Late Holocene Marine Sediment Record from the Bransfield Basin, Antarctic Peninsula
Abstract
A comparison of published records of marine sediment cores from fjords around the northern Antarctic Peninsula suggests that climate change during the deglacial period occurred diachronously across the region. This is in contrast to the widespread retreat observed today. However, detailed records of the Holocene climate from the Antarctic Peninsula are widely spaced and this paucity does not allow for an understanding of the controls on the changes in different areas, or if the apparent diachronous change is simply due to poor chronostratigraphic controls. The purpose of this study is to correlate studies that are separated by large distances with a new record in a central location. The Bransfield Basin is located between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands and links marine records from the Firth of Tay, Maxwell Bay, Palmer Deep and the western Bransfield Basin. This study focuses on a 22 m sediment core collected in 2007 from the deep central Bransfield Basin, which spans the last 4000 years. Analyses completed to date include core descriptions, laser particle size analysis, multi-sensor core logger analysis, X-ray radiograph fabric description, pebble count and petrography. Ongoing analyses include TOC, total C, total N, 12-13C and 14-15N. The core lithology is dominantly characterized by diatomaceous mud with varying amounts of terrigenous sediment and ice rafted debris. Interpretation of the sedimentary facies suggests that this is a high-resolution record of climatic change that may be used to link other records in this region.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009AGUFMPP43A1542B
- Keywords:
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- 1637 GLOBAL CHANGE / Regional climate change;
- 4936 PALEOCEANOGRAPHY / Interglacial