Fig. 2: Linnévatnet’s sediment traps reveal the influence of atmospheric blocking in regulating flooding events.
From: Climate extremes in Svalbard over the last two millennia are linked to atmospheric blocking
a Air photo of Linnévatnet and location of intervalometer at mooring C (coring site). b Photograph of the gravity sediment core collected in 2019 showing the µ-XRF calcium variation throughout the first 41 cm. The year 2016 is characterized by highest Ca values. c Scarp on the eastern carbonate bedrock terrain (red square in (a)) triggered by anomalously warm weather and intense rainfall recorded on October 15, 2016. The worst mudflow in 40 years occurred that year with roads being completely flooded in Longyearbyen ((d), photograph from W.R. Farnsworth)6. e Grain-size data collected from the sediment trap at mooring C in 2015–2016 showing two days with coarsest grain-size peaking on September 11, 2015 and May 28, 2016, respectively. The background colors are from bottom to top: Green = summer 2015, yellow = fall 2015, purple = winter 2015/2016 and blue = spring and summer 2016. The sample symbols Blue = median, d50, red = mean and green = d90. f–g, Atmospheric pressure anomalies at 500 hPa Geopotential height (Z500) (relative to 1980–2010) during those two days calculated from daily National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis data.
