Shoreline Displacement and Vegetation History on Island Naissaar, Baltic Sea

Authors

  • Jaan-Mati Punning
  • Tiiu Koff
  • Urve Ratas
  • Rines Tann

Keywords:

Shoreline displacement, pollen and diatom analysis, Baltic Sea

Abstract

A comprehensive study of peat and lacustrine sediments from BletkÓ“rri Mire (Naissaar Island, Estonia) was performed using pollen, diatom and 14C analyses. Naissaar Island is situated in the Gulf of Finland (about 10 km north from Tallinn) on the North-Estonian coastal plain. The objectives of this study were to determine the time of the isolation of the lagoon from the Baltic Sea, establish the developmental history of the island and to reconstruct the vegetational dynamics under natural conditions as well as under human impact during the last millennium. Due to the land uplift, prior shore lines can be observed up to a height of about 26 m a.s.l Organogenic deposits started to form in a small lagoon isolated from the Baltic Sea about 5,000 BP. Calculations show that emergence of the island started 7,500 - 7,700 BP during early Litorina Sea stage and areas lower than 15 m a.s.l. formed during the Limnea Sea stage. This is in good accordance with data from Hiiumaa Island and NW Estonia.

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Published

1998-07-13

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (1998): Journal of Coastal Research

Section

Articles

License

Authorization for personal use is granted by the Coastal Education and Research Foundation [CERF]. By submitting a manuscript, the authors agree that the copyright for their article is transferred to the publisher if the article is accepted for publication. Assignment of copyright is not required, however, from authors who work for organizations which do not permit such assignment, The copyright covers the exclusive rights to reprduce and distribute the article, inclduing reprints, photographic reproductions, microform, or any other reproductions of a similar nature, and translations.