A major increase in winter snowfall during the middle Holocene on western Greenland caused by reduced sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea
Abstract Precipitation is predicted to increase in the Arctic as temperature increases and sea ice retreats. Yet the mechanisms controlling precipitation in the Arctic are poorly understood and quantified only by the short, sparse instrumental record. We use hydrogen isotope ratios (δ2H) of lipid bi...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2016-05-01
|
| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068513 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850272520263958528 |
|---|---|
| author | Elizabeth K. Thomas Jason P. Briner John J. Ryan‐Henry Yongsong Huang |
| author_facet | Elizabeth K. Thomas Jason P. Briner John J. Ryan‐Henry Yongsong Huang |
| author_sort | Elizabeth K. Thomas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Precipitation is predicted to increase in the Arctic as temperature increases and sea ice retreats. Yet the mechanisms controlling precipitation in the Arctic are poorly understood and quantified only by the short, sparse instrumental record. We use hydrogen isotope ratios (δ2H) of lipid biomarkers in lake sediments from western Greenland to reconstruct precipitation seasonality and summer temperature during the past 8 kyr. Aquatic biomarker δ2H was 100‰ more negative from 6 to 4 ka than during the early and late Holocene, which we interpret to reflect increased winter snowfall. The middle Holocene also had high summer air temperature, decreased early winter sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea, and a strong, warm West Greenland Current. These results corroborate model predictions of winter snowfall increases caused by sea ice retreat and furthermore suggest that warm currents advecting more heat into the polar seas may enhance Arctic evaporation and snowfall. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6f3daa2232d64e3297b2678ea83421fa |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-6f3daa2232d64e3297b2678ea83421fa2025-08-20T01:51:46ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072016-05-0143105302530810.1002/2016GL068513A major increase in winter snowfall during the middle Holocene on western Greenland caused by reduced sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador SeaElizabeth K. Thomas0Jason P. Briner1John J. Ryan‐Henry2Yongsong Huang3Department of Geosciences University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst Massachusetts USADepartment of Geology University at Buffalo Buffalo New York USADepartment of Earth, Environment and Planetary Sciences Brown University Providence Rhode Island USADepartment of Earth, Environment and Planetary Sciences Brown University Providence Rhode Island USAAbstract Precipitation is predicted to increase in the Arctic as temperature increases and sea ice retreats. Yet the mechanisms controlling precipitation in the Arctic are poorly understood and quantified only by the short, sparse instrumental record. We use hydrogen isotope ratios (δ2H) of lipid biomarkers in lake sediments from western Greenland to reconstruct precipitation seasonality and summer temperature during the past 8 kyr. Aquatic biomarker δ2H was 100‰ more negative from 6 to 4 ka than during the early and late Holocene, which we interpret to reflect increased winter snowfall. The middle Holocene also had high summer air temperature, decreased early winter sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea, and a strong, warm West Greenland Current. These results corroborate model predictions of winter snowfall increases caused by sea ice retreat and furthermore suggest that warm currents advecting more heat into the polar seas may enhance Arctic evaporation and snowfall.https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068513leaf wax hydrogen isotopeaquatic leaf waxprecipitation seasonalityHoloceneGreenlandsea ice |
| spellingShingle | Elizabeth K. Thomas Jason P. Briner John J. Ryan‐Henry Yongsong Huang A major increase in winter snowfall during the middle Holocene on western Greenland caused by reduced sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea Geophysical Research Letters leaf wax hydrogen isotope aquatic leaf wax precipitation seasonality Holocene Greenland sea ice |
| title | A major increase in winter snowfall during the middle Holocene on western Greenland caused by reduced sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea |
| title_full | A major increase in winter snowfall during the middle Holocene on western Greenland caused by reduced sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea |
| title_fullStr | A major increase in winter snowfall during the middle Holocene on western Greenland caused by reduced sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | A major increase in winter snowfall during the middle Holocene on western Greenland caused by reduced sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea |
| title_short | A major increase in winter snowfall during the middle Holocene on western Greenland caused by reduced sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea |
| title_sort | major increase in winter snowfall during the middle holocene on western greenland caused by reduced sea ice in baffin bay and the labrador sea |
| topic | leaf wax hydrogen isotope aquatic leaf wax precipitation seasonality Holocene Greenland sea ice |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068513 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elizabethkthomas amajorincreaseinwintersnowfallduringthemiddleholoceneonwesterngreenlandcausedbyreducedseaiceinbaffinbayandthelabradorsea AT jasonpbriner amajorincreaseinwintersnowfallduringthemiddleholoceneonwesterngreenlandcausedbyreducedseaiceinbaffinbayandthelabradorsea AT johnjryanhenry amajorincreaseinwintersnowfallduringthemiddleholoceneonwesterngreenlandcausedbyreducedseaiceinbaffinbayandthelabradorsea AT yongsonghuang amajorincreaseinwintersnowfallduringthemiddleholoceneonwesterngreenlandcausedbyreducedseaiceinbaffinbayandthelabradorsea AT elizabethkthomas majorincreaseinwintersnowfallduringthemiddleholoceneonwesterngreenlandcausedbyreducedseaiceinbaffinbayandthelabradorsea AT jasonpbriner majorincreaseinwintersnowfallduringthemiddleholoceneonwesterngreenlandcausedbyreducedseaiceinbaffinbayandthelabradorsea AT johnjryanhenry majorincreaseinwintersnowfallduringthemiddleholoceneonwesterngreenlandcausedbyreducedseaiceinbaffinbayandthelabradorsea AT yongsonghuang majorincreaseinwintersnowfallduringthemiddleholoceneonwesterngreenlandcausedbyreducedseaiceinbaffinbayandthelabradorsea |