Current projects

 

The Late Quaternary glacial history of Northeast  Greenland; cosmogenic isotope constraints on chronology and ice dynamics: 

In the East Greenland fjord zone, some interfjord uplands and coastal lowlands are strongly weathered, whereas fjord and valley troughs are characterised by fresh-looking surfaces of glacial erosion. Erratic boulders occur both on glacially scoured and unscoured terrain.

Based on the degree of weathering and on the lack of identified glacial deposits from the last glaciation, interfjord uplands and coastal lowlands have been suggested as ice free at least during the last glacial maximum (LGM). Previous investigations propose that the erratic boulders resting on unscoured terrain were transported to their present location during an earlier all-inundating advance of the Greenland Ice Sheet. However, the concept of a restricted LGM glaciation has recently been challenged by both marine and land-based field data, indicating that the Greenland Ice Sheet reached the continental shelf break at this time.

    My research is aimed at applying cosmogenic isotopes to weathering zone research in East Greenland to reconcile the two contrasting hypotheses for ice extent and dynamic behavior of the Greenland Ice Sheet during the LGM. Samples have been collected from boulders and bedrock in glacially scoured and unscoured terrain.

 

 

 

 

 

CV - Lena Håkansson

 

Education: 

Ph. D. student in Quaternary geology, Lund University, 2004-present: Glaciation history of NE Greenland; cosmogenic isotopes and morphologic analysis. (Advisor: Christian Hjort).

 

M.S thesis, Quaternary geology, Lund University 2003: “An architectural element analyses of a large-scale thrust complex, Kanin Peninsula, NW Russia; interaction between the Barents and Kara Sea ice sheets”. (Advisor: Kurt Kjaer, Copenhagen)

 

 

Teaching: 

2005, field course, glacial geology (graduate course), Lund University

2005, supervising student for her undergraduate project in climatology, Lund University

2005, lecturing, glacial geology (graduate course), Lund University

2005, teaching assistant, field course, sedimentology (undergraduate course), Lund University

2004, teaching assistant, field course, sedimentology (undergraduate course), Lund University

2003, teaching assistant, field course, glacial geology (graduate course), Lund University

 

 

 

Fieldwork: 

2007, Kapp Ekholm, Svalbard. Diamict sedimentology and stratigraphy.

2007, Utah. Sampling bedrock for cosmogenic exposure dating.

2006, Colorado. Sampling moraines for cosmogenic exposure dating.

2003-2006, NE Greenland, my PhD project. 

2002, Timan Ridge and Kanin Peninsula, NW Russia, the QUEEN-program

2001, Les Echets, France. Field assistant.

  

 

International visits: 

January 2006 - August 2007, Lab manager at the Cosmogenic Isoptope Laboratory, University at Buffalo, USA

2005 (5 weeks), Cosmogenic Isoptope Laboratory, University at Buffalo, Buffalo NY, USA

   

 

Grants: 

2006, Helge Ax:son Johsnsons Foundation (70 000 SEK)

2006, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien (9 500 SEK)

2005, Helge Ax:son Johnsons Foundation (90 000 SEK)

2005, Swedish Society of Anthropology and Geography (81 700 SEK)

2005, Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet (55 000 SEK)

2005, Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet (7 100 SEK)

2005, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien (7 000 SEK)

2005, Japetus Steenstrup Foundation (5 600 DKK)

2004, Swedish Society of Anthropology and Geography (35 000 SEK)

2004, Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet (35 000 SEK)

2004, NorFa (8 500 NOK)

2004, Lund University, travel grant (8 100 SEK)

 

  

Publications 

Papers: 

Håkansson, L., Briner, J., Alexanderson, H., Aldahan, A., Possnert, G.  10Be ages from coastal northeast Greenland constrain the extent of the Greenland Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Science Reviews, in press.

Håkansson, L., Graf, A., Strasky, S., Ivy-Ochs, S., Kubik, P.W., Hjort, C., Schlüchter, C. Cosmogenic 10Be-ages from the Store Koldewey island, NE Greenland. Geografiska Annaler 89A (3), 195-202.

Kjaer, K.H, Larsen, E., Funder, S., Demidov, I., Håkansson, L., Murray, A. 2006. Eurasian ice-sheet interaction in northwestern Russia throughout the Quaternary. Boreas 35, 444-475

Larsen, E., Kjaer, K.H., Jensen, M., Demidov, I., Håkansson, L., Paus, A. 2006. Early Weichselian paleoenvironments reconstructed from a mega-scale thrust complex, Kanin Peninsula, northwestern Russia. Boreas 35, 476-492.

Cremer, H., Bennike, O., Håkansson, L., Hultzsch, N., Klug, M., Kobabe, S., Wagner, B. 2005. Hydrology and Diatom Phytoplankton of High Arctic Lakes and Ponds on Store Koldewey, Northeast Greenland. International Review of Hydrobiology. 90, 84-99.

 

 

Abstracts: 

Håkansson, L., Alexanderson, H., Briner, J.P., Hjort, C., Aldahan, A., Possnert, G. 2007. Cosmogenic exposure ages from Northeast Greenland constrains the extent and the timing of the Greenland Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum (talk). AGU fall meeting, San Francisco, Ca , USA

Alexanderson, H. and Håkansson, L. 2007. Dating the glacial history of Northeast Greenland (poster). First Conference on Arctic Paleoclimate and its Extremes (APEX ), The Royal Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.

Håkansson, L., Alexanderson, H., Aldahan, A., Briner, J., Hjort, C., Possnert, G. 2006. Using cosmogenic isotopes to reconcile two contrasting hypotheses for ice extent in east Greenland during the last glaciation (talk). 36th Annual Arctic Workshop, Boulder, Colorado, USA.

Håkansson, L., Alexanderson, H., Graf, A., Hjort, C., Strasky, S. 2005. Using cosmogenic isotopes to reconcile two contrasting hypotheses for ice extent in East Greenland during the last glaciation (talk). Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Kjaer, K.H., Håkansson, L., Larsen, E., Demidov, I., Jensen, M., Funder, S., Houmark-Nielsen, M. 2003. Is it glaciotectonism – interaction between Eurasian ice sheets in Northern Russia. XVI INQUA Congress Reno, Nevada. (poster) BTH-69.

 

 

Popular science publications: 

Håkansson, L. Did ice-free areas exist on East Greenland during the peak of the last ice age? (in press) Swedish Polar Research Secretariat Yearbook 2006

Alexanderson, H. and Håkansson, L. 2006: Did ice-free areas exist on East Greenland during the peak of the last ice age? Swedish Polar Research Secretariat Yearbook 2005, pp. 70-73.

Hjort, C., Håkansson, L., Alexanderson, H. 2005. A cosmogenic approach to the glacial history of Greenland. Swedish Polar Research Secretariat Yearbook 2004, 103-108.

Hjort, C., Björck, S., Håkansson, L. 2004. Dating the onset of regional glaciation in Northeast Greenland. In: Polarforskningssekretariatets årsbok 2003. Stockholm: Polarforskningssekretariatet, 82-86.

  

 

Theses: 

Håkansson, L., 2003. An architectural element analyses of a large-scale thrust complex, Kanin Peninsula, NW Russia; interaction between the Barents and Kara Sea ice sheets. Examensarbete Kvartärgeologi Nr 162.

 

 

 

 

 

 Greenland  

Scoresby Sund 

 

 

 

 From Central Jameson Land looking south towards the Scoresby Sund fjord

 

 

The Zackenberg valley 

 

 

 

Sampling tors close to the Fynselv River, Jameson Land 

 

 

 

 

Sandstone tors eroded by meltwater, Jameson Land

 

Boulders on the Flakkerhuk moraine, Jameson Land

 

 

 

 

 

Utah  

 

Sampling bedrock outside Zion National Park 

 

 

 

 

Sampling bedrock near Moab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colorado

The Clear Creek moraines 

 

 

 

Boulder on the outer Clear Creek Moraine 

 

 

 

Sampling boulder on the inner Clear Creek Moraine 

 

 

 

Sampling boulder on an outwash-terrace in the Upper Arkansan Valley 

 

 

 

 

 

Svalbard  

 

The Kapp Ekholm sections