NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Upper Grindelwald Glacier Holocene Fluctuation Reconstruction
This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology. The associated NCEI study type is Cave. The data include parameters of speleothems with a geographic location of Switzerland, Western Europe. The time period coverage is from 9314 to 2000 in calendar years before present (BP). See metadata information for parameter and study location details. Please cite this study when using the data.
Dataset Citation
- Cite as: Luetscher, M.; Hoffmann, D.L.; Frisia, S.; Spötl, C. (2013-02-22): NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Upper Grindelwald Glacier Holocene Fluctuation Reconstruction. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://doi.org/10.25921/dmy2-gh10. Accessed [date].
- Please refer to Credit tab for full citation information.
Dataset Identifiers
- doi:10.25921/dmy2-gh10
- noaa-cave-13868
- NCEI DSI 1200_02
- NCEI DSI 1200_01
ISO 19115-2 Metadata
noaa-cave-13868
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Ordering Instructions | Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions. |
Distributor |
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
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NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact | Data Center Contact NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology 828-271-4800 paleo@noaa.gov |
Coverage Description | Date Range: 9314 cal yr BP to 2000 cal yr BP; |
Time Period | -7364 to -50 |
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
West: 8.083
East: 8.083
South: 46.6167
North: 46.6167
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Spatial Coverage Map |
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Data Presentation Form | Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns |
Dataset Progress Status | Complete - production of the data has been completed |
Data Update Frequency | Data update frequency not available |
Supplemental Information | STUDY NOTES: Petrographic and stable isotope changes in Milchbach cave speleothems are tied to abrupt changes in the cave environment associated with Grindelwald glacier fluctuations. Phases of major glacier retreats occurred repeatedly before 5.8 ka but short term glacier advances are identified at 8.2 ka and 9.2 ka. The reconstructed history of glacier oscillations is constrained by 37 independent U/Th dates. The fluctuations of the Upper Grindelwald Glacier are inferred from the estimated altitude of the ice surface at the cave entrance. The error is constrained by the altitude of the different cave entrances, but some uncertainty remains as to the lowest elevation. ABSTRACT SUPPLIED BY ORIGINATOR: Mountain glaciers and their sediments are prominent witnesses of climate change, responding sensitively to even small modifications in meteorological parameters. Even in such a classical and thoroughly studied area as the European Alps the record of Holocene glacier mass-balance is only incompletely known. Here we explore a novel and continuous archive of glacier fluctuations in a cave system adjacent to the Upper Grindelwald Glacier in the Swiss Alps. Milchbach cave became partly ice-free only recently and hosts Holocene speleothems. Four coeval stalagmites show consistent petrographic and stable isotopic changes between 9.2 and 2.0 ka which can be tied to abrupt modifications in the cave environment as a result of the closing and opening of multiple cave entrances by the waxing and waning of the nearby glacier. During periods of Holocene glacier advances, columnar calcite fabric is characterized by d18O values of about -8.0‰ indicative of speleothem growth under quasi-equilibrium conditions, i.e. little affected by kinetic effect related to forced degassing or biological processes. In contrast, fabrics formed during periods of glacier minima are typical of bacterially mediated calcite precipitation within caves overlain by an alpine soil cover. Moreover, d18O values of the bacterially mediated calcite fabrics are consistent with a ventilated cave system fostering kinetic fractionation. These data suggest that glacier retreats occurred repeatedly before 5.8 ka, and that the amplitudes of glacier retreats became substantially smaller afterwards. Our reconstruction of the Upper Grindelwald Glacier fluctuations agrees well with paleoglaciological studies from other sites in the Alps and provides a higher temporal resolution compared to traditional analyses of peat and wood remains found in glacier forefields. |
Purpose | Records of past temperature, precipitation, and other aspects of climate derived from mineral deposits found in caves. Parameter keywords describe what was measured in this dataset. Additional summary information can be found in the abstracts of papers listed in the dataset citations. |
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Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
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Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
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Last Modified: 2023-09-01
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov