The Encroaching Dunes of the Portuguese Coast <subtitle>A Geohistorical Perspective</subtitle>

Abstract Late Holocene dunes migration is intricately linked to climate change and anthropogenic actions. Along the Portuguese coast, large-scale sand drifts occurred between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, sometimes associated with the Little Ice Age (LIA) period, characterised by long-term...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mihaela Tudor, Ana Ramos-Pereira, Joana Gaspar de Freitas
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Brepols Publishers 2022-01-01
Series:Journal for the History of Environment and Society
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/10.1484/J.JHES.5.134041
_version_ 1797810212728471552
author Mihaela Tudor
Ana Ramos-Pereira
Joana Gaspar de Freitas
author_facet Mihaela Tudor
Ana Ramos-Pereira
Joana Gaspar de Freitas
author_sort Mihaela Tudor
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Late Holocene dunes migration is intricately linked to climate change and anthropogenic actions. Along the Portuguese coast, large-scale sand drifts occurred between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, sometimes associated with the Little Ice Age (LIA) period, characterised by long-term cooling across the north Atlantic region. Primary historical sources, coupled with scientific data about paleoenvironmental conditions and OSL ages were used to analyse the spatial and temporal extent of the sand drift occurrences and explore their impact on coastal communities. Covering the period of the past millennium, the study describes the main drivers for drift events in Portugal. The results show the intensification of sand drift episodes after 1500 AD, which can be attributed to both natural forcing factors and human activities (e.g., agriculture and intensive deforestation). It is also clear that human pressure on dunes was dominant after 1800, when dunes fixing strategies through afforestation programmes were seen as the best solution to control sand encroachment. The negative impact of the drift-sands was an important trigger for the management of coastal areas and determinant for the implementation of a set of environmental policies in Portugal. Through a geohistorical perspective, the paper discloses the human-nature interactions over time, and the long-term efforts of governments to control natural processes, contributing to large-scale landscape transformation of the Portuguese coastal dunes.
first_indexed 2024-03-13T07:05:49Z
format Article
id doaj.art-bbd563ea38d442cc9962d958aaa601f5
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2506-6730
2506-6749
language deu
last_indexed 2024-03-13T07:05:49Z
publishDate 2022-01-01
publisher Brepols Publishers
record_format Article
series Journal for the History of Environment and Society
spelling doaj.art-bbd563ea38d442cc9962d958aaa601f52023-06-06T12:04:15ZdeuBrepols PublishersJournal for the History of Environment and Society2506-67302506-67492022-01-017356410.1484/J.JHES.5.134041The Encroaching Dunes of the Portuguese Coast <subtitle>A Geohistorical Perspective</subtitle>Mihaela Tudor0Ana Ramos-Pereira1Joana Gaspar de Freitas2Universidade de Lisboa ()Universidade de Lisboa ()Universidade de Lisboa ()Abstract Late Holocene dunes migration is intricately linked to climate change and anthropogenic actions. Along the Portuguese coast, large-scale sand drifts occurred between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, sometimes associated with the Little Ice Age (LIA) period, characterised by long-term cooling across the north Atlantic region. Primary historical sources, coupled with scientific data about paleoenvironmental conditions and OSL ages were used to analyse the spatial and temporal extent of the sand drift occurrences and explore their impact on coastal communities. Covering the period of the past millennium, the study describes the main drivers for drift events in Portugal. The results show the intensification of sand drift episodes after 1500 AD, which can be attributed to both natural forcing factors and human activities (e.g., agriculture and intensive deforestation). It is also clear that human pressure on dunes was dominant after 1800, when dunes fixing strategies through afforestation programmes were seen as the best solution to control sand encroachment. The negative impact of the drift-sands was an important trigger for the management of coastal areas and determinant for the implementation of a set of environmental policies in Portugal. Through a geohistorical perspective, the paper discloses the human-nature interactions over time, and the long-term efforts of governments to control natural processes, contributing to large-scale landscape transformation of the Portuguese coastal dunes.https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/10.1484/J.JHES.5.134041sand drifts, LIA, land uses, afforestation, dunes stabilization
spellingShingle Mihaela Tudor
Ana Ramos-Pereira
Joana Gaspar de Freitas
The Encroaching Dunes of the Portuguese Coast <subtitle>A Geohistorical Perspective</subtitle>
Journal for the History of Environment and Society
sand drifts, LIA, land uses, afforestation, dunes stabilization
title The Encroaching Dunes of the Portuguese Coast <subtitle>A Geohistorical Perspective</subtitle>
title_full The Encroaching Dunes of the Portuguese Coast <subtitle>A Geohistorical Perspective</subtitle>
title_fullStr The Encroaching Dunes of the Portuguese Coast <subtitle>A Geohistorical Perspective</subtitle>
title_full_unstemmed The Encroaching Dunes of the Portuguese Coast <subtitle>A Geohistorical Perspective</subtitle>
title_short The Encroaching Dunes of the Portuguese Coast <subtitle>A Geohistorical Perspective</subtitle>
title_sort encroaching dunes of the portuguese coast subtitle a geohistorical perspective subtitle
topic sand drifts, LIA, land uses, afforestation, dunes stabilization
url https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/10.1484/J.JHES.5.134041
work_keys_str_mv AT mihaelatudor theencroachingdunesoftheportuguesecoastsubtitleageohistoricalperspectivesubtitle
AT anaramospereira theencroachingdunesoftheportuguesecoastsubtitleageohistoricalperspectivesubtitle
AT joanagaspardefreitas theencroachingdunesoftheportuguesecoastsubtitleageohistoricalperspectivesubtitle
AT mihaelatudor encroachingdunesoftheportuguesecoastsubtitleageohistoricalperspectivesubtitle
AT anaramospereira encroachingdunesoftheportuguesecoastsubtitleageohistoricalperspectivesubtitle
AT joanagaspardefreitas encroachingdunesoftheportuguesecoastsubtitleageohistoricalperspectivesubtitle