Data from: Rates and processes of aeolian soil erosion in West Greenland

In arid landscapes across the globe, aeolian processes are key drivers of
landscape change, but arid Arctic regions are often overlooked. In the
Kangerlussuaq region of West Greenland, strong katabatic winds have
removed discrete patches of soil and vegetation, exposing unproductive
glacial till and bedrock. Although lake-sediment records suggest that
landscape destabilization began approximately 1000 years ago, the upland
soil erosion has never been directly dated. We use a novel application of
lichenometry to estimate the rates and timing of soil erosion. We show
that the formation of deflation patches occurred approximately
800–230 years ago, in general agreement with lake-sediment records. In
West Greenland, the ‘Little Ice Age’ (AD 1350–1880) was characterized by a
cold and arid climate, conditions that increased susceptibility to
erosion. On average, deflation patches are expanding at a rate of 2.5 cm
yr−1, and variation in the rate of patch expansion cannot be explained by
proximity to the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), slope, aspect, elevation, or
patch size. An erosional threshold exists in this aeolian system, with
climate conditions necessary for patch formation likely harsher than those
necessary for continued patch expansion, a result that has implications
for land management in arid regions. Currently, deflation patches are
expanding throughout the study region and are forming in areas close to
the GrIS, but future deflation rates are dependent on projected climate
and potential land-use changes. Our results stress the importance of
aeolian processes in arid polar landscapes such as Kangerlussuaq, and
demonstrate the use of aeolian landforms in paleoclimate reconstructions
and predicting future landscape change.