Sedimentary source-to-sink and landscape evolution in the northern Barents Sea during the Cenozoic

The deep-time Cenozoic history (the last 60 Myr) of the Barents Sea shows complex interplay between tectonics, climatics and surface processes. What did the actual paleotopography look like back then? How did the climate perturbation control the sediment transfer from the source area to the sink? We use a coupled model of GPlates tectonic reconstruction software and Badlands – basin and landscape open-source codes to untangle these intricate processes. The model is calibrated using available seismic and well datasets, including biostratigraphy data. The outcome of this study is important to understand the impact of climate and how our Earth responded in the past, e.g. PETM (Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum). The basin-landscape configuration along the Barents Seaway is also crucial for analysing the ocean circulation between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans during the Cenozoic, which is key for ocean/climate modelling and has also global climatic implications.