Sk. Short et al., LATE QUATERNARY MARINE AND TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS, NORTHWESTERN BAFFIN-ISLAND, NORTHWEST-TERRITORIES, Geographie physique et quaternaire, 48(1), 1994, pp. 85-95
Paleoenvironmental data were analyzed from terrestrial, lake, and mari
ne sediments collected near Arctic Bay, Baffin Island, N.W.T. Eighteen
new radiocarbon dates provide chronological control, superseding earl
ier results. Spuriously old dates were obtained from both sandy peats
and low-organic lake sediments. The most reliable dates were from mari
ne shells and foraminifera. They indicate that deglaciation was underw
ay by 9000 BP rather than 16,000 BP. Over the period of the record, th
e local environment was characterized by a high arctic pollen assembla
ge dominated by grass, sedge, and willow; a middle Holocene warm perio
d is indicated by increased willow, herb, and moss values. Sea-ice con
ditions were severe enough to inhibit the growth of diatoms until ca.
6300 BP and ice proximal and deglacial conditions prevailed in the fio
rds until ca. 6000 BP. Diatom productivity increased between 3000 BP a
nd 2500 BP, suggesting warmer surface waters and less sea ice. After 2
000 BP diatom accumulation decreased sharply, due to a cooling of clim
ate. The foraminifera indicate a major change in bottom water conditio
ns ca. 4000 BP as the benthic species shift from a calcareous to an ar
enaceous assemblage.