Dune Stratigraphy as an Indicator of Holocene Climatic Change and Human Impact in Northern Lapland, Finland

Dune reactivation history during the last 11 000 years in northern Finnish Lapland was reconstructed by studying a total of 75 dune sections from two dune fields, which are located 70 km apart from each other. The study areas were the Muddusjärvi and the Ijjävri dune fields. Study methods included stratigraphical interpretation of the dune sections, sedimentological analyses for grain size distribution and parameters and binocular microscopy for grain roundness and surface texture. The data suggest a climate control on the duration of the active phases on both the dune fields during early-and mid-Holocene. However, the climate variability can not explain the reactivation processes during late-Holocene. Human activity as a promoter for dune reactivation prior 1 000 years before present is improbable on the studied dune fields..