Eirik Drift: Archive of palaeoenvironmental information of climate development and oceanic circulation in the Greenland and Labrador Seas

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The Eirik Drift has been documenting the sedimentation near southeast Greenland since the Miocene. This sediment drift forms an important archive for the depositional processes in this region, which have been shaped by the Western Boundary Undercurrent (WBUC), the Greenland ice sheet and the material input from the Labrador Sea/Davis Strait. The incorporation of high resolution seismic reflection data acquired during RV Maria S. Merian cruise MSM 12/2 in June/July 2009 with geologic information from ODP and IODP sites (ODP Leg 105 and IODP Expedition 303) will lead to information on the development of the WBUC as well as the dimensions and expansion/retreat of the Greenland ice sheet and a much clearer understanding of the evolution of the climate southwest of Greenland. A comparison with sediment drifts from the southern hemisphere will further allow conclusions regarding global climate variations.