Climate-related river activity at the Weichselian-Holocene transition: a comparative study of the Warta and Maas rivers

Huvial systems from the Dutch and Polish lowlands are compared for their evolution during the Weichselian deglaciation period. In both regions the Pleniglacial braided-river pattern changed to a meandering pattern in the beginning of the Lateglacial. Several transitional stages between braided and high-sinuosity meandering systems have been recognized. A difference in fluvial activity is found during the Younger Dryas when the Maas transformed to a braided pattern while the Warta maintained its meandering pattern. Phases of erosion and aggradation are more or less synchronous in the different river basins, but their intensity may differ greatly. The major characteristics of the fluvial systems are obviously a response to the general climatic evolution and related to changes in vegetation. The regional differences are of minor importance and can be explained by site-specific factors. Threshold values within the latter factors define the changes in river dynamics.