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SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Jan Mayen - A multi approach study on Holocene environmental and climatic changes

Awarded: NOK 31,474

Based on field work (Quaternary geology) in Jan Mayen, the project will provide new knowledge on climate and environmental changes in a terrestrial key area in between two main ocean current systems; cold Arctic water from the East Greenland Current/Jan M ayen Current and warm Atlantic water from the Norwegian Current. The focus of the project will elucidate on the late Glacial-Holocene environmental changes and their coupling to climate and sea-level changes. Methods to be used are: 1) Geomorphological ma pping of coastal and glacial landforms for information of sea-level fluctuation, glacier variation, landscape dynamics and variation in sediment deposition (or erosion). High resolution mapping and precise leveling will be important using modern technique s with geo-referenced high-resolution images combined with hand carried field-GIS with integrated GPS. 2) Surface exposure dating using the chlorine-36 method will be applied to lava flows and erratics in order to calculate time of surface exposure, and g lacial events. 3) Sediment coring will be performed in lakes/basins. Environmental changes as a result of fluctuations in climate and sedimentation, as well as sea-level and glacier variations will be analysed (sedimentological and chronological). Ground Penetration Radar will be used to assess coring locations. 4) Chronological analyses from the sediment cores include 14C AMS dating and Pb/Cs dating techniques. The possibility of using tephra chronology will be assessed throughout the project.

Funding scheme:

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum