Late Holocene palaeoceanography in Van Mijenfjorden, Svalbard

Based on detailed stratigraphical analysis of sediment cores spanning the l ast ca. 4000 calendar years, we reconstruct the palaeoceanograhic changes i n the fiord Van Mijenfjorden, western Svalbard. Benthic foraminiferal delta O-18 indicate a gradual reduction in bottom water salinities between 2200 BC and 500 BC. This reduction was probably mainly a function of reduced inf low of oceanic water to the ford, due to isostatic shallowing of the outer ford sill. Stable salinity conditions prevailed between 500 BC and. 1300 AD . After the onset of a major glacial surge of the tidewater Paulabreen (Pau la Glacier) system (PGS) around 1300 AD, there was a foraminiferal faunal c hange towards glacier proximal conditions, associated with a slight bottom water salinity depletion. During a series of glacial surges occuring from 1 300 AD up the present salinity in the ford has further decreased, correspon ding to a delta O-18 depletion of 0.5 %(0). This salinity decrease correspo nds to the period when the PGS lost an equivalent of 30 - 40 % of its prese nt ice volume, mainly through calving in the fiord.