Reconstruction of the postglacial environments in the southwestern Barents Sea based on foraminiferal assemblages

Abstract

Environmental changes in the surface and bottom water layers of the Ingoydjupet Basin and the his� tory of the Atlantic Water inflow to the southwestern Barents Sea during the last 16 ka are reconstructed based on planktic and benthic foraminiferal assemblages. The multiproxy study of sediment cores PSh�5159R and PSh�5159N, including AMS 14 C dating, provides a time resolution of about 200 years for the deglaciation, 100 years for the Holocene, and 25-50 years for the last 400 years. Stable polar conditions with the sea ice at the surface were typical for the Early Deglaciation period. Unstable bottom settings and the onset of ice raft� ing marked the Oldest Dryas. The cold Atlantic Water inflow increased notably during the Bolling-Allerod interstadial nearby the site location and then decreased during the Younger Dryas. The initial Holocene was characterized by abrupt warming in bottom and surface water layers, especially ~9.7-7.6 ka BP. Stable con� ditions prevailed during the Middle Holocene. Remarkable changes in the seasurface temperature and bot� tom environments occurred during the last 2.5 cal. ka BP.