As climate change transforms the Arctic landscape, melting ice reveals fossils, artefacts from ancient civilizations, and other traces of the past. But for marine scientists, biochemists, and cartographers, retreating glaciers also leave hints for the future.

As one chapter ends, another one begins – in the case of Svalbard, it includes Arctic lagoons. One of them is located near the Eidembreen glacier, where scientists from Klaipėda University have been conducting annual expeditions since the first sighting of this remote lagoon in 2019. This lagoon, which did not exist just a few decades ago, has now become a natural laboratory for understanding the relationship between melting ice, seawater intrusion, and changes in coastal landforms.

During their past expeditions, the team from KU’s Marine Research Institute conducted detailed bathymetric and hydrological surveys to map the bottom of the lagoon and observe the physical conditions of the water across different seasons. Their findings reveal a complex hydrological structure: the lagoon consists of very shallow areas (less than 1 metre) as well as deep areas reaching nearly 43 metres near the glacier front. 

The mounting data on this lagoon is valuable not only for hydrologists and geomorphologists but also for biologists studying the development of marine and coastal life in post-glacial habitats. Each expedition, however, is a true test of coordination and resilience: researchers sail into the lagoon in small inflatable boats, live in temporary tents, cook using melted snow, and are constantly on the lookout for polar bears.

Despite those difficulties, their presence on-site year by year has resulted in one of the most comprehensive datasets ever gathered in a newly formed periglacial lagoon. The long-term goal of this periodical observation is to track the lagoon as it evolves from a freshly exposed water body into a functioning ecosystem.

Reference:

Šiaulys A, Šaškov A, Kilmonaitė G, Lukashanets D, Politi T, Samuilovienė A, Zaiko A, Olenin S. A dataset on bathymetry and hydrology of an emerging periglacial lagoon in Svalbard, Arctic. Data Brief. 2025 Jan 14;59:111304. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2025.111304. PMID: 39925391; PMCID: PMC11804721.