Pollen-based reconstructions of late Holocene climate from the central and western Canadian Arctic

Abstract

Study Location

In this study we investiage lakes seidments from two sites int eh Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Lake MB01, on southwestern Victoria, and Lake SL06, on the southern Boothia Peninsula.

Climate Proxy

We used fossil pollen (percentages and influx values), biogenic silica, organic matter, and magnetic susceptibility to study the later Holocene climate history of the region.

Results

Quantitative reconstructions of late Holocene climate based on modern and fossil pollen data show maximum warmth at both sites occurring around 300 AD, followed by a gradual decrease in temperature, likely representing the Neoglacial cooling. The pollen influx values record shorter-duration periods of higher pollen production, which may be linked to more optimal growing conditons, with the most recent of these periods occurring over the 20th century.