Icelandic ice sheet dynamics altered North Atlantic seawater chemistry

Environmental physicists at Heidelberg University have discovered that the growth and retreat of the Icelandic ice sheet over the last 230,000 years significantly altered the seawater chemistry of the North Atlantic.

By analyzing neodymium isotopic compositions in deep-sea sediment cores from the Rockall Plateau, researchers led by Prof. Dr. Norbert Frank found that the chemical ‘fingerprints’ of North Atlantic water masses were not constant during glacial periods. Instead, the isotopic signal fluctuated in rhythm with the ice ages. These changes are attributed to the interaction between ice and volcanism, as advancing ice sheets carved through Icelandic basaltic bedrock, releasing volcanic material into the ocean.