Kolander, R., Morche, D., Bimböse, M.
Quantification of moraine cliff coast erosion on Wolin
Island (Baltic Sea, northwest Poland)
There are two long-term causes of continuing transgression
in the south Baltic Sea – the glacioisostatic uplift in the Bothnian Bay and
the eustatic sea level rise. At a regional scale the cliff sediments and the
seasonal climate conditions during the year are significant factors controlling
cliff erosion. The erosion of cliffs of glacial sediments has been investigated
on Wolin Island, located in the Baltic Sea in northwest Poland. Previous monitoring
of morphological processes on Wolin Island provides a baseline for further
detailed studies of cliff erosion. In long-term field investigations a mean
cliff retreat of 0.14 m a-1 was measured during the last 30 years. In this
study a high-resolution terrestrial laser scanner was used for monitoring cliff
retreat at two test sites. In a four-month interval and an annual interval both
sites were scanned and total cliff erosion of 0.090 m a-1 and 0.043 m a-1 with
volume changes of 434.7 m³ and 888.7 m³, respectively, was measured. The cliff
erosion is significantly higher in the colder and more humid periods. Cliff
stabilization occurs in conditions of low and average rainfall and
above-average temperatures.