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Discharge of Meteoric Water in the Eastern Norwegian Sea since the Last Glacial Period
Author(s) -
Hong WeiLi,
Lepland Aivo,
Himmler Tobias,
Kim JiHoon,
Chand Shyam,
Sahy Diana,
Solomon Evan A.,
Rae James W. B.,
Martma Tõnu,
Nam SeungIl,
Knies Jochen
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2019gl084237
Subject(s) - geology , hydrosphere , glacial period , permafrost , glacier , arctic , oceanography , groundwater , meteoric water , authigenic , submarine groundwater discharge , geochronology , submarine pipeline , physical geography , geochemistry , aquifer , geomorphology , sedimentary rock , biosphere , ecology , geotechnical engineering , geography , biology
Submarine groundwater discharge could impact the transport of critical solutes to the ocean. However, its driver(s), significance over geological time scales, and geographical coverage are poorly understood. We characterize a submarine groundwater seep from the continental slope off northern Norway where substantial amount of meteoric water was detected. We reconstruct the seepage history from textural relationships and U‐Th geochronology of authigenic minerals. We demonstrate how glacial‐interglacial dynamics have promoted submarine groundwater circulation more than 100 km offshore and result in high fluxes of critical solutes to the ocean. Such cryosphere‐hydrosphere coupling is likely common in the circum‐Arctic implying that future decay of glaciers and permafrost in a warming Arctic is expected to attenuate such a coupled process and thus decreases the export of critical solutes.