Reconstructing Past Climate by Using XRF and Loss of Ignition on Loess from Adventdalen, Svalbard : Rekonstruktion av tidigare klimat genom attanvända XRF analys och antändningsförlust på lössavlagringar från Adventdalen, Svalbard
2023
Andreasson, Albin | Lind, Noa
By analyzing the texture, composition and chemical composition of loess soils, the reconstruction ofpast climate regimes is enabled, which can improve our understanding of current and future climatechange. Properties such as grain size and composition, mineralogy, organic matter and chemicalcomposition can provide information about which environmental factors were present during thedeposition of the sediment, which can lead to a detailed picture of the climate history of a site. Researchon loess soils in the polar regions is particularly valuable because its climate is most rapidly affected byglobal warming. The purpose of the study has therefore been to understand and convey new data to thepaleo-climate around the Arctic by examining and analyzing loess soil sequences at a depth between 0and 175 cm from Adventdalen, Svalbard. In this study, the samples are analyzed with XRF (X-rayfluorescence) and LOI (Loss of Ignition). XRF is used to find out the mineral composition of the soils,while LOI is used to find out the percentage of organic content and carbonates.Data from the oldest part of the stratigraphic section indicate a sharp increase in weathering, from acooler period about 3000 years ago to a warming until about 2000 years ago. Weathering intensitiesderived from Na/Al-based indices show relatively frequent oscillations throughout the section, but arestable from about 100-70 cm. The high and stable weathering values during this period can probably beattributed to the Medieval Warm Period, which coincides with the relative dating of the site. Datacollected from the LOI shows a clear trend throughout the section, with a decrease in organic matterfrom 3000 BC to the present.
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