Influence of meteorological conditions on aeolian processes along the Polish cliff coast

Abstract

This article presents aeolian landforms and meteorological parameters affecting aeolian processes on the south Baltic coastal cliffs of Poland. The analysis was conducted for two weather stations at different locations. The bluffs in the vicinity of the stations have similar geological structure, but differ in height. Velocity and direction of the wind, as well as precipitation, are of dominating importance. Dispelling the cliff starts at wind speeds of two-three ms -1 . At this speed, the distance at which the material is transported is short and is only a few meters, while for the transport of fine sand and dust on the top of the bluff the wind speed must be over 10 ms -1 . It was observed that such speeds of the wind or gust is characteristic of days with an average wind velocity of at least six ms -1 . The number of days with potential deflation on the bluff is four times higher in the area of Ustka than in the Świnoujście region. On average, the bluff in Ustka can be dispersed by wind throughout 33 days in a year, while the one on Wolin Island in less than eight days. Erosive and accumulative eolian forms are small, their sizes are generally less than one meter, only with rhythmic swelling to the size of several meters.

Cliff top recession rate and cliff hazards for the sea coast of Wolin Island (Southern Baltic)

“…Research studies on the Wolin Island cliff-coast conducted to date have concentrated mainly on issues concerning geology, geomorphology, hydrology, climate, soil science, biology, tourism and environmental protection (Kostrzewski 1985;Kostrzewski, Zwoliński 1995;Buchwał, Winowski 2009;Hojan 2009;Winowski 2009;Kolander et al 2013;Tylkowski 2013;Hojan, Więcław 2014).…”

Hydrometeorological Conditions for the Occurrence of Aeolian Processes on the Southern Baltic Coast in Poland

“…The threshold hydrometeorological conditions potentially favorable to initiation and particularly conducive to intensification of aeolian processes determined in the study are a kind of generalization. The threshold values were determined based on a review of literature concerning field research on the dune coastal zone [5,9,10,38], and original research on the cliff coastal zone [2,3]. We can assume that the hydrometeorological criteria used in this study are very general, but appropriate for the South Baltic coastal zone.…”

“…The above meteorological threshold values were derived from direct field studies of aeolian transport dynamics on the Polish Baltic coast. To determine the impact of weather conditions on the occurrence of aeolian processes in the South Baltic coastal zone, field research was conducted in both the dune coastal zone [1,3,4,17,18,34,35] and the cliff coastal zone [2,36,37]. It is assumed that the mobilization of sandy sediments on the beach begins at wind speeds of 4-5 m•s −1 .…”

“…It constitutes an important factor for shaping beaches, coastal dunes and sandy cliff slopes. Research on aeolian processes was carried out irregularly and in various parts of the Polish Baltic coast, including: Swina Gate Sandbar [1], Wolin island [2,3], Kołobrzeg [4], Mierzeja Łebska [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], Lubiatowo [12], and Hel [13]. The dynamics of aeolian transport depend on hydrometeorological factors and the type of substrate surface, especially its roughness and moisture [4,9,10,14,15].…”

Assessment of Moraine Cliff Spatio-Temporal Erosion on Wolin Island Using ALS Data Analysis

“…In the first case, during storm episodes, the colluvial sediments are rapidly accumulated at the foot of the cliff as a result of mass movements [20,37,50,[75][76][77]. In the second case, under conditions of weak and moderate sea dynamics, eroded sediments are slowly and systematically deposited at the foot of the cliff along with rainwater runoff and as a result of aeolian processes [78,79]. The accumulated colluvial forms, which take the form of alluvial fans and talus cones at the foot of the cliff, are characterized by a significantly reduced resistance to erosive processes caused by in situ sediments [80,81].…”