New fjords,new coasts,new landscapes: The geomorphology of paraglacial coasts formed after recent glacier retreat in Brepollen (Hornsund,southern Svalbard) |
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| Authors: | Mateusz C Strzelecki Witold Szczuciński Aleksander Dominiczak Piotr Zagórski Justyna Dudek Jasper Knight |
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| Institution: | 1. Institute of Geography and Regional Development, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, 50-137 Poland;2. Geohazards Lab, Institute of Geology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, 61-712 Poland;3. Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Marie Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, 20-031 Poland;4. School of Geography, Archaeology & Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | Changes in the properties and dynamics of tidewater glacier systems are key indicators of the state of Arctic climate and environment. Calving of tidewater glacier fronts is currently the dominant form of ice mass loss and a major contributor to global sea-level rise. An important yet under-studied aspect of this process is transformation of Arctic landscapes, where new lands and coastal systems are revealed due to the recession of marine-terminating ice masses. The evolution of those freshly exposed paraglacial coastal environments is controlled by nearshore marine, coastal and terrestrial geomorphic processes, which rework glacial-derived sediments to create new coastal paraglacial landforms and landscapes. Here, we present the first study of the paraglacial coasts of Brepollen, one of the youngest bays of Svalbard revealed by ice retreat. We describe and classify coastal systems and the variety of landforms (deltas, cliffs, tidal flats, beaches) developed along the shores of Brepollen during the last 100 years. We further discuss the main modes of sediment supply to the coast in different parts of the new bay, highlighting the fast rate of coastal transformation as a paraglacial response to rapid deglaciation in the Arctic. This study provides an exemplar of likely coastal responses to be anticipated in similar tidewater settings under future climate change. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd |
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| Keywords: | coastal processes landscape change paraglacial sediment supply tidewater glaciers |
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