based reconstruction of sea ice conditions for the Barents Sea in recent centuries, Holocene, 20, 637–643, https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683609355179, 2010.
Volkman, J. K.: A review of sterol markers for marine and terrigenous organic matter, Org. Geochem., 9, 83–99, https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6380(86)90089-6, 1986.
Wadhams, P.: The ice cover in the Greenland and Norwegian seas, Rev. Geophys., 19, 345–393, https://doi.org/10.1029/RG019i003p00345, 1981.
Walsh, J. E., Fetterer, F., Scott stewart, J., and Chapman, W. L.: A database for depicting Arctic sea ice variations back to 1850, Geogr. Rev., 107, 89–107, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1931-0846.2016.12195.x, 2017.
Walsh, J. E., Chapman, W. L., Fetterer, F., and Stewart, S.: Gridded Monthly Sea Ice Extent and Concentration, 1850 Onward, Version 2, Boulder, Colorado USA. NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.7265/jj4s-tq79, 2019.
Wang, C., Negrel, J., Gerland, S., Divine, D. V., Dodd, P., and Granskog, M. A.: Thermodynamics of Fast Ice off the Northeast Coast of Greenland (79° N) Over a Full Year (2012–2013), J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 125, e2019JC015823, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015823, 2020.
Wang, X., Liu, Y., Key, J. R., and Dworak, R.: A New Perspective on Four Decades of Changes in Arctic Sea Ice from Satellite Observations, Remote Sens., 14, 1846, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14081846, 2022.
Weckström, K., Massé, G., Collins, L. G., Hanhijärvi, S., Bouloubassi, I., Sicre, M.-A., Seidenkrantz, M.-S., Schmidt, S., Andersen, T. J., Andersen, M. L., Hill, B., and Kuijpers, A.: Evaluation of the sea ice proxy IP25 against observational and diatom proxy data in the SW Labrador Sea, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 79, 53–62, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.02.012, 2013.
Wekerle, C., McPherson, R., von Appen, W.-J., Wang, Q., Timmermann, R., Scholz, P., Danilov, S., Shu, Q., and Kanzow, T.: Atlantic Water warming increases melt below Northeast Greenland's last floating ice tongue, Nat. Commun., 15, 1336, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45650-z, 2024.
Xiao, X., Stein, R., and Fahl, K.: MIS 3 to MIS 1 temporal and LGM spatial variability in Arctic Ocean sea ice cover: Reconstruction from biomarkers, Paleoceanography, 30, 969–983, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015PA002814, 2015a.
Xiao, X., Fahl, K., Müller, J., and Stein, R.: Sea-ice distribution in the modern Arctic Ocean: Biomarker records from trans-Arctic Ocean surface sediments, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 155, 16–29, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2015.01.029, 2015b.
Short summary
Here, we evaluate the use of biomarkers for reconstructing sea ice between 1880 and 2017 from three sediment cores located in a transect across the Northeast Greenland continental shelf. We find that key changes, specifically the decline in sea-ice cover identified in observational records between 1971 and 1984, align with our biomarker reconstructions. This outcome supports the use of biomarkers for longer reconstructions of sea-ice cover in this region.
Here, we evaluate the use of biomarkers for reconstructing sea ice between 1880 and 2017 from...
