POSTGLACIAL MELTWATER OUTBURSTS IN THE NORTHWESTERN BARENTS SEA: A 14,700-YEAR RECORD

The last deglaciation was marked by abrupt shifts between cold and warm states reflecting an integrated response to the gradually increasing summer insolation at northern latitudes, changing ocean circulation, and the retreat of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. In this study, we present a new, multiproxy reconstruction of water mass properties and sea surface characteristics from a sediment core from the northwestern Barents Sea (Kveithola Trough) representing the last 14,700 years. Our reconstruction documents sediment-laden meltwater pulses between 14,700 and 8,200 cal years BP based on biomarkers, stable isotopes, and sedimentological parameters. These meltwater pulses, primarily caused by deglacial processes and possibly supplemented by paleo-lake outbursts, paleo-tsunami currents, or a combination of both, are characterized by sudden drops in sea surface temperatures, increased sea ice formation, increased sedimentary load from land, and a decrease of Atlantic Water impact on the northwestern Barents Sea. We have also found a possible Storegga tsunami record. This event, triggered by one of the largest known submarine landslides in history, occurred around the 8,200 cal years BP cooling event, and likely reached and redistributed the sediment at the Kveithola Trough.

The study was financed by National Science Centre, Poland grant no. 2022/45/B/ST10/02033.