Beach processes and recent sea-level changes at Tönsneset, Kongsfjorden, northwestern Spitsbergen

Abstract: Beaches occur throughout the coastal regions of the world. Ridges found on beachescan be used as indicators of past climatic and oceanographic conditions. Sea-levelchanges can also be extrapolated from these landforms, if the correct conditions occur, when the facies between eolian and intertidal sediments can be found. Groundpenetrating radar and fieldwork has been used to investigate the origins, processes, and the connection with sea-level fluctuations on a beach and the associated berm-ridge, located at Tönsneset in Kongsfjorden, northwestern Spitsbergen.The beach has a moderately simple internal structure, with the stratigraphy of the beachrevealing layers with a low gradient towards the sea on the foreshore, and overwashlayers with an inclination landwards on the backshore. Layers alternate mostly withsand and gravel, and a majority of them having low angle cross laminationcharacteristics. Previous datings, together with preliminary datings from this study, signify an origin from late Holocene for the berm-ridge. The berm-ridge at Tönsnesetdoes not indicate any clear-cut evidence of a former sea-level and it cannot be used asevidence for a suggested recent transgression.