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Holocene ice wedge formation in the Eureka Sound Lowlands, high Arctic Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2021

Kethra Campbell-Heaton ,
Denis Lacelle Open the ORCID record for Denis Lacelle [Opens in a new window] ,
David Fisher  and
Wayne Pollard
Kethra Campbell-Heaton
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
Denis Lacelle*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
David Fisher
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
Wayne Pollard
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0B9, Canada
*
*Corresponding author: Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. E-mail address: dlacelle@uottawa.ca (D. Lacelle).
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Abstract

Ice wedges are ubiquitous periglacial features in permafrost terrain. This study investigates the timing of ice wedge formation in the Fosheim Peninsula (Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands). In this region, ice wedge polygons occupy ~50% of the landscape, the majority occurring below the marine limit in the Eureka Sound Lowlands. Numerical simulations suggest that ice wedges may crack to depths of 2.7–3.6 m following a rapid cooling of the ground over mean winter surface temperatures of −18°C to −38°C, corresponding to the depth of ice wedges in the region. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC)/Cl molar ratios suggest that the DOC in the ice wedges is sourced from snowmelt and not from leaching of the active layer. Based on 32 14CDOC measurements from 15 ice wedges, the wedges were likely developing between 9000–2500 cal yr BP. This interval also corresponds to the period of peat accumulation in the region, a proxy of increased moisture. Considering that winter air temperatures remained favorable for ice wedge growth throughout the Holocene, the timing of ice wedge formation reflects changes in snowfall. Overall, this study provides the first reconstruction of ice wedge formation from a high Arctic polar desert environment.

Keywords

Ground icepermafrostradiocarbon datingArctic
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 102 , July 2021 , pp. 175 - 187
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Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2021

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