Holocene relative sea level changes and their consequences for the development of the palaeoshoreline in central Svalbard
Vol.15,No.S(2025)
CPR Special issue
The Arctic, particularly the Barents Sea region including Svalbard, has undergone exceptional warming and environmental change throughout the Holocene. This study investigates Holocene relative sea level (RSL) changes in Petuniabukta, northern Billefjorden (Svalbard), using radiocarbon dated whale bones found on uplifted marine terraces as indicators of past shoreline positions. Five new samples from the western side of the bay were integrated with previously published data from the eastern side to reconstruct palaeoshorelines and quantify land emergence driven by glacioisostatic rebound. The two oldest samples, located at 58.1 m a.s.l. and 34.7 m a.s.l., date at 10.3 and 9.1 cal. ka BP respectively, indicate rapid Early Holocene uplift averaging 3 cm/year. Spatial analysis based on ArcticDEM and high-resolution UAV-derived models reveals a 33% reduction in the marine area since the Early Holocene, with significant changes occurring in broad glaciated valley regions. Discrepancies in RSL trends may be attributed to local tectonic activity along the Billefjorden Fault Zone. While Early Holocene changes are well constrained, Late Holocene and Neoglacial sea-level dynamics remain ambiguous due to a lack of preserved indicators and minimal RSL variation. These findings highlight the potential of stranded whale bones as precise RSL markers and contribute to understanding the long-term cryospheric and geomorphic evolution of coastal areas in a rapidly warming Arctic.
coastline; Early Holocene; whale bones; glacioisostatic rebound; marine terraces
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