Study of Holocene aeolian morpholithogenesis of the eastern coast of the White Sea using georadiolocation and palaeolimnological methods

Abstract

Holocene aeolian topography and sediments were investigated at two key sites on the Zimny Bereg and one key site on the Kanin coast of the White Sea. Field work included ground penetration radar profiling, paleolimnological and geomorphological study, as well as aerial imagery and topography surveys. Analytical studies including grain-size, geochemical and diatom analyses and radiocarbon dating of lake sediment cores were performed. Accumulative aeolian relief was formed in areas with a positive coastal-marine sediment balance. The sands are brought in by a longshore drift or river discharge. The aeolian topography and the number of stages of aeolian activation vary across the key areas. The present-time coastal dunes have been forming since the late or middle Holocene, when relative sea level became close to contemporary levels.