Late Quaternary circulation changes and sedimentation in Disko Bugt and adjacent fjords, central West Greenland

Abstract

Several important outlets for meltwater and iceberg discharge occur along the margin of the Greenland Inland Ice. One of these is Disko Bugt in central West Greenland (Fig. 1). Large-scale exchange processes between the deep ocean and atmosphere are highly sensitive with regard to meltwater fluxes and global climate change. The Greenland Sea and Labrador Sea (see Fig. 1) with adjacent waters are the only regions in the Northern Hemisphere where deep-water formation occurs. New evidence shows that this process appears to be highly variable (e.g. Sy et al. 1997). Thus, meltwater production and iceberg calving from the Inland Ice margin of West Greenland may play a crucial role in controlling deep-water formation, notably in the Labrador Sea.