Content uploaded by Jaapjan Zeeberg
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Jaapjan Zeeberg on May 19, 2021
Content may be subject to copyright.
385
Zeeberg et al. 2003: Polar Research 22(2), 385–394
Climate variability in the Eurasian Arctic is sig-
nifi cantly modulated by North Atlantic oceanic
heat fl ux. Weather stations on Novaya Zemlya
since 1961 document summer temperatures
0.3 - 0.5 °C and winter temperatures 2.3 - 2.8 °C
lower than in the fi rst half of the 20th centu-
ry (Zeeberg & Forman 2001). This temperature
decrease is associated with a prolonged neg-
ative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation
(NAO), decreased advection of North Atlantic
Water, and below-average southern Barents Sea
sea surface temperature (SST) during the 1960s,
‘70s and ‘80s (Loeng 1991; Zeeberg & Forman
2001). Likewise, post-”Little Ice Age” warming
of the Barents Sea and glacier retreat on north-
ern Novaya Zemlya is associated with a persist-
ent positive phase of the NAO.
Meteorological observations at the polar station
Russkaya Gavan’, north-west Novaya Zemlya
(76° 11' N, 59 ° E, Fig. 1), between 1932 and 1995
are concur rent with a mass balance time series
on the adjacent Shokal’ski Glacier from 1933 to
1969. Stabilization and advance of several tide-
water glaciers at Novaya Zemlya in the second
half of the 20th century refl ects decreased
summer temperatures and/or increased precipi-
tation (Koryakin 1986; Zeeberg & Forman 2001).
Elevated winter precipitation (up to 20 mm above
the 27 mm average) associated with increased
cyclonic activity, together with slowing calv-
ing rates, arrested the negative mass balance of
the Shokal’ski Glacier between 1959 and 1966.
Observations during the 20th century indicate,
however, that continued regional warming and
summer temperature anomalies less than < 1 °C
compensate for the added precipitation, result-
ing in negative mass balances and glacier retreat
(Chizov et al. 1968; Zeeberg & Forman 2001).
Here we evaluate fjord sediment records as
proxy for decade- to century-scale fl uctuations
of a tidewater glacier on north-west Novaya Zem-
lya. This analysis is based on the inference that
Glacier extent in a Novaya Zemlya fjord during the “Little
Ice Age” inferred from glaciomarine sediment records
JaapJan Zeeberg, Steven L. Forman & Leonid Polyak
Glacier activity at Russkaya Gavan’, north-west Novaya Zemlya (Arctic
Russia), is reconstructed by particle size analysis of three fjord sediment
cores in combination with 14C and 210Pb dating. Down-core logging of
particle size variation reveals at least two intervals with sediment coarsen-
ing during the past eight centuries. By comparing them with reconstruc-
tions of summer temperature and atmospheric circulation, these intervals
are interpreted to represent two cycles of glacier advance and retreat
sometime during ca. AD 1400–1700 and AD 1700–present. Sediment
accumulation thus appears to be sensitive to century-scale fl uctuations
of the Barents Sea climate. The identifi cation of two glacier cycles in the
glaciomarine record from Russkaya Gavan’ demonstrates that during the
“Little Ice Age” major glacier fl uctuations on Novaya Zemlya occurred in
broad synchrony with those in other areas around the Barents Sea.
J. J. Zeeberg, Netherlands Institute for Fisheries Research, Haringkade 1, Box 68, 1970 AB IJmuiden, The
Netherlands, jzeebe1@uicalumni.org; S. L. Forman, Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Universit y
of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60607-7059, USA; L. Polyak, Byrd Polar Research
Center, Ohio State University, 1090 Carmack Rd., 108 Scott Hall, Columbus, OH 43210-1002, USA.
386 Glacier extent in a Novaya Zemlya f jord during the “Little Ice Age”
the glacial-marine record predominantly refl ects
meteorological and glacier-specifi c mod ulations
of sediment input (see Elverhøi et al. 1983; Smith
& Schafer 1987; Syvitski et al. 1987; Cowan et al.
1988; Gilbert 2000). To assess changes in sedi-
mentation, particle size variation was measured
for three 1.2 m long gravity cores from Russkaya
Gavan’, a > 100 m deep, 10 km long fjord, dom-
inated by the Shokal’ski Glacier (Fig. 1). Cores
were retrieved at ca. 1 km (IP98-22), ca. 3.3 km
(IP98-23) and ca. 3.8 km (IP98-24) from the
present glacier terminus (Figs. 1, 2). A second
glacier (Laktyonov Glacier), which does not ter-
minate in the fjord, may also contribute to fjord
sedimentation through meltwater streams. Sed-
iment accumulation in Russkaya Gavan’ may
record glacier response to climate change during
the “Little Ice Age” and other neoglacial events
that have been widely recognized in the Barents
Sea region and Scandinavia (e.g. Matthews 1991;
Fig. 1. Russkaya Gavan’ wit h Shokal’ski and Laktyonov glaciers. T he positions of cores I P98-22, 23 and 24 a nd the position
of Core ASV-987 (indicated by a sta r) are shown. T he long dashed line shows the in ferred maxi mum glacier extent in the pa st
600 year s. A shell obt ained f rom the end morai ne that i ndicat es the “Lit tle Ice Age” g rounding li ne (short d ashed l ine) of the
Shokal’ski Glacier wa s dated to AD 1300 –1400. Inset: pathways of North Atlant ic Water along the Barents shelf and ac ross the
Barents Sea. The black block on Novaya Zemlya ind icates t he location of Russkaya Gavan’.
387
Zeeberg et al. 2003: Polar Research 22(2), 385–394
Werner 1993; Lubinski et al. 1999).
Methods
Core collection at Russkaya Gavan’
Geological sampling and oceanographic meas-
urements were performed in September 1998
from the RV Ivan Petrov. The glacial marine suc-
cession sampled by the IP-98 gravity cores is
indicated by an 8.8 kHz sonar profi le of the sea
fl oor (Fig. 2). A thin (< 10 m) sedimentary cover
(refl ector c) drapes the surface of another refl ec-
tor (a, b), probably a glacigenic diamicton. Thick-
er sedimentary sequences (ca. 30 m) can be seen
in topographic depressions. At the location of one
of the cores, IP98-23, an hermetically sealed box
cor e was obt ai ned t o assure c ollection of t he sedi-
ment–water interface needed for 210 Pb dating. A 6
m long gravity core (ASV-987) obtained and sam-
pled in 1997 provides additional information on
depositional variability within the fjord (Polyak
et al. in press).
Observations of water turbidity and conduc-
tivity, temperature and depth (CTD) measure-
ments in Russkaya Gavan’ in conjunction with
the 1998 cruise indicate that meltwater is dis-
charged from subglacial or englacial channels at
the fjord head. The density difference between
seawater and freshwater is 24 - 28 kg/m3, caus-
ing rapid rise of the freshwater plume and settling
of coarse-grained sediments in the resulting zone
of deceleration, while fi ne fractions are dispersed
throughout the fjord (Elverhøi et al. 1983; Syvit-
ski et al. 1987; Gilbert 2000). A light transmis-
sivity profi le and sampling of suspended matter
demonstrates turbid layers along the sea surface
and bottom of Russkaya Gavan’ (Fig. 2). Sus-
pended sediment loads decrease ca. 2 km beyond
cores 23, 24 and ASV-987. The spatial extent and
coarseness of the plume principally refl ects gla-
cier position, meltwater production, and fjord
hydrodynamics (Syvitski et al. 1987: 111–174).
Lithology
Cores IP98-22, 23, and 24 consist of homoge-
neous silty-mud with centimetre- to millime-
tre-scale lamination and incidental clasts of ice-
rafted debris (IRD; Fig. 3). Oxidation of organic
carbon was indicated after core splitting by
release of H2S and black colouration. Beds with
diffuse lamination 10 - 20 cm thick alter nate with
beds that have fi ne lamination highlighted by
reduced (black) monosulphides. Monosulphide
beddings are most pronounced in IP98-23, sug-
gesting periodic increase of clastic deposition
alternating with settling of organic matter. The
lower half of core 22 is more compact than the
upper half and has two noticeable sandy layers.
Down-core fl uctuations of grain size were
established with a Malvern particle size ana-
lyser (Mastersizer 2000, Hydro2000 MU),
which measures grain diameters by laser dif-
fraction while a subsample in liquid suspension
is pumped through a recirculating cell. Cores
23 and 24 were sampled at 1 cm intervals, and
core 22 at 2 cm intervals because of expect-
ed increase of accumulation rates with proxim-
Fig. 2. Sonar (8.8 kHz) profi le of Russk aya Gavan’, showing tu rbid layers measured in the fjord a nd the locations of the IP98 and
ASV-987 gravity c ores. The acoust ic profi le demonstrates that a thin (< 10 m) sedime ntar y cover (refl ector c) is drapi ng another
refl ector (a, b) along the fjord, with a ccumulation up to 30 m thick in topographic depressions. Refl ector (a, b) is probably a
glacigenic diamicton.
388 Glacier extent in a Novaya Zemlya f jord during the “Little Ice Age”
(a)
(b)
389
Zeeberg et al. 2003: Polar Research 22(2), 385–394
ity to the glacier. Marine carbonates and organ-
ics were removed during sample preparation by
adding HCl (10 %) and H2O2 (30 %), respective-
ly. When reactions ceased, the mixture was dilut-
ed with distilled water before addition of a dis-
persant (ca. 0.3 g Na4P2O7.10H 2O). A subsample
was then taken with a pipette while stirring and
released in the sample tank of the Mastersizer.
To separate remaining particle agglomerations,
ultrasonics were applied for 10 s. Instr ument set-
tings were held constant with laser obscuration at
approximately 15 % and a pump speed of 2500
rpm. Each sample yielded an apparent Gaussian
distribution of particle sizes. Plotted in Fig. 3 are
particle size ranges as volumetric percentages of
the total sample and the particle size of the 90th
percentile (d90). The d90 shows fl uctuation of the
coarse tail of the distribution (Fig. 5), registering
particle size fl uctuations more sensitively than,
for example, the median (d50).
Fine silt and clay (Wentworth scale: fractions
< 16 µm) predominate in each core, comprising
80 - 90 % of core 24 (the most distal core), and
70 - 90 % in cores 22 and 23 (Fig. 3). Median par-
ticle size is 7.6 µm for core 22, 7.1 µm for core
23 and 6.7 µm for core 24, refl ecting a decrease
of coarse fractions away from the glacier. This
trend is also observed in other studies of glaci-
omarine sediments (e.g. Gilbert 2000; Desloges
et al. 2002). The particle size analysis demon-
strates that coarse silt and sand (fractions 63 - 125
µm and > 125 µm) comprise up to 12 % of core
22, compared to < 6 % in core 23 and < 2 % in core
24. In cores 23 and 24 fi nely laminated beds are
somewhat (respectively 10 and 2 %) enriched in
coarse sediments (medium to coarse silt and fi ne
sand). IRD occurs throughout each core as inci-
dental, < 10 mm long angular to subangular rock
fragments. IRD is notably abundant in the lower
half of core 24. The largest IRD fragments are 20
mm in core 23 (depth 12 cm) and core 24 (depth
61 c m) .
Fig. 3. Plots of grai n size pe rcentages with depth for cores (a, opposite page) IP98-22, (b, opp osite page) 23, and (c) 24. From
left to right are shown contents of sand, silt, and clay groupe d in ranges (Wentwor th scale): 1) coarser than fi ne sand, 2) coarse
silt and fi ne sand, 3) mediu m to coar se silt, 4) fi ne silt a nd clay. Core photog raphs wer e taken i mmed iately af ter core splitt ing to
preser ve black colou ration of layering caused by re duced monosulphides. The core “shadows” in this fi g ure (i mages to the right
of the photographs) are composite X-radiographs used to identify molluscs and IR D.
(c)
390 Glacier extent in a Novaya Zemlya f jord during the “Little Ice Age”
Results
Chronology: 14C and 210Pb dating
Radiocarbon dating of in situ molluscs from the
top and base of the cores provides broad chrono-
logical control (Figs. 3, 4, Table 1), with calibrat-
ed age ranges spanning 300 to 500 years (Stuiv-
er et al. 1998). An additional challenge for 14 C
dating is the large and variable local marine
reservoir correction. A study of bivalves from
Novaya Zemlya fjords indicates a reservoir cor-
rection of 775 ± 200 yr for Portlandia arctica, a
detrital-feeding bivalve that can burrow up to
20 cm into sediments and feeds on old organ-
ic matter within (Forman & Polyak 1997). This
mollusc has a broad salinity tolerance and may
live close to glaciers. Hence, the large reservoir
correction indicated by this shell may result from
assimilation of old carbon from glacier meltwater
and/or detrital organics from sediments. Suspen-
sion feeding bivalves (e.g. Astarte sp., Macoma
sp.) are also common in glaciomarine sediments
from Russkaya Gavan’, and previously yielded
a reservoir age of ca. 400 ± 100 yr (Forman &
Polyak 1997; see also Heier-Nielsen et al. 1995).
Excess 210 Pb activity measurements on uncon-
solidated near-surface sediments provide a more
precise age model for the past century than 14 C
(e.g. Smith & Schafer 1987; Hughen et al. 2000).
Linear regression of 210 Pb on depth in a 30 cm
sealed core retrieved with IP98-23 gives a sed-
imentation rate of 8 mm/yr, assuming a 226Ra
background of 1.5 dpm/g (Fig. 4). 210Pb dating is
often calibrated by location of the 137Cs “bomb”
spike. The 137Cs fallout peak was ca. 1964, but
there is often a delay of 5 to 10 years before
cesium settles from the water column with sedi-
ments. Analysis of the reference core did not yield
the cesium spike, which may be due to sediment
mixing or low isotope concentration, because
deposition from the atmosphere decreases above
ca. 60° N (Hughen et al. 2000; J. Smith, pers.
comm. 2001). The sedimentation rate derived
by 210 Pb analysis demonstrates that the reference
core covers the 1970s. The 137Cs isotope slight-
ly increases downcore, consistent with elevated
ambient 137Cs during this period (Fig. 4). In con-
trast to the 210Pb-derived decadal rate, 14 C dating
of consolidated sediments provides a maximum
limiting chronology because of the effect of time
averaging, potentially yielding sedimentation
rates that are too low.
Basal ages of at least 600 years were derived by
14C dating of Macoma sp. bivalves for cores IP98-
23 (1.12 m) and IP98-24 (1.24 m). The resulting
linear sedimentation rate of ca. 2 mm /yr is com-
parable to rates calculated for subpolar fjords of
north Spitsbergen (Elverhøi et al. 1983) and west
Greenland (Desloges et al. 2002). Comparison
with core ASV-987, which has a mean accumu-
lation rate of ca. 6 mm/yr (Polyak et al. in press)
indicates substantial variability of sediment dis-
tribution within the fjord. Higher accumulation
Fig. 4. (a) Age model for the I P98 and ASV-987 cores based on calibr ated 14 C ages obtained f rom molluscs. (b) Mode rn sed i-
mentation rates i n Russkaya Gavan’ are der ived from analysis of the 210Pb dec ay serie s in a 0.3 m core that collected t he sedi-
ment–water interface (including modern 210Pb) at the location of IP98-23. The 137Cs isot ope increases down-c ore, consistent with
elevated 137Cs levels du ring the 1960s and 1970s.
(a) (b)
391
Zeeberg et al. 2003: Polar Research 22(2), 385–394
rates in ASV-987 shows that thicker sediment
was sampled here, possibly refl ecting additional
sedimentation from the Laktyonov Glacier’s fl u-
vial delta (Fig. 1).
A mollusc at 56 cm in core IP98-22 yielded a
submodern age, indicating a higher accumulation
rate (ca. 5 - 10 mm/yr) for core 22 than for cores
23 - 24, consistent with its glacier proximal posi-
tion. With accumulation rates 5 (14C) to 8 (210Pb)
mm/yr, core 22 is probably continuous through
the 19th century. There is no 14C age control for
the past three cent uries for IP98-23 and 24. Cross-
correlation between cores based on shell ages and
peaks in the coarse fraction suggests that of IP98-
23 and 24 the core tops, comprising the past ca.
50 - 100 years, were lost during coring (Fig. 5).
Glacier proximity in the sedimentary record
The sediment record in Russkaya Gavan’ is dom-
inated during the past ca. 800 years by fi ne-
grained glacifl uvial deposition with some input
from IRD and sediment gravity fl ows. The exclu-
sively clay to medium silt-sized particle ranges
measured in cores 22 - 24 suggest that these cores
were retrieved from glacier-distal environments,
dominated by settling of silt and agglomerated
clay particles from suspension. Coarse silts and
sands (63 - 125 and > 125 µm, Fig. 3) constitute
< 2 % in core 24 (3.8 km from the glacier), < 6 %
in core 23 (3.3 km f rom t he glacier), a nd < 12 % in
core 22 (1 km away from the glacier).
Medium-grained sand is deposited within ca.
200 m from ice fronts in fjords of north-west
Spitsbergen (Elverhøi et al. 1993). Turbulent,
high energy meltwater discharge by temperate,
high precipitation glaciers of south-east Alaska
deposits sand within 1 km of the glacier termi-
nus (Cowan et al. 1988). Hence, for the subpo-
lar Shokal’ski Glacier we infer that the absence
of medium sands (250 µm) in IP98-22, obtained
ca. 1 km from the present glacier terminus, sug-
gests that this core was > 0.2 km from the ground-
ing line at all times (Fig. 1). The increase in frac-
tions > 125 µm between 40 and 80 cm indicates
increased meltwater discharge and/or increased
glacier proximity in the mid-19th century (Figs.
3, 5).
Limited glacier advance (< 1 km) is con-
sistent with an apparent absence of “Little Ice
Fig. 5. Correlation of IP cores
based on calibrated 14C age
ranges. Shown here is t he fl uc-
tuat ion with depth of the g rain
diamet er of the 90th perc entile
(d90, see text for explanat ion).
392 Glacier extent in a Novaya Zemlya f jord during the “Little Ice Age”
Age” moraines on the acoustic profi le. Possi-
ble moraine ridges (see Elverhøi et al. 1983) ca.
3 km down the fjord were probably produced
by an earlier grounding line (Fig. 2). Historical
observations (Jermolaev 1934 cited in Chizov et
al. 1968; also Zeeberg & Forman 2001) indicate
that during the 19th century, the fl oating (calving)
glacier margin extended further than the ground-
ing line and over the location of IP98-22. The gla-
cier’s limited response to climate fl uctuations in
the past ca. 800 years may refl ect its steep area-
elevation gradient (Fig. 1), making it less suscep-
tible to changes in equilibrium line altitude (Zee-
berg & Forman 2001).
Discussion
Interpretation of the grain size signal
Suspended sediment loads in subpolar, glacier-
dominated fjords commonly range between 50
and 200 mg/L during summer, but in winter these
loads are usually < 2 mg/L (Syvitski et al. 1987:
123, 134). During winter, glacier melt and output
of sediment with meltwater is minimal. Climate
change primarily affects the length of the summer
(melt) season, which for Russkaya Gavan’, at sea
level, has been less than two months (July and
August) during the exceptionally warm 20th cen-
tury (> 1 °C anomaly; Briffa et al. 1995). The net
annual mass balance may be determined during
these summer months by a few melt days, and
thus by cloudiness and sea ice, which limits
heat transport to the region. Cold periods can be
characterized by a low number of “melt years”,
reduced meltwater delivery, and low net sedi-
ment accumulation. Increased melt would result
in increased sediment output and an increase of
coarse fractions.
The 14C-constrained glaciomarine record from
Russkaya Gavan’ reveals two intervals with sig-
nifi cant sediment coarsening and a concomitant
drop of fi ne fractions (Fig. 3). Correlation of the
cores based on 14 C ages reveals that these coars-
ening episodes were probably produced by the
same cycles of glacier advance–stabilization–
retreat (Fig. 5). Because the core sites character-
ize different sedimentation zones in the fjord, the
expression of coarsening varies between cores.
Thus, a narrow peak in core 23 (40 cm, coarse
fraction 6 %) appears to correlate with a broader
peak in core 24 (35 cm, coarse fraction 2 %). The
age of the lower coarsening event can be broadly
estimated as between the 14th and 17th centur y,
whereas the upper coarse interval may be about
two centuries younger based on sedimentation
rates of 2+ mm/yr. The younger coarsening event
may be correlative to the coarse part of core 22,
although age control of this core is insuffi cient for
a defi nitive correlation.
Table 1. Pelecypod spe cies and ages for the I P98 cores.
Depth (cm) Species a nd
res. correction
14C age
(yr BP)
(lab. number)
Res. corr.
14C age
Cal age (y r AD )
1σ (2σ)
and probabi lity
Midpoint
plotted
(1σ)
Core IP98-22
56 Portlandia biv 290 ± 40 moder n moder n 1950
Core IP98-23
55 Portlandia biv.
400 ± 100
1025 ± 45
(AA-37278)
625 ± 145 12 70 –143 4 (10 66 –16 25 )
1243–1442 (0.997)
775 ± 200 250 ± 245 1428–mod (1280– mod)
1478 –1698 ( 0. 573)
1588
106 Macoma biv. 1225 ± 55
(AA-37279)
825 ± 155 1024 –1297 (895 –1419)
1147–1291 (0.610)
1160
Core IP98-24
102 Portlandi a?
fragments
775 ± 200
1205 ± 45
(AA-37281)
805 ± 145 1037–1376 (977–1419)
1150–1298 (0.663)
430 ± 245 1297–1945 (1060 –mod)
1293–1675 (0.9 46)
148 4
110 Macoma biv.
400 ± 100
925 ± 55
(AA-37280)
525 ± 155 1296–1486 (1216–1786)
1288–1517 (0.937)
140 2
393
Zeeberg et al. 2003: Polar Research 22(2), 385–394
Inferred glacial history
Glaciers on Novaya Zemlya during the 20th cen-
tury demonstrate variable response to regional
warming, because increased Barents Sea SST
enhance both summer ice melt and winter precip-
itation (Zeeberg & Forman 2001). However, pro-
longed warming and summer temperature anom-
alies > 0.5 °C result in a declining Shokal’ski
Glacier mass balance (Chizov et al. 1968; Mikha-
lov & Chizov 1970). Summer temperature anom-
alies are well documented by tree-ring derived
temperature time series for northern Russia
(Briffa et al. 1995) and temperature composites
(including ice cores) for the Northern Hemisphere
(Mann et al. 1999). Strongly negative summer
temperature anomalies may herald the advance of
glaciers on Novaya Zemlya in the early 14th cen-
tury (and also in the 19th century). This is con-
sistent with the dating of an Astarte bivalve from
a subfossil moraine ridge at a distance of ca. 500
m from Shokal’ski Glacier’s present terminus to
AD 1300–1400 (Zeeberg 2001).
The abundance of IRD in the bottom half
of core 24 may indicate stabilization of the
advanced glacier with iceberg calving at some
time between ca. AD 1300 and 1700. Glacier melt
that would have ended this cycle was probably
caused by increased advection of North Atlan-
tic Water into the Barents Sea during a persistent
positive phase of the NAO. Between AD 1450 and
1650 there were at least four episodes with per-
sistent positive phase NAOs (Cook et al. 2002). A
drop of North Atlantic sea level pressure is indi-
cated by ion contents in the GISP-2 ice core after
AD 1400 (Meeker & Mayewski 2002). After ca.
AD 1650 the NAO remains comparatively weak
until the 20th cent ury. Strong negative summer
temperature anomalies (Briffa et al. 1995; Mann
et al. 1999) in combination with increased precip-
itation, as suggested by strengthening of the Ice-
landic Low (Meeker & Mayewski 2002), proba-
bly caused signifi cant glacier advance on Novaya
Zemlya in the 19th century. We suggest that the
second glacier cycle inferred from the glaciomar-
ine sequence from Russkaya Gavan’ corresponds
to the 19th century glacier maximum and subse-
quent decay. The coarse layers in the bottom half
of core 22 may indicate turbidity currents trig-
gered by the advancing glacier (Figs. 3, 5).
The sediment cores from Russkaya Gavan
suggest two “Little Ice Age” glacier advanc-
es sometime during ca. AD 1300–1700 and AD
1700–present (Fig. 5). These events appear to be
generally consistent with glacial geologic obser-
vations from other areas around the Barents Sea.
Glacier advances in Franz Josef Land are con-
strained by 14 C dating of in situ mosses from gla-
cier margins to ca. AD 1400–1600 and post-1650
(Lubinski et al. 1999). Two stages of moraine sta-
bilization, in the 14th century and post-1700, have
been described for Svalbard on the basis of liche-
nometry (Werner 1993). In southern Scandinavia,
“Little Ice Age” maxima were reached between
AD 1400 and AD 1600 (Matthews 1991). Gla-
ciers on Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and Novaya
Zemlya attained their greatest “Little Ice Age”
extent in the second half of the 19th century
(Werner 1993; Lubinski et al. 1999; Zeeberg &
Forma n 2001). The ident ifi cation of two glacier
cycles in the glaciomarine record demonstrates
that sediment accumulation in Russkaya Gavan’
is sensitive to century scale fl uctuations of the
Barents Sea climate. During the “Little Ice Age”,
major glacier fl uctuations on Novaya Zemlya
appear to have occurred in broad synchrony with
those in other areas around the Barents Sea.
Acknowledgements.—210Pb and 137Cs a na l ys es we r e p e rf or m e d
by John N. Smith, Bedford Institute of Oceanography (Dart-
mouth, Canada). Particle size analyses were done in cooper a-
tion with Torbjörn Törnqvist (University of Illinois at Chica-
go). Sonar profi le is reproduced courtesy of P. I. Krinitski, V.
A. Gladysh, and Y. P. Goremyki n (Okeangeologia, St. Pet ers-
burg, Russia). Lawr ence Febo pro duced the X-ray image s and
Jeanne Ja ros (both of the By rd Polar Research Center) the core
photographs. This paper benefi ted from reviews by J. A. Mat-
thews and a n anonymous referee. National Science Founda-
tion award no. OPP-9796024 suppor ted the resea rch.
References
Briffa, K. R., Jones, P. D., Schweingruber, F. H., Shiyat-
ov, S. G., & Cook, E. R. 1995: Unusual twent ieth-centu ry
summer warmth in a 1,000-year te mperature record f rom
Siber ia. Nat ure 376, 156–159.
Chizov, O. P., Koryakin, V. S., Davidovich, N. V., Kanevsky,
Z. M., Singer, E. M., Bazheva, V. Y., Bazhev, A. B. &
Khmelevskoy, I. F. 1968: Results of researches on the pro-
gram of the Interna tional Geophysical Year. Glaciation of
the Novaya Z emlya. Glaciolog y IX section of IGY prog ram.
No. 18. (In Russian, with English summary.) Moscow:
Nauka Publishi ng House.
Cook, E. R ., d’Arr igo, R. D. & Mann, M. E. 2002. A well veri-
fi ed, multiproxy r econstruc tion of the winter Nor th Atlantic
Oscillation Index since AD 1400. J. Cli m. 15, 1754–1764.
Cowan, E. A., Powell, R . D. & Smith, N. D. 1988: Rainstorm -
394 Glacier extent in a Novaya Zemlya f jord during the “Little Ice Age”
induced event sedi mentation at the tidewater f ront of a tem-
perate glacier. Geology 16, 409–412.
Desloges, J. R., Gilbert, R., Nielsen, N., Chr istiansen, C.,
Rasch, M. & Øhlenschläger, R. 2002: Holocene glacima-
rine sedimentary environments in fi ords of Disko Bugt,
west Gr eenland. Quat. Sci. Rev. 21, 947–963.
Elverhøi, A., Lønne, O. & Seland, R. 1983: Glaciomarine sed-
imentation in a modern f jord envi ronment, Spitsbergen.
Polar Res. 1, 127–149.
Forman, S. L. & Polyak, L. 1997: Radiocar bon conte nt of pre-
bomb marine mollusks and variations in the 14 C reser voir
age or coastal areas of the Barents and Kara seas, Russia.
Geophys. Res. Lett. 24, 885–888.
Gilbert, R. 2000: Environmental assessment from the sed-
imentary record of high-latitude fi ords. Geomorphology
32, 295–314.
Heier-Nielsen, S., Heinemeier, J., Nielsen, H. L. & Rud , N.
1995: Recent rese rvoir ages for Danish fjord s and mar ine
waters. Radiocarbon 37, 875–882.
Hughen, K . A., Overpeck, J. & Anderson, R. F. 2000: Recent
warm ing in a 50 0-year p alaeot emper atu re record from
varved sediments, Baf fi n Island , Canada . The Holocen e
10, 9–19.
Koryak in, V. S. 1986: Sokrashcheniye oledeneniya na ostrov-
akh Yevraziyskoy Arktiki v XX veke. (Decrease in glacie r
cover on the islands of the Eurasian A rctic during the 20th
century.) Pol. Geogr. Geol. 10, 157–165.
Loeng, H. 1991: Feature s of the physical oceanog raphic c on-
ditions of t he Barents Sea. Polar Res. 10, 5–18.
Lubinsk i, D. J., Forman, S. L . & Miller, G. H. 1999: Holocene
glacier a nd clim ate fl uctuations on Franz Josef Land,
Arctic Russia, 80° N. Quat. S ci. Rev. 18, 85 –108.
Mann, M. E., Brad ley, R. S. & Hughes, M. K. 1999. North-
ern Hemisphere temperatures during the past millennium:
infere nces, u ncertaint ies, and l imitations. Geophys. Res.
Lett. 26, 759–762.
Matthews. J. A. 1991: The late Neoglacial (‘Little Ice Age’)
glacier maximu m in southern Nor way: new 14C-dating evi-
dence and climat ic implications. Th e Holocene 1, 219–233.
Meeker, L. D. & Mayewsk i, P. A. 2002: A 1400-year h igh-
resolution record of at mospher ic circulation over t he Nort h
Atlantic a nd Asia. The Holocene 12, 257–266.
Mikhalov, V. I. & Chizov, O. P. 1970: Rezul’tat y gliat siolog-
icheski kh issle dovanii na Novoi Zemle v 1969 g. (Scien-
tifi c results of the glaciological investigations on Novaya
Zemlya i n 1969.) Data Glaciolog. St ud. 17, 186 –199.
Polyak, L., Murdmaa, I. & Ivanova, E. in press: A high-
resolution, 800-year glaciomarine record from Russkaya
Gavan’, a Novaya Zemlya fjord , eastern Barents Sea. The
Holocene.
Smith, J. N. & Schafer, C. T. 1987: A twentieth century record
of climatologically-modulated sediment accumulation
rates in a Canad ian f jord. Qua t. Res. 27, 232–247.
Stuiver, M., Reimer, P. J., Bard, E., Beck, J. W., Burr, G. S.,
Hughen, K . A., Kromer, B., McCormac, F. G., Van der
Plicht, J. & Spurk , M. 1998: Intca l98 radiocarbon age cali-
bration, 24,000-0 cal BP. Radiocarbon 40, 1041–1083.
Syvitski, J. P. M., Burrell, D. C. & Skei, J. M. 1987: Fjords.
Processes and p roducts. Berlin: Springer Verlag.
Werner, A. 1993. Holocene moraine ch ronology, Spitsbergen,
Svalbard: lichonomet ric evide nce for multiple Neoglacial
advances in the Arctic. The Holocene 3, 128–137.
Zeeberg, J. J. 2001: Climate a nd glacia l histor y of the Novaya
Zemlya Archipelago, Russian Arctic. Amsterdam: Rozen-
berg Publishers.
Zeeberg, J. J. & Forman, S. L. 2001: Changes in glacier ext ent
on north Novaya Zemlya in the twent ieth centur y. The
Holocene 11, 161–175.
