Joint analysis of electrical resistivity and seismic velocity data is primarily used to detect the presence of gas hydrate‐filled faults and fractures. In this study, we present a novel approach to infer the occurrence of structurally‐controlled gas hydrate accumulations using azimuthal seismic velocity analysis. We perform this analysis using ocean‐bottom seismic (OBS) data at two sites on Vestnesa ...

Although the plankton communities in the Barents Sea have been intensely studied for decades, little is known about the living planktonic foraminiferal (LPF) and pteropod faunas, especially those found at methane seep sites. Along a repeated transect in the “crater area” (northern Barents Sea, 74.9°N, 27.7°E) in spring and summer 2016 the flux of LPF and of the pteropod species <i>Limacina helicina</i> ...

Anomalously low δ¹³C values in foraminiferal calcite tests are due to diagenetic alteration in methane seep sites. Our study applies diagenetically altered fossil benthic foraminiferal tests as geochemical tracers in reconstructing natural past methane seepage episodes at Vestnesa Ridge offshore NW Svalbard. We combine examinations of the test wall microstructure, mineralogical and stable ...

The renowned Festningen section in the outer part of Isfjorden, western Spitsbergen, offers a c. 7 km-long nearly continuous stratigraphic section of Lower Carboniferous to Cenozoic strata, spanning nearly 300 million years of geological history. Tectonic deformation associated with the Paleogene West-Spitsbergen-Fold-and-Thrust belt tilted the strata to near-vertical, allowing easy access to the ...

We present a summary of two round-table discussions held during two subsequent workshops in Montreal (Canada) on 16 April 2014 and Ostend (Belgium) on 8 July 2015. Five species of the genus <i>Achomosphaera</i> Evitt 1963 and 33 of the genus <i>Spiniferites</i> Mantell 1850 emend. Sarjeant 1970 occuring in Pliocene to modern sediments are listed and briefly described along with remarks made by ...

Meltwater runoff from the Greenland ice sheet surface influences surface mass balance (SMB), ice dynamics, and global sea level rise, but is estimated with climate models and thus difficult to validate. We present a way to measure ice surface runoff directly, from hourly in situ supraglacial river discharge measurements and simultaneous high-resolution satellite/drone remote sensing of upstream ...

The lower crust is, on average, mafic in composition and composed of minerals that remain mechanically strong up to high temperatures. Here we show that dissolution-precipitation creep (as a type of diffusion creep) plays a major role in deformation of gabbro bodies at upper amphibolite facies conditions. The Kågen gabbro, N. Norway, is comprised of undeformed gabbro lenses enclosed by mylonitised ...

Archaea mediating anaerobic methane oxidation are key in preventing methane produced in marine sediments from reaching the hydrosphere; however, a complete understanding of how microbial communities in natural settings respond to changes in the flux of methane remains largely uncharacterized. We investigate microbial communities in gas hydrate-bearing seafloor mounds at Storfjordrenna, offshore ...

Planktic foraminfera and shelled pteropods are important calcifying groups of zooplankton in all oceans. Their calcium carbonate shells are sensitive to changes in ocean carbonate chemistry predisposing them as an important indicator of ocean acidification. Moreover, planktic foraminfera and shelled pteropods contribute significantly to food webs and vertical flux of calcium carbonate in polar pelagic ...

Living (Rose Bengal stained) benthic foraminifera were studied in the topmost sediments of five multi- and box cores collected on the continental shelf, upper and lower slopes, of the Chukchi Sea to provide background information on modern benthic foraminiferal distribution, useful for future studies. Sediment cores were collected during August–September 2015, when the area is seasonally ice-free. ...