Morphodynamic types of postglacial cliffs of the Southern Baltic

The contemporary morphogenetic system of the South Baltic Sea is clearly changing, both in the annual and long-term weather cycle. Morphogenetic seasons are subject to change, both in terms of duration and types of morphogenetic processes and related forms of relief. The duration of the late-autumn and early-spring season is clearly increasing, which is associated with the occurring climate change and related hydrometeorological conditions. All this means that the morphodynamic types of the South Baltic coast are subject to change, the nature of which is conditioned by geological structure, relief, land cover and, hydrometeorological conditions. Undoubted individuality of the geo-diversity of the South Baltic coast in Poland are postglacial cliff coasts (50 km long).

Systematic geomorphological mapping of cliff coasts carried out since 1975 which have recently been supported by GIS methods, allow the recognition of cliff coast development mechanisms, emerging landforms and associated morphodynamic types of the South Baltic coast.

Based on repetitive geomorphological mappings, the following morphodynamic types of the South Baltic cliffs can be distinguished: landslide-type, rock fall-type, talus-type, slump-type and flow-type.

The basis for the typology of morphodynamic types of cliff coasts was the dominant types of relief forms, including lithology, exposure, land cover and hydrometeorological conditions. It can be unequivocally assumed that the morphodynamic types of the cliff coast is a good indicator feature of monitored morphogenetic systems and their space-time variability.

The effect of the observed climate change is the increasing frequency of storm surges that initiate denudation processes of an extreme nature. Another consequence of the observed climate changes is the increasing variability of morphodynamic types of the South Baltic cliff coast in the analyzed morphogenetic seasons with a greater share of landslide and rock fall-types.