Environmental changes in Svalbard since the termination of the
Little Ice Age: Towards a warmer and less icy future

J 2025

Environmental changes in Svalbard since the termination of the Little Ice Age: Towards a warmer and less icy future

KAVAN, Jan a Martin HANÁČEK

Základní údaje

Originální název

Environmental changes in Svalbard since the termination of the Little Ice Age: Towards a warmer and less icy future

Autoři

KAVAN, Jan a Martin HANÁČEK

Vydání

CZECH POLAR REPORTS, Brno, MASARYK UNIV PRESS, 2025, 1805-0689

Další údaje

Jazyk

angličtina

Typ výsledku

Článek v odborném periodiku

Obor

10500 1.5. Earth and related environmental sciences

Stát vydavatele

Česká republika

Utajení

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Odkazy

URL

Impakt faktor

Impact factor: 0.800 v roce 2024

Označené pro přenos do RIV

Ano

Kód RIV

RIV/00216224:14310/25:00143509

Organizační jednotka

Přírodovědecká fakulta

Klíčová slova anglicky

Arctic; glacier retreat; deglaciated landscape dynamics; coastal processes; historic photographs

Štítky

14315010, 14315030, rivok

Příznaky

Mezinárodní význam, Recenzováno

Změněno: 7. 5. 2026 11:57, Mgr. Marie Novosadová Šípková, DiS.

Anotace

V originále

Svalbard has experienced significant warming since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA; around 1900 CE). Since the LIA, air temperatures have risen almost continuously, with even more accelerated warming trend recorded in recent decades. These climatic shifts have had serious impacts, particularly on the cryosphere but also on landscape dynamics, through an accelerated hydrological cycle and the intensification of various geomorphic processes. Surprisingly, Svalbard experienced a warmer climate for much of the Holocene compared to today, with only a few colder periods, the most pronounced being the LIA. In other words, Svalbard, as it was known to early polar explorers at the end of the 19th century, was at its maximum Holocene glacier extent. Nowadays, the environment is returning to its usual mode of operation, with a less glaciated landscape. However, the current rate of change is unprecedented. Here, we document the most striking landscape changes with a series of repeated photographs, comparing the landscape at the glacier's maximum extent (in 1908) with photographs taken at the same locations recently. We demonstrate the rapid evolution of glacier-connected geosystems and intense paraglaciation, where glacier-dominated processes are being replaced by fluvial, slope or aeolian forces. In contrast, landscapes that were not directly connected to glaciers appeared relatively stable and resilient to climatic forcings. As the landscape seeks to reach a new equilibrium after glacier retreat, this also triggers various natural hazards, such as slope failures, avalanches and floods, that may pose risks to human society and infrastructure. Together with the massive thawing of permafrost, these changes could endanger economic activities, tourism and even the traditional way of life of Indigenous communities in the Arctic.

Návaznosti

MUNI/G/1540/2019, interní kód MU

Název: ARCTIC Centre for Human-to-Environment Oriented Studies: Impact of Climate Change and Human Activities in the Arctic (Akronym: ARCTOS MU)

Investor: Masarykova univerzita, ARCTIC Centre for Human-to-Environment Oriented Studies: Impact of Climate Change and Human Activities in the Arctic, INTERDISCIPLINARY - Mezioborové výzkumné projekty

Citovat

KAVAN, Jan a Martin HANÁČEK. Environmental changes in Svalbard since the termination of the Little Ice Age: Towards a warmer and less icy future. CZECH POLAR REPORTS. Brno: MASARYK UNIV PRESS, 2025, roč. 15, August, s. 68-93. ISSN 1805-0689. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.5817/CPR2025-S-4.

@article{2549215,
   author = {Kavan, Jan and Hanáček, Martin},
   article_location = {Brno},
   article_number = {August},
   doi = {https://doi.org/10.5817/CPR2025-S-4},
   keywords = {Arctic; glacier retreat; deglaciated landscape dynamics; coastal processes; historic photographs},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {1805-0689},
   journal = {CZECH POLAR REPORTS},
   title = {Environmental changes in Svalbard since the termination of the Little Ice Age: Towards a warmer and less icy future},
   url = {https://journals.muni.cz/CPR/article/view/42695},
   volume = {15},
   year = {2025}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 2549215
AU  - Kavan, Jan - Hanáček, Martin
PY  - 2025
TI  - Environmental changes in Svalbard since the termination of the Little Ice Age: Towards a warmer and less icy future
JF  - CZECH POLAR REPORTS
VL  - 15
IS  - August
SP  - 68-93
EP  - 68-93
PB  - MASARYK UNIV PRESS
SN  - 18050689
KW  - Arctic
KW  - glacier retreat
KW  - deglaciated landscape dynamics
KW  - coastal processes
KW  - historic photographs
UR  - https://journals.muni.cz/CPR/article/view/42695
N2  - Svalbard has experienced significant warming since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA; around 1900 CE). Since the LIA, air temperatures have risen almost continuously, with even more accelerated warming trend recorded in recent decades. These climatic shifts have had serious impacts, particularly on the cryosphere but also on landscape dynamics, through an accelerated hydrological cycle and the intensification of various geomorphic processes. Surprisingly, Svalbard experienced a warmer climate for much of the Holocene compared to today, with only a few colder periods, the most pronounced being the LIA. In other words, Svalbard, as it was known to early polar explorers at the end of the 19th century, was at its maximum Holocene glacier extent. Nowadays, the environment is returning to its usual mode of operation, with a less glaciated landscape. However, the current rate of change is unprecedented. Here, we document the most striking landscape changes with a series of repeated photographs, comparing the landscape at the glacier's maximum extent (in 1908) with photographs taken at the same locations recently. We demonstrate the rapid evolution of glacier-connected geosystems and intense paraglaciation, where glacier-dominated processes are being replaced by fluvial, slope or aeolian forces. In contrast, landscapes that were not directly connected to glaciers appeared relatively stable and resilient to climatic forcings. As the landscape seeks to reach a new equilibrium after glacier retreat, this also triggers various natural hazards, such as slope failures, avalanches and floods, that may pose risks to human society and infrastructure. Together with the massive thawing of permafrost, these changes could endanger economic activities, tourism and even the traditional way of life of Indigenous communities in the Arctic.
ER  -

KAVAN, Jan a Martin HANÁČEK. Environmental changes in Svalbard since the termination of the Little Ice Age: Towards a warmer and less icy future. \textit{CZECH POLAR REPORTS}. Brno: MASARYK UNIV PRESS, 2025, roč.~15, August, s.~68-93. ISSN~1805-0689. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.5817/CPR2025-S-4.

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