Paleoceanographic studies of the impacts of natural and anthropogenic perturbations in three Labrador fjord ecosystems (Nachvak, Saglek and Anaktalak).

In November 2006 3 shorts sediment cores from 3 fjord ecosystems located along Labrador's East coast, have been sampled from CCGS Amundsen. In August 2008 4 lakes in Saglek fjord area have been sampled. Data about the properties of the water column and short sediment cores have been taken. In November 2009, a ~8m long piston-core and a ~80cm long gravity-core have been taken in the Nachvak fjord from the CCGS Amundsen. In addition, surface sediment samples were taken through box-cores in the Nachvak, Saglek, Okak and Anaktalak fjords.The cores have been analyzed for various physical and chemical properties, such as sediment density, magnetic susceptibility and contaminant levels. The biostratigraphic analyses involved sediment sub-sampling at 1-2 cm intervals to determine changes in the composition and concentration of fossil diatoms and dinocysts throughout the marine cores, only diatoms for the lacustrine cores. The chronology of each core has been established based on AMS-14C dates on marine shells preserved within the sediments and on the radioactive decay of the 210Pb in the sediments. The surface sediment sampled in the fjord will be used to document the modern dinocyst assemblages in the area to allow more precise past climatic reconstructions.