A late response of the sea-ice cover to Neoglacial cooling in the western Barents Sea

Abstract

In high northern latitudes, the Middle to Late-Holocene was a time of orbitally-induced atmospheric cooling. This led to increased sea-ice production in the Arctic Ocean and its export southward, a decrease in sea surface temperatures (SST), and glacier advances at least since 5–4 ka BP. However, the response of the ocean-climate system to decreasing insolation was not uniform. Our research shows that the sea-ice cover in the northwestern Barents Sea experienced a late response to Neoglacial cooling. We analyzed dinoflagellate cyst assemblages from a sediment core from Storfjordrenna, south of Svalbard. We found that the area experienced ice-free conditions throughout most of the Mid- and Late-Holocene. It was only after 2.3 ka BP that the study site became covered with winter drift ice and primary productivity decreased subsequently. Other regional data support the decrease in SST, the expansion of the sea-ice cover, and the deterioration of the environmental conditions around that time. Our findings indicate that the sea-ice cover in the northwestern Barents Sea required a significant amount of time to respond to the general cooling trend in the region. These results have important implications for present-day environmental changes. Even if the current warming trend is revoked in the future, the observed sea-ice loss in the Barents Sea may be incredibly challenging to reverse.