The main periods and environmental controls of coastal dune development along the west coast of the Korean Peninsula during the mid to late Holocene

Abstract

This study traces coastal sand dune development processes in East Asia during the Holocene to understand climate and environmental changes. We used optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to examine periods of activation and stabilization of dunes along the western coast of the Korean Peninsula. The results from the Taean Chollipo, Seocheon Dasari, and Gochang Sabanri dunes were then compared with those from previous studies to establish a broad understanding of coastal dune development in this region. Sedimentation rates were calculated for the three dunes, and their development periods were classified through statistical analysis that included data from previous studies. We defined five main periods of late Holocene dune development (<0.1 ka, 0.2–0.5 ka, 1.2–2.0 ka, 2.5–3.2 ka, and 5.5–6.5 ka). These correlated to periods of sea level decrease and global cooling determined by ice rafted debris records. We concluded that the development of coastal dunes in western Korea was influenced by sea level decreases, and global cooling events were enhanced by the East Asian winter monsoon. In addition, human activity increases also contributed to the development of the dunes. This study showed how coastal sand dunes can be evaluated as important indicators of global climate change. These results improved our understanding of how paleoclimate changes affected environmental conditions in East Asia and how coastal dune development periods can be used to reconstruct paleo-environmental conditions.