Episodes of aeolian sand movement on a large spit system (Skagen Odde, Denmark) and North Atlantic storminess during the Little Ice Age

TY - JOUR

T1 - Episodes of aeolian sand movement on a large spit system (Skagen Odde, Denmark) and North Atlantic storminess during the Little Ice Age

AU - Clemmensen, Lars B

AU - Glad, Aslaug Clemmensen

AU - Hansen, Kristian W T

AU - Murray, Andrew

PY - 2015/4/27

Y1 - 2015/4/27

N2 - Late Holocene coastal dune successions in north-western Europe contain evidence of episodicaeolian sand movement in the recent past. If previous periods of increased sand movement can bedated sufficiently precisely and placed in a correct cultural and geomorphological context, theymay add to our understanding of storminess variation and climate change in the North Atlanticduring the later part of the Holocene. In this study, coastal cliff sections of Holocene dune sand wereinvestigated in the north-western part of the Skagen Odde spit system in northern Denmark. Fourunits of aeolian sand were recognized. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating indicatesthat aeolian sand movement took place in four phases: around AD 1460, between AD 1730 and 1780,around AD 1870, and since about AD 1935. The first phase of sand movement occurred during coolingin the first part of the Little Ice Age. A change in the atmospheric circulation, so that both theNorth Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) were negative,apparently led to an increased number of intense cyclones causing inland sand movement anddune building. The second and third phase of aeolian sand movement during the Little Ice Age alsotook place in periods of increased storminess, but during these events it appears that negative NAOvalues were coupled with positive AMO values. The final phase of sand movement is intimatelylinked to the modern formation of frontal dunes which takes place during moderate storminess.These findings are important as they indicate three major periods of aeolian sand movement andstorminess during the Little Ice Age

AB - Late Holocene coastal dune successions in north-western Europe contain evidence of episodicaeolian sand movement in the recent past. If previous periods of increased sand movement can bedated sufficiently precisely and placed in a correct cultural and geomorphological context, theymay add to our understanding of storminess variation and climate change in the North Atlanticduring the later part of the Holocene. In this study, coastal cliff sections of Holocene dune sand wereinvestigated in the north-western part of the Skagen Odde spit system in northern Denmark. Fourunits of aeolian sand were recognized. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating indicatesthat aeolian sand movement took place in four phases: around AD 1460, between AD 1730 and 1780,around AD 1870, and since about AD 1935. The first phase of sand movement occurred during coolingin the first part of the Little Ice Age. A change in the atmospheric circulation, so that both theNorth Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) were negative,apparently led to an increased number of intense cyclones causing inland sand movement anddune building. The second and third phase of aeolian sand movement during the Little Ice Age alsotook place in periods of increased storminess, but during these events it appears that negative NAOvalues were coupled with positive AMO values. The final phase of sand movement is intimatelylinked to the modern formation of frontal dunes which takes place during moderate storminess.These findings are important as they indicate three major periods of aeolian sand movement andstorminess during the Little Ice Age

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0011-6297

VL - 63

SP - 17

EP - 28

JO - Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark

JF - Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark

ER -