Oxygen and carhon isotope composition of arctic bivahe shells are used in an attempt to reCO'1struct -.urface water temperature and salinities in Scoresby Sund. East Greenland. The oxygen i:;otope compositions or .1,tw mllicuf£!.
Hialclla arctica and Tridmlla hOl'm!is han~ been compared with present day hydrologit.:ai parameters. iVlodern shdls yield oxygen isotope values that. on the \\l1ole. repro:juce the environmental t~'mperature and sea wat<.:rsolopic
composition. Furthermore. it is possible to estimate the living depth of the analy:,ed specimens. Anal:.. ses 01 gn)wth increment:; from single shells show that there are large variations from year to year in lempcraturc and oxYgl':n isotope composition or the surface waters of Scorcsby Sund and that these variations decre,tse with depth. Analys.:s of HoJocene shells indicate that the Polar Current \vater. which flO'.vs from north to south along the Ea5t Greenland
coast \\as also present during the Holaccnc dimatil.: optimum 800n -7{JOO yr B.P. Analyses of b;\'al\t: shells from the last interglacial sho\\! that Scoresby Sund during that time was weB circulated and that mell\\Jter from 1h.... Greenland
ice sheet and sea ice meltwater was important for the temperature. salinity and isotopic composilOn of the surfalT waters.