Lake sediment evidence for the last deglaciation of eastern Greenland

In this review, we compile the evidence of lake and isolation basin sediments for the chronology of the last deglaciation along the coastal parts of eastern Greenland between 70°N and 83°N. Radiocarbon dates of remains of freshwater plants and bulk organic carbon extracted from lacustrine sediments suggest that the present day ice-free parts of eastern Greenland were not deglaciated prior to the early Holocene. Older dates do exist but must be used with caution due to possible contamination with old carbon. However, many inland locations in eastern North and central East Greenland became ice-free distinctly later between 10,000 and 7500 cal yr BP, depending on their relative position to the ice margin. This compilation confirms former suggestions that hitherto no secure Late glacial lacustrine sediments have been found in the ice-free parts of eastern Greenland. Late glacial sediments are only known from lakes in southern Greenland and from few marine locations off eastern Greenland. The here summarized lake sediment evidence for the last deglaciation supports the results of an earlier compilation of dates from marine shells.