Enhanced meltwater discharge and water mass evolution in Southwest Greenland since the end of the Little Ice Age

The Arctic region is noted to be sensitive in its response to anthropogenic warming. The Greenland Ice Sheet is experiencing accelerated mass loss via surface melting and ice discharge. This freshwater input is likely to influence global heat distribution via the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). To better understand past natural variations in this system, proxy reconstructions are required to give a longer-term perspective. Previous proxy studies have suggested that human-induced AMOC slowdown began as early as the nineteenth century. However, the lack of high temporal resolution data from the last millennium means that the role of meltwater discharge on the evolution of North Atlantic intermediate waters, especially during the Little Ice Age (LIA), remains unclear.

Here, we present both weathering and temperature records from deep-sea scleractinian corals collected from Southwest Greenland (Nuuk Trough). We analysed ²³⁴U/²³⁸U, rare earth elements with yttrium (REEY) and trace elements (Li/Mg temperature proxy) along with precise U-Th dating of corals. Samples were from 750 m and 1200 m water depth with ages spanning the last 1000 years. The study site is influenced by surface meltwater from the West Greenland Ice Sheet. It is also at the convergence point of shallow cold Arctic-sourced water and deeper warm Atlantic-sourced water, providing an ideal location for tracing AMOC variations.

Our coral data show West Greenland seawater δ²³⁴U has increased ~2‰ toward modern seawater value since the end of the LIA (1700 C.E.), suggesting an increase in subglacial physical weathering input. This is supported by our terrestrial discharge record from REEY data that indicates an increase in meltwater discharge since the end of the LIA. The temperature record shows a gradual cooling trend from 1600 to 1900 C.E. at 1200 m depth, followed by warming at 750m. We suggest that the temperature drop at intermediate depth is linked to a change in water mass structure, as the thermocline shallowed and colder, deeper waters expanded. Cooling at this depth is consistent with a weakened AMOC, with less penetration of warm Atlantic waters. Our findings highlight the complex interactions between glacial meltwater and intermediate water circulation in the last millennium.