Print Email Facebook Twitter Dust in the wind Title Dust in the wind: Modern and historical aeolian deposition rates in an uphill lake catchment in the Kangerlussuaq-region, West Greenland. Author Engels, S. Project Molengraaff Fonds Date 2003 Abstract In the summer of 2001 a research project studying modem and historical aeolian deposition rates was carried out in the Kangerlussuaq-region, West Greenland. Modern deposition rates were monitored using 20 modified Tauber traps. The traps were placed on two perpendicular transects to assess the spatial variability in deposition rates. They were emptied every fortnight for a total period of 8 weeks to assess the temporal variability in deposition rates. Modern deposition rates in the uphill area are in the order of 3.5 g m-2 a-1. This value is an extrapolation from summer measurements and is subject to different (unknown) errors. The spatial pattern of deposition is correlated to the relative position in the field: during all 4 periods a consistent depositional pattern is found. At the rim of the lake, deposition is high. On the surrounding slopes the deposition rates decline and when the slope weakens near the top of the hill deposition rates increase again. This pattern is contradicting the depositional pattern found by experimental work of Goossens (eg 1988a). Three peat-monoliths were collected and loss-on-ignition analyses was applied to assess historic deposition rates. Three curves were obtained showing an oscillating minerogenic content, sometimes with a cyclic character. Residue-on-ignition (ROI)-values (weight of clastic content divided by total sample weight) range between 60 and 80% in the lower parts of the curve. For one curve, the ROI-values show a downward trend with depth. Gram size analyses show that the clastic material in the monoliths most likely has an aeolian origin. The curves are standardized using division into two populations for the first two curves, this to correct for the partly decomposed material in the upper layer. Without the means of absolute dating, it is difficult to assess the time span of a monolith or single samples. Using average peat accretion rates deduced from previous projects, a preliminary timescale suggests alternating phases of increased/decreased dust deposition in the order of 80-100a. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:cecbbee1-28b7-45d8-9825-7ac084927643 Publisher Utrecht University Part of collection Geoscience Reports Document type report Rights (c) Stefan Engels Files PDF Engels (2001).pdf 4.91 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid%3Acecbbee1-28b7-45d8-9825-7ac084927643/datastream/OBJ/view