Recent research suggests deep-water freshening beneath pan-Arctic ice shelves during glacial periods due to the absence of excess thorium in glacial Arctic sediments. This study presents structural and geochemical analyses of authigenic carbonates from Mendeleev Ridge sediments (western Arctic Ocean) over the last 76 kyr. Results indicate brackish and anoxic Polar Deep Water (PDW) during stadial periods, likely caused by sediment-laden meltwater discharge from paleo-ice sheets. This suggests the western Arctic Ocean may have acted as an additional carbon reservoir during glacial-interglacial cycles.

Kwangchul Jang, Kyung Sik Woo, Jin-Kyoung Kim, Seung-Il Nam