Intertidal coastal wetlands are regularly exposed to storm surges and associated flooding, resulting in the recurrent accretion of reworked sediments on the salt-marsh surfaces. In this context, well-stratified salt-marsh sediment sequences provide an exceptional archive to evaluate the response of coastal wetlands to past storm-climate variability. Hence, this study focusses on the investigation of two sedimentary salt-marsh sequences from the south-eastern German North Sea coast (Bay of Tümlau and Friedrichskoog) to understand how and to which extent changes in the storm-surge climate are transferred into the sediment archive. This objective is particularly challenging as German mainland salt marshes have been greatly altered by human activities over the last century. To overcome this problem, this study combines different sedimentological and geochemical proxy data, using mean grain sizes together with ln(Br/Cl), Br/C_org, and ln(Zr/Rb) ratios, to allow for the identification of storm-surge layers. Local changes in the sedimentary organic matter supply are reflected by the ln(Br/Cl) ratio. There, abrupt drops in the ln(Br/Cl) data coincide with relatively coarser textured sand layers, indicating impacts by regional storm surges during winter, while intervals of comparable higher ln(Br/Cl) values may represent deposition during spring to fall. The Br/C_org record reflects the marine versus terrestrial organic matter input and reveals a long-term increase starting during the first half of the 20th century towards recent times, resembling the observed amplification in North Sea storminess. A similar trend is reflected by the ln(Zr/Rb) ratio (since 1950 CE), which can be used as a proxy for the grain-size distribution. Periodic fluctuations in the ln(Zr/Rb) ratio at inter-decadal timescales (10–19 years) suggest a close linkage between local sediment accretion and large-scale atmosphere-ocean climate oscillations over the North Atlantic and Europe, and thus related storm-surge frequency and intensity. Periodic variability on decadal scales was also identified in the ln(Br/Cl) record at the less human-modified and more naturally developed salt marsh at the Bay of Tümlau (12–22 years), likewise indicating a relation between North Sea storminess and associated shifts in the seasonal signal of the primary production and sediment texture to oscillations in the atmosphere-ocean system. On the contrary, similar periodicities are lacking for the intense modified salt marsh at Friedrichskoog. Apparently, the salt-marsh depositional system in the Bay of Tümlau reacts more sensitively to super-regional climatic changes, respectively, the natural depositional processes in the salt marsh at Friedrichskoog are superimposed by the more intense local human activities.

潮间带沿海湿地经常遭受风暴潮和相关洪水的侵袭，导致盐沼表面上返工的沉积物不断积聚。在这种情况下，分层良好的盐沼沉积物序列为评估沿海湿地对过去风暴气候变化的响应提供了出色的档案。因此，本研究着重于研究德国北海东南海岸（图姆劳湾和弗里德里希斯科格）的两个沉积盐沼序列，以了解风暴潮气候变化如何以及在多大程度上转移到沉积物中存档。由于上个世纪的人类活动极大地改变了德国大陆的盐沼，这一目标尤其具有挑战性。为了克服这个问题，_org和ln（Zr / Rb）比率，以识别风暴潮层。ln（Br / Cl）比反映了沉积有机质供应的局部变化。在那里，ln（Br / Cl）数据的突然下降与相对较粗糙的纹理砂层相吻合，表明冬季受到区域性风暴潮的影响，而相当高的ln（Br / Cl）值的间隔可能代表春季至秋季的沉积。Br / C_组织记录反映了海洋对陆地有机物的输入，并揭示了从20世纪上半叶开始到最近的一个长期增加，类似于北海暴风雨中观察到的放大。ln（Zr / Rb）比（自1950年起）也反映了类似的趋势，该比值可以用作晶粒尺寸分布的代理。年代际尺度（10-19年）ln（Zr / Rb）比的周期性波动表明，北大西洋和欧洲局部沉积物的积聚与大规模的大气-海洋气候振荡之间存在紧密的联系-浪涌频率和强度。在ln（Br / Cl）记录中还发现了Tümlau湾（12–22年）的人为修饰较少且自然发育程度更高的盐沼的年代际周期性变化，同样表明北海暴风雨与初级生产的季节性信号和沉积物质地与大气-海洋系统振荡之间的关系。相反，弗里德里希斯科格的强烈改良盐沼缺乏类似的周期性。显然，图姆劳湾的盐沼沉积系统对超区域气候变化的反应更加敏感，弗里德里希斯科格的盐沼中的自然沉积过程被更为激烈的当地人类活动所叠加。弗里德里希斯科格（Friedrichskoog）密集的盐沼缺乏类似的周期。显然，图姆劳湾的盐沼沉积系统对超区域气候变化的反应更加敏感，弗里德里希斯科格的盐沼中的自然沉积过程被更为激烈的当地人类活动所叠加。弗里德里希斯科格（Friedrichskoog）的强烈改良盐沼缺乏类似的周期。显然，图姆劳湾的盐沼沉积系统对超区域气候变化的反应更加敏感，弗里德里希斯科格的盐沼中的自然沉积过程被更为激烈的当地人类活动所叠加。