Age determination and faunal composition of sediments off northern Greenland

Planktic foraminifera assemblages are used as a key paleoceanographic proxy, and a surprisingly large variability is found for an interior Arctic Ocean site.

Abundant small (63-125 µm) subpolar Turborotalita quinqueloba occur in two sections, possibly representing substages 5e (last interglacial) and 5a (warm interstadial). However, the present-day circulation pattern and the very distant location of high productive regions cannot explain such high abundances of subpolar specimens in the interior, perennially sea ice-covered Arctic Ocean. Hence our proxy record indicates that last interglacial sea ice concentrations were reduced off some areas of northern Greenland-Canada.