An increased knowledge of the nature and dynamics of ice sheets and glaciers at high latitudes is important, since changes in their extent may have large consequences for the global environment and climate. Learning more about past changes helps us to understand what is happening with the polar ice sheets and glaciers today and in the future. The aim of this project was to test the two conflicting hypotheses of ice-sheet extent and to find out more about the dynamic glacial advances from Liverpool Land by answering the following questions:

  1. Did ice-free areas exist in east Greenland during glacial maxima?
  2. When was the last time the Greenland ice sheet covered Jameson Land?
  3. If this took place before the Last Glacial Maximum (~20,000 years ago), what was then the extent and dynamic character of the Late Weichselian ice sheet?
  4. At what time(s) did the local Liverpool Land ice cap expand towards the west?

Principal investigators

Helena Alexandersson
Stockholm University

Lena Håkansson
Lund University