Holocene Paleolimnology of Greenland and the North Atlantic islands (North of 60 deg N)

Abstract

The North Atlantic is becoming a major focus of paleoenvironmental research due to its central role in natural climatic variability (Bond et al. 1993, 1997; Viau et al. 2002). The land masses surrounding the North Atlantic are profoundly influenced by the ocean’s effect on climate. As a result, Greenland and the other islands in the area (north of 60ºN) are considered to be optimal sites to study the development of Holocene climate and the natural variability of phenomena such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Greenland is home to the Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP) and Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) ice core records, two of the northern hemisphere’s premier