Palaeoclimatic changes through the last 1200 calibrated years have been documented by high-resolution multi-proxy studies of three cores from about 400 m water depth on the North Icelandic shelf. Benthic and planktonic foraminiferal assemblages and stable isotope values, as well as ice rafted debris (IRD) concentrations, are compared with diatom-based sea-surface water temperatures and the reconstructed mean temperature for the Northern Hemisphere. Changes in surface and bottom water characteristics are mainly due to variations in the strength of the relatively warm, high-salinity Irminger Current and the cold East Icelandic Current. The time period between 1200 and around 7–800 cal. (years) BP, including the Medieval Warm Period, was characterized by relatively high bottom and surface water temperatures due to the inflow of Atlantic water masses. After that, a general temperature decrease in the area marks the transition to a period with increased influence of the East Icelandic Current and, at the sea floor, the Norwegian Sea Deep Water. This corresponds to the transition to the Little Ice Age. After about 3–400 cal. BP, the inflow of cold East Icelandic Current was further enhanced. In particular, this had a strong influence on the surface waters, while the sea floor was under some influence of Atlantic water masses, resulting in stratification of the water masses. There is no clear indication of any warming in the area during the last decades.

Associated Projects and funding: HOLSMEER and PACLIVA projects funded by the European Commission's 5th Framework Programme (Contracts no. CT-2000-00060 and EVK2-2002-00143); PANIS project (Palaeoenvironments on the North Icelandic shelf); BIOICE project (Benthic Invertebrates of Icelandic Waters). Financial support by the Danish Natural Science Research Council, the Icelandic Research Council and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 40276013)

Supplement to: Knudsen, Karen Luise; Eiriksson, Jón; Jansen, Eystein; Jiang, Hui; Rytter, Frank; Gudmundsdóttir, Esther Ruth (2004): Palaeoceanographic changes off North Iceland through the last 1200 years: foraminifera, stable isotopes, diatoms and ice rafted debris. Quaternary Science Reviews, 23(20-22), 2231-2246