Machair is a Gaelic word which applies to those areas of ancient sand dune systems mainly in the Hebrides of Scotland, but also in west Ireland, where long dune grasses have been superseded and the topography is essentially a low, plain surface (Ritchie, 1979). Its main characteristics are summarized below,
- 1.
A level, low-lying, surface at a mature stage of geomorphological evolution, which is part of a very old fully vegetated coastal sand-dune system and is normally marshy in winter.
- 2.
A base of blown sand which has a significant percentage of shell-derived materials and a narrow range of grain sizes.
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Lime-rich soils with a pH value normally greater than 7.0.
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A sandy grassland-type vegetation with long dune grasses and other early dune species having been eliminated.
- 5.
Evidence of a history of anthropic interference including heavy grazing (especially rabbits, sheep, and cattle), rotational cultivation and, in places, artificial drainage.
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Bibliography
Angus, S., and Elliott, M.M., 1992. Erosion in Scottish machair, with particular reference to the Outer Hebrides. In Carter, R.W.G. et al. (eds.), Coastal Dunes: Geomorphology, Ecology and Management, for conservation. Rotterdam: Balkema, pp. 93–112.
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Ritchie, W., 1979. Machair development and chronology in the Uists and adjacent islands. Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. 77B: 107–122.
Ritchie, W., 1985. Inter-tidal and sub-tidal organic deposits and sea level changes in the Uists, Outer Hebrides. Scottish Journal of Geology, 21: 161–76.
Ritchie, W., and Whittington, G., 1994. Non-synchronous aeolian sand movements in the Uists: the evidence of the intertidal organic and sand deposits at Cladach Mór, North Uist. Scottish Geographical Magazine, 110: 40–46.
Cross-references
Archaeology
Changing Sea Levels
Dune Ridges
Eolian Processes
Human Impact on Coasts
Sandy Coasts
Sea-Level Rise, Effect
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Ritchie, W. (2005). Machair. In: Schwartz, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3880-1_200
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