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- Title
‘Little Ice Age’ nivation activity innortheast Greenland.
- Authors
Christiansen, H.H.
- Abstract
During the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA), the periglacial landscape in northeast Greenland responded relatively quickly to the climatic deterioration with increased nivation activity. Resulting nivation landforms and associated sediment basins are used as palaeoclimatic archives, documenting the significant geomorphological effect of nivation during the LIA period in the Zackenberg area. A nival basin studied in detail showed the onset and dominance of niveo-fluvial sedimentation in the period ad 1250–1420, followed by increasing niveoaeolian sedimentation between ad 1420–1500/1580. Finally, very rapid niveo-aeolian sedimentation prevailed during the period ad 1500/1580–1690. In the same period, some large nival fans ccumulated in the Zackenberg lowland as a result of increased niveo-fluvial activity, and niveofluvial sediments were also deposited in pre-existing fluvial valleys, demonstrating the large areal extension of the nivation activity. The chronology is based on nine AMS 14 C determinations. The intense geomorphological terrestrial activity in northeast Greenland during the LIA is deduced to be primarily due to increased winter wind speeds enabling larger snowpatches to accumulate as a result of increased snowdrifting.
- Subjects
GREENLAND; GLACIAL climates; NIVATION; CLIMATE change
- Publication
Holocene, 1998, Vol 8, Issue 6, p719
- ISSN
0959-6836
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1191/095968398666994797