Abstract

Barrier-lagoon systems are among the most sensitive coastal environments, as they accumulate the effects of environmental changes occurring on lands and in the sea. Globally, the stability of lagoons and associated barriers is controlled by the frequency and magnitude of storms approaching the coasts, access to sediment supplies, and resilience to shifts in sea level. However, most studies refer to mid-latitude and tropical coastal zones, with limited insight into cold region lagoon responses. This study presents the first remote sensing analysis of the post-Little-Ice-Age (LIA) evolution of Svalbard's barrier-lagoon systems. A total of 430 lagoon systems were investigated to distinguish their genesis and type of connection to the sea (closed, choked, restricted, or leaky). Since the termination of the LIA, at least 98 lagoons have been formed, while 8 have disappeared. The majority of lagoons present along the modern coast of Svalbard are of the choked type (almost 48%). A new, previously unidentified lagoon type has been identified: the moraine-controlled paraglacial lagoons. These are systems formed by retreating marine-terminating glaciers, which is a dominant process of new coast formation in rapidly deglaciating Arctic.