luminescence dating of proglacial sediments from the eastern alps the potential of optically stimulated luminescence osl for dating proglacial deposits is tested here at three last glacial key sites in the eastern alps this was undertaken using both sand sized feldspar and quartz grains as well as fine silt sized material the samples reveal rather poor luminescence intensities of the investigated quartz grains and it is also clearly demonstrated that several of the deposits were incompletely bleached prior to deposition bleaching experiments were carried out and different approaches for extracting the aliquots where the osl was completely bleached prior to burial were tested applying different osl measurement techniques and analytical procedures we investigated which approach was most appropriate for dating known age proglacial sediments best results were achieved using single aliquot regenerative dose methodology on coarse grain quartz and feldspar samples in combination with the approach of preusser et al 2007 luminescence dating of proglacial sediments from switzerland boreas in press for ed calculation

facies architecture and sequence stratigraphy in glacially influenced basins basic problems and water level glacier input point controls with an example from the quaternary of ontario canada abstract sequence architecture is controlled by two fundamental factors the water level relative to the depositional surface which controls accommodation space and the points or areas of sediment injection which control how this space is filled in relative water level accommodation space and injection points normally vary together and various genetic terms are used to define systems tracts but in glacially influenced basins accommodation space is controlled not only by water level but also by the glacier injection points are similarly dually controlled by water level and by the terminus of the glacier during high lake levels the injection point of the glacier may be underwater at the base of the slope genetic terms like highstand and lowstand therefore are meaningless in successions controlled by sediment input points which are independent of water levels and accommodation space distinct water level and glacier input point systems can occur side by side the water level system controlled by lake level or sea level the glacier input point system controlled by the position of the subaqueous glacier front and both can form juxtaposed systems passing laterally into each other a bewildering and incompatible terminology is needed if the terms of genetic sequence stratigraphy are used for both water level and glacier input point systems because the sedimentary injection points and sequence boundaries of the two systems fluctuate out of phase with one another sequences developed by movement of the glacier are completely independent of those controlled by water levels if genetic sequence stratigraphy is applied to a basin with both lake level and glacier input point systems then each needs separate genetic terminologies to describe them which leads only to confusion however descriptive sequence stratigraphy allostratigraphy can be readily applied to successions like the quaternary of lake ontario we therefore suggest that genetic sequence terms be discarded and simpler allostratigraphic terminology used in glacially influenced basins

the mass balance of circum arctic glaciers and recent climate change the sum of winter accumulation and summer losses of mass from glaciers and ice sheets net surface mass balance varies with changing climate in the arctic glaciers and ice caps excluding the greenland ice sheet cover about 275 000 km2of both the widely glacierized archipelagos of the canadian norwegian and russian high arctic and the area north of about 60 n in alaska iceland and scandinavia since the 1940s surface mass balance time series of varying length have been acquired from more than 40 arctic ice caps and glaciers most arctic glaciers have experienced predominantly negative net surface mass balance over the past few decades there is no uniform recent trend in mass balance for the entire arctic although some regional trends occur examples are the increasingly negative mass balances for northern alaska due to higher summer temperatures and increasingly positive mass balances for maritime scandinavia and iceland due to increased winter precipitation the negative mass balance of most arctic glaciers may be a response to a step like warming in the early twentieth century at the termination of the cold little ice age arctic ice masses outside greenland are at present contributing about 0 13 mm yr 1to global sea level rise

annual climate variability in the holocene interpreting the message of ancient trees abstract over vast areas of the world s landmasses where climate beats out a strong seasonal rhythm tree growth keeps unerring time in their rings trees record many climate melodies played in different places and different eras recent years have seen a consolidation and expansion of tree ring sample collections across the traditional research areas of north america and europe and the start of major developments in many new areas of eurasia south america and australasia from such collections are produced networks of precisely dated chronologies records of various aspects of tree growth registered continuously year by year across many centuries their sensitivities to different climate parameters are now translated into ever more detailed histories of temperature and moisture variability across expanding dimensions of time and space with their extensive coverage high temporal resolution and rigid dating control dendroclimatic reconstructions contribute significantly to our knowledge of late holocene climates most importantly on timescales ranging from 1 to 100 years in special areas of the world where trees live for thousands of years or where subfossil remnants of long dead specimens are preserved work building chronologies covering many millennia continues apace very recently trees have provided important new information about major modes of general circulation dynamics linked to the el nino southern oscillation and the north atlantic oscillation and about the effect of large volcanic eruptions as for assessing the significance of 20th century global warming the evidence from dendroclimatology in general supports the notion that the last 100 years have been unusually warm at least within a context of the last two millennia however this evidence should not be considered equivocal the activities of humans may well be impacting on the natural growth of trees in different ways making the task of isolating a clear climate message subtly difficult

seabed stresses in combined wave and steady flow conditions on the nova scotia continental shelf field measurements and predictions abstract a tripod holding electromagnetic flowmeters at two heights within 1 m above the seabed has been deployed at two shallow sites 25 and 45 m depths on the continental shelf off nova scotia canada wave flows are comparable with the small mean flows at both sites friction velocities have been estimated from the observed spectra of vertical turbulent velocities using a modification of the dissipation method appropriate to low reynolds number conditions the results from each site show no significant change of friction velocity with height as expected for measurements from within the constant stress layer however in each case the observed friction velocities are considerably larger than would be predicted on the basis of the observed bottom roughness and the mean flows alone indicating that the wave flows were important in enhancing the friction velocity the theory of grant and madsen 1979 has been used to predict the friction velocities based on the observed mean and wave velocities and o

multi proxy records showing significant holocene environmental variability the inner n iceland shelf hunafloi abstract over the last 50 yr the n iceland margin has seen dramatic changes in temperature and salinity associated with the relative dominance of warm atlantic water versus cold arctic or polar waters we report a study of holocene environmental changes to assess the sensitivity of this area on a longer timescale we present sedimentologic isotopic and biotic coccolith proxies from a 5 5 m piston core b997 330pc that was retrieved from a small basin on the inner n iceland shelf seven ams dates indicate a relatively constant rate of sediment accumulation which averaged 55 cm kyr sampling resolution of our proxies varied between 16 and 90 yr sample our data indicate substantial variability in environmental conditions over the last 10 000 cal yr total carbonate content and coccolith concentrations track each other and indicate that the early holocene was a time of low net carbonate accumulation net accumulation of carbonate reached maximum values in the mid to late holocene 4 2 cal ka but there has since been a substantial decrease with a minima during the little ice age north atlantic drift coccolith species show peaks in accumulation rates at 2 and 8 cal ka and low influx between 3 5 and 6 cal ka reworked neogene coccoliths occur also 8 ka and coincide with light 18 o values in the epifaunal foraminifera cibicides lobatulus principal component analysis indicates considerable covariance between biotic isotopic and sedimentological parameters three axes explain 84 of the variance in the data set and define three groups of interrelated variables a major change occurs ca 5 cal ka after which conditions become more variable with a 1 5 kyr cyclicity

holocene glacial and climatic variations on spitsbergen svalbard holocene glacial and climatic variations have been inferred from investigations of sediment cores from the proglacial lake linnevatnet western spitsbergen a low content of glacially derived coal absence of regular laminations and a slow sedimentation rate in the lower part of the lacustrine sediments indicate that the former glaciers that existed within the catchment area during the last ice age melted quickly away as a result of the younger dryas holocene warming and during the next 6000 years there were no glaciers in the valley increasing coal content incipient laminations and rising sedimentation rates indicate that the glacier linnebreen started to form 4000 5000 years ago probably as a response to the late holocene cooling the holocene maximum extent of the glacier occurred during the little ice age starting with a pronounced ice advance in the thirteenth or fourteenth century a well dated core from billefjorden which is assumed to reflect glacial fluctuations in the inner part of the i

holocene glacier fluctuations a global overview of glacier advances and retreats grouped by regions and by millennia for the holocene is compiled from previous studies the reconstructions of glacier fluctuations are based on 1 mapping and dating moraines defined by 14 c tcn osl lichenometry and tree rings discontinuous records time series and 2 sediments from proglacial lakes and speleothems continuous records time series using 189 continuous and discontinuous time series the long term trends and centennial fluctuations of glaciers were compared to trends in the recession of northern and mountain tree lines and with orbital solar and volcanic studies to examine the likely forcing factors that drove the changes recorded a general trend of increasing glacier size from the earlyemid holocene to the late holocene in the extra tropical areas of the northern hemisphere nh is related to overall summer temperature forced by orbitally controlled insolation the glaciers in new zealand and in the tropical andes also appear to follow the orbital trend i e they were decreasing from the early holocene to the present in contrast glacier fluctuations in some monsoonal areas of asia and southern south america generally did not follow the orbital trends but fluctuated at a higher frequency possibly triggered by distinct teleconnections patterns during the neoglacial advances clustered at 4 4e4 2 ka 3 8e3 4 ka 3 3e2 8 ka 2 6 ka 2 3e2 1 ka 1 5e1 4 ka 1 2e1 0 ka 0 7e0 5 ka corresponding to general cooling periods in the north atlantic some of these episodes coincide with multidecadal periods of low solar activity but it is unclear what mechanism might link small changes in irradiance to widespread glacier fluctuations explosive volcanism may have played a role in some periods of glacier advances such as around 1 7e1 6 ka coinciding with the taupo volcanic eruption at 232 5 ce but the record of explosive volcanism is poorly known through the holocene the compilation of ages suggests that there is no single mechanism driving glacier fluctuations on a global scale multidecadal variations of solar and volcanic activity supported by positive feedbacks in the climate system may have played a critical role in holocene glaciation but further research on such linkages is needed the rate and the global character of glacier retreat in the 20th through early 21st centuries appears unusual in the context of holocene glaciation though the retreating glaciers in most parts of the northern hemisphere are still larger today than they were in the early and or mid holocene the current retreat

a high resolution 800 year glaciomarine record from russkaya gavan a novaya zemlya fjord eastern barents sea sediment core asv 987 from russkaya gavan a tidewater fjord on the northwestern coast of 13 novaya zemlya provides the first multicentury record of sedimentary and hydrographic glaciomarine 14 environments in russian arctic with a century scale resolution age is constrained by seven 14 c ages 15 securing an especially robust control for the period between c ad 1370 and 1600 based on sediment struc 16 ture grain size depositional rates foraminiferal assemblages and stable isotopes in foraminiferal tests 17 we reconstruct the changes in fjord sedimentation and circulation in relation to the history of a tidewater 18 glacier connected to the main novaya zemlya ice complex we conclude that a noticeable glacier advance 19 occurred c ad 1400 contemporaneous with a change in north atlantic atmospheric circulation inferred sea late holocene

reconstructing the architecture and sequence stratigraphy of the preserved fluvial record as a tool for reservoir development a reality check driven in part by the need for better information about fluvial systems for the purpose of nonmarine reservoir evaluation and development much valuable work is now being conducted on modern rivers and their deposits aided by such techniques as ground penetrating radar however studies of modern and recent systems cannot address the question of the long term preservability of the present day deposits only studies of the rock record itself can explore this issue two separate studies of ancient fluvial systems illustrate some of the problems a study of the hawkesbury sandstone triassic sydney basin australia highlighted the difficulty in interpreting the dimensions of large sand bodies from comparisons with a modern analog even when very large outcrops are available a seismic time slice study of pliocene pleistocene fluvial systems in the gulf of thailand revealed major changes in channel size and fluvial style over short vertical intervals braided and meandering systems meander belt widths 4 to 10 km 2 5 to 6 mi are separated by a few tens of meters of section or less and are interbedded with the deposits of much smaller rivers showing straight meandering and anastomosed patterns incised valleys and underfit streams are also present these variations can be interpreted in terms of a sequence model but they indicate the problems that could arise from the use of a single suite of dimensional variables as input into numerical reservoir heterogeneity and flow models most numerical simulation models make use of sets of equations relating such parameters as channel width depth and sinuosity but most such equations are generalized across the whole spectrum of fluvial styles and can be conditioned to the reality of individual reservoirs only with difficulty the application of the principles of sequence stratigraphy to fluvial deposits is rendered difficult by the complex response to allogenic forcing that characterizes fluvial systems episodes of aggradation and degradation that may be used to define sequences and their bounding unconformities in the stratigraphic record may be the result of the complex interplay of several allogenic mechanisms governing varying stream power and sediment supply mechanisms that may be operating at different time scales and may be out of phase with each other in developing practical solutions for reservoir development numerical modeling and simulation may provide generalized starting points for the analysis history matching commonly demonstrates inaccuracies in many initial models further progress may be made by direct study of the reservoir itself using three dimensional 3 d seismic and surveillance techniques there is a continuing role for the study of ancient analogs as providing a realistic database on the long term preservation styles of fluvial reservoir deposits

underwater bleaching of signals from sediment grains new experimental data abstract the results of an underwater bleaching experiment are reported the purpose of the experiment was to evaluate the degree to which thermoluminescence tl and optically stimulated luminescence osl signals are reduced by a three hour exposure to light at different water depths samples of quartz and feldspar separates were annealed in the laboratory and then given fixed doses of laboratory beta radiation before exposure the results indicate that a three hour light exposure is sufficient to zero the optical signals down to water depths of 10 m for feldspar infra red stimulated luminescence and 12 14 m for quartz osl the tl results for the same quartz and feldspar samples exhibit some bleaching effects with tl signals at 14 m water depth being reduced to 50 65 of the initial value scatter of the tl results limits their interpretation

the distribution of apparent dose as determined by optically stimulated luminescence in small aliquots of fluvial quartz implications for dating young sediments abstract we noted recently murray et al 1995 that quartz samples taken from in channel fluvial deposits have apparent doses ranging over several orders of magnitude we suggested that these dose distributions are best explained by a mixture of a small number of poorly bleached grains and a larger number of well bleached grains in this paper we examine the distribution of apparent dose in small aliquots each composed of 2000 grains of different particle size fractions 63 90 m 90 125 m 125 180 m 180 212 m 212 250 m diameter from two samples collected from the murrumbidgee river new south wales australia the samples are of known burial age the first being 70 years old and the second being its modern equivalent 0 2 gy the difference in the lowest apparent dose in the two samples is considered to be the result of their different burial times we suggest a method for dating recently deposited

characteristics of aeolian grain transport over a fluvio glacial lacustrine braid delta lake tekapo new zealand this paper presents results from one of the few scientific studies to examine the physical characteristics of aeolian sediment transport in an alpine area where topographically reinforced foehn winds initiate dust storm events the major objective of this study is to improve knowledge of aeolian processes in mid latitude alpine regions experiencing extreme wind speeds of particular interest is the role of surface characteristics in contributing to the unusually deep saltation layer which is seen to form over fluvio glacial deposits in the southern alps of new zealand sediment was collected at several heights 0 5 1 2 and 4 m and locations over a large alpine braided river delta and standard laboratory techniques used to examine grain size characteristics an image processing technique was also used to evaluate grain roundness grains filtered from the airstream at 0 5 m and 1 m above such surfaces were found to display a mean grain size of approximately 300 to 435 m resembling grain size characteristics of saltation clouds previously observed in high latitude cold climate locations in contrast to desert and prairie environments samples collected at 2 and 4 m above the surface were found to consist of 60 to 65 per cent sand sized material with some grains exceeding 1 1 5 mm in diameter grain shape analysis conducted on silt and clay sized grains filtered from the airstream above mixed sand and gravel surfaces showed such grains to display an increase in grain roundness with height this characteristic is thought to reflect the airstream s shape sorting ability and has important implications with respect to the often observed increase in grain roundness in aeolian deposits with increasing distance from source areas namely if more rounded grains are preferentially carried higher into the airstream and therefore into regions of higher wind speed they should theoretically be transported further from the entrainment zone before being deposited the high wind speeds observed often exceeding 30 m s 1 are seen to transport significantly larger sediment than reported in the literature for desert and prairie environments in addition the mixture of grain sizes and especially the pebble and cobble sized clasts that dominate the fluvio glacial deposits associated with the braided rivers in this mountain region also appear to increase significantly the trajectory height of saltating sand grains as a result of these two factors the depth of the saltation cloud often exceeds 1 m observations made in this study therefore highlight the need for field and laboratory aeolian process studies to be extended to examine grain transport over coarse grained beds during much higher wind velocities than typically reported in the literature such studies would provide a valuable insight into aeolian processes in high latitude altitude environments such as loess genesis 1997 by john wiley sons ltd

ice sheet variability around the north atlantic ocean during the last deglaciation millennial scale variability in the flux of ice rafted detritus to north atlantic sediments during the last glacial period has been interpreted to reflect a climate forced increase in the discharge of icebergs from ice sheet margins surrounding the northern north atlantic ocean 1 but the relationship between ice sheet variability and climate change is not clear as both the sources of ice rafted detritus and the ice marginal processes are varied and complex 2 4 terrestrial records are helpful in unravelling this complexity because they can demonstrate the scale of ice sheet oscillations and whether the ice sheet or sector was advancing or retreating with respect to climate change here we constrain the age and anatomy of a prominent readvance of the british ice sheet in the northern irish sea region at similar to 14 14 c kyr bp similar to 16 4 calendar kyr bp the analysis indicates that the british ice sheet participated in an iceberg discharge episode known as heinrich event 1 comparison with other terrestrial and marine ice sheet records suggests that the dynamic collapse of the laurentide ice sheet beginning at 14 6 15 0 c 14 kyr bp1 4 similar to 17 2 17 6 calendar kyr bp 5 initiated varied responses from other ice sheet margins around the northern north atlantic region these observations support the argument that the release of icebergs and meltwater during heinrich event 1 disrupted the north atlantic thermohaline circulation 6 8 leading to a delay or reversal of deglaciation of the northern hemisphere and at least as far south as 40 degrees s for two to three thousand years 5 9 10 suggesting a climate forcing and response similar to that of the ensuing younger dryas cold snap 11 12

luminescence dating of quaternary sediments in the himalaya and high asia a practical guide to its use and limitations for constraining the timing of glaciation abstract knowledge of the glacial history of high asia is of critical importance for scientific understanding of the palaeoclimate of this region the lack of absolute age controls on glacial landforms of the himalaya and high asia region is arguably the greatest problem facing the construction of a history of quaternary glaciation in these areas a major reason for this lack of dates has been the absence of a suitable dating method this paper reviews the use of optically stimulated luminescence osl dating in the himalaya critical examination of existing data is used to suggest guidelines for the collection of suitable sediments for dating using osl in order to constrain the timing of glaciations osl has been shown to provide reproducible and apparently accurate ages which constrain glacial advances however the correct selection of sediments is of critical importance in spite of developments in the technique there remain limitations to its applicability reasons for this are considered as is the potential of osl for constraining the timing of glacial expansion

measurement of equivalent doses in quartz from contemporary water lain sediments using optically stimulated luminescence the single aliquot technique and its derivatives are very attractive for the measurement of the very small doses found in young materials because they inherently avoid concerns about low dose non linearity and can offer high precisions a modification is outlined to the single aliquot regeneration and added dose sara protocol mejdahl and botter jensen 1994 quaternary geochronology quaternary science reviews 13 551 5541 to permit its application to sedimentary quartz using the optically stimulated luminescence signal this revised protocol is then used to determine the doses found in several contemporary fluvial sediments and one coastal beach sand thought to be deposi ted by recent wave action two over bank river deposits were both homogeneously well bleached with doses of 0 4 gy although most of the grains in three channel deposits from a range of catchment sizes were also well bleached contamination by a small proportion of very poorly bleached quartz grains prevented the measurement of the dose in the majority the beach deposit was homogeneously bleached and contained a dose of about 0 02 gy it is concluded that over bank sites may provide accurate dates for samples older than a few hundred years but that the heterogeneity of the channel sites limits the accuracy of dates less than a few thousand years

late holocene paleoceanographic evidence of the influence of the aleutian low and north pacific high on circulation in the seymour belize inlet complex british columbia canada foraminiferal and thecamoebian faunas from the seymour belize inlet complex sbic a fjord network situated on the mainland coast of british columbia were studied to assess climatic cycles and trends impacting the area through the ad 850 ad 2002 interval ocean circulation patterns prevalent in the sbic are strongly linked to precipitation which is closely linked to the relative strength and position center of action coa of the seasonally developed aleutian low al and north pacific high nph atmospheric circulation gyres through interpretation of cluster analysis and ordination methods a period of weak estuarine circulation was recognized to have impacted the sbic area between ad 850 and ad 1500 during this time waters in the sbic were dysoxic to anoxic and the sediment water interface was comprised of a depauperate foraminiferal fauna consisting of low diversity agglutinated forms these reduced oxygen conditions came about as a result of diminished precipitation in the sbic catchment as the coa of the al progressively migrated westward over time resulting in greatly reduced estuarine circulation and only infrequent and feeble incursions of well oxygenated open ocean water into the sbic basin by ad 1575 following a gradual transition period of 75 years when circulation patterns in the inlet were unstable very strong estuarine circulation developed in the sbic concomitant with the onset of the little ice age lia in western canada in the sbic this interval was characterized by higher levels of precipitation which greatly enhanced estuarine circulation resulting in frequent incursions of cold well oxygenated ocean currents into the bottom waters of the sbic and the development of a diverse calcareous foraminiferal fauna this circulation pattern began to break down in the late 19th century ad and by ad 1940 conditions similar to those that existed in the inlet prior to ad 1500 had redeveloped a process that continues at present

optically stimulated luminescence dating of late quaternary glaciogenic sediments in the upper hunza valley validating the timing of glaciation and assessing dating methods we present a comprehensive comparison of optically stimulated luminescence osl ages with cosmogenic radionuclide crn ages and the first study to validate crn dates from boulders on moraine ridges using luminescence dates from glaciogenic sediments from associated moraines accomplished from both direct and stratigraphic relationships between crn and osl sampling sites both quartz and k feldspars extracted from 12 late quaternary glaciogenic sediments were studied using single aliquot osl techniques rapid signal saturation in preliminary additive dose infrared stimulated k feldspar luminescence growth data was interpreted as evidence of insufficiently bleached latent luminescence and these data gave rise to overestimated ages in the majority of samples further analysis concentrated on replicated single aliquot regenerative dose sar measurements of quartz minerals using blue green stimulation the sar sensitivity correction method repeatedly failed in two of the samples and a further sample exhibited significant thermal transfer nevertheless three of the eight glacial successions in the upper hunza valley were defined using quartz luminescence although we discuss the possibility of inherited components in the crn data in terms of paleoclimatic interpretations both dating techniques give concordant results

the innuitian ice sheet configuration dynamics and chronology abstract portrayal of north american ice cover during the last glacial maximum is dominated by the laurentide ice sheet leaving little detail for the adjacent innuitian ice sheet iis four decades of geological fieldwork across the queen elizabeth islands now warrant specific treatment of the iis including its chronology configuration dynamics and retreat this reconstruction is relevant to the sedimentary history of the arctic ocean and to high latitude climate forcing the iis was composed of both an alpine and lowland sector the advance of the alpine sector occurred as recently as 19 14 c ka bp geological evidence configures outflow from alpine and lowland divides that produced several palaeo ice streams one extending northwestward across the canadian arctic archipelago to the polar continental shelf retreat of the iis commenced along its southwest margin 11 6 14 c ka bp however most of the ice sheet remained on the continental shelf during the younger dryas by 10 14 c ka bp marine based ice experienced widespread calving through the western and central archipelago in response to holocene warming and ongoing eustatic sea level rise the sea penetrated the eastern archipelago by 8 5 14 c ka bp gutting the alpine sector of the iis regional isobases record the glacioisostatic signature of the ice sheet and are congruent with the primary geological evidence the delayed buildup of the iis was out of phase with the growth of the laurentide ice sheet that occasioned climatic and glacio eustatic forcing in the innuitian region recent modelling experiments reinforce the hypothesis that growth of the laurentide ice sheet culminated in a split jet stream that temporarily favoured augmented precipitation and growth of the iis

luminescence dating of poorly bleached sediments from scotland abstract two types of poorly bleached sediment are differentiated and the applicability of various luminescence dating methods is assessed the methods are applied to three fluvioglacial sediments from scotland it is shown that it is possible to detect sediments that contain a mixture of well bleached and unbleached grains using the single aliquot additive dose method or the analysis of the scatter in aultiple aliquot additive dose growth curve

the donegal ice dome northwest ireland dimensions and chronology geomorphological evidence indicates that donegal was formerly occupied by an ice dome that extended offshore to the west northwest and north and was confluent with adjacent ice masses to the east and south erosive warm based ice over rode almost all the highest mountains implying an ice divide altitude greater than 700 m only six peripheral summits escaped glacial modification implying either that they remained above the ice surface as nunataks or supported a thin cover of protective cold based ice gibbsite a pre last glacial weathering product is preferentially represented on summits that escaped glacial modification cosmogenic 10be exposure ages of 18 6 1 4 to 15 9 1 0 k yr for coastal sites confirm that donegal ice extended offshore at the last glacial maximum reconstruction of the form of the donegal ice dome suggests a former minimum ice thickness of 500 m close to the present coastline in the west and northwest and 400 m near the coast of the inishowen peninsula in the north with the ice extending at least 20 km across the adjacent shelf to the west and northwest copyright 2007 john wiley sons ltd

testing an approach to osl dating of late devensian glaciofluvial sediments of the british isles in the british and irish isles the understanding of expansion and retreat of the last ice sheet in marine isotope stage mis 2 has been hindered by a lack of chronological control for the timing of its maximum extent and subsequent retreat stages in this research a suite of lithofacies from a former distal ice marginal sandur at orrisdale isle of man were identified and selected for optically stimulated luminescence dating different size fractions of quartz grains were extracted from selected lithofacies types with the aim of identifying which depositional environments and grain size fractions are best suited for optical dating tests have been undertaken to identify the luminescence properties of this quartz including preheat dose recovery and constant wave optically stimulated luminescence osl decay curve fitting equivalent dose distributions for all samples were wide and positively skewed indicative of heterogeneous bleaching a comprehensive statistically based decision making protocol has been defined in order to find the appropriate statistical model for burial dose estimation ages in the range of 17 14 ka have been obtained which agree with the expected geologically constrained chronology the orrisdale formation is contemporaneous with heinrich event 1 and the killard point stadial identified in eastern ireland ca 16 4 ka the suggested approach for osl dating of glaciofluvial sediments has the potential for much wider application to high latitude or temperate areas where there is an abundance of such sediments and where improved chronological control is much needed copyright 2009 john wiley sons ltd

paleoenvironments in russkaya gavan fjord nw novaya zemlya barents sea during the last millennium the 6 m long sediment core asv 987 was collected from the deep part of the glaciated russkaya gavan fjord at the northwestern coast of novaya zemlya barents sea in 1997 r v akademik sergei vavilov the core was investigated for lithology grain size coarse debris organic carbon foraminifera macrobenthic remains and stable isotopes in foraminiferal tests age control was provided by seven ams 14 c ages the recovered sedimentary section spans approximately 800 years from ca 1170 ad the proxy records reveal variations in sedimentation processes bioproductivity glacier front position seaice conditions and the hydrographic regime in the fjord these characteristics are interpreted in terms of regional and global climatic changes during the last millennium we distinguish four stages in the development of sedimentary environments in russkaya gavan which generally correspond to major climatic events the medieval warm period mwp the early and late phases of the little ice age lia and recent warming the most pronounced change in sedimentation regime occurred at the onset of the lia ca 1400 presumably due to the advance of a glacier into the fjord subsequent evolution of sedimentary environments included stabilization and retreat of the glacier front the most recent facies are interpreted to indicate a change towards warmer conditions d 2004 elsevier b v all rights reserved

rapid holocene deglaciation of the labrador sector of the laurentide ice sheet abstract retreat of the laurentide ice sheet lis following the last glacial maximum 21 000 yr bp affected regional to global climate and accounted for the largest proportion of sea level rise although the late pleistocene lis retreat chronology is relatively well constrained its holocene chronology remains poorly dated limiting our understanding of its role in holocene climate change and sea level rise here new 10be cosmogenic exposure ages on glacially deposited boulders are used to date the final disappearance of the labrador sector of the lis ls lis these data suggest that following the deglaciation of the southeastern hudson bay coastline at 8 0 0 2 cal ka bp the southwestern margin of the ls lis rapidly retreated 600 km in 140 yr and most likely in 600 yr at a rate of 900 m yr 1 with final deglaciation by 6 8 0 2 10be ka the disappearance of the ls lis 6 8 10be ka and attendant reduction in freshwater runoff may have induced the formation of labrador deep seawater while the loss

glacimarine processes at grounding line fans and their growth to ice contact deltas abstract grounding line fans originate from subglacial and basal stream tunnels at grounding lines of glaciers terminating in a marine environment during melt seasons discharge forms a turbulent jet beyond the efflux over the initial zone of flow establishment in the jet it may remain in contact with the sea floor for up to 13 4 d d tunnel diameter along a runout distance if velocity is constant plug flow in this zone deposits marine outwash sediment commonly having chaotic texture and graded and welded contacts texture may vary rapidly because of discharge pulses and the jet may move laterally to produce sheet or cut and fill geometries imbricate gravel is deposited near the efflux then farther out are sheet or weakly channelized finer grained gravels and sands in some instances a migrating barchanoid bar forms at the detachment zone and forms large scale trough cross beds beyond the detachment zone the turbulent jet becomes vertical and sediment cascades from it in a veil this sediment is added to by flows from continuous failures of bed load sediment in the detachment zone resulting deposits are interstratified sediment gravity flows and thick coarse end members of cyclopsams the jet changes to a plume when inertial forces become less than buoyancy forces turbulent vorticies within the jet can re entrain particles into a buoyant plume the plume remains vertical although continuously spreading until reaching neutral buoyancy fan depocentres have been observed to accumulate at over 10 6 m 3 a 1 in temperate glacial areas eventually at quasi stable grounding lines fans may aggrade to sea level to form ice contact deltas at incipient deltas when the delta plain is intertidal coarse sediment is redistributed to the prodelta with each tidal cycle intense prodelta rhythmites mark the transition of a fan into a delta

stratified interglacial lacustrine sediments from baffin island arctic canada chronology and paleoenvironmental implications abstract thirteen of 18 piston cores recovered from robinson lake in the mid arctic vegetation zone of baffin island arctic canada penetrated stratified lacustrine sediment beneath a thin over consolidated diamict till and postglacial lacustrine sediment the sub till lacustrine units are up to 120 cm thick of which the upper several decimeters frequently contain thick layered mats of aquatic moss pollen and diatoms are common throughout both lacustrine units a series of 23 ams 14c dates defines the chronology of the postglacial sequence which records a succession from a pioneer grass and oxyria dominated tundra between 10 4 and 8 ka bp to a sedge dominated tundra after 8 ka bp limiting 14c dates place the sub till lacustrine sediments more than 40 ka bp 10 luminescence dates centered on 85 ka indicate they were deposited late in oxygen isotope stage ois 5 the dominance of shrub and tree pollen especially shrub birch and alder in sub till lacustrine samples indicates low arctic tundra farther north than at any time during the holocene pollen concentrations are comparable to or higher than in the holocene units cooling late in the interglacial is indicated by declining birch and alder pollen percentages in the upper part of the section diatom floras in both the sub till and postglacial lacustrine sequences indicate similar development of lake water chemistry but input of silica and weathering products was greater in the older lake cycle suggesting more vigorous catchment processes macrofossils in the sub till units are characteristic of lakes ice free in summer based on pollen assemblages indicating local and regional vegetation diagnostic of summer temperatures higher than the holocene we interpret the sub till lacustrine units to be of interglacial character by analogy with holocene plant succession in central and eastern canada all of keewatin and labrador ungava must have been ice free throughout this interval suggesting essentially complete deglaciation of the laurentide ice sheet at the time

radiocarbon constraints on the age of the maximum advance of the british irish ice sheet in the celtic sea reconstructions of the british irish ice sheet biis during the last glacial maximum lgm in the celtic sea and southern ireland have been hampered by a paucity of well dated stratigraphic records as a result the timing of the last advance of the largest outlet of the biis the irish sea ice stream to its maximum limit in the celtic sea has been variously proposed as being pre last glaciation early devensian and lgm the irish sea till was deposited by the irish sea ice stream during its last advance into the celtic sea we present 26 stratigraphically well constrained new ams radiocarbon dates on glacially transported marine shells from the irish sea till in southern ireland which constrain the maximum age of this advance the youngest of these dates indicate that the biis advanced to its overall maximum limit in the celtic sea after 26 000 20 000 14c yr bp thus during the last glaciation the most extensive phase of biis growth therefore appears to have occurred during the lgm at least along the celtic sea and irish margins these data further demonstrate that the uppermost inland glacial tills from the area of supposed older drift in southern ireland a region previously regarded as having been unglaciated during the lgm also date from the last glaciation thus most of southern ireland was ice covered at the lgm advance of the biis to its maximum southern limit in the celtic sea may have been a short lived glaciodynamic response facilitated by subglacial bed conditions rather than a steady state response to climate forcing alone

the resolution of stratigraphic inconsistency in the luminescence ages of marine terrace sediments from korea several sets of marine terraces are exposed along the southeastern coast of the korean peninsula the formation ages of these terraces have attracted considerable attention because they provide essential information on local crustal stability over the last few years considerable effort has been put into the determination of these ages using optically stimulated luminescence osl dating of the marine sediments from which the terraces were built for several sites the results of dose recovery tests and other osl characteristics including the dependence of equivalent dose on heat treatment prior to stimulation have been described in detail elsewhere quat sci rev 22 2003 407 however it has been found that the samples from one site exhibit various undesirable osl characteristics which result in stratigraphically inconsistent osl ages in this paper we investigate these characteristics and use luminescence component separation to resolve this inconsistency the resolved osl ages obtained as such are then used for the discussion on the local crustal stability of the southeastern coast of korea during the late pleistocene

timing and style of late quaternary glaciation in the eastern hindu kush chitral northern pakistan a review and revision of the glacial chronology based on new optically stimulated luminescence dating abstract glacial landforms and sediments provide evidence for two late quaternary major glaciations in the eastern hindu kush new optically stimulated luminescence osl dating was undertaken to define the timing of these glaciations and associated sediment deposition the drosh glacial was defined by osl dating to have occurred during marine isotopic stage 3 producing an extensive valley glaciation that extended to an altitude of 1300 m above sea level asl in the main valley with an equilibrium line altitude ela depression of 1200 m the pret glacial produced a valley glaciation that extended to an altitude of 1670 m asl in the main valley with an ela depression of 1000 m the new osl dating suggests that this glacial stage probably represents several glacial advances that occurred during the latter part of the last glacial moraines representing two minor glacial advances the shandur and barum glacial stages were also recognized near the contemporary glaciers these probably formed during the middle late holocene and little ice age respectively this study and comparisons with adjacent regions suggest that there was limited glaciation during the global last glacial maximum lgm in the hindu kush deglaciation in the mountain ranges of the himalayas and the consequent meltwater discharge into the adjacent seas was negligible immediately after the global lgm and it was therefore of minor importance as a forcing factor for global climate change during the end of the last glacial cycle however our studies show that glaciation and particularly deglaciation is important in controlling the deposition of thick valley fills and the landscape evolution of the high mountain environments

radiocarbon content of pre bomb marine mollusks and variations in the 14c reservoir age for coastal areas of the barents and kara seas russia fourteen mollusks collected alive between 1900 and 1945 from the russian barents and kara seas were analyzed by ams 14c dating to evaluate variations in the 14c marine reservoir for arctic coastal sites which is important for correcting ages in paleoenvironmental time series and advancing understanding of the exchange of carbon the 14c ages on the mollusks reveal a range of marine reservoir values r t from 159 14c yr to 764 14c yr the oldest r t values of 764 to 620 14c yr are for the bivalve portlandia arctica which often inhabit cold and low salinity waters and muddy substrates the depleted 14c content for this bivalve reflects possibly the incorporation of old carbon from freshwater inputs and or the consumption of old organic matter from the underlying sediments and pore waters other mollusks with sessile habitats and pelagic food sources gave significantly lower r t values between 159 and 344 14c yr the youngest r t values indicate enrichment in 14c and may partially reflect enhanced transfer of 14c enriched co2 from the atmosphere to the ocean surface with wind generated wave agitation this study underscores that a variety of processes can lead to variable 14c depletion and enrichment of surface waters yielding a ca 600 year age span for contemporaneous arctic mollusks there may be added uncertainty in the 14c reservoir correction for deposit feeder species such as portlandia sp and perhaps for certain benthic foraminifera e g nonion labradoricum because these taxa often incorporate old organic matter from the substrate a reservoir correction of 700 years may be more appropriate for infaunal deposit eater species particularly in glacier dominated environments mollusks and foraminifera with sessile habits and pelagic food sources should be selected preferentially for 14c dating because their shells may more closely reflect the 14c content of the global ocean mixed layer

a 1400 year high resolution record of atmospheric circulation over the north atlantic and asia major ion series developed from new subannual scale sampling of an ice core from central greenland are calibrated with instrumental series of atmospheric sea level pressure recording major marine icelandic low and terrestrial siberian high atmospheric circulation systems to provide proxy records of atmospheric circulation over the past 1400 years examination of the proxy records reveals major changes in behaviour of these systems c ad 1400 multidecadal and centennial scale periodic components characterization of mean sea level pressure anomaly fields during the little ice age and the mediaeval warm period the potential role of solar forcing coupled ocean atmosphere associations and a perspective within which the characteristics of instrumental era climate can be assessed

structure and origin of holocene cold events abstract the present interglacial the holocene spans the period of the last 11 700 years it has sustained the growth and development of modern society the millennial scale decreasing solar insolation in the northern hemisphere summer lead to northern hemisphere cooling a southern shift of the intertropical convergence zone itcz and a weakening of the northern hemisphere summer monsoon systems on the multidecadal to multicentury scale periods of more stable and warmer climate were interrupted by several cold relapses at least in the northern hemisphere extra tropical area based on carefully selected 10 000 year long time series of temperature and humidity precipitation as well as reconstructions of glacier advances the spatiotemporal pattern of six cold relapses during the last 10 000 years was analysed and presented in form of a holocene climate atlas hoclat see http www oeschger unibe ch research projects holocene atlas a clear cyclicity was not found and the spatiotemporal variability of temperature and humidity precipitation during the six specific cold events 8200 6300 4700 2700 1550 and 550 years bp was very high different dynamical processes such as meltwater flux into the north atlantic low solar activity explosive volcanic eruptions and fluctuations of the thermohaline circulation likely played a major role in addition internal dynamics in the north atlantic and pacific area including their complex interaction were likely involved

a critical review of the glaciomarine model for irish sea deglaciation evidence from southern britain the celtic shelf and adjacent continental slope in support of their glaciomarine model for the deglaciation of the irish sea basin eyles and mccabe cited the occurrence of distal glaciomarine mud drapes onshore in the isles of scilly and north devon and of arctic beach face gravels and sands around the shores of the celtic sea glacial and sea level data from the southern part of the irish sea in the terminal zone of the ice stream and the adjacent continental slope are reviewed here to test this aspect of the model the suggestion that the glacial sequences of both the isles of scilly and fremington in north devon are glaciomarine mud drapes is rejected an actively calving tidewater margin only occurred early in the deglacial sequence close to the terminal zone in the south central celtic sea relative sea levels were lower and therefore glacio isostatic depression less than envisaged in the glaciomarine model geochronological sedimentological and biostratigraphical data indicate that the raised beach sequences around the shores of the celtic sea and english channel were deposited at or during regression soon after interglacial eustatic highstands evidence for ice rafting at a time of high relative sea levels is restricted to a phase s earlier than the late devensian these data indicate that the raised beach sequences have no bearing on the style of irish sea deglaciation copyright 2001 john wiley sons ltd

evidence for heinrich event 1 in the british isles in the north irish sea basin isb sedimentary successions constrained by ams 14c dates obtained from marine microfaunas record three major palaeoenvironmental shifts during the last deglacial cycle i marine muds cooley point interstadial dated to between 16 7 and 14 7 14c kyr bp record a major deglaciation of the isb following the late glacial maximum lgm ii terminal outwash and ice contact landforms killard point stadial were deposited during an extensive ice readvance which occurred after 14 7 14c kyr bp and reached a maximum extent at ca 14 14c kyr bp at this time the lowlands surrounding the north isb were drumlinised coeval flowlines reconstructed from these bedforms end at prominent moraines killard point bride st bees and indicate contemporaneity of drumlinisation from separate ice dispersal centres substrate erosion by fast ice flow and subglacial sediment transfer to ice sheet margins in north central ireland bed reorganisation associated with this fast ice flow phase involved overprinting and drumlinisation of earlier transverse ridges rogen type moraines by headward erosion along ice streams that exited through tidewater ice margins this is the first direct terrestrial evidence that the british ice sheet bis participated in heinrich event 1 h1 iii regional mud drapes directly overlying drumlins record high relative sea level rsl with stagnation zone retreat after 13 7 14c kyr bp rough island interstadial elsewhere in lowland areas of northern britain ice marginal sediments and morainic belts record millennial scale oscillations of the bis which post date the lgm advance on to the continental shelf and pre date the loch lomond stadial younger dryas advance in the highlands of western scotland ca 11 10 14c kyr bp in western northwestern and northern ireland killard point stadial h1 ice limits are reconstructed from ice flow lines that are coeval with those in the north isb and end at prominent moraines on the scottish continental shelf possible h1 age ice limits are reconstructed from dated marine muds and associated ice marginal moraines it is argued that the last major offshore ice expansion from the scottish mountains post dated ca 15 14c kyr bp and is therefore part of the h1 event in eastern england the stratigraphic significance of the dimlington silts is re evaluated because evidence shows that there was only one major ice oscillation post dating ca 18 14c kyr bp in these lowlands in a wider context the sequence of deglacial events in the isb widespread deglaciation of southern part of the bis major readvance during h1 ice sheet collapse is similar to records of ice sheet variability from the southern margins of the laurentide ice sheet lis well dated ice marginal records however show that during the killard point readvance the bis was at its maximum position when retreat of the lis was well underway this phasing relationship supports the idea that the bis readvance was a response to north atlantic cooling induced by collapse of the lis 1998 john wiley sons ltd

ice marginal depositional responses to readvance episodes in the late devensian deglaciation of the isle of man abstract remapping of the quaternary geology of the isle of man and consequent revision of the stratigraphic succession identifies three glacigenic formations each separated by a major unconformity the oldest formation the shellag represents an extensive ice advance beyond the island limits to the last glacial maximum lgm the overlying formation the orrisdale represents a major readvance episode during retreat from the lgm and is associated with the construction of the bride moraine and the deposition of extensive proglacial subaqeous sediment examination of the sedimentology and micropalaeontology of these sediments indicates that the water body was most likely lacustrine and not marine application of sequence stratigraphy to the overlying jurby formation identifies evidence for three further phases of readvance each off lapping one another into the margin of the lake basin via a complex system of ice contact subaqueous fans and outwash fan deltas the jurby formation is dated by organic sediments overlying it as older than 18 5 14 4 kyr bp and provides an ice marginal correlative for heinrich event 1 readvance limits identified 50 km to the west in eastern ireland

aeolian dust transport and deposition by foehn winds in an alpine environment lake tekapo new zealand abstract observations from an automatic weather station and anemograph network are used in conjunction with recorded dust deposition rates to identify principle sources of wind blown dust within an alpine lake basin meteorological observations made throughout the study indicate that foehn windstorms provide ideal conditions for the initiation of aeolian processes including dust storm genesis a mean wind speed during foehn windstorms of 7 5 m s 1 at 2 65 m above the surface was observed to initiate entrainment of dust particles from geomorphically active areas within the lake basin particularly from the dry braid channels of glacier fed rivers exposed lacustrine deltas and degraded tussock grasslands this threshold entrainment velocity is similar to others presented within the international literature for such surface types a diurnal modulation of meteorological parameters monitored during foehn wind events suggests that aeolian processes such as dust entrainment are most likely to occur from late morning to early evening however where topography enhances wind speeds for example by channelling airflow down river valleys favourable conditions for dust entrainment may prevail throughout the night in the absence of precipitation potential dust roses were determined for two sites within the lake basin the dust roses supported anecdotal and observational evidence of principle dust sources within the study area and appear to be an effective tool for identifying the potential hazard to a particular location from blowing dust once the physical trigger conditions for dust entrainment are known this requires detailed and concurrent monitoring of meterological variables in association with dust transportation and deposition rates especially in complex terrain where many micro climates often exist

environmental assessment from the sedimentary record of high latitude fiords the sedimentary record of fiords at high latitude where global change may be occurring earliest and will be greatest has the potential for assessment of environmental change at both low resolution the scale of millennia and high resolution decadal to less than daily unlike the lacustrine record which has been used very successfully in these studies the sedimentary processes and thus the sedimentary deposits of fiords differ 1 in the role of salt water in inhibiting mixing and promoting flocculation and through the role of sea ice 2 in the exchange of mass and energy with the much larger ocean beyond and 3 in the role of benthic biota in the sedimentary environment the work reviewed in this paper shows that fiord sediments are being used to assess sedimentary and oceanic processes as well as glacial periglacial and geomorphic history and that they are important proxies for long term climate and hydrology recommendations for advancing this work include long term monitoring of conditions in fiords and their drainage basins so that the transfer relations can be more solidly constructed from the proxy of fiord sediment integration of results from fiords in opposite polar latitudes and among proxies especially from lacustrine and ice core records will produce valuable insights assessment of the range of conditions in fiords from the most polar to temperate regions is important to building models of their processes and understanding of the paleoenvironmental signals that can be interpreted from each type

holocene glacier and climate fluctuations on franz josef land arctic russia 80 n fluctuations in glacier extent provide the first comprehensive record of holocene paleoclimate for franz josef land glacier fluctuations were constrained using 45 14c ages from 16 glacier margins many glaciers were behind present margins before 9 4 kyr possibly as early as 10 3 kyr and probably remained so until at least 4 4 kyr where kyr 14c yr b p 1000 subsequently glaciers expanded probably reaching present margins before 3 2 kyr but certainly by 2 kyr a prominent neoglacial advance occurred ca 1 kyr and was followed by little ice age advances including one in the middle 1600s a d glaciers were larger than present at the turn of the century followed by widespread retreat soon after the holocene glacier record closely mimics that of svalbard 500 to 1000 km to the west suggesting similar glacier mass balance changes over a broad region of the eurasian arctia independent paleoclimate evidence from svalbard indicates higher than present summer air temperatures during the early to middle holocene when glaciers were behind present margins followed by generally cooler summer conditions and intermittent glacier advances and retreats holocene glacier variations were probably more influenced by summer temperature than winter precipitation

towards chronologies of gully formation optical dating of gully fill sediments from central europe relic gullies are commonplace in the hill landscapes of central and western europe understanding their formation is essential to identify how landscapes respond to environmental change and especially high magnitude rainfall events the relic gully systems were studied intensively but their genesis is still a matter of debate the major problem being insufficient information on the timing of their formation and infilling here we investigate if optical dating of quartz can be used to determine the ages of relic gully systems we studied known age deposits and used quartz grains of different size fractions based on single aliquot regenerative dose protocols equivalent doses were estimated the dose distributions analysed and minimum age models calculated the results show that in many cases optical dating can be successfully applied larger grains seem to be better bleached as optical ages of the coarsest grain size fractions middle sand are in agreement with independent age information from 14c dating and historical sources whereas optical ages of smaller grain size fractions fine sand are overestimates

architectural element analysis applied to glacial deposits internal geometry of a late pleistocene till sheet ontario canada deposits left by continental ice sheets are characterized by sedimentological complexity and stratigraphic heterogeneity but stratigraphic descriptions of such deposits and resulting first generation facies models are still based primarily on one or two dimensional borehole or outcrop data reconstruction of depositional environments hydrogeological investigations of pleistocene glacial deposits and hydrocarbon exploration in pre pleistocene glaciated basin fills require a more detailed understanding of the form and heterogeneity of lithofacies sequences in three dimensions architectural element analysis is used widely by sedimentologists for categorizing internal stratigraphic heterogeneity in sandstones particularly those of fluvial origin this paper demonstrates the first application of architectural element analysis to glacial deposits such as tills outcrop borehole and a broad range of subsurface geophysical data were collected from a thick 60 m till sheet present across an 80 km 2 study area near toronto canada the till sheet is not homogeneous but is composed of three distinct architectural elements and associated lithofacies viz diamict elements interbeds of subglaciofluvial sediments and glaciotectonically deformed zones application of architectural element analysis to these subglacial strata provides insights into the origin of drumlin bedforms and subglacial processes below the laurentide ice sheet and creates a framework for understanding ground water and contaminant movement in underlying aquifers

late devensian and holocene landscape change in the uplands of the isle of man abstract the late glacial and holocene geomorphology of the manx uplands has received scant attention in previous researches solifluction deposits and terraces provide the earliest evidence for geomorphic activity after deglaciation fluvial incision into drift choked valleys is correlated with the formation of the large mountain front alluvial fans that flank the manx uplands formation of these alluvial fans is constrained to 15 000 10 500 cal years bp by 14 c dates on organic deposits beneath and above the alluvial fan gravels alluvial fan and river terraces along four valleys postdate this incision optically stimulated luminescence osl and 14 c dating provide a tentative chronology for these landforms the higher terraces are late glacial fluvial surfaces that were probably occupied by rivers into the holocene incision during the late holocene led to the abandonment of the higher surfaces producing a suite of younger river terraces and alluvial fan surfaces independent dating constrains this fluvial activity to post bronze age 3500 2800 cal years bp increased human activity and climatic change during the late holocene are possible causes for this increased geomorphic activity

glacier fluctuations during the past 2000 years abstract a global compilation of glacier advances and retreats for the past two millennia grouped by 17 regions excluding antarctica highlights the nature of glacier fluctuations during the late holocene the dataset includes 275 time series of glacier fluctuations based on historical tree ring lake sediment radiocarbon and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide data the most detailed and reliable series for individual glaciers and regional compilations are compared with summer temperature and when available winter precipitation reconstructions the most important parameters for glacier mass balance in many cases major glacier advances correlate with multi decadal periods of decreased summer temperature in a few cases such as in arctic alaska and western canada some glacier advances occurred during relatively warm wet times the timing and scale of glacier fluctuations over the past two millennia varies greatly from region to region however the number of glacier advances shows a clear pattern for the high mid and low latitudes and hence points to common forcing factors acting at the global scale globally during the first millennium ce glaciers were smaller than between the advances in 13th to early 20th centuries ce the precise extent of glacier retreat in the first millennium is not well defined however the most conservative estimates indicate that during the 1st and 2nd centuries in some regions glaciers were smaller than at the end of 20th early 21st centuries other periods of glacier retreat are identified regionally during the 5th and 8th centuries in the european alps in the 3rd 6th and 9th centuries in norway during the 10th 13th centuries in southern alaska and in the 18th century in spitsbergen however no single period of common global glacier retreat of centennial duration except for the past century has yet been identified in contrast the view that the little ice age was a period of global glacier expansion beginning in the 13th century or earlier and reaching a maximum in 17th 19th centuries is supported by our data the pattern of glacier variations in the past two millennia corresponds with cooling in reconstructed temperature records at the continental and hemispheric scales the number of glacier advances also broadly matches periods showing high volcanic activity and low solar irradiance over the past two millennia although the resolution of most glacier chronologies is not enough for robust statistical correlations glacier retreat in the past 100 150 years corresponds to the anthropogenic global temperature increase many questions concerning the relative strength of forcing factors that drove glacier variations in the past 2 ka still remain

holocene sea levels last glacial maximum glaciomarine environments and geophysical models in the northern irish sea basin uk newly acquired geological records from the isle of man reveal intercalated intertidal and terrestrial sediments that record a relative sea level rise from ca 3 86 m in the early holocene up to a mid holocene maximum between ca 6 6 and 4 5 cal kyr bp at ca 2 25 m when compared with similar marine records from elsewhere in the northern irish sea basin the sea level data confirm a strong north south trend in glacioisostatic loading but little east to west difference in loading this pattern results from the central northern sectors of the british ice sheet over scotland strongly influencing the glacioisostatic downwarping throughout the northern irish sea basin differential ice thicknesses over the irish sea the lake district and ireland did not cause perturbations of local glacioisostatic signatures the holocene marine data in the central irish sea record a slow termination of global eustatic sea level rise during the early holocene geophysical predictions of relative sea level partially constrained by the holocene rsl observations but extrapolated to the last glacial maximum show the potential for shallow marine conditions in the central irish sea basin and in northeast ireland between ca 21 0 16 0 cal kyr bp however glaciomarine deposits in northeast ireland suggest the model relative sea level predictions are too low and require increased ice loading or a thinner lithosphere to generate extra glacioisostatic depression at the time of deglaciation furthermore predicted deglacial relative sea level for northeast ireland does not match the geological record highlighting complex ice margin ocean interaction during deglaciation on the isle of man where glacioisostatic loading is of a similar magnitude to that across northeast ireland the presence of grounded ice inhibited marine incursion during early deglaciation but the occurrence of glaciolacustrine conditions along the ice margin as it moved northwards supports model predictions that relative sea level fell below present during the late glacial early holocene due to rapid glacioisostatic rebound

changes in glacier extent on north novaya zemlya in the twentieth century glacier retreat on north novaya zemlya for the past century was documented by registering glacier terminus positions from expedition and topographic maps and remotely sensed images recession of tidewater calving glaciers on north novaya zemlya in the first half of the twentieth century was relatively rapid 300 m yr 1 consistent with post little ice age warming documented by a 122 year instrumental record from malye karmakuly the glaciers completed 75 to 100 of the net twentieth century retreat by 1952 between 1964 and 1993 half of the studied glaciers were stable the remainder retreated modest distances of 0 75 elevated sst in the barents sea appear to reflect increased advecti

laminated sediments in glacimarine environments diagnostic criteria for their interpretation abstract fine grained laminated deposits are often reported from contemporary and ancient glacimarine sedimentary sequences laminated glacimarine sediments form by a variety of processes including suspension settling from turbid overflow plumes turbidity current deposition and contour current activity subglacial deformation of pre existing sediments may also produce laminated deposits in the form of glacitectonite and deformation till the development of diagnostic criteria for genetic discrimination of laminated glacimarine sediments is important both for their correct interpretation in sedimentary sequences and also for the accurate reconstruction of former glacier extent and geometry as laminated sediments may form in subglacial ice proximal and ice distal environments this paper reviews the processes by which laminated glacimarine sediments form and their resulting sedimentology the aim is to provide a synthesis of diagnostic sedimentological criteria for laminated glacimarine deposits that will assist in the interpretation of such sediments in the geological record laminated sediments are genetically differentiated on the basis of sedimentary structures bedding contacts stratigraphic relationships and macrofaunal content bioturbation these attributes also facilitate discrimination between glacimarine and glacilacustrine rhythmites the paper concludes by discussing the glaciological significance of laminated glacimarine sediments in terms of glacier hydrology reconstructions of former ice dynamics and basal thermal regime