LONG TERM EVOLUTION OF BALTIC SEA SANDY BEACH FORCED BY WINTER NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION (NAOWI)
The study examines a hypothesis on the coupling between Winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAOWI) and hydro- and morphodynamics of a sandy beach with multiple bars, situated at a Baltic Sea coastal segment in northern Poland. Identification of coincident long-term periodic patterns of shoreline variability and NAOWI is a strong argument for the existence of such a coupling, because the Baltic Sea is purely non-tidal and shoreline evolution is driven entirely by waves. Interestingly, similar periodic patterns were also found in the reconstructed long-term winter wave climate (hourly retrieved significant wave height between 1958 – 2001). Therefore, the hypothesis received a strong and comprehensive statistical footing. It highlights the fact that long-term periodic changes in winter energy fluxes from air through waves to the beach remain imprinted in shoreline evolution. Hence, any climate change driven modifications of global meteorological patterns, such as NAOWI, may have vital implications for Baltic Sea beaches in coming decades.