Holocene evolution of the Ninety Mile Beach sand barrier, Victoria, Australia: The role of sea level, sediment supply and climate

Abstract

The Ninety-Mile Beach (NMB) barrier system in southeastern Australia is the largest active barrier island system in Australia. The response of a sandy barrier system to a warming climate is dependent on the boundary conditions of sediment supply and sea level. Deposition during the Holocene can therefore provide an indication of how these barriers may change in the future. In this study airborne LiDAR, ground penetrating radar and subsurface coring were combined with 46 optically-stimulated luminescence and 32 radiocarbon ages to provide a detailed understanding of sedimentation of NMB through the Holocene. The barrier complex formed in three distinct phases dating back to the earliest stabi..