Impact of shelf-transformed waters (STW) on foraminiferal assemblages in the outwash and glacial fjords of Adventfjorden and Hornsund, Svalbard

Abstract

A new dataset of benthic foraminiferal assemblages from Adventfjorden (tributary fjord of Isfjorden, West Spitsbergen) was compared with the results of a study conducted by Zajączkowski et al. (2010) in Hornsund (West Spitsbergen). According to Nilsen et al. (2016), Atlantic water inflow to the Isfjorden Trough occurs more readily than to anywhere else along the shelf of Spitsbergen; thus, we compared the foraminiferal assemblages of the outwash Adventfjorden fjord, located in the Isfjorden system, with glacial Hornsund, located in southwest Spitsbergen. Despite the juxtaposition of Adventfjorden and Hornsund the data revealed varying impacts of shelf-transformed water (STW) on the benthic foraminiferal assemblages. Outer and central Adventfjorden was dominated by Adercotryma glomerata, Recurvoides turbinata and Spiroplectammina sp., reflecting the presence of STW, while abundant Melonis barleeanus in the central area of the fjord indicated a large flux of unaltered organic matter. Only the head of the fjord was dominated by the glaciomarine taxa Cassidulina reniforme and Elphidium clavatum. Foraminiferal fauna characteristic of STW-influenced environments (i.e., Nonionellina labradorica and R. turbinata) were also observed in outer Hornsund. However, the glacier-proximal taxa E. clavatum and C. reniforme were dominant throughout the fjord, demonstrating the impacts of meltwater and high sedimentation. Therefore, it is likely that in Hornsund, glacial impact is a major environmental factor, which is stronger than the influence of STW.

Keywords

• Arctic
• Fjords
• Foraminifera