Parabolic dunes and soils of the Curonian Spit, south-eastern Baltic Sea coast

Parabolic dunes, their soils, buried soils, and their ecological features, are still poorly understood in Lithuania. The dune sand massif here studied occupies several square kilometres of the Curonian Spit, in the vicinity of the Juodkrante settlement, and is covered by old-growth forest. The massif of the parabolic dunes was formed as a result of active sand movement and vegetation interaction, which have influence to parabolic dunes formation. Four segments of parabolic dunes have been distinguished, each of them with a different morphology. The fourth, southern one is attributed to dunes of a new generation. The cross-sections of parabolic dunes and their branches identify dune slopes, tops, and steps. The grain-size distribution parameters show the character of aeolian dynamics, because the fine aeolian sand indicates areas where older sand dominates. Places where coarser sand has been deposited are younger. The existence of "steps" or secondary dunes in parabolic dunes is discussed. They were formed as a result of cover by new dunes generation sand. The type of dunes can be identified according to the soil pellicle moisture, which in contemporary and buried soils of the black dunes, is twice the amount of moisture found in the white dunes. Keywords Parabolic dunes * Buried soils * Sand grain-size * Pellicle water * Curonian Spit * Lithuania.