Biomarker data of sediment core ARA04C/37, Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean

High-resolution records indicate that the southern Beaufort Sea was nearly ice-free in summer during the last deglaciation and early Holocene, and a seasonal sea-ice cover developed during the mid-late Holocene, coinciding with a drop in terrigenous sediment flux and primary production.

Superimposed to this climate-driven long-term change in surface-water characteristics, we document two major flood events during the deglacial to Holocene transition. Such major flood events in the Beaufort Sea region may have profound effect on global climate change, especially during times when the massive Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) collapsed, and huge amount of freshwater was drained into the Beaufort Sea. This freshening of the Arctic Ocean may have resulted in increased freshwater export into the North Atlantic, causing reduced North Atlantic deep-water formation.