Project Details
PaleO UndersTanding of Canadian lacustrINe Environments (POUTINE)
Applicant
Dr. Felix Gross
Subject Area
Geophysics
Term
since 2024
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 537648777
East Canada is, and has been, a key region for climate variations on the northern hemisphere. In the Labrador Sea, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) links northwards-flowing, warm- and salty water of the upper layers with colder, deep waters of the global thermohaline circulation. Over the course of the Pleistocene, this circulation was affected by the glaciation and deglaciation of the Laurentide Icesheet on the Canadian Shield. Freshwater pulses during deglaciation led to dramatic shifts within the AMOC system, resulting in climate variations even in Europe. The understanding of the waxing and waning of the Laurentide Icesheet is paramount to better model and forecast any climate variations caused by melting icesheets. In this planned study, we propose to survey potential lacustrine sedimentary archives in East Canada for their paleoclimate/paleolimnology potential. We propose to acquire new high-resolution reflection seismic data on two endmembers of the frehswater system in East Canada: Lake Saint-Jean and Grand-Lake. In combination with already existing datasets from the freshwater-, brackish- and marine realm, our aim is to propose drill sites for a land-to-sea (L2S) transect through East Canada which will enable us to better constrain the importance of glaciation and deglaciation events on the northern hemisphere.
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
International Connection
Canada
Co-Investigators
Privatdozentin Dr. Andrea Catalina Gebhardt; Professor Dr. Sebastian Krastel
Cooperation Partner
Professor Dr. Patrick Lajeunesse