The influence of climate during and after a glacial surge — A comparison of the last two surges of Fridtjovbreen, Svalbard

Abstract Glacial surges are periods of fast flow, often limited in space and time, and driven by internal conditions which are not fully explained. The quantity and variety of documented case-studies and settings demonstrate that the critical variables are difficult to isolate. In an alternative approach, two surges from the same basin were compared at Fridtjovhamna; one of the few known sites where this is possible. Fridtjovbreen is a polythermal glacier that has been through two recent surges: the last event (1991–2002) occurred during an unusually warm period in the high Arctic, whereas the previous surge culminated in 1861, around the Little Ice Age when many Svalbard-glaciers had their maximum Holocene extent. Based on a multi-disciplinary study, processes and landforms from the two episodes were compared with respect to ice-front movement rates, formation and decay of ice-cored moraines and glacial meltwater drainage patterns. The study demonstrates that moraines and meltwater traces from the oldest surge, locally well preserved, provide excellent opportunities for reconstructing the behavior of the ice-mass. The last surge, however, took place during a period with ablation rates never seen at this latitude, and 10 years after the maximum extent, the deglaciated areas onshore hardly show traces from the event.