Dynamics of Paraglacial Beach Development in Front of Rapidly Retreating Marine‐Terminating Glacier – Hansbreen, Svalbard

This study investigates the formation and controlling mechanisms of shorelines in the forefield marine‐terminating glacier in Svalbard (Hansbreen, SW Spitsbergen), utilising multi‐temporal remote sensing, sedimentological analysis and ground‐penetrating radar (GPR). Since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA), glacier retreat has exposed nearly 10 km of new coastline, with a marked acceleration with intensified deglaciation. Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) results reveal widespread coastal erosion characterised by high spatial variability. This variability is more strongly associated with contrasting wave‐exposure conditions within the fjord than with distance to the present glacier front, which explains little of the observed shoreline change. Sea ice acts as a seasonal regulator—limiting the duration of wave activity rather than directly exerting thermodynamic or mechanical magnitude. Furthermore, sedimentological and geophysical data show a clear transition from heterogeneous glacigenic environments near the terminus to progressively reworked, wave‐dominated systems. Grain‐size distributions and internal stratigraphic architectures revealed by GPR surveys reflect greater sorting efficiency and morphological organisation as distance from active sediment sources increases. Ultimately, Hansbreen forefield represents a strongly process‐structured paraglacial system, where coastal evolution is governed by the spatial distribution of wave energy and exposure history rather than direct glacial forcing or fluctuations in sediment supply.