| Summary: | Revised core data from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP Leg 151, Hole 909C) and preglacial paleorelief and bathymetric reconstructions in the Barents Sea and the Arctic gateway region indicate that large-scale glaciations were already developed in the northern Barents Sea during the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (MMCT), ∼15 - 14 million years ago. Our findings show that subsequent to an ice-free period during the Miocene Climate Optimum (MCO, ∼17 - 15 Ma), glacially eroded materials from the uplifted northern Barents Sea were transported by iceberg flotillas toward the Fram Strait. The simultaneous opening of the North Atlantic-Arctic gateway provided pathways for iceberg transport from the north. The expansive ice growth is probably induced by both large-scale changes in ocean circulation due to enhanced flow of Atlantic water into the Arctic Ocean during opening of the gateway and concurrent global cooling during the MMCT.
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