RECONSTRUCTING HIGH-LATITUDE STORM EVENTS FROM A FJORD IN NEWFOUNDLAND

The Arctic is highly susceptible and vulnerable to changes in climate, directly impacted by albedo and heat flux. High latitudinal storms may be influenced by changes in upper and lower tropospheric temperature gradients, sea ice extent and an increase of latent heat release. Atmospheric moisture variations may also play a significant role in influencing the frequency and intensity of these storms. Arctic regions seasonally impacted by sea-ice are at risk from extended summer periods, increasing ice retreat and enhancing permafrost thawing. This extended summer warm period may subject the coastal zone to prolonged exposure possibly leading to enhanced coastal erosion. This project reconstructs the frequency of storm events from a fjord in northern Newfoundland using an 800-cm core spanning 0 to 10,000 yrs BP. Fjord sedimentation is dominantly composed of dark gray silt punctuated by coarser anomalies in grain size distribution signifying abrupt depositional events, most likely storms. The temporal occurrence of these storm-induced deposits will be compared with regional climate records in hopes of providing insight into high latitude storm dynamics. Storm frequency will be compared to warming (decreased temperature gradient, decreased seasonal sea ice, increased fetch and increased transport) and cooling (increased temperature gradient, increased seasonal sea ice, decreased fetch and decreased transport) events documented in the geologic record. Storminess periodicity between ocean basins will be compared to gain insight into the feedbacks between climate change and high latitudinal storminess. A Recent multi-decadal increase/decrease in regional storm frequency may be indicative of future changes likely to impact high latitudes in the coming decades to centuries.