Spitsbergen Bank Research Articles

Tidal Motion Enhancement on Spitsbergen Bank, Barents Sea

AbstractThe higher resolution numerical model investigates the semidiurnal and diurnal tides over the shallow Spitsbergen Bank. The tidal wave is trapped around Bear Island, Hopen Island, and Central Hill at the Bank in the semidiurnal range of oscillations. Semidiurnal waves around Bear and Hopen Islands generate a trapped dipole in the sea level distribution revealed by sea level maximum and minimum traveling on the opposite sides of the island. The dipole induces significant sea‐level differences and amplified velocity around the island perimeter. The role of the tidal currents over the Bank is connected through the mixing and transport to the generation of frontal regions. Tidal mixing directly relates to the local ice formation on Spitsbergen Bank as these areas coincide with the regions of strong tidal currents. The trapping of the semidiurnal tides leads to residual (permanent) circulation of up to 15 cm s−1. As this motion interconnects different bathymetric regions of the Bank, it influences the exchange of properties between these regions. The strength of residual currents shows that the large‐scale slow thermohaline motion cannot be complete without residual tidal motion. The diurnal tides show a different distribution since higher spatial resolution reveals sea‐level variability in many locations. These short‐wavelength shelf waves occur at seamounts, submarine peninsulas, and bays. We investigate in detail the wave dynamics in proximity to Central Hill and Hopen Island. We use observations of the buoys deployed on the ice floes to compare the drift velocity to the computed tidal velocity.

Modeling of Thermodynamic Consolidation of Sea Ice Ridges Drifting in the Water with Changing Temperature

Oceanographic and ice conditions in the region of Spitsbergen Bank in the Barents Sea were investigated in research cruises of the “Polarsyssel” in 2017–2019. Trajectories of ice drift were constructed using GPS data of the buoys deployed on the floes in the research cruises. The duration of the ice season in the region was analyzed using ice charts. The air temperature and wind velocities were analyzed using the data of meteorological stations on Bear Island and Hopen Island. Fieldwork on drifting ice showed the existence of thick consolidated floes with drafts up to 8 m, which were identified as completely consolidated sea ice ridges. The presence of such floes is dangerous for winter navigation along Spitsbergen Bank. A model of thermodynamic consolidation of ice ridges was formulated to investigate the thermodynamic evolution of ice ridges. The observed air and sea water temperatures were used in the boundary conditions on top and bottom surfaces of sea ice rubble. It was shown that the regular interaction of sea ice rubble with Atlantic and Arctic waters in the region of Spitsbergen Bank leads to almost complete consolidation of the ice rubble with an initial macro-porosity 0.2 for 150 days.

Simulation of tsunami induced by a submarine landslide in a glaciomarine margin: the case of Storfjorden LS-1 (southwestern Svalbard Islands)

Abstract. A modelling approach to understand the tsunamigenic potentiality of submarine landslides will provide new perspectives on tsunami hazard threat, mostly in polar margins where global climatic change and its related ocean warming may induce future landslides. Here, we use the L-ML-HySEA (Landslide Multilayer Hyperbolic Systems and Efficient Algorithms) numerical model, including wave dispersion, to provide new insights into factors controlling the tsunami characteristics triggered by the Storfjorden LS-1 landslide (southwestern Svalbard). Tsunami waves, determined mainly by the sliding mechanism and the bathymetry, consist of two initial wave dipoles, with troughs to the northeast (Spitsbergen and towards the continent) and crests to the south (seawards) and southwest (Bear Island), reaching more than 3 m of amplitude above the landslide and finally merging into a single wave dipole. The tsunami wave propagation and its coastal impact are governed by the Storfjorden and Kveithola glacial troughs and by the bordering Spitsbergen Bank, which shape the continental shelf. This local bathymetry controls the direction of propagation with a crescent shape front, in plan view, and is responsible for shoaling effects of amplitude values (4.2 m in trough to 4.3 m in crest), amplification (3.7 m in trough to 4 m in crest) and diffraction of the tsunami waves, as well as influencing their coastal impact times.

Deformation of an ice pack influenced by waves and topographic enhancement of tidal motion near Hopen Island in the Barents Sea

Understanding the physical mechanisms behind the deformation of pack ice floes is important for understanding the dynamics of the local ice regime, and for the calibration and validation of ice dynamics models. In April 2017, six Iridium satellite-tracking beacons were deployed on six pack ice floes in the Barents Sea south of Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic. The ice tracker deployment was performed as part of an offshore research expedition carried out onboard the Research Vessel (RV) Polarsyssel to characterize the local sea ice environment. In addition to the ice tracker deployments, an anemometer beacon, a wave beacon, and an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) were deployed on a drifting ice floe to which the vessel was moored for nearly three days, and extensive thickness, salinity, and density measurements were made. The wave beacon recorded the vertical acceleration of the floe so that wave forcing on the floe drift could be estimated. The in-situ wind, ocean current, wave, and ice thickness and density measurements permitted the estimation of met-ocean forcings on the acceleration of the ice floe. On April 28, two days after the last ice tracker was deployed on April 26, the six tracked ice floes rapidly dispersed just to the west-southwest of Hopen Island. The dispersion of the ice floes was dominated by strong shearing within the local ice pack, coinciding with a rapid increase in the speeds of the local tidal currents, which was soon followed by a rapid increase in the wave energy. Each of the six tracked ice floes increased their observed drift speeds in sync with the increase in the local tidal current speeds at different times for each floe, but at approximately the same decrease in water depth as they reached the northern edge of Spitsbergen Bank. The rapid increase in the tidal currents was linked to the topographic enhancement of tidal motion near Hopen Island in the shallower waters of Spitsbergen Bank. The wind and wave measurements made by the anemometer and wave beacons and ice tracker left on the ice floe to which the vessel was moored allowed for an estimate of the relative strength of the wind, tidal, and wave forcings on the local ice field. The results showed that the tidal currents initially dominated the dynamic response of the local ice field compared to the wind, which led to the conclusion that the enhanced tidal current was ultimately the dominant cause of the initial dispersion of the local pack ice field on April 28, and the dispersion was then further enhanced by the increase in wave energy.

Anomalous hydrographic conditions in the western Barents Sea observed in March 2014

Observational data have been collected during a cruise to the western Barents Sea in March 2014 covering 33 stations along three west–east sections at 76.34°N, 77.26°N and 78.49°N and along one south–north section at 19.47°E. Our observations suggest a wedge-like water masses structure with colder and fresher Arctic Water moving southward, gliding over warmer and more saline Atlantic Water which below the surface moves to the north. Atlantic Water in the Storfjorden Trench reached farther north than 76.5°N and was present on the eastern and western slopes of the Spitsbergen Bank. Our measurements indicate limited dense water formation in the Storfjorden. A comparison with historical data over the years 1923–2011 reveal an anomalous northern location of the Polar Front for this time of the year in March 2014. A point by point comparison with ten historical stations in 1983 and 1986 shows significantly warmer (by up to 3.8°C) and saltier (by up to 2.49psu) conditions in 2014 for nine out of ten stations. Moreover, stations dominated by the Atlantic inflow experienced the largest changes, whereas in stations located in the area of the Arctic outflow the changes were smallest. Furthermore, we used satellite and decadal reanalysis data to estimate the climate variability defined by a range of two standard deviations. We found that in the Storfjorden Trench in March 2014 the water transport was within the range, while the water temperature exceeded the upper limit of climate variability. The sea ice extent in the western Barents Sea was below the lower limit of climate variability from mid-February to mid-March 2014. Combining in situ, satellite and model data, we were able to attribute the warm anomaly observed in March 2014 to two main reasons: (1) an increase of Atlantic water temperature which was evident already in the beginning of 2014 and (2) very little cooling in February and March 2014. From these results we conclude that the north-western Barents Sea is a key region to monitor local response on climate change signals in the Arctic Ocean.

The spatial variability of the baroclinic tidal energy dissipation and the associated diapycnal diffusion in the Barents Sea

The results of modeling with the use of the QUODDY-4 three-dimensional finite-element hydrostatic model are given. They indicate that the averaged (over a tidal cycle) depth-integrated dissipation of the baroclinic tidal energy is the maximum in the southern parts of the sea and the minimum westward of Novaya Zemlya. It remains intact until the 40° E meridian, thus dividing the sea into the western and eastern parts. Westward of the meridian, the dissipation grows again. The field of the depth-averaged diapycnal diffusivity calculated by the Osborn formula resembles in many details the spatial distribution of the depth-integrated dissipation. Its maximum values fall on the Spitsbergen Bank and the entrance to the White and Pechora Seas; the minimum values determined by molecular kinematic diffusivity are grouped together in the northeast part of the sea as discrete spots. By comparing the found values of the diapycnal diffusivity with typical estimates of the background vertical eddy diffusivity, we ascertain that either they coincide among themselves by order of magnitude or the former values are more than the latter ones. This implies that the contribution of tides to the formation of the Barents Sea climate may be significant and even prevailing.

Benthic fauna and functional traits along a Polar Front transect in the Barents Sea – Advancing tools for ecosystem-scale assessments

One of the challenges for large-scale, long-term ecological assessments lies in the integration of faunal datasets. A comparison was made between various ways of analysing benthic macrofaunal datasets using both taxon names as well as functional traits. The sampling stations were located on both sides of the average location of the Polar Front in the Barents Sea, and included the Spitsbergen Bank, slope areas and the deeper basins Storfjord Trough and Hopen Trough. Taxon richness and overall faunal biomass were highest at the shallowest stations, and lowest in the depressions and ice-influenced areas. The overall functioning of the faunal communities reflected the habitat type. In the trough areas, the sediment mixing depth was greatest, reflecting the bioturbatory activities of the fauna. The shallow, gravelly, erosion areas on the Spitsbergen Bank supported mostly surface-active taxa, consistent with the relatively low biological mixing depths. The mixed sediments of the slope environments supported a mixture of surface-active and bioturbating taxa. Functional trait coding offers an additional tool for mesoscale characterisation of communities, particularly for large-scale or long-term datasets, where taxonomic identifications may not be compatible. The results are discussed in terms of future research needs, in light of changing ecological conditions in the Barents Sea, as well as the need for refining environmental assessment tools.

Dense water formation and circulation in the Barents Sea

Dense water masses from Arctic shelf seas are an important part of the Arctic thermohaline system. We present previously unpublished observations from shallow banks in the Barents Sea, which reveal large interannual variability in dense water temperature and salinity. To examine the formation and circulation of dense water, and the processes governing interannual variability, a regional coupled ice-ocean model is applied to the Barents Sea for the period 1948–2007. Volume and characteristics of dense water are investigated with respect to the initial autumn surface salinity, atmospheric cooling, and sea-ice growth (salt flux). In the southern Barents Sea (Spitsbergen Bank and Central Bank) dense water formation is associated with advection of Atlantic Water into the Barents Sea and corresponding variations in initial salinities and heat loss at the air–sea interface. The characteristics of the dense water on the Spitsbergen Bank and Central Bank are thus determined by the regional climate of the Barents Sea. Preconditioning is also important to dense water variability on the northern banks, and can be related to local ice melt (Great Bank) and properties of the Novaya Zemlya Coastal Current (Novaya Zemlya Bank). The dense water mainly exits the Barents Sea between Frans Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, where it constitutes 63% (1.2 Sv) of the net outflow and has an average density of 1028.07 kg m −3. An amount of 0.4 Sv enters the Arctic Ocean between Svalbard and Frans Josef Land. Covering 9% of the ocean area, the banks contribute with approximately 1/3 of the exported dense water. Formation on the banks is more important when the Barents Sea is in a cold state (less Atlantic Water inflow, more sea-ice). During warm periods with high throughflow more dense water is produced broadly over the shelf by general cooling of the northward flowing Atlantic Water. However, our results indicate that during extremely warm periods (1950s and late 2000s) the total export of dense water to the Arctic Ocean becomes strongly reduced.

Multilocus phylogeography and population structure of common eiders breeding in North America and Scandinavia

Aim Glacial refugia during the Pleistocene had major impacts on the levels and spatial apportionment of genetic diversity of species in northern latitude ecosystems. We characterized patterns of population subdivision, and tested hypotheses associated with locations of potential Pleistocene refugia and the relative contribution of these refugia to the post-glacial colonization of North America and Scandinavia by common eiders (Somateria mollissima). Specifically, we evaluated localities hypothesized as ice-free areas or glacial refugia for other Arctic vertebrates, including Beringia, the High Arctic Canadian Archipelago, Newfoundland Bank, Spitsbergen Bank and north-west Norway. Location Alaska, Canada, Norway and Sweden. Methods Molecular data from 12 microsatellite loci, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region, and two nuclear introns were collected and analysed for 15 populations of common eiders (n = 716) breeding throughout North America and Scandinavia. Population genetic structure, historical population fluctuations and gene flow were inferred using F-statistics, analyses of molecular variance, and multilocus coalescent analyses. Results Significant inter-population variation in allelic and haplotypic frequencies were observed (nuclear DNA FST = 0.004‐0.290; mtDNA FST = 0.051‐0.927). Whereas spatial differentiation in nuclear genes was concordant with subspecific designations, geographic proximity was more predictive of inter-population variance in mitochondrial DNA haplotype frequency. Inferences of historical population demography were consistent with restriction of common eiders to four geographic areas during the Last Glacial Maximum: Belcher Islands, Newfoundland Bank, northern Alaska and Svalbard. Three of these areas coincide with previously identified glacial refugia: Newfoundland Bank, Beringia and Spitsbergen Bank. Gene-flow and clustering analyses indicated that the Beringian refugium contributed little to common eider post-glacial colonization of North America, whereas Canadian, Scandinavian and southern Alaskan post-glacial colonization is likely to have occurred in a stepwise fashion from the same glacial refugium. Main conclusions Concordance of proposed glacial refugia used by common eiders and other Arctic species indicates that Arctic and subarctic refugia were important reservoirs of genetic diversity during the Pleistocene. Furthermore, suture zones identified at MacKenzie River, western Alaska/Aleutians and Scandinavia coincide with those identified for other Arctic vertebrates, suggesting that these regions were strong geographic barriers limiting dispersal from Pleistocene refugia.

Deglaciation of the western margin of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet — A swath bathymetric and sub-bottom seismic study from the Kveithola Trough

Kveithola Trough, an E–W trending glacial trough in the NW Barents Sea, was surveyed for the first time during the EGLACOM cruise of R/V OGS-Explora in summer 2008. Swath bathymetry shows that the seafloor is characterized by E–W trending mega-scale glacial lineations (MSGL) that record a fast flowing ice stream draining the Svalbard/Barents Sea Ice Sheet (SBIS) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). MSGL are overprinted by transverse sediment ridges about 15km apart which give rise to a staircase axial profile of the trough. Such transverse ridges are interpreted to be grounding-zone wedges (GZWs) formed by deposition of subglacial till during episodic ice stream retreat. Sub-bottom (CHIRP) and multi-channel reflection seismic data show that the present-day morphology is largely inherited from the palaeo-seafloor topography at the time of deposition of the transverse ridges, overlain by a draping glaciomarine unit which in places is over 15m thick. Our data allow the reconstruction of depositional processes which accompanied deglaciation of the Spitsbergen Bank area. The sedimentary drape deposited on top of the GZWs is suggested to have accumulated at a very high rate, (on average in the order of 1–1.5m ka−1) and therefore may potentially preserve a high-resolution palaeoclimatic record of deglaciation and post-glacial conditions in this sector of the Barents Sea.

Nonlinear internal waves forced by tides near the critical latitude

Generation of semi-diurnal internal tides at high latitudes is investigated theoretically and on the basis of in situ data, collected in the Barents Sea. The experimental data had revealed evidence of semi-diurnal internal tides in records obtained at the critical latitude and above it, whilst the existing theories of baroclinic tides (linear or nonlinear) predict a suppression of tidal activity in the vicinity of the critical latitudes. The analytical solution for linear internal tides excited over the oceanic ridges predicts a substantial reduction of the efficiency of their generation. A similar result was obtained also in the frame of a fully nonlinear, nonhydrostatic model, developed and applied for typical conditions of the Barents Sea: weakly nonlinear baroclinic tides at high latitudes are suppressed by the Earth's rotation and have characteristics inherent to linear tides (small amplitude, large wavelength and small group speed). However, when applied to conditions of the southern slope of the Spitsbergen Bank, where the nonlinearity of the generated waves was estimated to be sufficiently strong, the mathematical model demonstrated generation of topography-scale short internal waves with characteristics close to those of unsteady lee waves. Propagating away from their source these waves produce wave patterns which may be considered as nonlinear internal tides of relatively short wavelength, although their genesis and features significantly differ from common internal tides. In particular, under conditions of strong nonlinearity and rotation the energy transfer from the barotropic tidal flux to the baroclinic modes leads to an effective generation of multiple tidal harmonics.

Inferring Maximum Geostrophic Current Velocities in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea from Settling-Velocity Measurements of Sediment Surface Samples: Methods, Application, and Results

ABSTRACT Critical shear velocities and geostrophic current velocities were calculated from measured grain sizes and settling velocities using a Shields-type threshold curve of particle movement and assuming bedload transport for particles that were found to be transported by currents. Because this reconstruction of the current velocities is based on the coarsest transported component that could be recognized in the sediment, the resulting current velocities represent a maximum flow speed that was effective during deposition of sediment. The shape of the settling-velocity distributions identifies the dominant type of deposition that controlled the accumulation of sediment: residual, well-sorted, or low-energy depositional. The resulting pattern of reconstructed maximum geostrophic current velocities in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea reflects the known features of present-day thermohaline circulation, which is influenced by the bathymetry at many places. Reconstructed current velocities are higher in areas where the cross section of meridional flows is restricted by topographic barriers. The distribution of the depositional characters shows that residual and well-sorted sediment types are generally associated with higher current velocities in areas of strong geostrophic currents (e.g., Fram Strait and East Greenland continental slope). The low-energy depositional sediment type is widespread in the basins of the eastern Norwegian-Greenland Sea, where lower reconstructed maximum current velocities occur. The high reconstructed velocities on the Spitsbergen Bank can be attributed to the disturbance from storm waves in shallower water depths.

Water mass distribution and polar front structure in the western Barents Sea

The water mass distribution in the western Barents Sea, the thermohaline structure of the western Barents Sea Polar Front, and the local formation of a dense water mass are described on the basis of an analysis of historical hydrographic data. This study concentrated on the frontal region between Bjørnøya and Hopen Island where Arctic water is found on the Spitsbergen Bank and Atlantic water in the Bear Island Trough and Hopen Trench. The distributions of Atlantic and Arctic waters in relation to topography were consistent with the hypothesis that the location of the polar front is fixed at about the 250 m isobath by the barotropic circulation of Atlantic water within the Bear Island Trough and Hopen Trench. In winter, vertical gradients of temperature and salinity were weak throughout the frontal region, consistent with a barotropic, topographically controlled front. In summer, vertical gradients remained weak below 100 m depth but increased in the upper layer as a result of the presence of fresh, warm surface water produced by melting ice. The topographic control of thermohaline properties at the surface was disrupted by the meltwater pool, and the meltwater contributed to water mass modification in the frontal region. The following seasonal cycle of water mass formation was hypothesized: Summer heating melts the sea ice on the Spitsbergen Bank and produces the surface meltwater pool. This meltwater not only increases vertical thermohaline gradients on the bank but also crosses the front and freshens the surface layer throughout the western Barents Sea. Subsequent winter cooling, which creates ice over the bank, also forms dense water in the Bear Island Trough and Hopen Trench by convective mixing of Atlantic water and the overlying meltwater.

Life history and ecology of long rough dab Hippoglossoides platessoides (F) in the Barents Sea

Long rough dab in the Barents Sea are numerically fifth in abundance to the most common groundfish species, polar cord. Because it is not a commercial species detailed information on the life history and ecology is lacking, and physical processes that influence the dynamics of this species are not well understood. Analyses of ichthyoplankton and bottom trawl surveys in the Barents Sea together with hydrographic information on water mass circulation and historical observations of spawning, bottom sediment classification and distribution of prey items provide the first comprehensive look at the life history and ecology of this species. Long rough dab are distributed from the coastal waters off western and northern Svalbard, south along the continental shelf edge to the northwest coast of Norway and eastward into the Barents Sea to Goose Bank. The greatest concentrations are located within the Barents Sea. Both juvenile and adult long rough dab overlap considerably in their distribution and are most abundant along the shelves and slopes of various banks close to the Polar Front, in particular the slopes of Spitsbergen Bank. Analyses of icthyoplankton and demersal survey data together with historical data and hydrography of water masses in the area suggest that spawning of long rough dab takes place mainly in the western and central Barents Sea and along the northwest coast of Norway, corroborating Milinsky's hypothesis of an east to west spawning migration. A spawning migration in the direction opposite to larval drift would permit long rough dab to maintain its position within the region, a strategy common to many other demersal and pelagic fish in the Barents Sea. The distribution pattern of newly-settled and age-1 juvenile long rough dab is closely linked to the physical oceanographic processes of water masses, in particular the North Atlantic water mass, and the drift of early life-history stages in the system of currents along coastal areas and the Polar Front. The association of large aggregations of juveniles with sediments of a particular structure and a high biomass of benthos may be more than coincidental and would indicate that other physical factors may influence both settlement in the oceanic nursery areas and the overall pattern of distribution of the population.

Barents Sea tidal and inertial motions from Argos ice buoys during the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment

A harmonic analysis, constrained to estimate separately ice motions forced by tides and inertial oscillations, was applied to observed positions of Argos buoys deployed on drifting multiyear sea ice in the eastern Arctic Ocean and Barents Sea during the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (1988–1989). Individual tidal components were estimated at 15‐day intervals, and inertial oscillations were estimated at 3‐day intervals. The S2 tidal component was distinguishable from inertial motions south of 79°N, and the M2 tidal component was distinguishable from the inertial motion north of 77.5°N. Computed ice velocities of up to 70 cm s−1 for M2 tidal motion over Spitsbergen Bank southeast of Svalbard agreed reasonably well with the regional tidal models (no ice cover) of Gjevik and of Kowalik. Regional differences in the energy distribution in the Arctic Basin (low), Barents shelf (high), and Spitsbergen Bank (extreme) were emphasized by this technique. The M4 tidal component in the ice motion was typically as large over the Barents shelf as the inertial oscillation.

Topographic control of thermohaline frontal structure in the Barents Sea Polar Front on the south flank of Spitsbergen Bank

A combination of observations and process‐oriented numerical modeling is used to investigate the thermohaline structure of the Barents Sea Polar Front on the south flank of Spitsbergen Bank. The Polar Front is the boundary between warm, saline North Atlantic Water and cool, fresh Arctic Water located over the outer edge of the bank. Observations from the Barents Sea Polar Front Experiment in August 1992 show that North Atlantic Water was present in waters of 250 m or deeper, with little vertical structure beneath the upper 50 m of the water column. The mean velocity field over the south flank of the bank shows a westward flow of roughly 0.1 m s−1 in the North Atlantic Water and weak mean velocities over the outer edge of the bank. A primitive equation model is used with idealized bathymetry to show that the inflow of North Atlantic Water into the Barents Sea via the Bear Island Trough bifurcates at the sill between Nordkapp Bank and Sentral Bank, at the eastern edge of the Bear Island Trough. One branch of the North Atlantic Water recirculates westward, out of the Barents Sea and back into the Norwegian Sea. The flow of North Atlantic Water is barotropic and linear, following the bathymetry. The recirculating branch is sheared off at the sill, such that the core of recirculating flow is concentrated between the isobath coincident with the sill depth (∼260 m) and the center of the trough (∼500 m). Both the cross‐bank structure of the model thermohaline fields, as well as the along‐bank velocity, are very similar to the observations at a depth of 80 m. Thus the frontal structure is controlled by the interaction of the barotropic inflow with the sill at the eastern edge of the Bear Island Trough and is not controlled by processes occurring over the bank.

Quaternary sediments in the northwestern part of the Barents Sea and their relation to the underlying Mesozoic bedrock

ABSTRACTA sedimentological study of Quaternary sediments from the northwestern part of the Barents Sea shows that their composition is controlled by the underlying Mesozoic bedrock and that very little sediment has been supplied from outside sources.The Quaternary sediments consist of Pleistocene glacial clays (moraines) and Holocene gravel, sand and mud, derived by erosion of the clay‐rich moraines, which again have been derived from underlying Mesozoic rocks.On the shallow Spitsbergen Bank (30‐100 m depth) we find a high energy facies of bioclastic carbonate sand and gravel and lag deposits of Mesozoic rock fragments from the underlying moraine. 14C‐datings of the bioclastic carbonates (Molluscs and Barnacles) suggest that soft bottom conditions with Mya truncata prevailed in early Holocene time, succeeded by a hard bottom high energy environment with Barnacles in the last 2000‐3000 years. This may be due to a southward movement of the oceanic polar front into the Spitsbergen Bank due to colder climate in Late Holocene (subatlantic) time, which at present day produces strong bottom currents down to 100 m depth.On the Spitsbergen Bank carbonate sedimentation has succeeded glacial sedimentation as a result of withdrawal of clastic sediment supply in Holocene time and high organic productivity because of upwelling. A similar mechanism may have been operating during earlier glaciations, i.e. in Late Precambrian time to produce an association of glacial and carbonate sediments although the biological precipitation was different at that time. In Late Precambrian time precipitation or carbonate by algaes may have occurred in colder water on the shelves due to higher saturation of carbonate in the sea water.