2.6M Years of Climate History Found
Labrador Shelf preserves 8 distinct sedimentary units, defying previous assumptions that ice had erased ancient climate records
A recent study led by Kiel University has made a significant discovery about the Labrador Shelf, a shallow marine area on the margin of the Labrador Sea in the North Atlantic off the east coast of Canada. The study found that the shelf preserves climate records from earlier glacial and interglacial periods, contrary to previous assumptions that these records had been erased by ice.
The Labrador Shelf was covered by the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last ice age, with the Wisconsinan glaciation, the most recent North American glacial period, occurring about 22,000 years ago. The region was thought to have been eroded by the final ice movements at the end of this period, resulting in the loss of older sedimentary deposits.
However, the new study used high-resolution 2D seismic reflection data collected during the MSM84 expedition aboard the German research vessel Maria S. Merian to identify eight distinct Quaternary sedimentary units on the shelf. The Quaternary is the most recent geological period, spanning approximately the last 2.6 million years.
The study, published in the Journal of Quaternary Science, was led by Dr. Kai-Frederik Lenz, who completed his doctoral research on this topic in the research group of Professor Dr. Sebastian Krastel at the Institute of Geosciences at Kiel University. The researchers were able to detect glaciomarine and interglacial sediments preserved between glacial deposits, providing direct evidence that not only the most recent glacial period but also earlier glacial and interglacial periods have been preserved on the Labrador Shelf.
## Why it matters The discovery of these preserved climate records is significant, as it provides a unique opportunity to study the Earth's climate history. The Labrador Shelf can be considered a remarkably well-preserved archive of climate and glacial history, offering valuable insights into the Earth's past and helping scientists to better understand the impacts of climate change.
The study's findings have important implications for our understanding of the Earth's climate history and the effects of glaciation on the environment. The preservation of these climate records will allow scientists to reconstruct the Earth's climate history in greater detail, providing a more accurate understanding of the Earth's past and helping to inform predictions about future climate change.
