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Holocene palaeoecology of southwest Greenland inferred from macrofossils in sediments of an oligosaline lake

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Abstract

We retrieved a lake sediment record from an oligosaline, meromictic lake in southwest Greenland. The record spans the last 8,200 cal. years and was radiocarbon dated and analysed for macroscopic remains of plants and animals. The record extends the known history of several invertebrate species back in time, and provides minimum ages for their immigration to Greenland after the last deglaciation. Shells of the ostracod Ilyocypris bradyi were found in sediments dated to the time interval c. 7,000–6,500 cal. years BP. Shells of this species were found previously in a nearby oligosaline lake, where its occurrence was dated to about the same short time interval. The species is a thermophilous, non-arctic taxon that is absent from the present day Greenland fauna, and we suggest that its former occurrence in west Greenland marks the peak of the Holocene thermal maximum. This is in agreement with other records from Greenland.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ingemar Renberg from Umeå, who helped with the field work, and Jan Heinemeier from Aarhus, who supervised the AMS radiocarbon dating. Helpful comments by two referees improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark

    Ole Bennike

  2. Department of Geography, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK

    N. John Anderson

  3. School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

    Suzanne McGowan

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  1. Ole Bennike
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  2. N. John Anderson
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  3. Suzanne McGowan
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Correspondence to Ole Bennike.

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Bennike, O., Anderson, N.J. & McGowan, S. Holocene palaeoecology of southwest Greenland inferred from macrofossils in sediments of an oligosaline lake. J Paleolimnol 43, 787–798 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9368-x

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