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Holocene polynya dynamics and their interaction with oceanic heat transport in northernmost Baffin Bay

Jackson, Rebecca; Kvorning, Anna Bang; Limoges, Audrey; Georgiadis, Eleanor; Olsen, Steffen M.; Tallberg, Petra; Andersen, Thorbjørn J.; Mikkelsen, Naja; Giraudeau, Jacques; Massé, Guillaume; Wacker, Lukas; Ribeiro, Sofia

Holocene polynya dynamics and their interaction with oceanic heat transport in northernmost Baffin Bay Thumbnail


Authors

Rebecca Jackson

Anna Bang Kvorning

Audrey Limoges

Eleanor Georgiadis

Steffen M. Olsen

Petra Tallberg

Thorbjørn J. Andersen

Naja Mikkelsen

Jacques Giraudeau

Guillaume Massé

Lukas Wacker

Sofia Ribeiro



Abstract

Baffin Bay hosts the largest and most productive of the Arctic polynyas: the North Water (NOW). Despite its significance and active role in water mass formation, the history of the NOW beyond the observational era remains poorly known. We reconcile the previously unassessed relationship between long-term NOW dynamics and ocean conditions by applying a multiproxy approach to two marine sediment cores from the region that, together, span the Holocene. Declining influence of Atlantic Water in the NOW is coeval with regional records that indicate the inception of a strong and recurrent polynya from ~ 4400 yrs BP, in line with Neoglacial cooling. During warmer Holocene intervals such as the Roman Warm Period, a weaker NOW is evident, and its reduced capacity to influence bottom ocean conditions facilitated northward penetration of Atlantic Water. Future warming in the Arctic may have negative consequences for this vital biological oasis, with the potential knock-on effect of warm water penetration further north and intensified melt of the marine-terminating glaciers that flank the coast of northwest Greenland.

Citation

Jackson, R., Kvorning, A. B., Limoges, A., Georgiadis, E., Olsen, S. M., Tallberg, P., …Ribeiro, S. (2021). Holocene polynya dynamics and their interaction with oceanic heat transport in northernmost Baffin Bay. Scientific Reports, 11(1), Article 10095. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88517-9

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 30, 2021
Online Publication Date May 12, 2021
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Sep 2, 2021
Publicly Available Date Sep 2, 2021
Journal Scientific Reports
Publisher Nature Research
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 11
Issue 1
Article Number 10095
DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88517-9

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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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