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Disentangling the effects of glaciers and climate on vegetation is complicated by the confounding role that climate plays in both systems. We reconstructed changes in vegetation occurring over the Holocene at Jøkelvatnet, a lake located directly downstream from the Langfjordjøkel glacier in northern Norway. We used a sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) metabarcoding dataset of 38 samples from a lake sediment core spanning 10,400 years using primers targeting the P6 loop of the trnL (UAA) intron. A total of 193 plant taxa were identified revealing a pattern of continually increasing richness over the time period. Vegetation surveys conducted around Jøkelvatnet show a high concordance with the taxa identified through sedaDNA metabarcoding. We identified four distinct vegetation assemblage zones with transitions at ca. 9.7, 8.4 and 4.3 ka with the first and last mirroring climatic shifts recorded by the Langfjordjøkel glacier. Soil disturbance trait values of the vegetation increased with glacial activity, suggesting that the glacier had a direct impact on plants growing in the catchment. Temperature optimum and moisture trait values correlated with both glacial activity and reconstructed climatic variables showing direct and indirect effects of climate change on the vegetation. In contrast to other catchments without an active glacier, the vegetation at Jøkelvatnet has displayed an increased sensitivity to climate change throughout the Middle and Late Holocene. Beyond the direct impact of climate change on arctic and alpine vegetation, our results suggest the ongoing disappearance of glaciers will have an additional effect on plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of a high-resolution suite of modern glacial sediments from Jostedalen, southern Norway, using a portable optically stimulated luminescence ( OSL) reader, provides insights into the processes of sediment bleaching in glacial environments at the catchment scale. High-magnitude, low-frequency processes result in the least effective sediment bleaching, whereas low-magnitude, high-frequency events provide greater bleaching opportunities. Changes in sediment bleaching can also be identified at the scale of individual bar features: tails of braid-bars and side-attached bar deposits have the lowest portable reader signal intensities, as well as the smallest conventional OSL residual doses. In addition to improving our understanding of the processes of sediment bleaching, portable reader investigations can also facilitate more rapid and comprehensive modern analogue investigations, which are commonly used to confirm that the OSL signals of modern glacial sediments are well bleached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Glacial and Holocene environmental changes were reconstructed using physical, chemical and biological proxies in Lake Myklevatnet, Allmenningen, (5º13′17″E, 61º55′13″N) located at the northern side of Nordfjorden at the coast of western Norway. Myklevatnet (123 m a.s.l.) lies above the Late Glacial marine limit and contains sediments back to approximately 14,300 years before a.d. 2000 (b2k). Because the lake is located ~48 km beyond the margin of the Younger Dryas (YD) fjord and valley glaciers further inland, and did not receive glacier meltwater from local glaciers during the YD, the lake record provides supplementary information to Lake Kråkenes that received glacial meltwater from a local YD glacier. Lake Myklevatnet has a small catchment and is sensitive to Late Glacial and Holocene climate and environmental changes in the coastal region of western Norway. The age-depth relationship was inferred from a radiocarbon- and tephra-based smoothing-spline model with correlated ages from oxygen isotope maxima and minima in the Late Glacial sequence of the NGRIP ice core (in years b2k) to refine the basal chronology in the Myklevatnet record. The results indicate a two-step YD warming, colder early YD temperatures than in the later part of the YD, and considerably more climate and environmental variability during the late Holocene in western Norway than recorded previously in the oxygen isotopes from Greenland ice cores. The Myklevatnet record is also compared with other Late Glacial and Holocene terrestrial and marine proxy reconstructions in the North Atlantic realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late-glacial vegetation development in northern Norway in response to climate changes during the Allerød, Younger Dryas (YD), and the transition to the Holocene is poorly known. Here we present a high-resolution record of floral and vegetation changes at lake Lusvatnet, south-west Andøya, between 13500 and 8000 cal b. p. Plant macrofossil and pollen analyses were done on the same sediment core and the proxy records follow each other very closely. The core has also been analyzed using an ITRAX XRF scanner in order to check the sediment sequence for disturbances or hiatuses. The core has a good radiocarbon-based chronology. The Saksunarvatn tephra fits very well chronostratigraphically. During both the Allerød and the Younger Dryas time-periods arctic vegetation prevailed, dominated by Salix polaris associated with many typically arctic herbs such as Saxifraga cespitosa, Saxifraga rivularis and Oxyria digyna. Both periods were cold and dry. Between 12450 and 12250 cal b. p. during the Younger Dryas chronozone, the assemblage changed, particularly in the increased abundance of Papaver sect. Scapiflora and other high-Arctic herbs, suggesting the development of polar desert vegetation mainly as a response to increased aridity. After 11520 cal b. p. a gradually warmer and more oceanic climate initiated a succession to dwarf-shrub vegetation and the establishment of Betula woodland after 1,000 years at c. 10520 cal b. p. The overall late-glacial aridity contrasts with oceanic conditions in southern Norway and is probably related to sea-ice extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Krüger, L. C., Paus, A., Svendsen, J. I. & Bjune, A. E. 2011: Lateglacial vegetation and palaeoenvironment in W Norway, with new pollen data from the Sunnmøre region. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2011.00213.x. ISSN 0300-9483. Two sediment sequences from Sunnmøre, northern W Norway, were pollen-analytically studied to reconstruct the Lateglacial vegetation history and climate. The coastal Dimnamyra was deglaciated around 15.3 ka BP, whereas Løkjingsmyra, further inland, became ice-free around 14 ka BP. The pioneer vegetation dominated by snow-bed communities was gradually replaced by grassland and sparse heath vegetation. A pronounced peak in Poaceae around 12.9 ka BP may reflect warmer and/or drier conditions. The Younger Dryas (YD) cooling phase shows increasing snow-bed vegetation and the local establishment of Artemisia norvegica. A subsequent vegetation closure from grassland to heath signals the Holocene warming. Birch forests were established 500-600 years after the YD-Holocene transition. This development follows the pattern of the Sunnmøre region, which is clearly different from the Empetrum dominance in the Lateglacial interstadial further south in W Norway. The Lateglacial oscillations GI-1d (Older Dryas) and GI-1b (Gerzensee) are hardly traceable in the north, in contrast to southern W Norway. The southern vegetation was probably closer to an ecotone and more susceptible to climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lilleøren, K.S. and Etzelmüller, B., 2011.Aregional inventory of rock glaciers and ice-cored moraines in Norway. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 93, 175-191. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0459.2011.00430.x ABSTRACT Landforms in Norway indicating present and former permafrost have been compiled in order to discuss Holocene landform development patterns. In total 307 permafrost landforms have been mapped, consisting of rock glaciers and ice-cored moraines. The landforms were classified as active/inactive (intact) or relict landforms, and by origin. In northern Norway, permafrost landforms exist down to sea level and the majority of the landforms are relict talus-derived rock glaciers. In southern Norway, permafrost landforms are restricted to high elevations and the majority of the landforms are connected to glacial activity and classified as active. In the present paper, this contrasting pattern is interpreted to reflect that different processes leading to a permafrost landform also represent different ages and climatic regimes during their formation. The inventoried landforms reproduce the modelled permafrost distribution for Norway satisfactorily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this first systematic classification of the snowpack in central Svalbard a new additional snow climate is presented. Based on field observations in the 2007-2009 period, 109 snow pits were quantitatively analyzed in terms of temperature gradients, grain shapes, grain sizes, and hardness of every snow layer. Emphasis was given to the occurrence of depth hoar, ice layers, the most observed weak layer-bed surface interfaces. These parameters in combination with meteorological observations define the "High Arctic maritime snow climate" as having a very thin and cold snowpack, a basal layer of depth hoar with winds labs and ice layers on top. The snowpack lasts for 8-10 months of the year, at higher grounds for the whole year. Snow climate classifications are an important part of improving the local avalanche characterization. This is timely, especially for the area around Svalbard's main settlement Longyearbyen, where avalanches represent a natural hazard. Also, climate models for the area predict changing meteorological conditions, especially more solid precipitation, thus a description of the snow climate as it is today is important. This "High Arctic maritime snow climate" characterization is based on the 16.8 km2 mountainous area around Longyearbyen at 78°N, and does not fit any other High Arctic location. Svalbard has in comparison to other High Arctic locations milder climate due to an overall meteorological maritime influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Marine-geophysical and geological data from the seafloor surrounding Kong Karls Land in eastern Svalbard are used to reconstruct Late Weichselian full-glacial flow dynamics and retreat history of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet (BSIS). Grounded ice extended over the entire area during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and produced streamlined sedimentary landforms in the broad bathymetric troughs that flank the Kong Karls Land archipelago. The landforms were produced in subglacial till as a result of subglacial processes at the base of the ice sheet. Drumlins and hill–hole pairs confirm that regional ice-flow was towards the east–northeast through the troughs. Based on the absence of ice-margin recessional features, deglaciation in Olga Strait, Erik Eriksen Strait and the unnamed deep northeast of Kong Karls Land appears to have been rapid in the deeper, outer parts of the troughs. In contrast, in the shallower parts of the troughs, ice recession was slower and minor readvances/still-stands of the ice margin resulted in the formation of recessional moraines. During deglaciation, temporary calving bays formed in the deeper parts of the troughs and calved icebergs were evacuated away from the ice margin through the troughs. Grounding-zone features formed in Olga Strait indicate that retreat here was gradual and punctuated by longer still-stands. The transition from a grounded ice sheet to ice-proximal settings is marked locally by a laminated mud sequence deposited from meltwater plumes from a nearby ice margin. The presence of meltwater-derived facies suggests that melting may have also been a significant ice loss mechanism during retreat. In a broader context, this study is one of the first investigations of the seafloor east of Svalbard, providing evidence that ice drained towards the east-northeast during full-glacial conditions. Ice from this part of the BSIS was an important contributor to the palaeo-ice stream in the large Franz Victoria Trough during the LGM. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the study which evaluates the technique of Digital optical televiewing (OPTV) of the hot-water-drilled boreholes englacial ice and debris structures in the terminus region of midre Lovénbreen, Svalbard, Norway. It notes that the resulting OPTV logs successfully reveal several visually distinctive englacial ice properties and deformation structures It adds that the combination of the OPTV logs with surface mapping result in the identification of eight separate structural elements can be interpolated into grids with sediment layers intercalated in primary stratification.

The article presents a study which determines the future frontal response of Briksdalsbreen, a western outlet glacier from Jostedalsbreen in western Norway. The study examines a dynamical flowline model to simulate the glacier's response to the presented climate scenario. Briksdalsbreen's frontal time-lag, which is caused by a short mass-balance perturbation, is calculated using the models, the mass-balance model and ice-flow model. A calibration method was also performed. The results of the simulation revealed that a scenic icefall could disappear and Briksdalsbreen could melt down from becoming a plateau glacier given the climate scenario presented in the study.

Abstract: Seabed data acquired from the Hola glacial trough off Vesterålen, North Norway, reveal the morphology of spectacular sandwave fields and large sandwaves in great detail. The sandwave fields are among the deepest known, occurring in water depths of 200–260m. Multibeam bathymetry and backscatter, shallow seismic, sediment samples and video data collected by the MAREANO programme and bottom current modelling results have been used to interpret morphology, transport and distribution of the seabed sediments. Sand supply to the Hola trough was initially from wave and current reworking of glacial and glaciomarine deposits during the eustatic sea level lowstand and sea level rise after the last glaciation. More recently deposited bioclastic sand dominates the upper part of the sand unit, which locally reaches 10m thickness. Sand predominantly accumulates behind ridges, where current strength decreases, and in topographic lows. Straight-crested and barchan-type sandwaves up to 3km long and 7m high are interpreted to form by tidal and geostrophic currents with bottom current speeds reaching 0.7–0.8ms−1. A large cluster of coral reefs occur immediately east of the barchan-type sandwaves, where modelling shows bottom current velocities up to c. 1ms−1. Sandwaves occur in four major sandwave fields. Strong variation in the nature of sandwaves over short distances, e.g., migration direction, between neighbouring sandwave fields point to important local variations in current regime and sedimentary processes. The present work demonstrates how local topography and interaction of several current systems may produce complex depositional patterns on a local scale. Detailed multibeam mapping and video inspection of open shelf troughs in other narrow shelf settings worldwide may reveal similar sandwave fields. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Multi-proxy analyses of two sediment cores from central Isfjorden were used to reconstruct the glacial history in central Spitsbergen during the Late Weichselian and the Holocene, and to relate iceberg rafting and sea-ice rafting to climatic and oceanographic changes in the north Atlantic region. A basal till was deposited beneath an ice stream prior to 12,700cal. years BP (calendar years before the present). Several tidewater glaciers influenced the sedimentary environment during the Younger Dryas and probably already during the Allerød. The Younger Dryas cooling might be reflected by enhanced sea-ice formation and suspension settling, as well as reduced iceberg rafting. The final deglaciation was dominated by intense iceberg rafting. It terminated around 11,200cal. years BP. Optimum Holocene climatic and oceanographic conditions with significantly reduced ice rafting occurred between c. 11,200 and 9000cal. years BP. Ice rafting occurred almost exclusively from icebergs after 10,200cal. years BP. The icebergs most probably originated from tidewater glaciers on east Spitsbergen, indicating the presence of a strong east–west temperature gradient at this time. An increase of iceberg rafting around 9000cal. years BP, followed by enhanced sea-ice rafting, reflects the onset of a general cooling in the western Barents Sea–Svalbard region. Comparatively intense rafting from icebergs and sea ice between 9000 and 4000cal. years BP is related to this cooling. A general reduction in ice rafting after 4000cal. years BP is most probably the result of the enhanced formation of shore-fast and/or more permanent sea-ice cover, reducing the drift of icebergs and sea ice in the fjord. The results indicate that the palaeoenvironmental conditions on central Spitsbergen to a large degree depended on the oceanographic conditions in the western Barents Sea and west off Spitsbergen. However, climatic trends affecting Greenland and the entire north Atlantic region can also be identified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Borg Indrepollen is a coastal lake on the island of Vestvågøy, Lofoten, NW Norway. A sedimentary sequence spanning the last 4500 cal. yr BP was analysed for diatom, C/N and stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N). The record provides clear evidence of glacio-isostatic rebound in the Lofoten region. Five distinct lithostratigraphic- geochemical zones (I-V) and four major diatom zones (A-D) were identified. The early record (I-III, A-Biii; 4500-550 cal. yr BP) contains coarse sedimentary material and diatoms indicative of more marine conditions. The correlation between the isotopic data (high δ13C and low C/N) and trends in the biological data (marine/brackish flora) suggest the marine influence on the Indrepollen basin is a controlling factor of the source of organic material. The latter part of the record (IV, C; 550 cal. yr 550-226) indicates a transitional phase from marine-dominated diatom to brackish taxa and is coincident with a section of microlaminations in the core. The youngest zone (V, D; 226 cal. yr BP-present) is indicative of an isolated basin, with the deposition of fine sediments; freshwater diatom taxa dominate the biological record and δ13C are indicative of freshwater conditions. C/N suggests a shift to a terrestrial source of organic matter. The proxies show a transition from full marine conditions, when Indrepollen was a submerged fjord, to more freshwater, lacustrine conditions in the last 200 years. The record of land uplift from Borg Indrepollen mirrors changes in sedimentary records from across Northern Norway and relative sea-level curves for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glacier surfaces are known to harbour abundant and active microbial communities. Phosphorus has been shown to be deficient in glacial environments, and thus is one of the limits on microbial growth and activity. We quantified the phosphorus pool in cryoconite debris and the concentration of dissolved phosphorus in supraglacial water on Werenskioldbreen, a Svalbard glacier. The mean total P content of the cryoconite debris was ~2.2 mg g−1, which is significantly more than would be expected in rock debris from local sources. 57% of this P was present in the fraction defined as organic P. It may account for the P in excess of the rock debris, and could be explained by allochthonous input of organic matter. The concentration of total dissolved P in supraglacial water was very low (5.2–8.5 μg l−1), which was probably caused by efficient flushing and re-adsorption onto mineral surfaces. Dissolved organic P (DOP) was a very important component of the dissolved phosphorus pool on Werenskioldbreen, as concentrations of DOP typically exceeded those of dissolved inorganic P (or SRP) by more than four times in all the glacial water types. It is very difficult to assess whether P was limiting in this environment solely on the basis of the N:P ratios in the debris or biomass. There may be some degree of biological control over the C:N:P ratios in the debris, but the phosphorus cycling in the supraglacial environment on this glacier seems to be mainly controlled by physical and geochemical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polar regions are very sensitive to climate variability. Glacial environments, such as Spitsbergen, respond drastically to climate warming by the disintegration of ice masses, release of huge amounts of free water and rapid evolution of terrestrial landforms. Paraglacial studies have shown that sediment yield decreases with time following a relaxation curve. The study examines the effects of scaling on rhythms of deglaciation and sediment fluxes in a small catchment. It appears that the paraglacial sequence, known as a morphogenic crisis, could be affected by internal small threshold events which are able to mobilize large quantities of sediment. It means that, at small scale, the curve profile is more irregular than suggested by large-scale models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norway and New Zealand both experienced recent glacial advances, commencing in the early 1980s and ceasing around 2000, which were more extensive than any other since the end of the Little Ice Age. Common to both countries, the positive glacier balances are associated with an increase in the strength of westerly atmospheric circulation which brought increased precipitation. In Norway, the changes are also associated with lower ablation season temperatures. In New Zealand, where the positive balances were distributed uniformly throughout the Southern Alps, the period of increased mass balance was coincident with a change in the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation and an associated increase in El Niño/Southern Oscillation events. In Norway, the positive balances occurred across a strong west-east gradient with no balance increases to the continental glaciers of Scandinavia. The Norwegian advances are linked to strongly positive North Atlantic Oscillation events which caused an overall increase of precipitation in the winter accumulation season and a general shift of maximum precipitation from autumn towards winter. These cases both show the influence of atmospheric circulation on maritime glaciers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the influence of glacial conditions on sedimentation in the Smalfjord Formation of northern Norway. Absence of evidence for coeval tectonism; Suggestion that there is no transition at the top of the Smalfjord Formation from deep-water and shallow-water environments; Subglacial tectonism and banded diamictite at Tarmfjord; Varangerfjord ice-scoured palaeovalley.

Discusses the influence of glacial conditions on sedimentation in the Smalfjord Formation of northern Norway. Suggestion that the striations should not be used as evidence for direct glacial influence on sedimentation of the overlying deposits; Argument that the occurrence of Neoproterozoic diamictites in widely separated regions in Norway cannot be used to support a glacial origin for the Smalfjord Formation.

Discusses the influence of glacial conditions on sedimentation in the Smalfjord Formation of northern Norway. Failure of direct sedimentological observations and comparisons to deliver unequivocal conclusions when deteremining whether diamictites are glacial or non-glacial; Suggestion that localized facies analysis must be harnessed together with other geological data on all scales.

Two sediment cores from the West Spitsbergen area, Euro-Arctic margin, MD99-2304 and MD99-2305, have been investigated for paleoceanographic proxies, including benthic and planktonic foraminifera, benthic foraminiferal stable isotopes and ice rafted debris. Core MD99-2304 is located on the upper continental margin, reflecting variations in the influx of Atlantic Water in the West Spitsbergen Current. Core MD99-2305 is located in Van Mijenfjord, picturing variations in tidewater glacier activity as well as fjord-ocean circulation changes. Surface water warmer than today, was present on the margin as soon as the Van Mijenfjord was deglaciated by 11,200 cal. years BP. Relatively warm water invaded the fjord bottom almost immediately after the deglaciation. A relatively warm early Holocene was followed by an abrupt cooling at 8800 cal. years BP on the continental margin. Another cooling in the fjord record, 8000–4000 cal. years BP, is documented by an increase in ice rafted debris and an increase in benthic foraminiferal . The IRD-record indicates that central Spitsbergen never was completely deglaciated during the Holocene. Relatively cool and stable conditions similar to the present were established about 4000 cal. years BP. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Well-known from permafrost hydrology, icings (naledorAufeis) are also frequently encountered at the margins of high-latitude glaciers. The morphology of a proglacial icing at Scott Turnerbreen in the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is described, and the process of formation is considered in detail. Ground thermal-regime modelling indicates an equilibrium permafrost depth of at least 200 m in the studied catchment, and it appears unlikely that groundwater contributes to icing formation. Meltwater flow through ice-marginal drainage channels is accompanied by estimated heat fluxes of up to about 190 W m−2, suggesting that stored meltwater may continue to percolate through thawed sub-channel sediments when surface runoff is absent during winter. A hydraulic conductivity of 6.9× 10−3 m s−1 is implied, which is consistent with other studies of glacier drainage systems. The long residence time of winter-draining meltwater, and solute rejection by refreezing water, account for high observed concentrations of solute in interstitial water in the icing. It has often been asserted that the presence of a proglacial icing indicates that a glacier is polythermal. However, as Scott Turnerbeen is entirely non-temperate, the presence of an icing cannot always be treated as a reliable guide to the thermal regime of a glacier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suspended sediment fluxes from the 68 km2 Finsterwalderbreen catchment in Svalbard were monitored intensively during the 1999 and 2000 melt seasons, at proximal and distal ends of a 4.2 km2 proglacial area, which has been deglacierised during the twentieth century. Measured distal sediment fluxes correspond to total catchment denudation rates of 2700±710 t km−2 year−1 (1999) and 1800±350 t km−2 year−1 (2000). Hourly net sediment flux time series (distal flux minus proximal flux, isolating change within the proglacial area itself) reveal that the proglacial area serves as both a source and a sink of sediment during different periods of the melt season, and that the majority of sediment evacuation from the area occurs during discrete episodes of enhanced meltwater discharge. The mean net flux from the proglacial area itself was −690±230 t km−2 year−1 (1999) and +3800±1700 t km−2 year−1 (2000). Therefore, in 1999 there was a net increase in sediment storage in the proglacial area (aggradation), and in 2000 there was a net decrease (denudation). The pattern of sediment storage change appears to be driven by the runoff regime, with net storage occurring during a year of relatively episodic sediment transport in which relative supply exhaustion occurs, and net release in a year of more sustained sediment transport when relative supply exhaustion is absent. Many more years'' monitoring would be required for any trend to emerge from the large interannual variability in sediment yield. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses various studies on the Kråkenes Project, a multidisciplinary investigation of late-glacial and early-Holocene ecosystem changes associated with large-scale rapid environmental changes that occurred between 12,300 and 8,800 14C yr BP in Kråkenes Lake, Norway, published within the issue.

ABSTRACT. The sedimentological characteristics of in situ and paraglacially reworked till are compared at recently deglaciated sites in Norway. Glacigenic deposits reworked by debris flows are shown to retain many of the characteristics of the parent sediments, and cannot readily be distinguished from in situ till in terms of fabric strength or type, clast imbrication, shape, angularity or texture, matrix granulometry or packing. Paraglacially reworked sediments appear to differ from in situ tills only in terms of preferred clast orientation (down flow rather than downvalley) and their structural and lithofacies characteristics. These criteria are employed to differentiate paraglacial sediments from unreworked tills exposed in valley-side sections. The stratigraphic relations between these indicate glacial reworking of earlier paraglacial sediments as well as paraglacial remobilisation of glacigenic deposits, indicating cyclic alternation of glacial and paraglacial sediment transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. Documentary data provide long time series and sometimes high-resolution, detailed data from historical times to the present and can give valuable information about palaeoclimate, and for the prediction of future climates. In this paper, documentary data containing qualitative information on climate, in the form of a diary written by the farmer I.G. Grude, and two newspapers, were used for the reconstruction of the palaeoclimate at Jaeren, in the county of Rogaland, in southwestern Norway, during the period 1821-50. An index method to quantify the qualitative climate data was developed and used for a low-resolution reconstruction of winter, summer and annual temperatures. A high-resolution climate reconstruction of temperature and precipitation for the winter of 1837/38 is also presented, making use of a method that keeps the climate data in a qualitative form. The climate reconstructions are compared to an instrumental temperature series from Bergen, for the same period. The two data sets are in good agreement except for summer temperature (annual temperature: r = 0.75, winter temperature: r = 0.77, summer temperature: r = 0.44). Compared to average temperatures during 1961-90, the instrumental data from Bergen during the 1821-50 period show slightly different temperatures: annual average was 0.3 Celsius lower, winter 0.4 Celsius lower, and summer 0.1 Celsius lower than at present, implying conditions consistent with the "Little Ice Age" climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field research on Phippsøya, the largest island in the Sjuøyane archipelago, defines the course and timing of postglacial emergence, documents past-glacier movements, and reinterprets deglacial sedimentary sequences. Previously described tills were not identified in sections exposed along the northeast shore of Phippsøya, but instead sublittoral sediments with rock-fall concentrations derived from the adjacent slope. A glacio-isostatically higher sea level >40 ka deposited sublittoral sediment and is possibly correlative to a deglacial event in oxygen isotope stage 4 or 5 identified at other sites on Svalbard. The postglacial marine limit is 22 ± 1 m aht and occurs as an escarpment or washing limit into a stony drift. This drift contains granite and quartzite erratics from Nordaustlandet that indicate coverage by a northward flowing ice sheet during the Late Weichselian. Datable material on the raised-beach sequence was rare and a [sup 14] C age of c. 9.2 ka on an articulated Balanus balanus from 10 m aht provides a minimum constraining age on the marine limit. A mild transgression occurred by 6.2 ka, with sea level falling close to present levels by c. 5.0 ka. The zone of zero emergence (hinge line) lies 10 to 20 km north of Sjuøyane and is approximately coincident with the last glacial maximum limit on the continental shelf. There is an approximately 75 to 100 km offset between observed and modelled zone of zero emergence, indicating a need to refine earth rheology-based ice-sheet models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]