Early Holocene NW-W winds reconstructed from small dune fields, central Sweden

Five small dune fields were investigated in central Sweden in the field and by using LiDAR-based remote sensing. The chronology of the dunes was determined using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. Most of the OSL ages indicate dune formation close to the time of deglaciation in this area of Sweden (11-10 cal. ka BP) and later sand drift events appear to have been uncommon, suggesting that most of the dune fields have been stable since their formation and throughout the Holocene. This makes them a valuable archive of past sand drift events and palaeowind directions, even though the dune fields are small compared to most other investigated dune fields around the world. The dunes are primarily of a transverse or parabolic type, and their orientation suggests formation by westerly or northwesterly winds. The local topography appears to have had little control over the formation of the dunes, suggesting that the dunes can be used as a proxy of regional wind directions. All dune fields in this study are linked to glacifluvial deposits that provide spatially and volumetrically limited sources of sand.