Interaction between oceanic forcing, climate change and the West Greenland ice sheet during the mid- to late Holocene

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High-resolution sediment cores taken during R/V “Maria S. Merian” MSM05/3 cruise 2007 will be used to study mid- to late Holocene climate variability in the Disko Bugt area (West Greenland). This area is a key region to test atmospheric versus ocean temperature influence over ice stream behaviour. Ocean forcing might be an important element to include in models predicting changes to the cryosphere that have implications for future sea-level rise. To investigate the role of ocean forcing (West Greenland Current) on ice-stream behaviour (Jacobshavn Isbrae) as well as the general mid- to late Holocene climatic development three oceanographic parameters need to be reconstructed in detail using multi-proxy approaches: (i) variations in iceberg drift and meltwater input, (ii) changes in deep (subsurface) water properties reflecting the ocean signal, and (iii) changes in surface water conditions reflecting an ocean or meltwater signal depending on site studied. Analyses will concentrate on sediments covering the instrumental and historical periods, but will extend to the last 8.000 years. The marine data will complement results of ongoing studies on terrestrial archives and archaeological evidence in this area to improve our understanding of the influence of environmental change on human cultures. This project is a complementary study to ongoing/ forthcoming international activities in West Greenland related to the International Polar Year.