A midge-based late-glacial temperature reconstruction from southwestern Nova Scotia

Bronwen S. Whitney; Jessie H. Vincent; Les C Cwynar

doi:10.1139/e05-065

A midge-based late-glacial temperature reconstruction from southwestern Nova Scotia

Bronwen S. Whitney, Jessie H. Vincent, Les C Cwynar

School of Geosciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

We present a quantitative reconstruction of the thermal regime spanning the late-glacial period of Nova Scotia (14 700 to 11 600 BP) as inferred by analyzing fossil midges from a small lake (Lac à Magie) in southwestern Nova Scotia. The GS-1 event (equivalent to the Younger Dryas, dating from 12 700 to 11 600 BP in Maritime Canada) was marked by a 5 °C decline in inferred mean July surface-water temperatures and a 15% drop in organic content. Previous pollen and plant macrofossil analyses of this site demonstrate a response of vegetation to GS-1 cooling. These data, coupled with a midge-inferred temperature reconstruction from a nearby site, suggest that late-glacial climate change was less pronounced in southern Nova Scotia than in other sites in Maritime Canada and adjacent eastern North America.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2051-2057
Number of pages	7
Journal	Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
Volume	42
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1139/e05-065
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2005

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title = "A midge-based late-glacial temperature reconstruction from southwestern Nova Scotia",

abstract = "We present a quantitative reconstruction of the thermal regime spanning the late-glacial period of Nova Scotia (14 700 to 11 600 BP) as inferred by analyzing fossil midges from a small lake (Lac {\`a} Magie) in southwestern Nova Scotia. The GS-1 event (equivalent to the Younger Dryas, dating from 12 700 to 11 600 BP in Maritime Canada) was marked by a 5 °C decline in inferred mean July surface-water temperatures and a 15% drop in organic content. Previous pollen and plant macrofossil analyses of this site demonstrate a response of vegetation to GS-1 cooling. These data, coupled with a midge-inferred temperature reconstruction from a nearby site, suggest that late-glacial climate change was less pronounced in southern Nova Scotia than in other sites in Maritime Canada and adjacent eastern North America.",

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N2 - We present a quantitative reconstruction of the thermal regime spanning the late-glacial period of Nova Scotia (14 700 to 11 600 BP) as inferred by analyzing fossil midges from a small lake (Lac à Magie) in southwestern Nova Scotia. The GS-1 event (equivalent to the Younger Dryas, dating from 12 700 to 11 600 BP in Maritime Canada) was marked by a 5 °C decline in inferred mean July surface-water temperatures and a 15% drop in organic content. Previous pollen and plant macrofossil analyses of this site demonstrate a response of vegetation to GS-1 cooling. These data, coupled with a midge-inferred temperature reconstruction from a nearby site, suggest that late-glacial climate change was less pronounced in southern Nova Scotia than in other sites in Maritime Canada and adjacent eastern North America.

AB - We present a quantitative reconstruction of the thermal regime spanning the late-glacial period of Nova Scotia (14 700 to 11 600 BP) as inferred by analyzing fossil midges from a small lake (Lac à Magie) in southwestern Nova Scotia. The GS-1 event (equivalent to the Younger Dryas, dating from 12 700 to 11 600 BP in Maritime Canada) was marked by a 5 °C decline in inferred mean July surface-water temperatures and a 15% drop in organic content. Previous pollen and plant macrofossil analyses of this site demonstrate a response of vegetation to GS-1 cooling. These data, coupled with a midge-inferred temperature reconstruction from a nearby site, suggest that late-glacial climate change was less pronounced in southern Nova Scotia than in other sites in Maritime Canada and adjacent eastern North America.

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DO - 10.1139/e05-065

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SP - 2051

EP - 2057

JO - Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences

JF - Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences

IS - 11

ER -

A midge-based late-glacial temperature reconstruction from southwestern Nova Scotia

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