Environmental factors controlling the Last Glacial multi-phase development of the Moravian Sahara dune field, Lower Moravian Basin, Central Europe

Abstract

Aeolian sediments and landforms represent a unique source of proxy data allowing the detailed research of palaeoenvironmental changes. For example, dune morphology and dune field patterns could reflect an influence of a wide range of conditions from palaeowind directions to topography. The Moravian Sahara dune field located in southern Moravia represents a unique archive reflecting the effects of these environmental variables, lying far away from the European sand belt which is the main area of interest for aeolian research in Europe. Here, we present the complex geospatial analysis of the dunes and their topography performed on Digital Terrain Models (DTM) from which their basic morphometrics (crest orientation, spacings between the dunes, and others) were obtained. Two groups of differently oriented transverse dunes have been distinguished, suggesting a significant twist in atmospheric circulation connected with the retreat of ice sheets following the Last Glacial Maximum. In addition, other local conditions such as the topography and sediment supply were found to exert a strong influence on the formation of dune field patterns. Thus, the results of the high-resolution DTMs presented here show their applicability to the highly detailed study of the influence of environmental conditions on the development of the aeolian dune fields.