[A-CG52] Science in the Arctic Region

[ACG52-P01] The complex history of the Baltic Sea basin from the Last Glacial Period through the Holocene

*Bethany C. Behrens¹, Stephen Obrochta¹, Aarno Kotilainen², Ian Snowball³, Takahiro AZE⁴, Yosuke Miyairi⁴, Yusuke Yokoyama⁴ (1.Akita University, 2.Geological Survey of Finland, 3.Uppsala University, 4.Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, the University of Tokyo)

Keywords:Baltic Sea, Last glacial period, Holocene, Scandinavian Ice Sheet

Approximately 14,000 years ago, sea level rose by ~14 m in a short amount of time (Brendryen et al., 2020). During this event, known as a “Meltwater Pulse”, cold meltwater input to the North Atlantic may have disrupted global ocean circulation patterns (Andrén et al., 2002), leading to a buildup of heat in the Southern Hemisphere and initiation of Antarctic glacial retreat (Denton et al., 2010). Yet, the contribution of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet to this “Meltwater Pulse” remains unclear, and climate information from this region in general is lacking. Here, we present elemental analyses on marine sediment cores extracted from the Ångermanälven River estuary of the Baltic Sea in 2014 during IODP 347. We focus on the complex history of the modern Baltic Sea affected by the waxing and waning of the ice sheet during the last deglaciation and the onset of the Holocene Epoch. Our results reveal relationships between meltwater sourced from ice sheet collapse, regional climate change, and periodic seawater influx to the Baltic Sea, which reflects the effects of sea level rise and related glacial isostatic adjustment.