Can sand dunes be used to study historic storm events?. Issue 4 (5th November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bateman, Mark D.; Rushby, Greg; Stein, Sam; Ashurst, Robert A.; Stevenson, David; Jones, Julie M.; Gehrels, W. Roland
• Is Part Of: Earth surface processes and landforms. Volume 43:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 779
• Page End: 790
• Publication Date: 2017-11-05
• Subjects: dunes -- particle size -- portable OSL -- Norfolk -- storms; Geomorphology -- Periodicals; 551.4
• DOI: 10.1002/esp.4255
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0197-9337

Abstract

Abstract: Knowing the long‐term frequency of high magnitude storm events that cause coastal inundation is critical for present coastal management, especially in the context of rising sea levels and potentially increasing frequency and severity of storm events. Coastal sand dunes may provide a sedimentary archive of past storm events from which long‐term frequencies of large storms can be reconstructed. This study uses novel portable optically stimulated luminescence (POSL) profiles from coastal dunes to reconstruct the sedimentary archive of storm and surge activity for Norfolk, UK. Application of POSL profiling with supporting luminescence ages and particle size analysis to coastal dunes provides not only information of dunefield evolution but also on past coastal storms. In this study, seven storm events, two major, were identified from the dune archive spanning the last 140 years. These appear to correspond to historical reports of major storm surges. Dunes appear to be only recording (at least at the sampling resolution used here) the highest storm levels that were associated with significant flooding. As such the approach seems to hold promise to obtain a better understanding of the frequency of large storms by extending the dune archive records further back to times when documentation of storm surges was sparse. © 2017 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Abstract : Portable optically stimulated luminescence profiles from coastal dunes are used to reconstruct storm activity for Norfolk, UK. Two major, and five minor storms, were identified over the last 140 years corresponding to historical reports of major storms. This approach has the potential to better understand storm frequency if the dune archive was extended back to times when documentation of storm surges is sparse.