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Terrestrial glacial geomorphology has long been used to evaluate the extent, chronology and dynamics of former glaciers and ice sheets. New marine geophysical methods provide an opportunity to study the glacial submarine morphology of modern continental shelves and fjord systems. This makes it possible to study landform assemblages in the submarine settings that are often better preserved than their terrestrial counterparts. This study focuses mainly on the recent surge history of the tidewater glacier Tunabreen, which calves into Tempelfjorden in Western Spitsbergen. Tunabreen is a small outlet glacier of the Lomonosovfonna ice cap and has experienced severalsurges and terminal retreats during the last century. The multiple surge events havemost likely removed or reworked landform assemblages created by earlier surges,resulting in a complex geomorphological imprint on the bed of Tempelfjorden. Tunabreen has left a specific morphological imprint on the sea floor, consisting of iceflow‐parallel lineations and generally flow‐transverse retreat moraines. Comparisonof retreat moraines mapped from high resolution multibeam bathymetric data andglacier terminal positions, established using remote sensing imagery suggest that themoraines in the inner part of Tempelfjorden are annually formed recessionalmoraines, formed during winter still stands of the glacier margin or during its minorreadvances. Although detailed reconstruction of glacier surge dynamics based solelyon the landform distribution is challenging, it is evident that Tunabreen hasexperienced fast flow during surges and semiannual retreat of the margin after thesurges. The main achievements of this study are a spatial reconstruction of the dynamics ofTunabreen, which has experienced three surges during the last hundred years.Together with the Little Ice Age surge of the adjacent von Postbreen, four recentsurges have been recorded in Tempelfjorden since 1870, which distinguishes thestudy area from earlier studied Svalbard tidewater surge glacier settigs, where theglaciers have been known to surge only once or twice. However a detailedunderstanding of surge triggering mechanisms and their role in controlling thedynamics of the tidewater glaciers in Svalbard is still poor and requires furtherinvestigations. Svalbard, where most of the small outlet glaciers are believed to be ofsurge type, is an excellent natural laboratory for such investigations.

The purple sandpipers (Calidris maritima) are the most common waders in the high arctic archipelago of Svalbard, Norway. There they have to cope with a very short summer season and high metabolic costs of migrating far north and breeding in an arctic environment. The food on land is usually scarce, whereas there are rich feeding grounds in the littoral zone, such as in the intertidal zone of river flats. These feeding grounds are though only available to the purple sandpipers during low tide and as long as the estuary is not covered by sea ice. One of these intertidal flats was used as the fieldwork area in this study. To study when the birds are coming to this intertidal flat for feeding, a count study was performed during the entire stay of the purple sandpipers in Svalbard in summer 2010. Point counts were performed at low tide during 118 different days. Additionally, point counts were performed at twenty days during the six hours of the entire low tide period, to study when during the tidal cycle most sandpipers were feeding at the estuary. Most sandpipers were counted at the intertidal flat at the beginning of June with the highest number, 921 individuals, on 8th June. When the tundra was free of snow and the birds could start breeding, numbers where rapidly declining with very few sandpipers left in the estuary in July and the first part of August. From the end of August numbers were increasing again with a second but lower peak in the end of September and beginning of October. By the end of October all sandpipers had left the estuary. The study on the appearance of purple sandpipers at the estuary at the different periods of low tide showed that there were significantly more sandpipers between low tide and half an hour later than at the rest of the low tide period. This might be due to better access to their prey at that time. This knowledge could be used in future studies aiming at recording the maximum numbers. The result of the phenologic study could be included in a long term monitoring to see if the numbers and the timing of purple sandpipers are stable in this area or not: Are the peak numbers differing significantly? Is the timing of the arrival, the stay on the tundra and the timing of leaving the archipelago in the fall changing? Long-term monitoring would be especially interesting in the view of possible influences of the climate change on the purple sandpipers. Rising sea level as a result of the climate change would change the morphology of the estuaries and thereby influence the food resources available for sandpipers.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [99]-117).

Svalbard är en arktisk ögrupp i Norra ishavet som förvaltas av Norge och huvudorten är Longyearbyen. I Longyearbyen och som på alla andra platser pågår förorenande aktiviteter, denna rapport är avgränsad till utsläpp via avloppsvatten till marina miljöer. I Arktis märks klimatförändringarna tydligt, det finns många olika styrmedel som skulle kunna förhindra föroreningen av dessa sårbara områden. Styrmedel som det visat sig under arbetet med den här rapporten inte fungerar som det var tänkt, med åsyftan på avloppshanteringen i Longyearbyen. Det finns inget avloppsreningsverk i byn där det bor ca 2300 fastboende och gästdygnen uppgick år 2015 till 128 000. Utsläppet av det orenade avloppsvattnet ut i Adventfjorden tillåts av det kravställande organet Sysselmannen på Svalbard, som gett kommunen tillstånd med lagstöd i Svalbardmiljöloven, att systematiskt släppa ut det förorenade avloppsvattnet. Målet med denna rapport är att undersöka den nuvarande utsläppssituationen med gällande styrmedel och att förstå varför tillståndet till utsläppet av det orenade avloppsvattnet getts. Resultatet visar att formuleringen av handlingsregler och avsaknad av delmål, indikatorer och återkopplingsmekanismer för genomdrivande av styrmedel, är anledningen till varför styrmedlet inte fungerar som tänkt. Detta viktiga resultat kan leda till en förändring vid genomdrivandet av styrmedlet, så att det kan uppnå sin fulla potential. Med klara och tydliga målsättningar vid utformandet av styrmedel uppnår de sina syften. Kontentan av den här rapporten är att styrmedel som används på rätt sätt kan beskydda de sårbara Arktiska marina miljöerna. / Svalbard is an Arctic Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean that is governed by Norway and the main city is Longyearbyen. In Longyearbyen, much like any other place, there is contaminating activities going on. This report is concentrated on the emissions via sewage water into marine environments. In the Arctic, climate change is very noticeable and there are many different instruments that could prevent the pollution of these vulnerable areas. During the time working on this report these instruments have shown that they are not functioning as supposed, with regards to the sewage management in Longyearbyen. There is no sewerage in the town which inhabits 2300 permanent residents and where there were, in the year of 2015, 128 000 overnight stays of tourists. The pollution of the unfiltered sewage water allowed into Adventfjorden has been permitted by the governing organisation, Sysselmannen on Svalbard. Sysselmannen has given the municipality permission with support from the environmental protection law of Svalbard (Svalbardmiljøloven) to systematically release the polluted water into the marine environments. The goal with this report is to examine the current pollution situation with the existing governance and to understand why it has been permitted to release untreated sewage water into the fjord. The result shows that the reason there is an implementation deficit is because of the formulation of the action rules, no clear milestones and the lack of feedback mechanisms in the enforcement. This important result can lead to changed governance so that it could reach its full potential. By keeping the goals clear when designing the enforcement they can achieve their goals. The conclusion of this report is that an implementation of governance can protect the vulnerable Arctic marine environments. / <p>2016-06-29</p>

Submarine landslides can generate local tsunamis posing a hazard to human lives and coastal facilities. Two major related problems are: (i) quantitative estimation of tsunami hazard and (ii) early detection of the most dangerous landslides. This thesis focuses on both those issues by providing numerical modeling of landslide-induced tsunamis and by suggesting and justifying a new method for fast detection of tsunamigenic landslides by means of tiltmeters. Due to the proximity to the Sunda subduction zone, Indonesian coasts are prone to earthquake, but also landslide tsunamis. The aim of the GITEWS-project (German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System) is to provide fast and reliable tsunami warnings, but also to deepen the knowledge about tsunami hazards. New bathymetric data at the Sunda Arc provide the opportunity to evaluate the hazard potential of landslide tsunamis for the adjacent Indonesian islands. I present nine large mass movements in proximity to Sumatra, Java, Sumbawa and Sumba, whereof the largest event displaced 20 km³ of sediments. Using numerical modeling, I compute the generated tsunami of each event, its propagation and runup at the coast. Moreover, I investigate the age of the largest slope failures by relating them to the Great 1977 Sumba earthquake. Continental slopes off northwest Europe are well known for their history of huge underwater landslides. The current geological situation west of Spitsbergen is comparable to the continental margin off Norway after the last glaciation, when the large tsunamigenic Storegga slide took place. The influence of Arctic warming on the stability of the Svalbard glacial margin is discussed. Based on new geophysical data, I present four possible landslide scenarios and compute the generated tsunamis. Waves of 6 m height would be capable of reaching northwest Europe threatening coastal areas. I present a novel technique to detect large submarine landslides using an array of tiltmeters, as a possible tool in future tsunami early warning systems. The dislocation of a large amount of sediment during a landslide produces a permanent elastic response of the earth. I analyze this response with a mathematical model and calculate the theoretical tilt signal. Applications to the hypothetical Spitsbergen event and the historical Storegga slide show tilt signals exceeding 1000 nrad. The amplitude of landslide tsunamis is controlled by the product of slide volume and maximal velocity (slide tsunamigenic potential). I introduce an inversion routine that provides slide location and tsunamigenic potential, based on tiltmeter measurements. The accuracy of the inversion and of the estimated tsunami height near the coast depends on the noise level of tiltmeter measurements, the distance of tiltmeters from the slide, and the slide tsunamigenic potential. Finally, I estimate the applicability scope of this method by employing it to known landslide events worldwide. / Submarine Erdrutsche können lokale Tsunamis auslösen und stellen somit eine Gefahr für Siedlungen an der Küste und deren Einwohner dar. Zwei Hauptprobleme sind (i) die quantitative Abschätzung der Gefahr, die von einem Tsunami ausgeht und (ii) das schnelle Erkennen von gefährlichen Rutschungsereignissen. In dieser Doktorarbeit beschäftige ich mich mit beiden Problemen, indem ich Erdrutschtsunamis numerisch modelliere und eine neue Methode vorstelle, in der submarine Erdrutsche mit Hilfe von Tiltmetern detektiert werden. Die Küstengebiete Indonesiens sind wegen der Nähe zur Sunda-Subduktionszone besonders durch Tsunamis gefährdet. Das Ziel des GITEWS-Projektes (Deutsch- Indonesisches Tsunami-Frühwarnsystem) ist es, schnell und verlässlich vor Tsunamis zu warnen, aber auch das Wissen über Tsunamis und ihre Anregung zu vertiefen. Neue bathymetrische Daten am Sundabogen bieten die Möglichkeit, das Gefahrenpotential von Erdrutschtsunamis für die anliegenden indonesischen Inseln zu studieren. Ich präsentiere neun große Rutschungereignisse nahe Sumatra, Java, Sumbawa und Sumba, wobei das größte von ihnen 20 km³ Sediment bewegte. Ich modelliere die Ausbreitung und die Überschwemmung der bei diesen Rutschungen angeregten Tsunamis. Weiterhin untersuche ich das Alter der größten Hanginstabilitäten, indem ich sie zu dem Sumba Erdbeben von 1977 in Beziehung setze. Die Kontinentalhänge im Nordwesten Europa sind für Ihre immensen unterseeischen Rutschungen bekannt. Die gegenwärtige geologische Situation westlich von Spitzbergen ist vergleichbar mit derjenigen des norwegischen Kontinentalhangs nach der letzten Vergletscherung, als der große Tsunamianregende Storegga-Erdrutsch stattfand. Der Einfluss der arktischen Erwärmung auf die Hangstabilität vor Spitzbergen wird untersucht. Basierend auf neuen geophysikalischen Messungen, konstruiere ich vier mögliche Rutschungsszenarien und berechne die entsprechenden Tsunamis. Wellen von 6 Metern Höhe könnten dabei Nordwesteuropa erreichen. Ich stelle eine neue Methode vor, mit der große submarine Erdrutsche mit Hilfe eines Netzes aus Tiltmetern erkannt werden können. Diese Methode könnte in einem Tsunami-Frühwarnsystem angewendet werden. Sie basiert darauf, dass die Bewegung von großen Sedimentmassen während einer Rutschung eine dauerhafte Verformung der Erdoberfläche auslöst. Ich berechne diese Verformung und das einhergehende Tiltsignal. Im Falle der hypothetischen Spitzbergen-Rutschung sowie für das Storegga-Ereignis erhalte ich Amplituden von mehr als 1000 nrad. Die Wellenhöhe von Erdrutschtsunamis wird in erster Linie von dem Produkt aus Volumen und maximaler Rutschungsgeschwindigkeit (dem Tsunamipotential einer Rutschung) bestimmt. Ich führe eine Inversionsroutine vor, die unter Verwendung von Tiltdaten den Ort und das Tsunamipotential einer Rutschung bestimmt. Die Genauigkeit dieser Inversion und damit der vorhergesagten Wellenhöhe an der Küste hängt von dem Fehler der Tiltdaten, der Entfernung zwischen Tiltmeter und Rutschung sowie vom Tsunamipotential ab. Letztlich bestimme ich die Anwendbarkeitsreichweite dieser Methode, indem ich sie auf bekannte Rutschungsereignisse weltweit beziehe.

The main aim of this thesis is a preparation of the first Czech geographical guide to the arctic area of Spitsbergen (Svalbard). The thesis is based on English and German specialized books as well as on author´s personal experience that he gained during his three months working stay in there. Theoretical part consists of minute description in accordance with practice used for generation of geographical guidebooks. In practical part of the thesis is author´s draft of his own routes tracing, including thein difficulty, photos and specification. Part of it will work sheets for secondary school pupils, presentation and methodical manual for teachers.

The High Arctic has been a complex region of collisional and extensional tectonism through the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Svalbard, the sub-aerial exposure of the northwestern Barents Shelf, is an excellent natural laboratory investigating for High Arctic tectonism. Using apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He low-temperature thermochronometry combined with geological constraints, we resolve Cretaceous through Paleogene time-temperature histories for four regions of the Southwestern Province. Our results indicate a temperature gradient from south to north of ~185°C to >200°C, respectively, as a consequence of sedimentary burial and elevated geothermal gradient ( 45°C/km) from High Arctic Large Igneous Province activity. Late Cretaceous cooling affected all regions during regional exhumation related to initial rifting in the Eurasian Basin. During Eurekan tectonism: 1) our models indicate a heating event (55-47 Ma) characterized by overthrusting and a lack of erosion of the West Spitsbergen Fold-and-Thrust Belt, with Central Basin sediments derived from northern Greenland, followed by 2) a subsequent cooling event (47-34 Ma) corresponding to a shift in tectonic regime from compression to dextral strike-slip kinematics; exhumation of the WSFTB coincided with strikeslip tectonics.

With over 600 articles about terrestrial invertebrates in Svalbard we still lack basic knowledge about pollinator-plant interactions in this part of the high-Arctic. It has never before been investigated how the activity of pollinators varies over a 24-hour timeframe in the high Arctic. Insects in the lower Arctic have been shown to have their peak foraging around noon but as Svalbard experiences midnight sun during the whole summer season pollinators could potentially forage any time during the 24-hour day. In this study pictures were taken every minute over cushions of Silene acaulis, capturing visiting pollinators during 5 days around the beginning of July 2019. Pollinators showed no higher abundance around noon. Instead, no significant difference in the abundance of pollinators was found between the hours of the 24-hour timeframe. No significant connection between the abundance of insects and temperature was found as well as no significant connection between the abundance of insects and wind. The results in this study can contribute to fill the knowledge gap of pollinator-plant interactions in Svalbard and show the need for more research about pollinators temporal dynamics in the high-Arctic.

No / Human migration is a hallmark of the species and there is significant interest in methods that can determine the past migrations of humans and associated fauna. We present a new method that utilizes collagen oxygen, carbon and nitrogen isotopes from histologically informed samples of cortical bone. The utility of this multi-isotopic, life history approach is demonstrated in migrating Dutch whalers, and both the possibilities and limitations of the method are described.