Geochemical and granulometric fingerprints of 8200 years of westerly wind variability in inner‐fjord lake sediments from Svalbard

The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth. As sea ice diminishes, the surface boundary conditions, such as roughness and air–sea coupling, change and open‐water fetch increases. This may enhance wind forcing on Arctic coasts. Lake sediments can record these changes through the deposition of wind‐blown grains and elements, offering insights into past wind and climate dynamics. We reconstruct c . 8200 years of wind and climate variability using laminated sediments from a closed‐basin lake in central Spitsbergen, Svalbard archipelago, High Arctic. By integrating geochemical, visual and granulometric fingerprints within a multiproxy geostatistical framework, we link aeolian minerogenic input to specific catchment sources. Our findings show that iron (Fe)‐rich coarse silt‐sized clasts originate from distinct dolerite outcrops west and northwest of the lake, upwind of the dominant summer westerlies. This reveals a locally filtered westerly input that aligns with valley‐fjord channelling. We identify four phases of enhanced aeolian activity during the Mid‐ and Late Holocene, which occurred when local boundary conditions were favourable for entraining and transporting sediment into the basin. Major shifts in sediment sources and depositional conditions coincide with the end of the Holocene Thermal Maximum and the gradual onset of the Neoglacial. However, the reconstructed wind signal demonstrates a comparatively stable long‐term behaviour, with no clear correspondence to regional palaeoclimate records.