The Role and Frequency of Wildfires in the Shaping of the Late Glacial Inland Dunes – A Case Study from the Korzeniew Site (Central Poland)

The study examines sedimentology, stratigraphy, and the impact of wildfires on aeolian and soil processes during the Late Glacial Termination in the Korzeniew site, central Poland. The site, within a parabolic dune's central and lee-slope area, presents stacked aeolian sand units intermixed wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geochronometria 2023-01, Vol.50 (1), p.100-112
Main Authors: Moska, Piotr, Sokołowski, Robert J., Zieliński, Paweł, Mroczek, Przemysław, Piotrowska, Natalia, Jary, Zdzisław, Raczyk, Jerzy, Szymak, Agnieszka, Wojtalak, Andrzej, Poręba, Grzegorz, Łopuch, Michał, Skurzyński, Jacek, Krawczyk, Marcin, Tudyka, Konrad, Ustrzycka, Alicja, Hrynowiecka, Anna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon 14
Charcoal
Climate and vegetation
Coniferous forests
Deposition
Dunes
Eolian sands
Glacial periods
Holocene
inland aeolian dunes
late glacial
optically stimulated luminescence
palaeosol
Permafrost
Radiometric dating
Sand
Sedimentology
Slopes
Soil formation
Soils
Stratigraphy
Vegetation
Vegetation cover
Wildfires
Younger Dryas
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Summary:The study examines sedimentology, stratigraphy, and the impact of wildfires on aeolian and soil processes during the Late Glacial Termination in the Korzeniew site, central Poland. The site, within a parabolic dune's central and lee-slope area, presents stacked aeolian sand units intermixed with six charcoal-enriched palaeosols. Thirteen optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates on quartz and six radiocarbon dates establish the chronological framework, dating deposition processes. Initial aeolian sand deposition occurred towards the Late Pleniglacial's end. Climate amelioration during the Bølling interstadial led to permafrost thaw and gleyic soil formation, later overlain by migrating parabolic dunes from the older Allerød interstadial. Wildfires, influenced by vegetation cover, deposited charcoals on the dune's lee slope. These charcoals underwent pedogenic reworking amid episodes of aeolian sand deposition during the Allerød interstadial and Younger Dryas, stabilizing in the earliest Holocene. Wildfires significantly impacted local vegetation development and aeolian activity. Despite the warmth of the Allerød interstadial, increased fires correlated with expanding pine forests and their heightened fire susceptibility. Short-term climate shifts likely destabilized vegetation, fostering fire occurrences during the Allerød interstadial.
ISSN:1733-8387
1897-1695
DOI:10.2478/geochr-2023-0006