KML files of the identified dune units with their interpreative classifications, and types of lakes basins
Description
In this study, the morphology of the dunes located in the coastal stretch between Inharrime and Inhambane (Mozambique) is analysed using remote sensing-based datasets, including open-source satellite imagery and digital terrain models, to explore the link between dune evolution and lake genesis. This analysis allowed identification of two types of dunes based on their morphology. The first being shore-parallel ridges, interpreted as ancient coastal barriers, and the second being mostly parabolic dunes and trailing arms perpendicular to the present-day coastline, interpreted as transgressive dunes. By comparing the position of these coastal barriers and the global sea-level curve, an age was tentatively assigned to each barrier. The barriers are suggested to have been formed during marine interstadial events, namely between MIS13 and MIS 5, when sea level was high. In contrast, the transgressive dunes seem to have formed later, although determining their precise origins remains a difficult task. Considering the types of dunes, two types of lake basins were identified: back-barrier depressions and deflation basins.