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New geophysical evidence for a revised maximum position of part of the NE sector of the Greenland ice sheet during the last glacial maximum

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Abstract

The extent and dynamics of the north-eastern sector of the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) during the last glacial still remain very uncertain, and maximum ice extents to inner-shelf, mid-shelf and outer-shelf positions have been suggested. Here we argue that the margin of the GIS reached the shelf break along part of its NE sector during the last glacial maximum. Swath-bathymetry and sub-bottom profiler data from the outermost part of the Store Koldewey glacial trough reveal the first documentation of moraine ridges/grounding-zone wedges in this area, supporting ice expansion to the shelf break at ~76°N. A complex pattern of retreat moraines in the outer trough reflects a stepwise early deglaciation. It is suggested that this behavior is not in line with a deglaciation triggered by an abrupt sea level rise. According to established glacial geomorphological models this should have resulted in ice lift-off and a sea floor dominated by landforms formed during full-glacial conditions (streamlined bedforms) and ice disintegrations (iceberg plough marks). Instead, formation of the recessional moraines must have involved other mechanisms resulting in a step-wise ice retreat. This could possibly be related to melting of the grounded ice controlled by a temperature increase of the ocean as inferred for other parts of the Greenland ice sheet. An ice front position at the shelf break instead of at the inner or mid-shelf also implies a larger ice volume for this sector of the GIS during the LGM. It also implies a larger contribution of meltwater from GIS during the deglaciation.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the cooperation and support from the TUNU project led by J.S. Christiansen, UiT—The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, and the Captain and crew of the research vessel Helmer Hanssen who provided essential support for the acquisition of the data. Thanks also to J.P. Holm, B. R. Olsen and S. Iversen for their technical and graphical support. The bathymetry for Figs. 1 and 3 was displayed using the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) software [34]. Thanks also to the reviewers for valuable input.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Jan Sverre Laberg & Matthias Forwick

  2. Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway

    Katrine Husum

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  1. Jan Sverre Laberg
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Correspondence to Jan Sverre Laberg.

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Laberg, J.S., Forwick, M. & Husum, K. New geophysical evidence for a revised maximum position of part of the NE sector of the Greenland ice sheet during the last glacial maximum. Arktos 3, 3 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41063-017-0029-4

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