Holocene glacier fluctuations and environmental changes in sub-Antarctic South Georgia inferred from a sediment record from a coastal inlet

Berg, Sonja; White, Duanne; Jivcov, Sandra; Melles, Martin; Leng, Melanie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1115-5166; Rethemeyer, Janet; Allen, Claire ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0938-0551; Perren, Bianca ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6089-6468; Bennike, Ole; Viehberg, Finn. 2019 Holocene glacier fluctuations and environmental changes in sub-Antarctic South Georgia inferred from a sediment record from a coastal inlet. Quaternary Research, 91 (1). 132-148. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.85

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© University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2018. This is the author accepted version. For the version of record see doi:10.1017/qua.2018.85
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.85

Abstract/Summary

The sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia provides terrestrial and coastal marine records of climate variability, which are crucial for the understanding of the drivers of Holocene climate changes in the sub-Antarctic region. Here we investigate a sediment core (Co1305) from a coastal inlet on South Georgia using elemental, lipid biomarker, diatom and stable isotope data to infer changes in environmental conditions and to constrain the timing of Late glacial and Holocene glacier fluctuations. Due to the scarcity of terrestrial macro-fossils and relict organic matter in the sediments, age control was obtained by compound-specific radiocarbon dating of mostly marine derived n-C16 fatty acids. A basal till layer recovered in Co1305 was likely deposited during an advance of local glaciers during the Antarctic cold eversal. After glacier retreat an oligotrophic lake occupied the site, which transitioned to a marine inlet around 8.0±0.9 ka due to relative sea level rise. From 7.0±0.6 to 4.0±0.4 ka reduced vegetation coverage in the catchment as well as high siliciclastic input and deposition of ice rafted debris indicate glacier advances in the terrestrial catchment and likely in the adjacent fjord. A second, less extensive period of glacier advances occurred in the late Holocene, after 1.8±0.3 ka.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.85
ISSN:	0033-5894
Additional Keywords:	South Georgia, Holocene, glacier advance, compound-specific radiocarbon analysis, marine sediments, relative sea level
Date made live:	05 Nov 2018 12:53 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/520587

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.85

ISSN:

0033-5894

Additional Keywords:

South Georgia, Holocene, glacier advance, compound-specific radiocarbon analysis, marine sediments, relative sea level

Date made live:

05 Nov 2018 12:53 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/520587