摘要：Calving events of Petermann Glacier, northwest Greenland, in 2010 and 2012 reduced the length of
its ice tongue by c. 25 km, allowing exploration of newly uncovered seafloor during the Petermann
2015 Expedition. This article presents the results of foraminiferal analysis and environmental data
from thirteen surface sediment samples in northern Nares Strait and Petermann Fjord, including
beneath the modern ice tongue. This is the first study of living foraminifera beneath an arctic ice
tongue and the first modern foraminiferal data from this area. Modern assemblages were studied to
constrain species environmental preferences and to improve paleoenvironmental interpretations of
foraminiferal assemblages. Sub–ice tongue assemblages differed greatly from those at all other
sites, with very low faunal abundances and being dominated by agglutinated fauna, likely reflecting
low food supply under the ice tongue. Fjord fauna were comprised of 80 percent or more
calcareous species. Notably, Elphidium clavatum is absent beneath the ice tongue although it is
dominant in the fjord. Increasing primary productivity associated with the transition to mobile sea
ice, diminishing influence of the Petermann Glacier meltwater with distance from the grounding
line, and increased influence of south-flowing currents in Nares Strait are the important controls on
the faunal assemblages.
