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2003 (December): Pleistocene sandur deposits represent braidplains, not alluvial fans. Boreas, Vol. 32, pp. 590-611. Oslo. ISSN 0300-9483.Weichselian sandar in NE Poland show characteristics that are inconsistent with the commonly accepted alluvialfan-like model for outwash deposition and sandur formation. Analysis of the lithofacies and their vertical and lateral transitions indicates that the Polish sandar developed as braidplains, not as alluvial fans. Analysis of the geomorphic conditions under which modern sandar form, indicates that these conditions (which are characterized by deposition in a narrow belt between ice-covered mountain ranges and the sea) cannot be considered representative of those that prevailed in the geological past when sandar developed as braidplains in confined valleys, to end up in a lowland area where the deposits could spread out further in lateral directions. The latter conditions have been found consistently for all Polish Weichselian sandar that were investigated in much sedimentological detail. This raises the question whether sandar are alluvial fans or not. Because the development of the sandar in NE Poland seems to be much more representative for outwash deposition than the present-day sandar in Iceland and elsewhere, the current alluvial-fan-like sandur model -based on the fairly exceptional present-day situation with deposition in a narrow belt -should therefore be replaced by the braidplain-like sandur model -based on deposition in a valley and in a wider lowland area in front -that has been established for the Polish examples.

This study investigated the Grabia River valley mire in central Poland to reconstruct its palaeoenvironmental conditions from the Younger Dryas to the present. We analysed sedimentological, biological and geochemical data from the palaeo-oxbow lake and valley mire to identify the principal hydrological trends, especially episodes of high water level. During the Lateglacial and Holocene, the Grabia River had a meandering channel, and its hydraulic parameters and the channel dimensions changed in response to climatic oscillations and vegetation development. We identified phases of high flood intensity and high groundwater level that correlate with regional and supraregional climatic events. The frequency and timing of palaeohydroclimatic oscillations show strong similarities to records from other sites in Poland and the rest of Europe. We show that various analytical methods, namely, pollen, plant macrofossils, Cladocera, Chironomidae, sedimentological, geochemical and radiocarbon data, can be effective tools for reconstructing past hydroclimatic changes in palaeo-oxbow lakes and investigating the effects of past climate changes on river environments. The high sensitivity of the biota, especially Cladocera, to changes in water level permits the reconstruction of palaeoecological changes, especially flood episodes that occurred in the river valley. In particular, the increase in the proportion of sediment-associated Cladocera and pelagic taxa was closely correlated with floods. Through comparisons with the palaeobiological data, geochemical data allowed the identification of humid phases within the fen associated with a rising groundwater table, direct fluvial activity (floods) and alluvial deposition. We also discuss the limitations of palaeohydrological reconstructions based on these proxies, especially on fossil aquatic invertebrates.