Chronosequential initial evolution of soils and freshwater resources of a barrier island (example Ostplate Spiekeroog)

由风、水流和波浪的能量形成的屏障岛屿是脆弱的生态系统。屏障岛屿的形态动力学变化及其对土壤和底层淡水水库的影响是沿海环境和岛屿饮用水供应的主要关注点。从一个平坦而裸露的砂坪开始，年轻的东板块在80年内就变成了一个植被覆盖的地区，有一条细长的东西走向的高沙丘线，下面已经形成了淡水水库。这一演变有航空图像和植被图的充分记录。该项目的目的是研究已知时间范围内与地貌变化有关的最初土壤和水文地质过程。初始土壤发育过程和沙丘，盐沼和中央平坦的沙地土壤的时序变化将进行调查，以及天气和洪水引起的变异后者。将研究淡水水库的厚度、范围、年龄和动态，并通过数值模拟评估过去的演变和未来的发展。此外，还将研究从渗入土壤到淡水体内的海底排放的水流路径上的水化学过程沿着。受保护的东板块，基本上没有受到人类的干扰，是一个理想的网站计划的研究，因为动态演变的时间尺度是已知的。东板块本身不是一个屏障岛，这一事实与土壤学和水文地质过程无关。

Barrier islands, formed by the energy of wind, currents and waves are fragile ecosystems. Morphodynamic changes of barrier islands and the consequences for soils and underlying freshwater reservoirs are of major interest for coastal environments and the drinking water supply of the islands. Starting as a flat and bare sand flat, the young Ostplate changed within only 80 years to an area covered with vegetation with a elongated west-east running line of high dunes, below which freshwater reservoirs have already formed. This evolution is well documented with aerial images and vegetation maps. The aim of this project is to study the initial pedological and hydrogeological processes associated with the geomorphological changes within a known time-frame. Initial soil developing processes and the chronosequential alterations of the soils from the dunes, salt marshes and central flat sands will be investigated as well as the weather and inundation induced variability for the latter. Thickness, extent, age and dynamics of the freshwater reservoirs will be studied and both past evolution as well as future development will be evaluated by means of numerical modeling. In addition, the hydrochemical processes along a flow-path from infiltration into soils to submarine discharge within the freshwater body will be investigated. The protected Ostplate, largely undisturbed by humans, is an ideal site for the planned study, as the time-scales of the dynamic evolution are known. The fact that the Ostplate is not a barrier island by itself is irrelevant with regard to pedological and hydrogeological processes.