Master of Science Nikolitsa Alexandropoulou will Thursday September 19th, 2024, at 12:15 hold her disputas for the PhD degree in Science. The title of her thesis is:
"Pre-Last Glacial Maximum glaciations in the Barents Sea: seismic investigations"
The main objective of this PhD thesis is to improve understanding of the evolution of pre-Last Glacial Maximum Barents Sea glaciations through the study of glacial deposits from the continental margin using 3D and 2D seismic reflection data. Paper 1 presents a new chronostratigraphic framework, covering the last ∼2.7 Ma, for the Svalbard-Barents Sea margin, using 2D seismic data to extend available ages from sediment cores along the entire 1000 km long margin. This high-temporal-resolution framework was then used to study the evolution of ice sheets in the Barents Sea since ∼2.7 Ma, allowing comparison along the entire margin in a wider regional perspective. In Paper 2, the chronological framework was then used to, for the first time, differentiate glacigenic sediments deposited on the SW Barents Sea continental margin during the Late Saalian (∼0.2 - 0.13 Ma) and Weichselian (<∼0.123 Ma) glacial periods, providing new insights into the evolution and dynamics of Barents Sea ice sheets during these two most recent glaciations. Finally, in Paper 3, recently acquired 3D seismic data on the outer part of the Bjørnøyrenna (Bear Island Trough) was exploited to investigate the interaction of glacial processes, fluid flow, and gas hydrate systems on the SW Barents Sea margin over successive periods of ice advance and retreat during the Quaternary period.
Professor Mads Huuse, University of Manchester, UK (1. opponent)
Prof. emerita Tove Nilsen, The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland – GEUS (2. opponent)
Professor Tine Rasmussen, IG, UiT (internal member and leader of the committee)
The disputas and trial lecture will be streamed from these sites:
Disputas (12:15 - 15:00)
Trial Lecture (10:15 - 11:00)
The thesis is available at Munin here.