Rapid changes in the oceanic fronts in the Norwegian Sea during the last deglaciation: implications for the Younger Dryas cooling event

✍ Scribed by D Klitgaard-Kristensen; T.L Rasmussen; H.P Sejrup; H Haflidason; Tj.C.E van Weering

• Book ID: 104158528
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 594 KB
• Volume: 152
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0025-3227
• DOI: 10.1016/s0025-3227(98)00070-x

✦ Synopsis

Two high-resolution cores, ENAM93-21 north of the Faeroe Islands and Troll 89.03 off southwest Norway, from the SE Norwegian Sea have been investigated for downcore variations in planktic foraminifera, IRD content and oxygen isotopes in a period from 15 to 9 ka. The results exhibit frequent and large amplitude changes in sea surface temperature during the last deglaciation. A sudden and profound increase in SST at 12.8 ka is followed by three abrupt and short-lived cooling events terminated by the Younger Dryas cooling. The presence of strong temperature gradients in the Norwegian Sea region during the Bølling-Younger Dryas period have implications for the heat flux towards the north. A possible time lag may exist between ENAM93-21 and Troll 89.03 at the beginning of the Younger Dryas cooling. These findings indicate that polar waters migrated eastwards at the beginning of the Younger Dryas period.