Greenland Ice Sheet responses to past warm climate intervals: Provenance insights from North-East Baffin Bay

Tjördis Störling; Nynke Thera Keulen; Sebastian Næsby Malkki; Kristine Thrane; B.D. Heredia; Ricardo D. M. Contreras; L.F. Pérez; Heike Hildegard Zimmermann; Paul Cornils Knutz

Abstract

The ChronIce project (Chronicling Greenland Ice Sheet evolution through past warm climates), investigates the dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet to past warm climate intervals by reconstructing changes in physical weathering and past ice sheet configurations back to ~15 Ma. Constraining the response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to past warm climate intervals is essential for improving our understanding of its sensitivity to future warming and its contribution to global sea-level rise.
Focusing on sedimentary archives from North-East Baffin Bay, we analyzed marine cores recovered during International Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 400 (Sites U1604, U1606, U1607 and U1608). Temporal variations in glacial provenance, weathering intensity, and ice sheet configurations are assessed using detrital mineral composition and multi mineral geochronology approaches. Heavy mineral fractions are characterized using Automated Quantitative Mineralogy–Scanning Electron Microscopy (AQM-SEM) and Laser Ablation–Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), enabling single-grain U–Pb geochronology and robust provenance fingerprinting of ice-rafted debris (IRD). We present new data from zircon, apatite and titanite grains. Preliminary zircon, titanite and apatite ages (max.~3200 Ma) from the Upper Pleistocene (130.000 – 12.000 years ago) pointing to a Greenlandic source area possible Southern-West Greenland or the Ilulissat area.

Original language	English
Publication status	In preparation - 2027
Event	ARCPaC 2026: Arctic Research Community - Past Changes for future - Aarhus, Denmark Duration: 25 May 2026 → 29 May 2026 https://www.arcpac.net/

Conference

Conference	ARCPaC 2026
Country/Territory	Denmark
City	Aarhus
Period	25/05/26 → 29/05/26
Internet address	https://www.arcpac.net/

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 13 Climate Action
SDG 14 Life Below Water

Programme Area

Programme Area 5: Nature and Climate

Cite this

@conference{42b8a93591b641aa8eeb457c6bcd132e,

title = "Greenland Ice Sheet responses to past warm climate intervals: Provenance insights from North-East Baffin Bay",

abstract = "The ChronIce project (Chronicling Greenland Ice Sheet evolution through past warm climates), investigates the dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet to past warm climate intervals by reconstructing changes in physical weathering and past ice sheet configurations back to \textasciitilde{}15 Ma. Constraining the response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to past warm climate intervals is essential for improving our understanding of its sensitivity to future warming and its contribution to global sea-level rise. Focusing on sedimentary archives from North-East Baffin Bay, we analyzed marine cores recovered during International Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 400 (Sites U1604, U1606, U1607 and U1608). Temporal variations in glacial provenance, weathering intensity, and ice sheet configurations are assessed using detrital mineral composition and multi mineral geochronology approaches. Heavy mineral fractions are characterized using Automated Quantitative Mineralogy–Scanning Electron Microscopy (AQM-SEM) and Laser Ablation–Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), enabling single-grain U–Pb geochronology and robust provenance fingerprinting of ice-rafted debris (IRD). We present new data from zircon, apatite and titanite grains. Preliminary zircon, titanite and apatite ages (max.\textasciitilde{}3200 Ma) from the Upper Pleistocene (130.000 – 12.000 years ago) pointing to a Greenlandic source area possible Southern-West Greenland or the Ilulissat area.",

author = "Tj{\"o}rdis St{\"o}rling and Keulen, \{Nynke Thera\} and Malkki, \{Sebastian N{\ae}sby\} and Kristine Thrane and B.D. Heredia and Contreras, \{Ricardo D. M.\} and L.F. P{\'e}rez and Zimmermann, \{Heike Hildegard\} and Knutz, \{Paul Cornils\}",

year = "2027",

language = "English",

note = "ARCPaC 2026 : Arctic Research Community - Past Changes for future ; Conference date: 25-05-2026 Through 29-05-2026",

url = "https://www.arcpac.net/",

}

TY - CONF

T1 - Greenland Ice Sheet responses to past warm climate intervals: Provenance insights from North-East Baffin Bay

AU - Störling, Tjördis

AU - Keulen, Nynke Thera

AU - Malkki, Sebastian Næsby

AU - Thrane, Kristine

AU - Heredia, B.D.

AU - Contreras, Ricardo D. M.

AU - Pérez, L.F.

AU - Zimmermann, Heike Hildegard

AU - Knutz, Paul Cornils

PY - 2027

Y1 - 2027

N2 - The ChronIce project (Chronicling Greenland Ice Sheet evolution through past warm climates), investigates the dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet to past warm climate intervals by reconstructing changes in physical weathering and past ice sheet configurations back to ~15 Ma. Constraining the response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to past warm climate intervals is essential for improving our understanding of its sensitivity to future warming and its contribution to global sea-level rise. Focusing on sedimentary archives from North-East Baffin Bay, we analyzed marine cores recovered during International Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 400 (Sites U1604, U1606, U1607 and U1608). Temporal variations in glacial provenance, weathering intensity, and ice sheet configurations are assessed using detrital mineral composition and multi mineral geochronology approaches. Heavy mineral fractions are characterized using Automated Quantitative Mineralogy–Scanning Electron Microscopy (AQM-SEM) and Laser Ablation–Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), enabling single-grain U–Pb geochronology and robust provenance fingerprinting of ice-rafted debris (IRD). We present new data from zircon, apatite and titanite grains. Preliminary zircon, titanite and apatite ages (max.~3200 Ma) from the Upper Pleistocene (130.000 – 12.000 years ago) pointing to a Greenlandic source area possible Southern-West Greenland or the Ilulissat area.

AB - The ChronIce project (Chronicling Greenland Ice Sheet evolution through past warm climates), investigates the dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet to past warm climate intervals by reconstructing changes in physical weathering and past ice sheet configurations back to ~15 Ma. Constraining the response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to past warm climate intervals is essential for improving our understanding of its sensitivity to future warming and its contribution to global sea-level rise. Focusing on sedimentary archives from North-East Baffin Bay, we analyzed marine cores recovered during International Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 400 (Sites U1604, U1606, U1607 and U1608). Temporal variations in glacial provenance, weathering intensity, and ice sheet configurations are assessed using detrital mineral composition and multi mineral geochronology approaches. Heavy mineral fractions are characterized using Automated Quantitative Mineralogy–Scanning Electron Microscopy (AQM-SEM) and Laser Ablation–Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), enabling single-grain U–Pb geochronology and robust provenance fingerprinting of ice-rafted debris (IRD). We present new data from zircon, apatite and titanite grains. Preliminary zircon, titanite and apatite ages (max.~3200 Ma) from the Upper Pleistocene (130.000 – 12.000 years ago) pointing to a Greenlandic source area possible Southern-West Greenland or the Ilulissat area.

M3 - Abstract at conference

T2 - ARCPaC 2026

Y2 - 25 May 2026 through 29 May 2026