Geochemical and granulometric fingerprints of 8,200-year Westerly variability recorded in an inner-fjord lake sediments from Central Svalbard

The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth. As sea-ice diminishes, surface boundary conditions (roughness and air-sea coupling) change and open-water fetch increases, potentially strengthening the effective wind forcing on Arctic coasts. These changes can be recorded in lake sediments through the deposition of wind-blown grains and elements, offering insights into past wind and climate dynamics. We reconstruct ca. 8,200 yrs of wind-climate variability using laminated sediments from a closed-basin lake in the Central part of the High Arctic Svalbard archipelago. By integrating geochemical, visual, and granulometric fingerprints within a multiproxy geostatistical framework, we link wind-blown minerogenic input to specific catchment sources and show that iron (Fe)- and titanium (Ti)- enriched clasts originate from distinct dolerite outcrops West of the lake, upwind of the dominant summer Westerlies. These results reveal a locally filtered Westerly input, consistent with valley-fjord channelling. We identify four Mid- and Late Holocene phases of enhanced eolian activity that occurred during intervals when local boundary conditions favoured the entrainment and transport of sediment into the basin. Unit-scale sedimentation shifts can be placed at the end of the Holocene optimum and at the stepwise onset of the Neoglacial. However, the reconstructed wind signal shows comparatively stable long-term behaviour and no direct correspondence with paleoclimate records.