Holocene reef sequences and geochemistry, Britomart Reef, central Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Holocene reef development was investigated by coring on Britomart Reef, a mid-shelf reef, 23 km long and 8 km wide situated 120 km north of Townsville in the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Two holes were drilled, Britomart 1 on a lagoon patch reef, and Britomart 2 on the windward reef crest. The Holocene reef (25·5 m) is the thickest yet recorded in the GBR and overlies an uneven substrate of weathered Pleistocene limestone. Mineralogical and geochemical analyses show that magnesian calcite and aragonite were converted to low Mg-calcite below the Holocene-Pleistocene disconformity. Corals above the interface have 7500–8500 ppm Sr, but 1650–1500 ppm just below it, decreasing to 400–800 ppm downwards. The intermediate Sr values could be due to partial replacement of aragonite by calcite or higher original Sr content in the corals. Three units are recognized in the Holocene: (1) coral boundstone unit, (2) coral framestone unit, and (3) coral rudstone unit. The coral boundstone unit forms the top 5 m of both cores and is algal-bound coral rubble similar to the present reef top. The coral framestone unit is composed of massive head corals Diploastrea heliopora and Porites sp., and is currently forming in patch reefs situated in the lagoon and along the reef front. The coral rudstone unit comprises coral rudstone and floatstone with unabraded, and unbound, coral clasts in muddy matrix. This matrix may be up to 30% sponge chips. Radiocarbon dating indicates the reef grew more rapidly under the lagoon than under the reef front from 7000 to 5000 yr BP. The rate of reef growth matched existing estimates of sea-level rise, but lagged approximately 1000 years (5–10 m) behind it. Most of the reef mass accumulated between 8500 and 5000 yr BP as a mound of debris, perhaps stabilized by seagrasses or algae. Accretion of the reef top in a windward direction between 5000 and 3000 yr BP created the present, steep reef-front profile.     

Significance of shallow core transects for reef models and sea‐level curves,Heron Reef,Great Barrier Reef

A sequence of shallow reef cores from Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef, provides new insights into Holocene reef growth models. Isochron analysis of a leeward core transect suggests that the north‐western end of Heron Reef reached current sea‐level by ca 6·5 kyr bp and then prograded leeward at a rate of ca 19·6 m/kyr between 5·1 kyr and 4·1 kyr bp (pre‐1950) to the present reef margin. A single short core on the opposing margin of the reef is consistent with greater and more recent progradation there. Further to the east, one windward core reached modern sea‐level by ca 6·3 kyr bp , suggesting near ‘keep‐up’ behaviour at that location, but the opposing leeward margin behind the lagoon reached sea‐level much more recently. Hence, Heron Reef exhibited significantly different reef growth behaviour on different parts of the same margin. Mean reef accretion rates calculated from within 20 m of one another in the leeward core transect varied between ca 2·9 m and 4·7 m/kyr depending on relative position in the prograding wedge. These cores serve as a warning regarding the use of isolated cores to inform reef growth rates because apparent aggradation at any given location on a reef varies depending on its location relative to a prograding margin. Only transects of closely spaced cores can document reef behaviour adequately so as to inform reef growth models and sea‐level curves. The cores also emphasize potential problems in U‐series dates for corals within a shallow (ca 1·5 m) zone beneath the reef flat. Apparent age inversions restricted to that active diagenetic zone may reflect remobilization and concentration of Th in irregularly distributed microbialites or biofilms that were missed during sample vetting. Importantly, the Th‐containing contaminant causes ages to appear too old, rather than too young, as would be expected from younger cement.     

Patterns of mixed siliciclastic‐carbonate sedimentation adjacent to a large dry‐tropics river on the central Great Barrier Reef shelf,Australia

The Great Barrier Reef represents the largest modern example of a mixed siliciclastic‐carbonate system. The Burdekin River is the largest source of terrigenous sediment to the lagoon and is therefore an ideal location to investigate regional patterns of mixed sedimentation. Sediments become coarser grained and more poorly sorted away from the protection of eastern headlands, with mud accumulation focused in localised ‘hot spots‘ in the eastern portion of embayments protected from southeast trade winds. The middle shelf has a variable facies distribution but is dominated by coarse carbonate sand. North of Bowling Green Bay, modern coarse carbonate sand and relict quartzose sand occur. Shore‐normal compositional changes show Ca‐enrichment and Al‐dilution seawards towards the reef, and shore‐parallel trends show Al‐dilution westwards (across bays) along a Ca‐depleted mixing line. Intermediate siliciclastic‐carbonate sediment compositions occur on the middle shelf due to the abundance of relict terrigenous sand, a pattern that is less developed on the narrow northern Great Barrier Reef shelf. Rates of sediment deposition from seismic evidence and radiochemical tracers suggest that despite the magnitude of riverine input, 80–90% of the Burdekin‐derived sediment is effectively captured in Bowling Green Bay. Over millennial time‐scales, stratigraphic controls suggest that sediment is being preferentially accreted back to the coast.     

Are carbonate barrier islands mobile? Insights from a mid to late-Holocene system,Al Ruwais,northern Qatar

Barrier islands are important landforms in many coastal systems around the globe. Studies of modern barrier island systems are mostly limited to those of siliciclastic realms, where the islands are recognized as mobile features that form on transgressive coastlines and migrate landward as sea-level rises. Barrier islands of the ‘Great Pearl Bank’ along the United Arab Emirates coast are the best-known carbonate examples. These Holocene islands, however, are interpreted to be anchored by older deposits and immobile. The mid-Holocene to late-Holocene depositional system at Al Ruwais, northern Qatar, provides an example of a mobile carbonate barrier island system, perhaps more similar to siliciclastic equivalents. Sedimentological and petrographic analyses, as well as ¹⁴C-dating of shells and biogenic remains from vibracored sediments and surface deposits, show that after 7000 years ago a barrier system with a narrow back-barrier lagoon formed along what is now an exposed coastal zone, while, contemporaneously, a laterally-extensive coral reef was forming immediately offshore. After 1400 years ago the barrier system was forced to step ca 3 km seaward in response to a sea-level fall of less than 2 m, where it re-established itself directly on the mid-Holocene reef. Since that time, the barrier has retreated landward as much as 1000 m to its current position, exposing previously-deposited back-barrier lagoonal sediment at the open-coast shoreline. In modern neritic warm-water carbonate settings mobile barrier island systems are rare. Their construction and migration may be inhibited by reef formation, early cementation, and the relative inefficiency of sourcing beach sediments from open carbonate shelves. Carbonate barrier island systems likely formed more commonly during geological periods when ramps and unrimmed shelves predominated and in calcite seas, when meteoric cementation was minimized as a result of initial calcitic allochem mineralogy. As with their siliciclastic analogues, however, recognition of the influence of these transient landforms in the rock record is challenging.     

Fringing reef growth on a terrigenous mud foundation, Fantome Island, central Great Barrier reef, Australia

The leeward fringing reef at Fantome Island (central Great Barrier Reef province) is a carbonate body which has developed under the influence of terrigenous sedimentation. The reef flat is up to 1000 m wide and is surfaced by mobile sand and gravel, with almost all live corals restricted to the seaward rim. The reef slope has coral columns and heads on the upper part, but below 5 m water depth it is a muddy substrate with scattered mounds of branching corals. Three high recovery cores show the reef is up to 10 m thick and developed over a gently sloping terrace of weathered Pleistocene alluvium. Three post-glacial stratigraphic units are recognised: (1) carbonate reef top unit of coral rudstone and framestone including Sinularia spiculite; (2) lower slope unit of coral floatstone in a terrigenous muddy matrix; and (3) transgressive basal unit of skeletal arkosic sand. The acid insoluble content of matrix and of individual corals increases downwards. Coral growth rates decrease downwards, reflecting slower growth in muddier environments. Radiocarbon dating shows that the reef prograded seaward at almost stable sea level. An average vertical accumulation rate of 6.7 mm yr^-1 is indicated. Two age reversals are interpreted as material transported by storms or by erosion in response to a late Holocene sea-level fall. The carbonate reef top unit has developed adjacent to, and is environmentally compatible with a muddy terrigenous, lower slope unit. Terrigenous influx has not changed during the Holocene, and terrigenous content of sediments is controlled by deposition on the reef slope of fine sediment winnowed from the reef flat and concentration of coarse sediment in the transgressive basal sheet.     

Post-glacial seismic stratigraphy, central Great Barrier Reef, Australia

A regional programme of continuous seismic (boomer) profiling in the central Great Barrier Reef Province has identified a widespread shallow seismic discontinuity (reflector A) which is interpreted as the pre-Holocene surface. Nine seismic facies units are distinguished primarily on the basis of the seismic records, but also with the aid of additional criteria such as location and surface sediment types. Two units underlie reflector A and are pre-Holocene. These units are interpreted as: (a) Permo-Carboniferous bedrock, and (b) Pleistocene/? Tertiary sediments, consisting of both shelf-wide terrigenous units, and carbonate mounds and platforms under present reefs. Seven units are post-glacial and overlie reflector A. These units are interpreted as: (c) fluvial/estuarine channel fill, (d) relict delta-front deposits, (e) relict transgressive veneer, (f) coastal coarse and (g) fine deposits, (h) modern reef and (i) reef talus. In general post-glacial sediment cover is very thin and in many places on the mid-shelf the pre-Holocene units crop out. Substantial post-glacial accumulations are limited to protected coastal embayments and to offshore reef masses.     

The hydrodynamic and sedimentary setting of nearshore coral reefs, central Great Barrier Reef shelf, Australia: Paluma Shoals, a case study

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) shelf contains a range of coral reefs on the highly turbid shallow inner shelf, where interaction occurs with terrigenous sediments. The modern hydrodynamic and sedimentation regimes at Paluma Shoals, a shore‐attached ‘turbid‐zone’ coral reef, and at Phillips Reef, a fringing reef located 20 km offshore, have been studied to document the mechanisms controlling turbidity. At each reef, waves, currents and near‐bed turbidity were measured for a period of ≈1 month. Bed sediments were sampled at 135 sites. On the inner shelf, muddy sands are widespread, with admixed terrigenous and carbonate gravel components close to the reefs and islands, except on their relatively sheltered SW side, where sandy silty clays occur. At Paluma Shoals, the coral assemblage is characteristic of inner‐shelf or sheltered habitats on the GBR shelf (dominated by Galaxea fascicularis, up to >50% coral cover) and is broadly similar to that at Phillips Reef, further offshore and in deeper water. The sediments of the Paluma Shoals reef flats consist of mixed terrigenous and calcareous gravels and sands, with intermixed silts and clays, whereas the reef slope is dominated by gravelly quartz sands. The main turbidity‐generating process is wave‐driven resuspension, and turbidity ranges up to 175 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). In contrast, at Phillips Reef, turbidity is <15 NTU and varies little. At Paluma Shoals, turbidity of >40 NTU probably occurs for a total of >40 days each year, and relatively little time is spent at intermediate turbidities (15–50 NTU). The extended time spent at either low or high turbidities is consistent with the biological response of some species of corals to adopt two alternative mechanisms of functioning (autotrophy and heterotrophy) in response to different levels of turbidity. Sedimentation rates over periods of hours may reach the equivalent of 10 000 times the mean global background terrigenous flux (BTF) of sediment to the sea floor, i.e. 10 000 BTF, over three orders of magnitude greater than the Holocene average for Halifax Bay of <3 BTF. As elsewhere along the nearshore zone of the central GBR, dry‐season hydrodynamic conditions form a primary control upon turbidity and the distribution of bed sediments. The location of modern nearshore coral reefs is controlled by the presence of suitable substrates, which in Halifax Bay are Pleistocene and early Holocene coarse‐grained (and relatively stable) alluvial deposits.     

Submergent shorelines in the SW Pacific: evidence for an episodic post-glacial transgression

ABSTRACT High resolution seismic profiles, supported where possible by radiocarbon dates and regional stratigraphic data, indicate that the last post-glacial transgression in the SW Pacific was episodic, comprising major stillstands punctuated by rapid rises in sea-level. On the terrigenous continental shelf east of South Island, New Zealand, a succession of shorelines (S8-S1) are recognized, as follows: S8 =c. ?113 m, 18,000 yr BP; S7 =c. ?88 m, 17,000 yr BP; S6 =c. ?75 m, 15,000 yr BP; S5 =c. ?56 m, 12,000 yr BP; S4 =c. ?46 m, 11,000 yr BP; S3 =c. ?28 m, 9,500 yr BP; S3a =c. ?24 m, 9,000 yr BP; S2 =c. ?9 m, 7,500 yr BP; S1 = 0 m, 6,500 yr BP. With the exception of S8, and possibly S2, the shorelines are associated with wedges of sediment, the size and presence of which imply that (1) sea-level stabilized at some shorelines for a considerable period of time (up to 1-2,000 yr); and (2) the intervening rises of sea-level, estimated to have been at least 10-12 m 10³ yr^?1, were too rapid to allow the reworking of the wedges into a transgressive sediment sheet, as favoured in some current models. On the Great Barrier Reef shelf, off Queensland Australia, shorelines S8-S1 have also been recognized, with a further shoreline feature S4a occurring at c. -39 m. Shorelines S1a (0 m/0 yr BP), Sib (+ 2-3 m/6,000 yr BP) and Sic (0 m/6,500yr BP) are recognized as discrete aspects of the post-6,500 yr BP sea-level behaviour in north-eastern Australia. The rapid rise in sea-level, at least between shorelines S5 (12,000 yr BP) and S3 (9,500 yr Bp), is known to have outpaced reef growth, causing in situ drowning of reefs located along the deeper shorelines. All modern reefs so far drilled and dated began their development at or above S3 (-28 m, 9,500 yr BP). Some of the shorelines, particularly S5, appear to correlate between the northern and southern hemispheres on the basis of age, succession and general depth of occurrence, suggesting (1) that they may be global features controlled by the post-glacial pattern of ice-sheet decay; and (2) that hydro-isostatic adjustment may exert only a minor control on the depth of particular shorelines, at least during the earlier parts of the post-glacial transgression.     

Mixed carbonates and siliciclastics in the Quaternary of southern Belize: Pleistocene turning points in reef development controlled by sea‐level change

The Belize barrier and atoll reefs represent one of the largest reef structures in the Atlantic Ocean. The southern shelf of Belize is a classic location of a modern mixed carbonate–siliciclastic system. Whereas knowledge of the Holocene deposits in the area is extensive, data on the Pleistocene system are fragmentary. Open questions include: (i) the nature of the reef foundations (carbonate versus siliciclastics); (ii) the ages of the deposits including the initiation of the barrier reef; and (iii) the response of the mixed system to sea‐level fluctuations. The results of a study of borings on the southern Belize shelf are presented here. Six, up to 105 m long borings were made to better understand the history of this important mixed system. Uranium‐series dating in the Pleistocene was not possible because of diagenetic alteration; however, lithostratigraphy, strontium isotopes and calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy were used to constrain stratigraphic ages. Results support the contention that the Quaternary development in Belize was quite similar to that of other major barrier reefs such as the Florida Reef Tract and, further afield, the Great Barrier and the New Caledonian Barrier Reefs. All of these barrier reefs are mixed carbonate–siliciclastic systems and significant reef growth only began after the onset of high‐amplitude, eccentricity‐controlled sea‐level changes and as late as during the exceptionally long and warm marine isotope stage 11, some 400 ka. In Belize, Early Pleistocene sections at bases of borings include mollusc‐rich wackestones, rare coral packstones and marls, which were deposited under low to moderate energy conditions in a ramp setting before ca 900 ka, during the high sea‐levels of marine isotope stage 25 and possibly earlier (marine isotope stage 31 or 37). The Belize shelf was subaerially exposed for most of the mid‐Pleistocene and was dominated by siliciclastic sedimentation, possibly during marine isotope stages 24 to 12 when highstands were comparatively low. Continuous reefs at the shelf margin were developing during highstands. In the Late Pleistocene, beginning with the long and high highstand of marine isotope stage 11 (some 400 ka), the southern shelf was flooded entirely and carbonates started to dominate once more. Reefs developed on top of siliciclastic deposits on the shelf. A continuous barrier reef came into existence and largely developed on top of carbonates at the shelf margin. During Late Pleistocene lowstands, siliciclastics presumably no longer reached the shelf margin because of the topographic high of the barrier reef platform. The Quaternary Belize example may serve as a model for reconstructing ancient mixed systems in icehouse worlds, however, any extrapolations are limited by the fact that fast‐growing Scleractinian reef‐builders had not yet evolved in the Palaeozoic.     

Storm‐dominated sedimentation in a protected basin fringed by coral reefs,Nara Inlet,Whitsunday Islands,Great Barrier Reef,Australia

Hydrodynamic data and samples of bed sediment were collected from Nara Inlet, a small incised embayment in the Whitsunday Islands, central Great Barrier Reef. Measured tidal currents in the inlet do not exceed 0.2 ms^–1 even at spring tides. Swell waves dominate much of the inner shelf of the Great Barrier Reef but are absent from in the inlet due to the presence of a fringing reef at the inlet mouth. On the silty sand floor of the inlet, particle size decreases towards the inlet head. Most of the bed is too coarse to be remobilised by fair‐weather wave and tides, and we predict that bedload sediment transport thresholds are only exceeded in the inlet during cyclones. The observed distribution of bed sediments is consistent with landward dispersal of sediment under storm conditions. Over 20 m of (presumably Holocene) sediments occurs in the inlet and the seismic character of the infill is consistent with the observed textural variation of the modern sediments. We infer that sediment accumulation on the floor of the inlet has been storm dominated throughout much of the Holocene.     

Computer simulation of reef growth

Light is one of the major controls on reef growth and carbonate production. The growth of present reef builders depends largely upon the amount of light available for photosynthesis. As light decreases with water depth, so does reef growth. The computer model presented extends this principle by combining two functions, one for photosynthesis and the other for the extinction of light in water. The model is used to simulate the growth of Alacran Reef, Mexico, two reefs of the Great Barrier Reef and the reefs of the windward platform of St Croix, US Virgin Islands. The model also gives an accurate simulation of the growth of fore-reef walls in Belize, in agreement with the accretion hypothesis developed for this feature.     

Temporal and Spatial Variabilities of Chemical and Physical Parameters on the Heron Island Coral Reef Platform

Globally, coral reefs are threatened by ocean warming and acidification. The degree to which acidification will impact reefs is dependent on the local hydrodynamics, benthic community composition, and biogeochemical processes, all of which vary on different temporal and spatial scales. Characterizing the natural spatiotemporal variability of seawater carbonate chemistry across different reefs is critical for elucidating future impacts on coral reefs. To date, most studies have focused on select habitats, whereas fewer studies have focused on reef scale variability. Here, we investigate the temporal and spatial seawater physicochemical variability across the entire Heron Island coral reef platform, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, for a limited duration of six days. Autonomous sensor measurements at three sites across the platform were complemented by reef-wide boat surveys and discrete sampling of seawater carbonate chemistry during the morning and evening. Variability in both temporal and spatial physicochemical properties were predominantly driven by solar irradiance (and its effect on biological activity) and the semidiurnal tidal cycles but were influenced by the local geomorphology resulting in isolation of the platform during low tide and rapid flooding during rising tides. As a result, seawater from previous tidal cycles was sometimes trapped in different parts of the reef leading to unexpected biogeochemical trends in space and time. This study illustrates the differences and limitations of data obtained from high-frequency measurements in a few locations compared to low-frequency measurements at high spatial resolution and coverage, showing the need for a combined approach to develop predictive capability of seawater physicochemical properties on coral reefs.

     

渤海湾西北岸大吴庄牡蛎礁测年与古环境变化

对位于渤海湾牡蛎礁平原东部的大吴庄牡蛎礁一个完整剖面的系统^14C年代测定与校正表明,该礁体的持续时间约为1600年(7200～5600calBP)。以壳体生长纹层氧、碳同位素获得的礁体平均建造速率1cm／yr来计算礁体的持续时间,结果仅为^14C计年历时的三分之一。^14C测年与壳体同位素计年结果的对比表明,礁体的每一水平层平均占据了一定的时间(约200年),这一时间段是不适宜礁体正常建造的“缓变型地质环境恶化期”。礁体正常建礁层及水平夹层的时空分布与地区性气候变化曲线对比结果表明,水平夹层与正常建礁层的转换与地区性气温波动相对应。水平夹层代表的“缓变型地质环境恶化期”,对应着地区性气温偏冷时期。     

Bathymetry and sediments on the carbonate platform off western India: Significance of Halimeda bioherms in carbonate sedimentation

Bathymetry across the carbonate platform off western India indicated small-size pinnacles and their lateral coalescence into 2 -6-m high mounds landward, and linear elongated carbonate ridges and troughs, mounds and banks up to a height of 20-m seaward of the platform. Seismic data indicated that these mounds were transparent with no rigid internal structure and can be defined as bioherms. The sediments were abundantly aragonite faecal pellets, Halimeda grains and ooids and their radiocarbon ages ranged from 11 to 7.5 ka BP. It appears that the growth of Halimeda bioherms on the platform was facilitated by intense upwelling during the early Holocene. The terrigenous sediments brought by rivers were deposited in the inner shelf and have not affected the growth of bioherms. It is estimated that the platform comprises at least 1.85 Gt of mass CaCO\(_3\) accumulated during the early Holocene and comparable to those on the Great Barrier Reef. Halimeda bioherms produce abundant carbonate sediments and their growth period represents a geological carbonate sink and release of high CO\(_2\) to the atmosphere. Detailed shallow seismic studies and sediment cores are needed to quantify the exact mass content of CaCO\(_3\) and model climate change during the early Holocene.     

Cat Island platform, Bahamas: an incipiently drowned Holocene carbonate shelf

Analyses of high resolution, seismic reflection profiles and surface sediment samples indicate that the Cat Island shelf is presently in an incipiently drowned state. This small carbonate bank is characterized by a thin (<4 m), coarse-grained, relict sediment cover, along with limited reef development, and a relatively deep (20–30 m) margin indicating that it has been unable to ‘keep-up’ with Holocene sea-level rise. Early flooding at relatively high rates of sea-level rise (4 m kyr^-1, 5–8 × 10³ yr BP) in conjunction with small bank size and relatively low elevation, led to a reduced rate of carbonate accumulation and incipient drowning. The shelf edge currently lies beneath the zone of maximum carbonate production and exposes the interior shelf to open marine conditions which may result in permanent drowning if it is unable to ‘catch-up’ with continued sea-level rise. Sediment facies patterns are largely oriented perpendicular or oblique to the shelf edge and appear to be controlled by shelf circulation patterns focused by bank-margin reentrants. In comparison with most of the northern Bahamas, the Cat Island shelf was flooded earlier and at relatively higher rates of Holocene sea-level rise which led to selective drowning, implying that carbonate platforms need not drown synchronously over widespread areas as commonly thought. The potential rock record of this incipient drowning event would be a thin, open-marine sand sheet of highly degraded cryptocrystalline and aggregate grains associated with poorly developed reefs.     

Late Quaternary palæoecology and palæoclimates of the eastern Sahara

Latest field research and palæoenvironmental reconstructions have revealed that within less than 6000 years the eastern Sahara experienced a dramatic climatic change similar to that in the western Sahara, passing from hyperaridity to semi-aridity (dry savanna) to its present hyperarid state. Groundwater levels started to rise about 9300 years before present (¹⁴C years BP), leading to the formation of a mosaic of freshwater lakes and swamps. Within a few decades, the aquifers were loaded and the palæopiezometric surface was as much as 25 m higher than it is today. The uplands generated up to 800 km long fluvial systems, which put an end to the endorheic drainage of the region and functioned as migration paths for large savanna mammals. These wetter conditions persisted in Western Nubia during the Holocene until ca 5000 years BP The climatic deterioration began around 5700 years BP as shown by evaporitic sediments. Reversal events prior to aridification during the Late Holocene were not recorded systematically in the sediments of the eastern Sahara because of the stability of the ecosystems. Changes in land-surface conditions such as palæolakes, swamps and vegetation created water vapour sources that generated local rainfall and buffered short dry spells. Radiocarbon-dated charcoal indicates that Neolithic human occupation culminated during this Early Holocene wet phase and ended ca 2000 years after the fading of the wet phase at about 3000 years BP, when the shallow aquifers were exhausted.     

海南岛排浦珊瑚礁区的现代沉积体系及其演化过程

海南岛排浦礁区由珊瑚岸礁和堤礁及其间水域组成。因堤礁的障壁作用和丰富的陆源物质供应,研究区内形成清水和浑水两类沉积环境,产出清水碳酸盐和浑水碳酸盐两列沉积体系,并形成礁源沉积、陆源沉积和混合沉积三类沉积物。文中详细论述了各类沉积的特征,讨论了沉积体系的演化过程:全新世早期是单一的陆源碎屑沉积体系,全新世中期海侵,气温转暖,形成早期排浦岸礁与大铲堤礁的雏型,全新世晚期堤礁进入成熟阶段,其障壁作用加强,最终形成清水与浑水两种沉积环境和两列沉积体系。     

Midge‐inferred Holocene effective moisture fluctuations in a subarctic lake,northern Lapland

Luoto, T. P. & Sarmaja‐Korjonen, K. 2011: Midge‐inferred Holocene effective moisture fluctuations in a subarctic lake, northern Lapland. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2011.00217.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. We examined fossil midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) assemblages from Lake Várddoaijávri, northern Finland to track Holocene effective moisture variability. Application of a midge‐based water‐depth calibration model showed that the early Holocene was characterized by a high water level compared with the Holocene average, but the inferred values decreased at c. 8000 cal. a BP and increased again towards c. 6000 cal. a BP. The inferred water level decreased at c. 5500 cal. a BP, but increased again towards c. 4000 cal. a BP. Between 4000 and 3000 cal. a BP the lake experienced two rapid events of lower water level. A relatively high water level detected at c. 3000 cal. a BP was followed by a lowering towards c. 2000 cal. a BP. The time period from c. 2000 cal. a BP onwards was characterized by a general rise in lake level towards the present. Overall, the present reconstruction shows a close correspondence in its trends to previous lake‐level records in the region. Two common core taxa, Paratanytarsus and Corynocera ambigua, did not correlate significantly with water depth in the calibration data, creating a potential error source for the present lake‐level reconstruction. However, statistical analysis showed a clear community response to long‐term lake‐level changes, and therefore the major trends in Holocene effective moisture patterns were revealed. The present palaeoclimatic information can also serve as valuable background data when assessing the effects of the present climate change.     

Carbonate dissolution revealed by silt grain-size distribution: comparison of Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum sediments from the pelagic South Atlantic

The current issue of global warming and the role of the ocean in global exchange of CO₂ increases the interest in solid budgets of marine carbonate production and dissolution. The present study utilizes grain‐size composition of pelagic sediments in order to trace spatial and temporal variability of carbonate sedimentation in the South Atlantic for the Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 19–23 cal kyr BP). A decrease in grain size (e.g. sand content, mean grain size of coarse carbonate silt) indicates increased carbonate dissolution as a result of increased fragmentation of calcareous microfossils. The spatial grain‐size pattern suggests a threshold water depth below which a gradual grain‐size decrease becomes increasingly rapid. This water depth is considered as the sedimentary lysocline. For the Holocene time slice, a constant, gradual decrease of foraminifer carbonate of about 5–10% per 1000 m water depth above the lysocline gives evidence for supra‐lysoclinal dissolution. The water depth of the lysocline for the Holocene is tied to the interface of North Atlantic Deep Water and Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) (ca 4100 m). Submarine ridges which restrict intrusion of AABW into the Angola Basin cause an asymmetry in carbonate preservation across the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. The lysocline was reconstructed at ca 3100 m for the LGM. These data suggest that the ca 1000 m rise of the lysocline eradicated the Holocene east–west asymmetry.     

Microborer ichnocoenoses in Quaternary corals from New Caledonia: reconstructions of paleo-water depths and reef growth strategies in relation to environmental changes

Coral reef growth and development depend on several environmental factors, including tectonic and climatic parameters and local ecological drivers. Reef growth is especially sensitive to sea-level variations. Paleo-water depth reconstructions are essential tools used to determine reef growth patterns during different periods of reef growth. Assemblages of corals and/or coralline algae have been commonly used in such paleodepth reconstructions. This study shows that using microendolith ichnocoenoses can sometimes provide better accuracy than traditional coralgal analyses, particularly in the depth-range 0–10 m where coralgal assemblages usually show broad distribution ranges. Holocene and Pleistocene cores from two barrier reef sites on the west coast of Grande Terre in New Caledonia are examined here. Holocene reef development at these sites feature examples of microendolith ichnocoenoses that document rapid environmental changes and small sea-level variations of about 2–5 m in amplitude, and record these changes with more accuracy than coral and coralline algae assemblages which are highly dependant on the hydrodynamic energy of the setting. During the Pleistocene, which was less chronologically constrained, the microendolith ichnocoenoses also reflect paleo-water depths and reef-growth patterns at different periods of reef history.