Open AccessPalaeoenvironmental changes of the last two millennia on the western and northern S valbard shelf
Author(s) -
Jernas Patrycja,
Klitgaard Kristensen Dorthe,
Husum Katrine,
Wilson Lindsay,
Koç Nalan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
boreas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1502-3885
pISSN - 0300-9483
DOI - 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2012.00293.x
Subject(s) - geology , oceanography , benthic zone , sedimentary rock , temperature record , advection , sediment , period (music) , lithology , sea level , climate change , physical geography , climatology , paleontology , geography , physics , acoustics , thermodynamics
The western and northern S valbard continental margins ( E uropean A rctic) are environmentally sensitive areas that are dependent on the northward flow of A tlantic W ater, the largest heat source of the A rctic O cean. Two marine sediment records from the S valbard shelf: K ongsfjorden T rough and H inlopen T rough, were analysed with regard to the benthic foraminiferal content and lithology to assess the palaeoceanographic evolution during the past two millennia with decadal to multi‐decadal temporal resolution. In both records, an overall gradual decrease of E . excavatum f. clavata during the past two millennia reflects a change towards generally warmer and less glacially influenced conditions, presumably related to enhanced inflow of A tlantic W ater ( AW ). The influence of AW also varied on centennial time scales, as evidenced by faunal and sedimentary shifts occurring almost synchronously at both locations. The period from AD 700 to 1200 was characterized by enhanced inflow of AW, followed by the development of highly productive oceanographic fronts at both localities from AD 1200 to 1500. In contrast, the subsequent interval ( AD 1500–1900) shows particularly harsh conditions in the Hi nlopen T rough, with significantly reduced foraminiferal flux and sediment input related to perennial sea ice cover. In K ongsfjorden, less severe conditions were observed, indicating that the AW advection continued. The synchronicity of changes in both records demonstrates the effect of the variability in inflow of AW to the Svalbard region during the past 2000 years. Moreover, the records seem to follow climate anomalies, for example the Little I ce A ge and M edieval W arm P eriod, found in the N orth A tlantic realm.