Greenland Ice Sheet evolution – What new insights to expect from IODP Exp 400?

When was the onset of glacial expansion in northern Greenland? And how has the Greenland Ice Sheet responded to past climate warmings? Motivated by these key questions IODP Expedition 400 drilled six sites, U1603-U1608, along a transect covering the deep basin of Baffin Bay and the glaciated margin of north-west Greenland. With the overall aim of obtaining high-resolution records capturing the late Cenozoic evolution, we recovered 2,299 m of sediment core, primarily from hemipelagic and contourite settings, forming part of the continental margin succession. The recovered sediments represent a a composite stratigraphic section of >3 km covering the last 25 Myr, i.e. from the Oligocene/Early Miocene to Holocene. From four of the sites we obtained a full suite of wireline logging data. This presentation provides an overview of the preliminary results, and the scientific objectives for understanding the late Cenozoic climate development in Greenland.