Paleoceanography and paleoclimatology of the Eastern Canadian Margin
I am engaged in projects examining the impact that large meltwater drainage events (glacial floods) had on the ocean and on climate during the last deglaciation. Understanding the impact of adding large amounts of freshwater to the North Atlantic Ocean is important in view of the accelerating melting of ice sheets around the world.
Abrupt Climatic Events of the Last Deglaciation
Through analysis of numerous high resolution marine sediment cores, I was able to show that three cold climatic events (Sandercombe 2012; et al. 2010) do coincide with large meltwater drainage events that affected sea surface conditions (Levac et al. 2011; Levac et al. 2015) and slowed the deep oceanic circulation responsible for the latitudinal distribution of heat.
The 8.2 ka cooling events coincided with the catastrophic drainage of glacial Lake Agassiz out of Hudson Strait (Levac et al. 2011; Lewis et al. 2012), while the Preboreal Oscillation (10900-11180 cal BP) and the Younger Dryas (12,900 to 11,700 cal BP) both coincided with meltwater drainage via the St. Lawrence River system (Anderson et al. 2007; Levac et al. 2015; 2018), but the Labrador Current is possibly playing a role….so, there is still lots of work to do!!
Contact me if you are interested. Ongoing projects on the 8.2 ka event, the Preoreal Oscillation and the Younger Dryas.
Abrupt Climatic Events of the Last Deglaciation
Through analysis of numerous high resolution marine sediment cores, I was able to show that three cold climatic events (Sandercombe 2012; et al. 2010) do coincide with large meltwater drainage events that affected sea surface conditions (Levac et al. 2011; Levac et al. 2015) and slowed the deep oceanic circulation responsible for the latitudinal distribution of heat.
The 8.2 ka cooling events coincided with the catastrophic drainage of glacial Lake Agassiz out of Hudson Strait (Levac et al. 2011; Lewis et al. 2012), while the Preboreal Oscillation (10900-11180 cal BP) and the Younger Dryas (12,900 to 11,700 cal BP) both coincided with meltwater drainage via the St. Lawrence River system (Anderson et al. 2007; Levac et al. 2015; 2018), but the Labrador Current is possibly playing a role….so, there is still lots of work to do!!
Contact me if you are interested. Ongoing projects on the 8.2 ka event, the Preoreal Oscillation and the Younger Dryas.