Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T02:04:33.607Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pollen Analysis of the 1973 Ice Core from Devon Island Glacier, Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

John H. McAndrews
John H. McAndrews*
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, Royal Ontario Museum, and Departments of Botany and Geology, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 2C6, Canada
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Meltwater from a 299-m-long ice core was filtered and analyzed for fossil pollen and spores. Pollen concentration was higher in the late Holocene and interglacial intervals (ca. 7 liter−1) than in the early Holocene and Wisconsinan (ca. 1–2 liter−1) ones. The late Holocene and interglacial assemblages were dominated by Alnus (alder), whereas the early Holocene and Wisconsinan ones were dominated by Betula (birch) and Artemisia (sage). During the Holocene and probably the last interglaciation, most of the pollen and spores were blown a minimum of 1000 km from low arctic shrub tundra and adjacent subarctic Picea (spruce) forest; these areas were dominated by the arctic air mass during the summer pollinating season. During the Wisconsinan-early Holocene, glacier ice and arctic air were more widespread and pollen sources were more distant; thus, at this time relatively little pollen was incorporated into the ice.

The Devon ice-core data suggest that there should have been pollen in the continental ice sheet of Wisconsin time. When the ice sheet retreated this pollen would be carried by meltwater and redeposited with silt and clay together with contemporary pollen, producing an ecologically anomalous assemblage.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , July 1984 , pp. 68 - 76
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, S.T. (1954). ). A late-glacial pollen diagram from southern Michigan, U.S.A. Danmarks Geologiske Undersøgelse [Afhandlinger] Raekke A 80 140 155 Google Scholar
Andrews, J.T. Webber, P.J. Nichols, H. (1979). ). A late Holocene pollen diagram from Pangnirtung Pass, Baffin Island, N.W.T., Canada Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 27 1 28 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, R.G. Elliot, D.L. Crane, R.G. (1981). ). ). The palaeoclimatic interpretation of exotic pollen peaks in Holocene records from the eastern Canadian Arctic: A discussion Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 33 153 157 Google Scholar
Bliss, L.C. (1977). ). Introduction Bliss, L.C. Truelove Lowland, Devon Island, Canada: A High Arctic Ecosystem Univ. of Alberta Press Edmonton 139 142 Google Scholar
Brassard, G.R. (1971). The mosses of northern Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada: I. Ecology and phytogeography, with an analysis for the Queen Elizabeth Islands Bryologist 74 233 281 Google Scholar
Bryson, R.A. (1966). Air masses, streamlines and the boreal forest Geographical Bulletin 8 228 269 Google Scholar
Bryson, R.A. Wendland, W.M. (1967). Tentative climatic patterns for some late-glacial and post-glacial episodes in central North America Mayer-Oakes, W.J. Life, Land and Water Univ. of Manitoba Press Winnipeg 271 298 Google Scholar
Cushing, E.J. (1964). Redeposited pollen in late-Wisconsin pollen spectra from east-central Minnesota American Journal of Science 262 1075 1088 Google Scholar
Cwynar, L.C. Ritchie, J.C. (1980). Arctic steppe-tundra: A Yukon perspective Science 208 1375 1377 Google Scholar
Faegri, K. Iversen, J. (1975). Textbook of Pollen Analysis Munksgaard Copenhagen Google Scholar
Fisher, D. Koerner, R.M. (1981). Some aspects of climatic change in the high arctic during the Holocene as deduced from ice cores Mahaney, W.C. Quarternary Paleoclimate Geo Abstracts Norwich 249 271 Google Scholar
Fredskild, B. (1973). Studies in the vegetational history of Greenland Meddelelser om Grønland 198 1 245 Google Scholar
Fredskild, B. Wagner, P. (1974). Pollen and fragments of plant tissue in core samples from the Greenland Ice Cap Boreas 3 105 108 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jankovska, V. Bliss, L.C. (1977). Palynological analysis of a peat from Truelove Lowland Bliss, L.C. Truelove Lowland, Devon Island, Canada: A High Arctic Ecosystem Univ. of Alberta Press Edmonton 139 142 Google Scholar
Koerner, R.M. Fisher, D. (1979). Discontinuous flow, ice texture, and dirt content in the basal layers of the Devon Island Ice Cap Journal of Glaciology 23 209 222 Google Scholar
Lichti-Federovich, S. (1975). Pollen analysis of ice core samples from the Devon Island Ice Cap Report of Activities, Part A. Paper 75-1. Geological Survey of Canada 441 444 pt. AGoogle Scholar
Maher, L.J. Jr. (1964). Ephedra pollen in sediments of the Great Lakes region Ecology 45 391 395 Google Scholar
Mathews, J.V. Jr. (1979). Tertiary and Quaternary environments: Historical background for an analysis of the Canadian insect fauna Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 108 31 86 Google Scholar
Mathews, J.V. Jr. (1982). East Beringia during late Wisconsin time: A review of the biotic evidence Hopkins, D.M. Mathews, J.V. Jr. Schweger, C.E. Young, S.B. Paleoecology of Beringia Academic Press New York 127 150 Google Scholar
McAndrews, J.H. Berti, A.A. Norris, G. (1973). Key to the Quaternary pollen of the Great Lakes region Royal Ontario Museum Miscellaneous Publications TorontoGoogle Scholar
Muc, M. (1977). Ecology and primary production of sedge-moss and meadow communities, Truelove Lowland Bliss, L.C. Truelove Lowland, Devon Island, Canada: A High Arctic Ecosystem Univ. of Alberta Press Edmonton 157 184 Google Scholar
Muc, M. Bliss, L.C. (1977). Plant communities of the Truelove Lowland Bliss, L.C. Truelove Lowland, Devon Island, Canada: A High Arctic Ecosystem Univ. of Alberta Press Edmonton 143 154 Google Scholar
Nichols, H. (1967). Central Canadian palynology and its relevance to northwestern Europe in the late Quaternary period Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 2 231 Google Scholar
Nichols, H. (1972). Summary of the palynological evidence for late Quaternary vegetational and climatic change in the central and eastern Canadian Arctic Acta Universitatis Ouluensis 3 309 339 Google Scholar
Nichols, H. Kelly, P.M. Andrews, J.T. (1978). Holocene palaeo-wind evidence from palynology in Baffin Island Nature (London) 273 140 142 Google Scholar
Paterson, W.S.B. Koerner, R.M. Fisher, D. Johnsen, S.J. Clausen, H.B. Dansgaard, W. Bucher, P. and Oeschger, H. (1977). An oxygenisotope climatic record from the Devon Island Ice Cap, arctic Canada Nature (London) 266 508 511 Google Scholar
Polunin, N. (1951). The real Arctic: Suggestions for its delimitation, subdivision and characterization Journal of Ecology 39 308 315 Google Scholar
Polunin, N. (1960). Introduction to Plant Geography McGraw-Hill New York Google Scholar
Porsild, A.E. Cody, W.J. (1980). Vascular plants of continental Northwest Territories, Canada Natl. Museum of Nat. Sci., Natl. Museum of Canada Ottawa Google Scholar
Ritchie, J.C. (1978). Towards a late-Quaternary palaeoecology of the ice-free corridor Canadian Journal of Anthropology 1 15 28 Google Scholar
Ritchie, J.C. Hare, F.K. (1971). Late-Quaternary vegetation and climate near the arctic tree line of northwestern North America Quaternary Research 1 331 342 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowley, J.R. Walch, K.M. (1972). Recovery of introduced pollen from a mountain glacier stream Grana 12 146 152 Google Scholar
Short, S.K. Nichols, H. (1977). Holocene pollen diagrams from subarctic Labrador-Ungava: Vegetational history and climatic change Arctic and Alpine Research 9 265 290 Google Scholar
Svoboda, J. (1977). Ecology and primary production of raised beach communities, Truelove Lowland Bliss, L.C. Truelove Lowland, Devon Island, Canada: A High Arctic Ecosystem Univ. of Alberta Press Edmonton 139 142 Google Scholar
Terasmae, J. Webber, P.J. Andrews, J.T. (1966). A study of late-Quaternary plant-bearing beds in north-central Baffin Island, Canada Arctic 19 296 318 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, H.E. Jr. (1971). Late Quaternary vegetation history of North America Turekian, K.K. The Late Cenozoic Glacial Ages Yale Univ. Press New Haven, Conn 425 464 Google Scholar