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The interplay between the onshore and offshore areas during the Last Glacial Maximum and the deglaciation of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet is poorly known. In this paper we present new results on the glacial morphology, stratigraphy and chronology of Andøya, and the glacial morphology of the nearby continental shelf off Lofoten-Vesterålen. The results were used to develop a new model for the timing and extent of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in the study area during the local last glacial maximum ( LLGM) (26 to 16 cal. ka BP). We subdivided the LLGM in this area into five glacial events: before 24, c. 23 to 22.2, 22.2 to c. 18.6, 18 to 17.5, and 16.9-16.3 cal. ka BP. The extent of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during these various events was reconstructed for the shelf areas off Lofoten, Vesterålen and Troms. Icecaps survived in coastal areas of Vesterålen-Lofoten after the shelf was deglaciated and off Andøya ice flowed landwards from the shelf. During the LLGM the relative sea level was stable until 18.5 cal. ka BP, and thereafter there was a sea-level drop on Andøya. Thus, relative sea level (i.e. a sea level rise) does not seem to be a driving mechanism for ice-margin retreat in this area but the fall in sea level may have had some importance for the grounding episodes on the banks during deglaciation. The positions of the grounding zone wedges ( GZWs) in the troughs are related to the morphology as they are often located where the troughs narrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the decay of marine-based ice sheets observed today, e.g. in Antarctica and Greenland, there is a pressing need also for an improved understanding of marine paleo-ice sheets and their decay, as they provide critical constraints for a better understanding of the dynamics of modern ice sheets and their future behavior.Here we present new multi-beam swath-bathymetry and high-resolution Topas seismic data from the NW Barents Sea acquired during the Nansen Legacy (https://arvenetternansen.com/) Paleo-cruise in 2018, which provide new insights on the deglaciation history of the marine based Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet. Previous multi-beam data from the straits and troughs east of the Svalbard archipelago provided unclear or even conflicting evidence of full-glacial flow; i) eastwards, through the Erik Eriksen Strait and its eastward continuation, terminating in the Franz Victoria Trough, and ii) northwards through the Kvitøya Trough (Dowdeswell et al., 2010; Hogan et al., 2010).The new data provide evidence of a dynamic ice-sheet retreat during the deglaciation of the Erik Eriksen Strait and its eastern extension. A succession of superposing transverse ridges with a zig-zag like morphology characterize the eastern part of the mapped area. These ridges are interpreted to be recessional push-moraines, resulting from several smaller re-advances of the ice front during overall retreat through this part of the strait. To the west, ridges are buried by a ~40 m high and 20 km long sedimentary wedge, characterized by a smooth surface. The internal seismic configuration of the wedge is transparent. This sediment accumulation is interpreted to be a grounding zone wedge that likely formed during a major eastward oriented re-advance of the Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet during the deglaciation, burying some of the older recessional push-moraines. Thus, the eastward flow previously identified may be due to a major re-advance during the deglaciation rather than formed during full-glacial conditions.A ~3 msec thick layer of acoustically transparent sediments covering the grounding zone wedge and the recessional push-moraines, has been ground-truthed by gravity cores, both in front (east) of, and on top of the wedge. Radiocarbon dating will provide a minimum age for the formation of the glacial landforms, and thus add to our knowledge on the timing and dynamics of the retreat of this marine-based sector of the Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet following the Last Glacial Maximum, and this will enable improved modelling of this marine-based ice sheet.References:Dowdeswell, J.A., Hogan, K.A., Evans, J., Noormets, R., Ó Cofaigh, C., and Ottesen, D. (2010). Past ice-sheet flow east of Svalbard inferred from streamlined subglacial landforms. Geology, 38(2), 163-166.Hogan, K.A., Dowdeswell, J.A., Noormets, R., Evans, J., Cofaigh, C.Ó., and Jakobsson, M. (2010). Submarine landforms and ice-sheet flow in the Kvitøya Trough, northwestern Barents Sea. Quaternary Science Reviews, 29(25), 3545-3562. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]