jats:titleAbstract</jats:title>jats:pThe Fram Strait is the only deep gateway between the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas and thus is a key area to study past changes in ocean circulation and the marine carbon cycle. Here, we study deep ocean temperature, δjats:sup18</jats:sup>O, carbonate chemistry (i.e., carbonate ion concentration [COjats:sub3</jats:sub>jats:sup2−</jats:sup>]), and nutrient content in the Fram Strait during the late glacial (35,000–19,000 years BP) and the Holocene based on benthic foraminiferal geochemistry and carbon cycle modeling. Our results indicate a thickening of Atlantic water penetrating into the northern Nordic Seas, forming a subsurface Atlantic intermediate water layer reaching to at least ∼2,600 m water depth during most of the late glacial period. The recirculating Atlantic layer was characterized by relatively high [COjats:sub3</jats:sub>jats:sup2−</jats:sup>] and low δjats:sup13</jats:sup>C during the late glacial, and provides evidence for a Nordic Seas source to the glacial North Atlantic intermediate water flowing at 2,000–3,000 m water depth, most likely via the Denmark Strait. In addition, we discuss evidence for enhanced terrestrial carbon input to the Nordic Seas at ∼23.5 ka. Comparing our δjats:sup13</jats:sup>C and qualitative [COjats:sub3</jats:sub>jats:sup2−</jats:sup>] records with results of carbon cycle box modeling suggests that the total terrestrial COjats:sub2</jats:sub> release during this carbon input event was low, slow, or directly to the atmosphere.</jats:p>