Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 12
Holocene Evolution of the Southern Baltic Sea
Coast and Interplay of Sea-Level Variation,
Isostasy, Accommodation and Sediment Supply
Reinhard Lampe, Michael Naumann, Hinrich Meyer, Wolfgang Janke,
and Regine Ziekur
Abstract
Coastal barriers and spits develop when the accumulation space avail-
able in the coastal sea for sediment deposition decreases and partly fills up. The
accommodation space increases when sea level rises and decreases when sediment
accumulates. In addition to the coastal relief prior to the sea-level rise, which deter-
mines the potential accommodation, the evolution depends on the volume and rate
of sediment supply. The example from the north-eastern German Baltic coast shows
how the course of Holocene sea-level rise (Littorina transgression) varied due to
glacio-isostatic uplift of different coastal sections and thus the growth of accommo-
dation space. Further, the role of the sediments which built up the shoreface and the
coastal landforms is discussed. We also examine the influence of the main inclina-
tion of pre-transgressional relief on the development, aggradation and progradation
of beach ridges, spits and barriers. The determination of the volume of the present
barriers allows rough estimations regarding the volume of sediment supplied from
eroding cliffs. In a final synopsis, the interplay of all factors is discussed, explaining
the distribution, volume and stability of the barriers along the German Baltic coast.
Keywords
Baltic
Sea
·
Germany
·
Coastal
evolution
·
Sea-level
development
·
Isostatic adjustment
·
Structures and volumes of coastal barriers
12.1 Introduction
Late Quaternary sea-level history from north-western Europe reflects the influ-
ence of various eustatic, isostatic, tectonic and, to a minor extent, other factors
like sediment compaction, halokinetics and hydrographic variations. The many
