Sedimentology of the Scoresby Sund, East Greenland

Most of the year, the fjord is covered by sea-ice. Sediment input takes place mostly via drifting icebergs during the short summer period.

Depending on the distance to glaciers, surface sediments carry varying proportions of coarse ice-rafted debris (IRD). The degree of sediment reworking by scouring icebergs is controlled by the depth of the fjord, with the most intense reworking in areas shallower than about 450 m depth. Both IRD contribution and intensity of sediment scouring clearly control the distribution pattern of benthic organisms.