Ice Height and Backscattering Coefficient Variability over Greenland Ice Sheets Using SARAL Radar Altimeter

Ice sheets investigation is important with regard to climate change and contribution to the sea level rise or fall. Radar altimetry in complement with laser altimetry can serve as a suitable candidate for precise monitoring of ice sheet evaluations. SARAL due to higher observation into the polar region (up to 82.5°N) can cover nearly 100% of the Greenland ice sheet. Continuous ice tracking mode retracker can provide useful information about ice surfaces, that is, determining the snow coverage, ice sheet transaction margin, and the evolution of snow depth during winter more accurately. This study present the results obtained with SARAL satellite Altika radar altimeter over the Greenland ice sheet region. The altimeter high rate waveforms products are used for utilizing the full capability of the instrument. High resolution DEM (1 km) generated using ICESAT/GLAS altimeter has been used for selecting the good quality data over the study region. Four different retrackers—Ocean, ICE-1, ICE-2, and Sea-Ice—were tested on the SARAL altimeter data set and compared with the DEM extracted ice sheet elevations. Three different data analysis—region of interest (ROI), track analysis, and cross-over analysis—were performed for in-depth analysis of the ice height changes and back scattering coefficient variability. ROI's (1° × 0.5°) were selected based on accumulation dry snow zone, percolation zone, wet snow zone, and ablation zone. Finally to observe the effect of Ka band, SARAL results has been compared with the Envisat altimeter in terms of back scatter and error in the height retrieval due to penetration problem within the ice sheet layer. The new SARAL data set confirms the potential of ice altimetry and provides a new opportunity to monitor the ice sheet surface topography evolution.     

Ice Mass Variation in Antarctica from GRACE Over 2002–2011

We detect the mass balance of the Antarctica ice sheet from GRACE for the recent period July 2002 through March 2011. Land hydrology contamination was corrected through global hydrological models and glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) of the solid Earth since last deglaciation using the IJ05 model, and then a forward model was employed to adjust to bias due to smoothing filters and GRACE's limited resolution. The results show that there are two significant turning points for ice mass losses or gains near the early 2006 and the end of 2008. The ice mass losses in West Antarctica have accelerated dramatically during 2009–2011, while in East Antarctica the rate is positive, mainly caused by snow accumulation. Over the whole studying period, ice loss rates in West Antarctica (?108 ± 36 Gt/yr) are still significantly larger than the increase in East Antarctica (+72 ± 24) Gt/yr. Thus, the total Antarctica contribution to sea level rise is slightly negative ?0.18 ± 0.02 mm/yr. The rapid change of the regional ice mass in Antarctic, in the course of only several years, suggests that the Antarctica ice sheet mass balance is more sensitive to regional climate conditions than considered before.     

Facies system of the Eastern Barents Sea since the last glaciation to present

Twenty-two sediment cores raised from the central and eastern parts of the Barents Sea have been studied to reconstruct the evolution of the facies system since the Late Weichselian glaciation. Multiproxy records reveal four lithostratigraphic units, which reflect major development stages of paleoenvironments. Age control is provided by 23 AMS ¹⁴C dates for Holocene sections of four cores. Continental moraine deposits of the last glaciation are overlain by proximal glaciomarine facies of the initial deglaciation phase. During this phase, the Barents Sea ice sheet detached from the ground resulting in seawater penetration into troughs, iceberg calving, deposition of IRD and fine-grained glacier meltwater load in newly formed marine basins. The main deglaciation phase is characterized by pulsed sedimentation from various gravity flows resulting in accumulation of distal glaciomarine facies comprising laminated clay and sand sequences with minor IRD. Redistribution of fine-grained suspended matter by bottom currents and brine-induced nepheloid flows combined with biogenic processes and minor ice rafting caused facies diversity of the Holocene marine sediments. The Holocene facies of shelf depressions reflect rather high, but variable productivity responding to climate changes and variations of Atlantic water inflow into the Barents Sea.     

Extremely deep-draft iceberg scouring in the glacial North Atlantic Ocean

Side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiling investigations of the Iceland-Faeroe Ridge have revealed the widespread presence of iceberg plowmarks at water depths between 750 and 860 m. This is well beyond the maximum water depth reported for ice scouring in the adjacent areas of the North Atlantic. An exceptionally deep iceberg plowmark was found at the southern flank of the ridge, which could be traced down to 940 m water depth. Supported by published nearby sediment core data, a Saalian (MIS 6) age of that iceberg plowmark is suggested. Considering a glacial sea level of 120 m below present, the paleo-draft of this iceberg is estimated to have been at least 820 m. The keel depth of such giant icebergs drifting in the glacial northern North Atlantic significantly exceeds the draft dimensions of large icebergs seen today in the Antarctic. The most likely source area for this extreme deep-draft type of iceberg is inferred to be southern Greenland. Plowmark direction, which in our case indicates iceberg entrainment by the North Atlantic Current, is suggested to be a useful indicator of (sub)surface paleo-circulation during late Pleistocene iceberg surging and deglaciation episodes.     

Ice-sheet dynamics through the Quaternary on the mid-Norwegian continental margin inferred from 3D seismic data

Reconstructing the evolution of ice sheets is critical to our understanding of the global environmental system, but most detailed palaeo-glaciological reconstructions have hitherto focused on the very recent history of ice sheets. Here, we present a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the changing nature of ice-sheet derived sedimentary architecture through the Quaternary Ice Age of almost 3 Ma. An extensive geophysical record documents a marine-terminating, calving Fennoscandian Ice Sheet (FIS) margin present periodically on the mid-Norwegian shelf since the beginning of the Quaternary. Spatial and temporal variability of the FIS is illustrated by the gradual development of fast-flowing ice streams and associated intensification of focused glacial erosion and sedimentation since that time. Buried subglacial landforms reveal a complex and dynamic ice sheet, with converging palaeo-ice streams and several flow-switching events that may reflect major changes in topography and basal thermal regime. Lack of major subglacial meltwater channels suggests a largely distributed drainage system beneath the marine-terminating part of the FIS. This palaeo-environmental examination of the FIS provides a useful framework for ice-sheet modelling and shows that fragmentary preservation of buried surfaces and variability of ice-sheet dynamics should be taken into account when reconstructing glacial history from spatially limited datasets.     

Morphology,sedimentary infill and depositional environments of the Early Quaternary North Sea Basin (56°–62°N)

The North Sea Basin has been subsiding during the Quaternary and contains hundreds of metres of fill. Seismic surveys (170 000 km²) provide new evidence on Early Quaternary sedimentation, from about 2.75 Ma to around the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary (0.78 Ma). We present an informal seismic stratigraphy for the Early Quaternary of the North Sea, and calculate sediment volumes for major units. Early Quaternary sediment thickness is > 1000 m in the northern basin and >700 m in the central basin (total about 40 000 km³). Northern North Sea basin-fill comprises several clinoform units, prograding westward over 60 000 km². Architecture of the central basin also comprises clinoforms, building from the southeast. To the west, an acoustically layered and mounded unit (Unit Z) was deposited. Remaining accommodation space was filled with fine-grained sediments of two Central Basin units. Above these units, an Upper Regional Unconformity-equivalent (URU) records a conformable surface with flat-lying units that indicate stronger direct glacial influence than on the sediments below. On the North Sea Plateau north of 59°N, the Upper Regional Unconformity (URU) is defined by a shift from westward to eastward dipping seismic reflectors, recording a major change in sedimentation, with the Shetland Platform becoming a significant source. A model of Early Quaternary sediment delivery to the North Sea shows sources from the Scandinavian ice sheet and major European rivers. Clinoforms prograding west in the northern North Sea Basin, representing glacigenic debris flows, indicate an ice sheet on the western Scandinavian margin. In the central basin, sediments are generally fine-grained, suggesting a distal fluvial or glacifluvial origin from European rivers. Ploughmarks also demonstrate that icebergs, derived from an ice sheet to the north, drifted into the central North Sea Basin. By contrast, sediments and glacial landforms above the URU provide evidence for the later presence of a grounded ice sheet.     

A record of fluctuating bottom currents on the slopes west of the Porcupine Bank,offshore Ireland — implications for Late Quaternary climate forcing

Both local and regional controls on slope sedimentation west of Porcupine Bank are assessed using an array of 25 gravity cores, integrated with shallow seismic, TOBI side-scan and high-resolution bathymetry data. The cores were retrieved from an area of smooth, distally steepened slope (between 52° and 53°N) in water depths of 950 to 2750 m. The slope here is unmodified by gravity failures and is swept by bottom currents that flow from S to N along the margin. The cores reveal a coherent shallow stratigraphy that can be traced along and between transects at upper-, mid- and lower-slope levels. AMS ¹⁴C dating, oxygen-isotopes and carbonate profiles suggest the cored record could extend as far back as 500 ka in the longest cores, with most cores providing details of the slope response to the last interglacial, last glacial and Holocene forcing. The facies indicate deposition was dominated by a combination of bottom currents, ice-rafting and hemipelagic settling, with carbonate-prone deposits during interglacials, and siliciclastic deposits during glacials. Inferred contourites imply that strong currents operated during interglacials, with weaker current reworking during glacial conditions. A pair of erosion surfaces record significant mid- and upper-slope scouring during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS 3) and in the Early Holocene. The lateral facies distribution implies stronger currents at shallower levels on the slope, although there is evidence that the core of the current migrated up and down the slope, and that sand might locally have spilt down-slope. The bathymetry influenced both the wider geometry of the condensed contourite sheet and the local thickness and facies variation across the slope. A significant result of the study is the identification of a pair of thin sand–mud contourite couplets that record enhanced bottom-current reworking corresponding to periods of interstadial warming during MIS 3. The couplets can be correlated to the terrestrial records onshore Ireland and imply that the NE Atlantic margin oceanographic and onshore climate records are strongly coupled at interstadial level.     

Modeling calving process of glacier with dilated polyhedral discrete element method

Mass loss caused by glacier calving is one of the direct contributors to global sea level rise. Reliable calving laws are required for accurate modelling of ice sheet mass balance. Both continuous and discontinuous methods have been used for glacial calving simulations. In this study, the discrete element method(DEM) based on dilated polyhedral elements is introduced to simulate the calving process of a tidewater glacier. Dilated polyhedrons can be obtained from the Minkowski sum of a sphere and a core polyhedron. These elements can be utilized to generate a continuum ice material, where the interaction force between adjacent elements is modeled by constructing bonds at the joints of the common faces. A hybrid fracture model considering fracture energy is introduced. The viscous creep behavior of glaciers on long-term scales is not considered. By applying buoyancy and gravity to the modelled glacier, DEM results show that the calving process is caused by cracks which are initialized at the top of the glacier and spread to the bottom. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using the dilated polyhedral DEM method in glacier simulations, additionally allowing the fragment size of the breaking fragments to be counted. The relationship between crack propagation and internal stress in the glacier is analyzed during calving process. Through the analysis of the Mises stress and the normal stress between the elements, it is found that geometric changes caused by the glacier calving lead to the redistribution of the stress. The tensile stress between the elements is the main influencing factor of glacier ice failure. In addition, the element shape,glacier base friction and buoyancy are studied, the results show that the glacier model based on the dilated polyhedral DEM is sensitive to the above conditions.     

Structure of temperature variability in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere

The spatial structure of surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies in the extratropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) during the 20th century is studied from the data obtained over the period 1892–1999. The expansion of the mean (over the winter and summer periods) SAT anomalies into empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) is used for analysis. It is shown that variations in the mean air temperature in the Arctic region (within the latitudes 60°–90°N) during both the winter and summer periods can be described with a high accuracy by two spatial orthogonal modes of variability. For the winter period, these are the EOF related to the leading mode of variability of large-scale atmospheric circulation in the NH, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and the spatially localized (in the Arctic) EOF, which describes the Arctic warming of the mid-20th century. The expansion coefficient of this EOF does not correlate with the indices of atmospheric circulation and is hypothetically related to variations in the area of the Arctic ice cover that are due to long-period variations in the influx of oceanic heat from the Atlantic. On the whole, a significantly weaker relation to the atmospheric circulation is characteristic of the summer period. The first leading variability mode describes a positive temperature trend of the past decades, which is hypothetically related to global warming, while the second leading EOF describes a long-period oscillation. On the whole, the results of analysis suggest a significant effect of natural climatic variability on air-temperature anomalies in the NH high latitudes and possible difficulties in isolating an anthropogenic component of climate changes.     

渤海和北极海冰组构及晶体结构特征分析

渤海一年冰的组构和晶体结构表现出的冰的非连续生长速率使得冰层底部具有气泡含量不同的许多分层;静水生长的灰冰具有典型的粒状冰和柱状冰;融化-重冻结冰和重叠冰具有特定的晶体结构.位于北冰洋72°24.037'N,153°33.994'W,长2.2m的冰心样为三年冰,并且发现其内有一种新的晶体类型,定义为碎屑凝聚冰.由位于北冰洋74°58.614'N,160°31.830'W,长4.86m的冰心样的晶体结构分析发现它过去为冰脊,后经融化-冻结改造形成冰丘的证据.     

Halocarbons associated with Arctic sea ice

Short-lived halocarbons were measured in Arctic sea–ice brine, seawater and air above the Greenland and Norwegian seas (~81°N, 2–5°E) in mid-summer, from a melting ice floe at the edge of the ice pack. In the ice floe, concentrations of C₂H₅I, 2-C₃H₇I and CH₂Br₂ showed significant enhancement in the sea ice brine, of average factors of 1.7, 1.4 and 2.5 times respectively, compared to the water underneath and after normalising to brine volume. Concentrations of mono-iodocarbons in air are the highest ever reported, and our calculations suggest increased fluxes of halocarbons to the atmosphere may result from their sea–ice enhancement. Some halocarbons were also measured in ice of the sub-Arctic in Hudson Bay (~55°N, 77°W) in early spring, ice that was thicker, colder and less porous than the Arctic ice in summer, and in which the halocarbons were concentrated to values over 10 times larger than in the Arctic ice when normalised to brine volume. Concentrations in the Arctic ice were similar to those in Antarctic sea ice that was similarly warm and porous. As climate warms and Arctic sea ice becomes more like that of the Antarctic, our results lead us to expect the production of iodocarbons and so of reactive iodine gases to increase.     

The effect of dynamic–thermodynamic icebergs on the Southern Ocean climate in a three-dimensional model

Melting icebergs are a mobile source of fresh water as well as a sink of latent heat. In most global climate models, the spatio-temporal redistribution of fresh water and latent heat fluxes related to icebergs is parameterized by an instantaneous more or less arbitrary flux distribution over some parts of the oceans. It is uncertain if such a parameterization provides a realistic representation of the role of icebergs in the coupled climate system. However, icebergs could have a significant climate role, in particular during past abrupt climate change events which have been associated with armada’s of icebergs. We therefore present the interactive coupling of a global climate model to a dynamic thermodynamic iceberg model, leading to a more plausible spatio-temporal redistribution of fresh water and heat fluxes. We show first that our model is able to reproduce a reasonable iceberg distribution in both hemispheres when compared to recent data. Second, in a series of sensitivity experiments we explore cooling and freshening effects of dynamical icebergs on the upper Southern Ocean and we compare these dynamic iceberg results to the effects of an equivalent parameterized iceberg flux.In our model without interactive icebergs, the parameterized fluxes are distributed homogeneously South of 55°S, whereas dynamic icebergs are found to be concentrated closer to shore except for a plume of icebergs floating North–East from the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Compared to homogeneous fluxes, the dynamic icebergs lead to a 10% greater net production of Antarctic bottom water (AABW). This increased bottom water production involves open ocean convection, which is enhanced by a less efficient stratification of the ocean when comparing to a homogeneous flux distribution.Icebergs facilitate the formation of sea-ice. In the sensitivity experiments, both the fresh water and the cooling flux lead to a significant increase in sea-ice area of 12% and 6%, respectively, directly affecting the highly coupled and interactive air/sea/ice system. The consequences are most pronounced along the sea-ice edge, where this sea-ice facilitation has the greatest potential to affect ocean stratification, for example by heat insulation and wind shielding, which further amplifies the cooling and freshening of the surface waters.     

Submarine mass movements on glaciated and non-glaciated European continental margins: A review of triggering mechanisms and preconditions to failure

In this paper we present an overview of the major triggering mechanisms and preconditions for slope failure on the European continental margins, a vast area in which the dominant factors on sedimentation and erosional processes vary both spatially and temporally. Therefore, we have collated and integrated new as well as published data for both the formerly glaciated and non-glaciated areas of this highly dynamic margin for a time period mainly from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the present. Mass transport type is predominantly translational sliding on the high-latitude continental margins (north of 52°N), whereas turbidites dominate on lower latitudes. This is partly related to the average slope of the respective continental margin segments and differences in both sediment types and soil properties. Additionally, on low latitudes, submarine slope failures mainly occurred during glacial conditions with low sea level, whereas on high latitudes, they occur during the relatively fast transition from glacial to interglacial conditions (i.e. during periods of sea level rise). The largest submarine slides (e.g. Storegga, Trænadjupet, Andøya) on the glaciated Norwegian margin occurred during the Holocene, a time of rapid ice sheet decay, continental uplift and increased seismic activity, one of the most important triggering mechanisms for large failures during deglaciation processes. Preconditioning factors such as weak layers related to contourite drifts and rapid loading by glacial sediments may enhance strain localization and creep processes on the slope.     

pT-effects of Pleistocene glacial periods on permafrost,gas hydrate stability zones and reservoir of the Mittelplate oil field,northern Germany

During the past two million years low surface temperatures as well as episodically advancing ice sheets from Scandinavia acted on the subsurface pT-regime of northern Germany. Their likely effects on the petroleum system of Schleswig-Holstein were investigated. For the entire Quaternary mean annual ground temperature (MAGT) was reconstructed at a resolution of 1000 years by calibrating oxygen isotope records from ODP-site 659 to the climate of northern Germany of the past 120 kyr. The resulting MAGT trend served as input to an ice sheet model and a permafrost model along a 2D section crossing the petroleum bearing south-western part of Schleswig-Holstein. Here advances and retreats of the Scandinavian ice sheet during Saalian and Elsterian glaciation Stages were reconstructed. Maximum ice thicknesses of up to 1700 m and up to 20 periods of regional permafrost in northern Germany were reconstructed for the past 1.25 million years. Based on a basal heat flow of 50 mW/m² permafrost thicknesses exceeded 100 m during most of these periods, temporarily extending down to depths of more than 300 m. Favourable surface temperatures and long durations of cold periods provided favourable conditions for onshore gas hydrate stability zones at Mittelplate. Implementing these glacial dynamics into 2D basin modelling (PetroMod, IES, Aachen, Germany) of the Mittelplate oil field reveals five phases of gas hydrate stability at depths down to 750 m. The latest of these events occurred during the Weichselian about 20 kyr ago. The effect of the ice sheets on pore pressure in the subsurface strongly depends on the hydraulic boundary conditions at the ice base (e.g. frozen vs. temperate ice sheet base). Excess pore pressure in the reservoir of more than 10 MPa during ice overriding is possible and probable. The calculated temperature effect of the Pleistocene cooling on the Mittelplate reservoir is in the range of 3–7 °C. Even today temperature in the reservoir is still lowered by about 4 °C in comparison to pre-Pleistocene times. Despite the fact that a significant influence of glacial effects on petroleum generation can be ruled out at Mittelplate, we state that pT-effects in reservoirs related to glacial processes in formerly glaciated areas have been underestimated in the past.     

Assessing the global averaged sea-level budget from 2003 to 2010

A global mass balance （Greenland and Antarctica ice sheet mass loss, terrestrial water storage） and differ- ent sea-level components （observed sea-level from satellite altimetry, steric sea-level from Ishii data, and ocean mass from gravity recovery and climate experiment, GRACE） are estimated, in terms of seasonal and interannual variabilities from 2003 to 2010. The results show that a detailed analysis of the GRACE time series over the time period 2003-2010 unambiguously reveals an increase in mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet and Antarctica ice sheet. The mass loss of both ice sheets accelerated at a rate of （392.8±70.0） Gt/a during 2003-2010, which contributed （1.09±0.19） mm/a to the global mean sea-level during this time. The net terrestrial water storage （TWS） trend was negative over the 8 a time span, which gave a small positive contribution of （0.25±0.12） mm/a. The interannual variability of the global mean sea-level was at least part- ly caused by year-to-year variability of land water storage. Estimating GRACE-based ice sheet mass balance and terrestrial water storage by using published estimates for melting glaciers, the results further show that the ocean mass increase since 2003 has resulted half from an enhanced contribution of the polar ice sheets, and half from the combined ice sheet and terrestrial water storage loss. Taking also into account the melt- ing of mountain glaciers （0.41 mm/a） and the small GRACE-based contribution from continental waters （0.25 mm/a）, a total ocean mass contribution of （1.75±0.57） mm/a from 2003 to 2010 is found. Such a value represented 75% of the altimetry-based rate of sea-level rise over that period. The contributions to steric sea-level （i.e., ocean thermal expansion plus salinity effects） are estimated from： （1） the difference between altimetry-based sea-level and ocean mass change and （2） the latest Ishii data. The inferred steric sea-level rate from （1） （1.41 mm/a from 2003 to 2010） did not agree well with the Ishii-based value also estimated here （0.44 mm/a from 2003 to 2010）, but phase. The cause for such a discrepancy is not yet known but may be related to inadequate sampling of in situ ocean temperature and salinity measurements.     

Paleoceanographic records and sea ice extension history on the slope of the northern Bering Sea over the last 100 ka B.P.

1Introduction TheBeringSea,locatedinthesub-arcticNorth Pacific,playsanimportantroleininfluencingtheevo- lutionaryprocessoftheglobalclimaticsystembecause itsseasonalseaiceisformedinrelativelowerlatitudes (Takahashi,1999).ItisalsoasinkofatmosphericCO2, whichisoriginatedfromtheeffectivebiologicalpump inthissea.Particulatefluxdatameasuredinthesea overthelast10aindicatethattheorganic/inorganic carbonratiowasalwaysgreaterthan1,whichexplains thattheBeingSeaoccupiesasignificantpositionin theproces…     

Were glacial iceberg surges in the North Atlantic triggered by climatic warming?

High-resolution physical, mineralogical, sedimentological and micropalaeontological studies were carried out on North Atlantic cores from the Reykjanes Ridge at 59°N and from the region southwest of the Faeroe Islands. All core sites are situated along the pathway of Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) and the various parameters measured display similar features. Previously identified carbonate oscillations [Keigwin and Jones (1994) J. Geophys. Res., 99, 12397-12410] in the time span back to the Marine Isotope Stage 5-4 transition and Late Glacial lithic events [Bond and Lotti (1995) Science, 267, 1005-1010], such as the Heinrich ice-rafting events, are all represented in the core records. Long-term trends and higher-frequency changes in ISOW intensity were reconstructed on the basis of various independent proxy records. The long-term trends in circulation match theoretical orbitally forced insolation changes. Our observed links between ice-rafted detritus (IRD) input, variations in sea surface temperature (SST) and circulation at greater depth point to the need to re-examine the origin of IRD events. We suggest that these events may have been triggered by enhanced, partly sub-surface, heat transport to the north. Enhanced northward heat transport may have caused bottom melting of floating outlet glaciers and ice shelves, leading to increased iceberg discharge and ice sheet destabilization. This discharge resulted in lower SST’s and a lower temperature over Greenland. Thus, as shown by our records, this scenario implies a temporary de-coupling of surface processes and circulation at greater depth. A key feature is the occurrence of a saw-tooth pattern in the marine data, which is similar to the Greenland ice core records. Moreover, the ‘warming’ theory of IRD events would explain the observed ‘out-of-phase’ relationship between the Greenland and Antarctic ice core records and also the rapid establishment of higher temperatures over Greenland immediately after the cold phases (stadials) of the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles.     

15 ka以来罗斯海陆架岩心沉积学记录及古海洋学意义

本文对取自罗斯海陆架的JB04岩心沉积物进行AMS14C测年、粒度、有机碳等测试,结合沉积物粒度组分因子分析,研究该岩心的沉积学记录,探讨其古海洋学意义。结果显示:JB04岩心沉积物的底部年龄为15 ka;沉积物粒度组分因子分析提取出3个环境敏感粒级,分别代表正常冰海沉积、低能海洋沉积和高能海洋沉积;综合沉积物岩相及沉积物组成特征,可以将岩心分为4段,从底部到顶部依次为主要受冰盖刮蚀影响的冰盖下沉积、属低能海洋环境的冰架下沉积、属高能海洋环境的冰架前缘沉积和主要受冰山影响的季节性海冰区沉积。该岩心的沉积地质记录及其古海洋学研究对全面认识罗斯海的海洋环境演变具有重要的意义。     

Glaciomarine sedimentation and palaeo-glacial setting of Maxwell Bay and its tributary embayment, Marian Cove, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica

High-resolution (3.5 kHz and multi-channel) seismic profiles and piston cores were collected from Maxwell Bay and its tributary embayment, Marian Cove, in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, during the Korea Antarctic Research Program (1992/93 and 1995/96) to elucidate the glaciomarine sedimentation processes and recent glacial history of the area. Seismic data from Maxwell Bay reveal a rugged bay margin and flattened basin floor covered with well-stratified hemipelagic muds. On the base-of-slope, acoustically transparent debris flows occur, indicating downslope resedimentation of glaciomarine sediments. Despite the subpolar and ice-proximal settings of Marian Cove, the seafloor is highly rugged with a thin sediment drape, suggesting that much of the area has been recently eroded by glaciers. Sediment cores from the cove penetrated three distinct fining-upward lithofacies: (1) basal till in the lower part of the core, accumulated just seaward of the grounding line of the tidewater glacier; (2) interlaminated sand and mud in the middle part, deposited in ice-proximal zone by a combination of episodic subglacial meltwater inflow and iceberg dumping; and (3) pebbly mud in the upper part, deposited in ice-distal zone by both surface meltwater plume and ice-rafting from the glacier front. A reconstruction of the glacial history of these areas since the late glacial maximum shows an ice sheet filling Maxwell Bay in late Wisconsin time and grounding of the tidewater glacier in Marian Cove until about 1300 yr BP.     

Late quaternary oceanographic conditions in the Western Bering Sea

The benthic and planktonic foraminiferal assemblages and the distribution of coarse grain-size factions were studied in the upper 4.5 m of the Core SO201-2-85KL (57°30.30′ N, 170°24.79′ E, water depth 968 m) retrieved from the Shirshov Ridge. This part of the core covers 7.5 to 50 kyr BP. The glacial period is established to be characterized by low surface water productivity, the wide distribution of sea ice and/or icebergs in this area, and a high oxygen concentration in the bottom layer. Enhanced productivity is inferred from the maximum abundance of planktonic foraminifers at the very beginning of the deglaciation. The late Bølling-Allerød interstadial and the early Holocene were marked by the further two-phase increase in the surface productivity and the weakened ventilation of the bottom water.