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Anthropogenic versus climatic control in a high-resolution 1500-year chironomid stratigraphy from a southwestern Greenland lake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Laurent Millet ,
Charly Massa ,
Vincent Bichet ,
Victor Frossard ,
Simon Belle  and
Emilie Gauthier
Laurent Millet*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS, Université de Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France
Charly Massa
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS, Université de Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Eau Terre et Environnement, 490 rue de la Couronne, Quebec, QC G1K 9A9, Canada
Vincent Bichet
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS, Université de Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France
Victor Frossard
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS, Université de Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France
Simon Belle
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS, Université de Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France
Emilie Gauthier
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS, Université de Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail address:[email protected] (L. Millet).
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Abstract

We performed a high-resolution study of chironomid assemblages in a sediment core retrieved from Lake Igaliku in southern Greenland. The well-dated core is located within the former Norse Eastern Settlement and covered the last 1500 yr. The comparison of chironomid stratigraphy (PCA axis scores) with instrumental temperature data, land use history and organic matter in the sediment over the last 140 yr suggested that the primary changes in chironomid fauna in 1988 ± 2 yr were driven by the shift to modern agriculture in the catchment. This unprecedented change in chironomid fauna was most likely triggered by a shift in in-lake processes. Within the instrumental period, subtle variations in the chironomid assemblages that occurred before 1988 ± 2 yr were significantly correlated with summer temperatures even in times of traditional extensive sheep farming in the catchment. The relevance of the chironomid-derived climate signal over the last 1500 yr was supported by its good concordance with previous studies in west Greenland and in the Arctic. The chironomid assemblage therefore appeared to be a valuable proxy for climate changes within the Norse colony area. Synchronous changes in Norse diet and chironomid-reconstructed climate give new insights into the interplay of Norse society with climate.

Keywords

ChironomidClimate reconstructionSouth GreenlandNorseLand-usePaleolimnology
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 81 , Issue 2 , March 2014 , pp. 193 - 202
Copyright
University of Washington

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