Shetland

Hall, Adrian M.; Hansom, James D.; Gordon, John E.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-71246-4_7

Cited by 3 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…During the Pleistocene, the Shetlands were covered by ice (Bradwell et al, 2019;Hall et al, 2021). Radial ice-ow patterns from erratics and glacial bedforms prove the occurrence of an independent icecap on the central ridge without connection to the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet or the British Isles Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum (Bradwell et al, 2019).…”

Section: Geology Geomorphology and Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The coastline of the Shetland Islands varies greatly, ranging from cliffs of up to 300 m height to peatoored beaches (Flinn, 1974). Beaches and dunes are rare due to low sediment availability and occur only in very sheltered locations (Hall et al, 2021), such as at the study site of Loch Flugarth and Sand Voe bay, where the dunes are mapped as calcareous dunes (Dargie, 1998). The term 'voe' refers to an over-deepened and submerged glacial valley (Mykura et al, 1976;Gillen, 2003).…”

Section: Geology Geomorphology and Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Peat is the major component of Shetland's landscape today covering c. 50% of the entire archipelago (Hall et al, 2021), mostly exceeding a thickness of 100 cm (Dry and Robertson, 1982 Shetland is one of the windiest places of the British Isles with a mean annual wind speed of 14.6 kn and 58 gale days per year (Irvine, 1968;Bennett et al, 1992;Hall et al, 2021). The mean wind speed is higher during winter (Met O ce, 2016) with the highest mean wind speeds recorded in January (18.2 kn) and the lowest in July (10.9 kn) (Irvine, 1968).…”

Section: Geology Geomorphology and Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Postglacially, the relative sea level (RSL) rapidly rose until c. 7000-6000 a BCE and slowed down afterwards, with the last 1500 years experiencing RSL rise probably in the range of a few centimetres only (Bondevik et al, 2005;Dawson et al, 2006). Postglacial emerged beaches or raised glacial-marine sediments as indication of mid-Holocene RSL high stand are absent in the Shetlands (Kelley et al, 2018;Hall et al, 2021).…”

Section: Geology Geomorphology and Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A 1500-years record of North Atlantic storminess from the Shetland Islands (UK)

Hess

Engel

Patel

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Severe storm surges pose a major hazard to the coasts of northwestern Europe. Therefore, high-resolution records of past North Atlantic storminess are required to assess (i) whether storm activity has increased in recent decades and (ii) which future risks may arise from storm surges. This study aims to decipher storm-induced overwash processes in lacustrine sediment cores from a coastal lake on the Shetland Islands by investigating distinct sand and peat layers. This multi-proxy study utilises a range of methods such as; Bayesian AMS-14C and 137Cs age-depth models, cryptotephra, sedimentological, and geochemical (i.e., XRF, TOC) analyses, and the re-analysis of historical data. The XRF Si/Ti ratio and the unimodal grain-size distribution clearly show that the sand layers originate from the beach and thus are representative of storms originating from a northwesterly direction. Phases of higher storminess occurred 980–1050, 1150–1300, 1450–1550, 1820–1900 and 1950–2000 AD which correlate with a positive North Atlantic Oscillation mode enhancing water inflow into the Norwegian Sea. High-intensity storms from other directions than north(west) and a southward shift of storm tracks prevailed during the Little Ice Age (LIA, 1400–1850 AD). During warm phases of the last 1500 years, storm tracks have shifted towards the northeast Atlantic, thus confirming a possible trend for future storm track changes and increased storminess in the northern region of the North Sea as predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

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Section: Geology Geomorphology and Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geology Geomorphology and Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geology Geomorphology and Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geology Geomorphology and Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A 1500-years record of North Atlantic storminess from the Shetland Islands (UK)

Hess

Engel

Patel

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The Shetland Islands were glaciated during the Pleistocene (Bradwell et al, 2019; Hall et al, 2021). Postglacially, relative sea level (RSL) rose more or less continuously, but has slowed down since the mid‐Holocene, with RSL rise probably in the range of only a few centimetres over the last 1500 years (Bondevik et al, 2005; Dawson et al, 2006).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

A 1500‐year record of North Atlantic storm flooding from lacustrine sediments, Shetland Islands (UK)

Hess,

Engel,

Patel

et al. 2023

J Quaternary Science

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Severe storm flooding poses a major hazard to the coasts of north‐western Europe. However, the long‐term recurrence patterns of extreme coastal flooding and their governing factors are poorly understood. Therefore, high‐resolution sedimentary records of past North Atlantic storm flooding are required. This multi‐proxy study reconstructs storm‐induced overwash processes from coastal lake sediments on the Shetland Islands using grain‐size and geochemical data, and the re‐analysis of historical data. The chronostratigraphy is based on Bayesian age–depth modelling using accelerator mass spectrometry 14C and 137Cs data. A high XRF‐based Si/Ti ratio and the unimodal grain‐size distribution link the sand layers to the beach and thus storm‐induced overwash events. Periods with more frequent storm flooding occurred 980–1050, 1150–1300, 1450–1550, 1820–1900 and 1950–2000 ce, which is largely consistent with a positive North Atlantic Oscillation mode. The Little Ice Age (1400–1850 ce) shows a gap of major sand layers suggesting a southward shift of storm tracks and a seasonal variance with more storm floods in spring and autumn. Warmer phases shifted winter storm tracks towards the north‐east Atlantic, indicating a possible trend for future storm‐track changes and increased storm flooding in the northern North Sea region.

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The late Holocene tsunami in the Shetland Islands (UK) identified in Loch Flugarth, north Mainland

Engel

Hess

Dawson

et al. 2023

Preprint

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To assess the long-term hazard of tsunamis, particularly in regions with a short and fragmented historical record, sedimentary deposits of tsunamis are an essential tool. In the North Sea region, evidence of tsunamis is scarce. The Shetland Islands are an exception, as they contain abundant deposits of the Storegga tsunami (c. 8150 cal. a BP), and additionally more fragmented evidence of younger tsunami events c. 5500 and c. 1500 cal. a BP. Sediments of the youngest tsunami (the “Dury Voe” event) have only been found at two sites so far, marked by thin landward fining and landward thinning sand sheets which are vertically confined by peat. Here, we present sedimentary evidence for the youngest Shetland tsunami from the small coastal lake of Loch Flugarth, northern Mainland. Three gravity cores of up to 91.7 cm length were taken behind the barrier separating the lake from a shallow marine embayment. The cores show organic-rich background deposition with many sub-cm-scale sand layers, reflecting recurring storm overwash and a sediment source limited to the active beach and uppermost subtidal zone. A basal 13 cm-thick sand layer, dated to 426–787 cal. a CE based on 14C, 137Cs and Bayesian age-depth modelling, was found in all three cores. High-resolution grain-size analysis identified four normally graded sublayers with inversely graded traction carpets in the lower part of two sublayers. An organic-rich ‘mud’ drape and ‘mud’ cap cover the upper two sublayers, which also contain small rip-up clasts. Grain-size distributions show a difference between the basal sand layer and the coarser and better sorted thin storm layers. Principal component analysis of X-ray fluorescence core scanning data also distinguishes both sand units: Zr, Fe and Ti dominate the basal sand, while the thin storm layers are high in K and Si. The enrichment of the basal sand layer in Zr and Ti, in combination with increased magnetic susceptibility, may be related to higher heavy mineral content in the basal sand reflecting the additional marine sediment source of a tsunami deposit below the storm-wave base. Based on reinterpretation of chronological data from the two published sites and the chronostratigraphy of the present study, the Dury Voe tsunami seems to be slightly younger, i.e., closer to 1400 cal. a BP. Although the source of the tsunami remains unclear, the lack of evidence for this event outside of the Shetlands suggests that it was smaller than the older Storegga tsunami, which affected most of the North Sea basin.

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Shetland

Cited by 3 publications

References 41 publications

A 1500-years record of North Atlantic storminess from the Shetland Islands (UK)

A 1500-years record of North Atlantic storminess from the Shetland Islands (UK)

A 1500‐year record of North Atlantic storm flooding from lacustrine sediments, Shetland Islands (UK)

The late Holocene tsunami in the Shetland Islands (UK) identified in Loch Flugarth, north Mainland

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