Recent Bottom Sediments of the Eurasian Arctic Seas

Yu. A. Pavlidis and F. A. Shcherbakov

Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Received December 18, 1997; in final form, April 15, 1999

Abstract—A new generalized schematic map of the recent sediment distribution over the Eurasian Arctic
shelves is considered. The sediments have accumulated as a result of the interaction of various factors and pro-
cesses specific to the high latitudes. They include the input of terrigenous material by modern glaciers, ice trans-
port, thermal abrasion, sedimentation controlled by many years of ice cover, and others. A characteristic regu-
larity is marked over the Arctic shelves: in the seas with a heavier ice cover, the finest-grained deposits are dis-
tributed, which contain a minimum amount of the coarse-grained ice rafted debris; in the seas with a lighter ice
cover, a mosaic distribution of various types of sediments is observed. The composition of the surface sediments
of the Arctic shelves corresponds to a relatively cool stage of the modern interglacial period. In the 21st century,
a new warming is expected.

Pleiades Publishing home page | journal home page | top

If you have any problems with this server, contact webmaster.