Another one traps the dust: Central Svalbard Lake sediments track 8,000 years of High Arctic wind strength

The Arctic warms faster than any other region on Earth. As sea ice diminishes in response, wind speeds increase due to reduced drag over open waters. Lake sediments offer valuable records of these processes and their relation to past climate change through the deposition of wind-blown grains and elements. This study reconstructs 8,000 years of Arctic eolian activity using laminated sediments from closed Lake Dunsappietjørna on the Svalbard archipelago. The site faces North Atlantic Westerlies as well as Easterly winds. By integrating geochemical (X-Ray Fluorescence – XRF), visual (Computed Tomography – CT and Scanning Electron Microscope – SEM), and granulometric (End Member Modeling Analysis – EMMA) fingerprints in a geostatistical (Principal Component Analysis – PCA) framework, we link clastic lacustrine input to sediment sources in the catchment, and unravel the imprint of Westerly and Easterly wind systems throughout the Holocene.