Multidecadal (1960–2011) shoreline changes in Isbjørnhamna (Hornsund, Svalbard)

A section of a gravel-dominated coast in Isbjørnhamna (Hornsund, Svalbard) was analysed to calculate the rate of shoreline changes and explain processes controlling coastal zone development over last 50 years. Between 1960 and 2011, coastal landscape of Isbjørnhamna experienced a significant shift from dominated by influence of tide-water glacier and protected by prolonged sea-ice conditions towards storm-affected and rapidly changing coast. Information derived from analyses of aerial images and geomorphological mapping shows that the Isbjørnhamna coastal zone is dominated by coastal erosion resulting in a shore area reduction of more than 31,600 m2. With ~3,500 m2 of local aggradation, the general balance of changes in the study area of the shore is negative, and amounts to a loss of more than 28,000 m2. Mean shoreline change is −13.1 m (−0.26 m a−1). Erosional processes threaten the Polish Polar Station infrastructure and may damage of one of the storage buildings in nearby future

Principal Component and Cluster Analysis for determining diversification of bottom morphology based on bathymetric profiles from Brepollen (Hornsund, Spitsbergen)**The project was partly supported by The Polish Ministry of Sciences and Higher Education Grant No. N N525 350038.

AbstractNavigation charts of the post-glacial regions of Arctic fjords tend not to cover regions from which glaciers have retreated. Whilst research vessels can make detailed bathymetric models using multibeam echosounders, they are often too large to enter such areas. To map these regions therefore requires smaller boats carrying single beam echosounders. To obtain morphology models of equivalent quality to those generated using multibeam echosounders, new ways of processing data from single beam echosounders have to be found. The results and comprehensive analysis of such measurements conducted in Brepollen (Hornsund, Spitsbergen) are presented in this article. The morphological differentiation of the seafloor was determined by calculating statistical, spectral and wavelet transformation, fractal and median filtration parameters of segments of bathymetric profiles. This set of parameters constituted the input for Principal Component Analysis and then in the form of Principal Components for the Cluster Analysis. As a result of this procedure, three morphological classes are proposed for Brepollen: (i) steep slopes (southern Brepollen), (ii) flat bottoms (central Brepollen) and gentle slopes (the Storebreen glacier valley and the southern part of the Hornbreen glacier valley), (iii) the morphologically most diverse region (the central Storebreen valley, the northern part of the Hornbreen glacier valley and the north-eastern part of central Brepollen)

Submarine geomorphology at the front of the retreating Hansbreen tidewater glacier, Hornsund fjord, southwest Spitsbergen

A 1:10,000 scale bathymetric map as well as 1:20,000 scale backscattering and geomorphological maps of two bays Isbjørnhamna and Hansbukta in the Hornsund fjord (Spitsbergen) present the submarine relief that was primarily formed during and after the retreat of the Hansbreen tidewater glacier. Geomorphological mapping was performed using multibeam bathymetric data and seismoacoustic profiling. The identified landforms include two types of transverse ridges interpreted as terminal and annual moraines, flat areas that are depressions filled with glaciomarine sediments, iceberg-generated pits and ploughmarks, pockmarks and fields of megaripples. Most of the identified landforms are genetically related to the retreat of Hansbreen since the termination of the Little Ice Age at the beginning of the twentieth century. Although Hansbreen has been speculated to be a surge-type glacier, no evidence of surging was identified in the submarine landform assemblage, which is in accordance with the absence of historically documented surges for that period.The work has been partially supported by National Science Centre (Poland) [grant number 2013/09/B/ST10/04141], [grant number 2013/10/E/ST10/00166], Arctic Field Grant funded by the Research Council of Norway [grant number 256879/E10] (Svalbard Science Forum), the Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) received by the Centre for Polar Studies for the period 2014–2018, and statutory activities no. 3841/E-41/S/2017 of the Ministry of Sciences and Higher Education of Poland

Historia zlodowacenia archipelagu Svalbard od późnego vistulianu do współczesności

The glacial history of the Svalbard archipelago is often a hot topic for researches, but the articles usually refer to a particular piece of Svalbard. The authors of this work studied many scientific articles based on the researches to find and collect this history.Svalbard archipelago is located in the Arctic, at the edge of the continental shelf of Europe. The end of shelf boundary noted occurrence of ice caps in the past glaciations. In turn, the main elements of the landscape of the archipelago are glaciers that are currently in a recession. Spitsbergen (the biggest island of the archipelago) sets the limit of Pleistocene glaciations, and the current state of glaciers allows determining the place where the recession is intense.The main aim of the authors in this study is to show this history only from the late Vistulian to the late Holocene (the beginning of 21st century). Interstadials and Stadials start time varies, as their duration in different places, according to various authors. It is very hard to collect all information and describe this history. By knowing the history of glaciation, we can distinguish in the late Vistulian: Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Bølling/Older Dryas/Allerød and Younger Dryas (YD). LGM was the stadial in which was the maximum extent of ice sheet in late Vistulian. After this period, ice sheet began to retreat from the continental shelf. In turn, YD was the stadial in which the last advance of glaciers took place, about 11 000 years BC. In the Holocene we can distinguish Holocene Climatic Optimum (in the meantime short Cooling Holocene), Revdalen Stadial, Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age (LIA) and 20th century warming. The maximum extent of glaciers in Holocene was in LIA. In LIA, the extent of glaciers was bigger than in YD. In 20th century a warming started and continues until now.Svalbard jest obszarem, gdzie zachowały się w różnym stopniu „ślady” zdarzeń glacjalnych. Dowodami ich wystąpienia są między innymi osady oraz formy glacjalne i fluwioglacjalne (np. Boulton 1979; Boulton i in. 1982; Landvik i in. 1998; Mangerud i in. 1998; Pękala, Repelewska-Pękalowa 1990; Lindner, Marks 1993ab; Ingólfsson, Landvik 2013). Bliskość tego obszaru w stosunku do centrów zlodowaceń powodowała, że kolejne epizody glacjalne „zamazywały ślady” poprzednich, niszcząc je lub przekształcając (np. Landvik i in. 1992; Mangerud i in. 1998; Zagórski 2007). Po deglacjacji następował zazwyczaj okres intensyfikacji działania procesów nieglacjalnych (paraglacjalnych), np. morskich, peryglacjalnych (Mercier, Laffly 2005; Strzelecki 2011; Zagórski i in. 2012). Stąd najlepiej zachowały się pozostałości najmłodszych zdarzeń i epizodów glacjalnych, np. małej epoki lodowej (np. Baranowski 1977abc; Lindner Marks 1993b; Werner 1993; Wójcik, Ziaja 1999; Reder 1996ab;  Birkenmajer, Łuczkowska 1997; Svendsen Mangerud 1997; Zagórski i in. 2008, 2012; Rodzik i in. 2013)

Two-element acoustic array gives insight into ice-ocean interactions in Hornsund Fjord, Spitsbergen

AbstractGlacierized fjords are dynamic regions, with variable oceanographic conditions and complex ice-ocean interactions, which are still poorly understood. Recent studies have shown that passive underwater acoustics offers new promising tools in this branch of polar research. Here, we present results from two field campaigns, conducted in summer 2013 and spring 2014. Several recordings with a bespoke two-hydrophone acoustic buoy were made in different parts of Hornsund Fjord, Spitsbergen in the vicinity of tidewater glaciers to study the directionality of underwater ambient noise. Representative segments of the data are used to illustrate the analyses, and determine the directions of sound sources by using the time differences of arrivals between two horizontally aligned, broadband hydrophones. The results reveal that low frequency noise (&lt; 3 kHz) is radiated mostly from the ice cliffs, while high-frequency (&gt; 3 kHz) noise directionality strongly depends on the distribution of floating glacial ice throughout the fjord. Changing rates of iceberg production as seen for example in field photographs and logs are, in turn, most likely linked to signal amplitudes for relevant directions. These findings demonstrate the potential offered by passive acoustics to study the dynamics of individual tidewater glaciers.</jats:p

Directivity of underwater sounds generated in the vicinity of tidewater glaciers

Progressive climate shifts are particularly pronounced in the Polar Regions, including glacial fjords and bays. Many different tools are now widely used to investigate the rate of glaciers’ movement, intensity of calving events and subglacial freshwater outflows or changes in an ice concentration at the sea surface. However, harsh polar conditions make the most of them difficult to conduct and temporal and spatial resolution is often unsatisfactory. Therefore, there is a growing need to develop new methods for quantifying glacier processes. Recently, the application of passive marine acoustics has proved to be promising in this field. Here measurements of ambient noise field directionality made during summer 2013 and spring 2014 in different locations in the Hornsund Fjord, Spitsbergen are presented and discussed. Field data were collected from an inflatable boat using floating buoy equipped with two omnidirectional broadband hydrophones mounted on a horizontal axis, tilt sensor and magnetic compass. A few hours of recordings were analyzed and time differences of arrivals were calculated to obtain directions to the sound sources. The results not only confirm previous observations that underwater sounds in the Hornsund fjord propagates from various directions in distinct spectral bands. They primarily reveal that determined arrival angles together with calculated noise spectral intensity may provide valuable information about the activity of individual glaciers and the distribution of melting glacial ice across the Arctic fjord. Thereby, the applicability of ambient noise oceanography in the study of tidewater glaciers is clearly shown. This work has been supported by the Polish National Science Center grants nos. 2011/03/B/ST10/04275 and 2013/11/N/ST10/01729, Office of Naval Research, Ocean Acoustics Division, grant no. N00014-1410213, and the statutory activity of the Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences.<br/

Freshwater input to the Arctic fjord Hornsund (Svalbard)

Glaciers draining to the Hornsund basin (southern Spitsbergen, Svalbard) have experienced a significant retreat and mass volume loss over the last decades, increasing the input of freshwater into the fjord. An increase in freshwater input can influence fjord hydrology, hydrodynamics, sediment flux and biota, especially in a changing climate. Here, we describe the sources of freshwater supply to the fjord based on glaciological and meteorological data from the period 2006 to 2015. The average freshwater input from land to the Hornsund bay is calculated as 2517 ± 82 Mt a−1, with main contributions from glacier meltwater runoff (986 Mt a−1; 39%) and frontal ablation of tidewater glaciers (634 Mt a−1; 25%). Tidewater glaciers in Hornsund lose ca. 40% of their mass by frontal ablation. The terminus retreat component accounts for ca. 30% of the mass loss by frontal ablation, but it can vary between 17% and 44% depending on oceanological, meteorological and geomorphological factors. The contribution of the total precipitation over land excluding winter snowfall (520 Mt a−1), total precipitation over the fjord area (180 Mt a−1) and melting of the snow cover over unglaciated areas (197 Mt a−1) to the total freshwater input appear to be small: 21%, 7% and 8%, respectively

Holocene sedimentary environment of a High-Arctic fjord in Nordaustlandet, Svalbard

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