Modern and Relict Evidence of the Iceberg Scouring at the Bottom of the Barents and Kara Seas

Abstract

The article systematizes and summarizes published data on the parameters and distribution areas of modern and relict iceberg scours (or plough marks), as well as on the maximum possible sizes and drift areas of modern icebergs in the Barents and Kara Seas. According to the open-source bathymetric data, for the first time the analysis of “throughput” of the waters in front of modern glaciers was carried out. Based on summarized and established facts, areas of the most likely distribution of modern iceberg effects on the bottom are determined by the method of expert assessment. This work is relevant both from a fundamental point of view and for determining the current depths limits of iceberg scouring at the bottom of the Barents and Kara Seas, which is important for ensuring the geoecological safety of all kinds of activities on the sea shelf.