Source-bordering aeolian dune formation along the Scheldt River (southern Netherlands – northern Belgium) was caused by Younger Dryas cooling, high river gradient and southwesterly summer winds

Abstract The Younger Dryas cold period caused major changes in vegetation and depositional environments. This study focuses on the aeolian river-connected dunes along the former, Weichselian Late Glacial, course of the Scheldt River in the southern Netherlands. Aeolian dunes along the Scheldt have received little attention, as they are partly covered by Holocene peat and marine deposits. The spatial distribution of the dunes is reconstructed by digital elevation model analysis and coring transects. Dunes are present on the high eastern bank of the Scheldt and in the subsurface of the polder ar... Mehr ...