Journal
HOLOCENE
Volume 14, Issue 3, Pages 406-416Publisher
ARNOLD, HODDER HEADLINE PLC
DOI: 10.1191/0959683604hl716rp
Keywords
coastal dunefields; event stratigraphy; radiocarbon dating; luminescence dating; sea-level change; climate change; 'Little Ice Age'; Northern Ireland; Holocene
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An event stratigraphy of dune stability/in stability phases has been reconstructed, using 22 radiocarbon and 13 luminescence dates, for six dunefields along the north coast of Northern Ireland. There is no evidence for dune development prior to c. 7000 cal. years BP, during the early-Holocene rapid rise in RSL, and only limited evidence for sand accumulation in association with the RSL maximum. Dunefield dates correspond to either the subsequent regressive phase or, later, the gradual transgressive phase of RSL history in the mid- and late Holocene. At these times accommodation space for dune development and sediment Supply were maximized. Episodes of climatic deterioration, particularly at 3100-2400 cal. years BP and 650-50 cal. years BP (the 'Little Ice Age') were marked by widespread dune instability. A similar coincidence in timing has been recorded for dune systems elsewhere in northwestern Europe and is generally attributed to an increased frequency of storms and storm surges associated with the climatic downturns. However, between-site inconsistencies in the event stratigraphy suggest that site-specific factors (e.g., sediment availability) had a modulating influence on dune regional controls.
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