A record of Holocene summer climate from a Canadian high-Arctic ice core

Nature volume 343, pages630–631(1990)Cite this article

Abstract

MELT layers in ice cores are formed by melting on the snow-pack surface, which produces water that percolates down and refreezes in the colder snow layers below. Melt layers are distinguished by their 'bubble' texture. Because more ice forms in the snow pack in warm summers than in cool summers, the changing concentration with depth of melt layers in snow pits1,2 and ice cores3–5 is an indicator of past summer climate. Here we report on studies of melt layers in two Canadian high-Arctic surface-to-bedrock ice cores. Although changes in elevation of the drill site owing to isostatic depression and uplift may contribute up to 40% of the total climatic signal recorded in the melt layers, we interpret their varying concentrations in terms of changing summer temperatures over the past 10,000 years. The warmest summers occurred 8–10 kyr ago and the coldest only 150 years ago. The summers over the past 100 years have been the warmest for more than 1,000 years, but are still not as warm as those of the early Holocene. The melt-layer record is in broad agreement with geological records of glacier retreat during the Holocene6–8, indicating that these data also contain information of regional significance.

Access options

Rent or Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

from$8.99

Rent or Buy

All prices are NET prices.

References

  1. 1

    Ahlmann, H. W. Glaciological Research on the North Atlantic Coasts, R. geogr. Soc. Res. Ser. No. 1 (London, 1948).

  2. 2

    Hattersley-Smith, G. Geogr. Annlr 45, 139–141 (1963).

    Google Scholar 

  3. 3

    Koerner, R. M. Science 196, 15–18 (1977).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  4. 4

    Herron, M. M., Herron, S. L. & Langway, C. C. Nature 293, 389–391 (1981).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  5. 5

    Hibler, W. D. & Langway, C. C. in Polar Oceans (ed. Dunbar, M. J.) 589–602, (Arctic Inst. N. Am. Montreal, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  6. 6

    Bednarski, J. Can. J. Earth Sci. 23, 1343–1355 (1986).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  7. 7

    Lemmen, D. S. Can. J. Earth Sci. (in the press).

  8. 8

    Blake, W. S. Jr Geogr. Annlr A 57, 1–71 (1975).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. 9

    Fisher, D. A. et al. Nature 301, 205–209 (1983).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  10. 10

    Koerner, R. M., Fisher, D. A. & Paterson, W. S. B. Can. J. Earth Sci. 24, 296–301 (1987).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  11. 11

    Fisher, D. A. & Koerner, R. M. J. Glaciol. 32, 501–510 (1986).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  12. 12

    Koerner, R. M. Science 244, 964–968 (1989).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  13. 13

    Robin, G. de Q. & Johnsen, S. J. in The Climatic Record in Polar Ice Sheets (ed. Robin, G. de Q.) 47–52 (Cambridge University Press, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  14. 14

    Raisbeck, G. M. et al. Nature 326, 273–277 (1987).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  15. 15

    Herron, M. M. & Langway, C. C. Jr in Greenland Ice Core: Geophysics, Geochemistry, and the Environment (eds Langway, C. C., Oeschger, H. & Dansgaard, W.) 77–84 (Am. Geophys. Un., Washington, DC, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  16. 16

    Clausen, H. B. et al. Ann. Glaciol. 10, 10–15 (1988).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  17. 17

    Paterson, W. S. B. & Waddington, E. D. Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 22, 123–130 (1984).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  18. 18

    Koerner, R. M. J. Glaciol. 22, 25–41 (1979).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  19. 19

    England, J. Quat. Res. 9, 185–202 (1976).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. 20

    Blake, W. Radiocarbon Dates Vols. 26, 34 (Geol. Surv. Can. Ottawa, 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  21. 21

    Dansgaard, W., Johnsen, S. J., Clausen, H. B. & Gundestrup, N. Meddelelser Om Gronland Bd 197, Nr. 2, 1–53 (Reitzels. Copenhagen, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  22. 22

    Fisher, D. A. & Koerner, R. M. in Climatic Change in Canada Vol. 3 (ed. Harington, C. R.) 50–69 (Natn. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ottawa, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  23. 23

    Kelly, M. Geol. Surv. Greenland Rep. No. 96, (1980).

  24. 24

    Hattersley-Smith, G. in Climatic Changes in Arctic Areas During the Last Ten Thousand Years (eds Vasari, Y., Hyvarinen, H. & Hicks, S.) 137–148 (Oulu University, Finland, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  25. 25

    Muller, F. in Proc. Symp. Arctic Heat Budget Atmospheric Circulation (ed. Fletcher, J. O.) 136–156 (Rand Corp., Santa Monica, 1966).

    Google Scholar 

  26. 26

    England, J. Can. J. Earth Sci. 20, 895–917 (1983).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  27. 27

    Havens, J. Meteorology, Res. Rep. No. 2 (McGill University, Montreal 1964).

    Google Scholar 

  28. 28

    Paterson, W. S. B. The Physics of Glaciers (Pergamon, Oxford, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  29. 29

    Kutzbach, J. E. in The Geology of North America Vol. K-3 (eds Ruddiman, W. F. & Wright, H. E. Jr) 425–446 (Geol. Soc. Am., Boulder, 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  30. 30

    Hammer, C. U. et al. J. Glaciol. 20, 3–26 (1978).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  31. 31

    Hammer, C. U. Jökull 34, 51–65 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  32. 32

    Hammer, C. U., Clausen, H. B. & Tauber, H. Radiocarbon 28, 284–291 (1986).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Terrain Sciences Division, Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Canada, K1A OE8

    R. M. Koerner

  2. Department of Glaciology, University of Copenhagen, Haraldsgade 6, DK-2200, Copenhagen, Denmark

    D. A. Fisher

Authors
  1. R. M. Koerner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. A. Fisher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Koerner, R., Fisher, D. A record of Holocene summer climate from a Canadian high-Arctic ice core. Nature 343, 630–631 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/343630a0

Download citation

Further reading

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.