Articles | Volume 22, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-265-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-265-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 Feb 2026
Research article |
| 06 Feb 2026
| 06 Feb 2026
10 000 years of snow avalanche activity in western Norway: a multiproxy lake sediment record from Lake Vatnasetvatnet, Hardanger
Johannes Hardeng
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth Science and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Jostein Bakke
Department of Earth Science and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Jan M. Cederstrøm
Department of Earth Science and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Marianne Veste
The Planning and Building Agency, Urban Planning Division, Bergen Municipality, 5020 Bergen, Norway
Related authors
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Pål Ringkjøb Nielsen, Jostein Bakke, Øyvind Paasche, Jan Magne Cederstrøm, Johannes Hardeng, and George Edward Young
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6279, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6279, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Climate of the Past (CP).
Short summary
Short summary
This high-resolution lake sediment record reveals 230 floods over 8,000 years in Western Norway. Flood regimes shifted from rainfall to snowmelt dominance around 3,100 years ago, with the last 500 years being exceptionally flood-rich. These findings show how climate and human activity shape flood risk and underscore the need for long-term archives to guide adaptation under future warming.
Mette K. Gillespie, Liss M. Andreassen, Matthias Huss, Simon de Villiers, Kamilla H. Sjursen, Jostein Aasen, Jostein Bakke, Jan M. Cederstrøm, Hallgeir Elvehøy, Bjarne Kjøllmoen, Even Loe, Marte Meland, Kjetil Melvold, Sigurd D. Nerhus, Torgeir O. Røthe, Eivind W. N. Støren, Kåre Øst, and Jacob C. Yde
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 5799–5825, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5799-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5799-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present an extensive ice thickness dataset from Jostedalsbreen ice cap that will serve as a baseline for future studies of regional climate-induced change. Results show that Jostedalsbreen currently (~2020) has a maximum ice thickness of ~630 m, a mean ice thickness of 154 ± 22 m and an ice volume of 70.6 ±10.2 km3. Ice of less than 50 m thickness covers two narrow regions of Jostedalsbreen, and the ice cap is likely to separate into three parts in a warming climate.
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Short summary
We studied lake sediments from western Norway to reconstruct 10 000 years of snow avalanche activity. Using physical and chemical analyses, we identified periods of increased avalanche frequency linked to climatic shifts in the North Atlantic region. Activity was low during the warm early Holocene but increased sharply in the past 2300 years. Our results suggest that long-term changes in snow avalanches are driven by large-scale patterns in wind and ocean temperatures.
We studied lake sediments from western Norway to reconstruct 10 000 years of snow avalanche...
