Complexes dunaires et tourbeux holocènes du littoral du Nord de la France

This survey of the coastal dunes of northern France is based on stratigraphy, 14C dating, sedimentology and morphology applied for palaeoclimatic and palaeodynamic purpose. The dunes rest on a Flandrian prism sealed by Atlantic peats grown backward from a subboreal dune ridge. Two historical building phases are recorded: the late Roman dunes and the 13th century dunes. These events are separated by pedogenesis. Contribution of reworked fluvial sands also records the recent climatic degradation, with an increased storminess (Little Ice Age) associated with more efficient erosion (soil erosion and floods). The dunes of Picardy also record the Global Warming: their morphologies attest a shift from parabolic into longitudinal, by coupling storminess and sea-level rise. To cite this article: M. Meurisse et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).