NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Vestra Gíslholtsvatn, Iceland 2000 Year Biomarker Data and Physical Properties
This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology. The associated NCEI study type is Lake. The data include parameters of paleolimnology with a geographic location of Iceland, Northern Europe. The time period coverage is from 1977 to -30 in calendar years before present (BP). See metadata information for parameter and study location details. Please cite this study when using the data.
- Cite as: Richter, N.; Russell, J.M.; Garfinkel, J.; Huang, Y. (2020-06-08): NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Vestra Gíslholtsvatn, Iceland 2000 Year Biomarker Data and Physical Properties. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://doi.org/10.25921/7jt5-ed94. Accessed [date].
- Please refer to Credit tab for full citation information.
- doi:10.25921/7jt5-ed94
- noaa-lake-29992
- NCEI DSI 1200_02
- NCEI DSI 1200_01
noaa-lake-29992
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Distributor | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact | Data Center Contact
NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology 828-271-4800 paleo@noaa.gov |
Coverage Description | Date Range: 1977 cal yr BP to -30 cal yr BP; |
Time Period | -27 to 1980 |
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
N: 63.94517
S: 63.94517
E: -20.519212
W: -20.519212
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Data Presentation Form | Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
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Dataset Progress Status | Complete - production of the data has been completed |
Data Update Frequency | Data update frequency not available |
Supplemental Information |
STUDY NOTES: Biomarker (alkenones and n-alkanes) and geochemical (opal, organic carbon, total nitrogen) data from sediments collected in Vestra Gíslholtsvatn, Iceland for the past 2000 years.
ABSTRACT SUPPLIED BY ORIGINATOR: Norse colonization of North Atlantic islands in the 1st millennium of the Common Era led to drastic prehistoric environmental changes in these previously “pristine” landscapes. In Iceland, Norse settlement is associated with a rapid decline in birch trees and heightened soil erosion, yet the timing of Norse exploration in the North Atlantic coincided with large climate changes that also influenced Icelandic environments. To date, there are few records that disentangle climatic and human impacts on terrestrial ecosystems, and there has been very little work on the impacts of Norse arrival on Iceland’s aquatic ecosystems. Here we use a high-resolution lake-sediment record from Vestra Gíslholtsvatn (VGHV), southwest Iceland to investigate these processes during the last 2,000 years. Norse arrival (c. 870 CE) in Iceland is followed by a rapid increase in sedimentation rate and a transition in leaf wax n-alkanes indicating a decrease in trees and expansion of grasses. This transition coincides with limnological changes, including increased primary productivity (i.e. C17 n-alkane and biogenic opal fluxes) and shifts in the haptophyte algal community. Many of these changes are still apparent today. Comparisons with a new winter-spring alkenone temperature reconstruction from VGHV and marine sea surface temperature records show little to no correlation between terrestrial and aquatic ecological changes and climate at this time. Similarly, volcanic eruptions recorded in VGHV are not associated with any long-term environmental changes. Rather, the VGHV record suggests that human settlement had a lasting impact on the catchment area of VGHV and changes within the lake ecosystem. |
Purpose | Records of past climate and environment derived from lake sediment records. Parameter keywords describe what was measured in this dataset. Additional summary information can be found in the abstracts of papers listed in the dataset citations. |
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Theme keywords | Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
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Data Center keywords | Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
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Last Modified: 2023-09-01
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