Investigating the Deglaciation History of the Greenland Ice Sheet in Northern Melville Bay using Cosmogenic Exposure Dating

Knowledge about the glacial history of the Greenland Ice Sheet and its dynamic response to past climate variability is important to put the current changes into context. However, there are still large areas in Greenland where only little knowledge about past ice marginal fluctuations are available. One of these areas is Melville Bay where only a few minimum-limiting radiocarbon ages exist to illuminate the deglaciation history. In this study, we will add further age constraint to the deglaciation history in Melville Bay, using cosmogenic exposure dating. Eleven samples, six taken from bedrock and five taken from boulders, were retrieved in the summer of 2016 along the coast and on small islands off the coast of the norther part of Melville Bay from Kullorsuaq in the south to Savigsivik in the north. With the new ages, we expect to obtain a precise age constrain of the deglaciation in one of the least explored parts of Greenland. We will discuss the new age constraints in relation to existing climate records from the area and put the new results into a broader context.