SEDIMENTARY CHARACTERISTICS OF CHENIERS IN SOUTHERN CHANGJIANG DELTA AND THEIR ORIGIN AND AGE DETERMINATION

According to analyses on the texture and structure of sediment, species component and accumulative way of shells, geometry of sana body and its vertical sequence, this paper points out that the sand ridge located in the west of Shanghai is a kind of ancient chenier, and the entire broad plain of cheniers and the mud flats in between is called chenier plain. The origin of the chenier is related to the shifting of main branch channel in the Changjiang estuary and coastal changes during the historical periods. Based on 14C dating data, the ages of the cheniers from west to east are 6800-6000,5800-5500, 4200-4000 and 3200 years B. P. respectively. These cheniers of different ages illustrate the development processes of the Changjiang Delta during the Middle Holocene.     

全新世胶州湾海侵及大沽河古河口湾的形成和演变

晚更新世盛冰期低海面时,胶州湾为陆地,大沽河流于其上,河口在黄海陆架边缘。全新世海侵时,海水沿古河道侵入,约在9．6kaB．P．左右,胶州湾地区被海水淹没,并于湾顶西北侧形成196km^2的大沽河溺谷型河口湾,当时大沽河河口退缩至今谈家庄一沽河镇(李哥庄)一带。随后,河流泥沙在该河口湾快速淤积,形成十余米厚的水下冲积扇和1～2m厚的冲积层,将溺谷湾充填。约在4kaB．P．左右大沽河河口外延至现今营海码头村、三角底一带。     

The chenier coast of Suriname: Modern and geological development

The Holocene coastal plain of Suriname is part of the extensive chenier plain between the Amazon River and the Orinoco River. The development began approximately 6000 yrs B.P. and was interrupted twice by periods of erosion or non-deposition. Along the present coastline large shoreface-attached mudbanks migrate continually to the west. Cheniers are formed in the interbank areas.

The geological development and stratigraphy of the Suriname chenier plain and the morphodynamic development of the modern coastline are discussed. Some hypothetical explanations of the geological development from the actual morphodynamics are briefly discussed. A new approach has been developed involving the analysis of aerial photographs using a geographical information system. This was used to analyse the geomorphological changes of the Suriname coastline.     

Sedimentary facies and paleoenvironmental interpretation of a Holocene marsh in the Gironde Estuary in France

1Introduction Since the last glacial maximum, the Holocenehas been marked by a rapid rise in sea level. After6 000 a BP, the present-day level was reached andthe rate of sea-level rise (SLR) decreased rapidly(Morzadec -Kerfourn, 1974; Kidson, 1986 ).These…     

尼罗河三角洲全新世海平面变动及其对环境的影响——与长江三角洲的对比

利用泥炭(33个)和潟湖(65个)14C测年数据重建了尼罗河三角洲全新世海平面的变动过程,结果显示潟湖样品比泥炭更为有效地反映出海平面变动特征:距今7000a时海平面约位于现今-10m,距今5000a时约为-5m,距离2000a时已接近现代.海侵强度和范围受古地貌和区域沉降的影响呈现出东北部大、中部其次、西部最小.随着海平面上升速率减小,三角洲在约距今7000a时开始建造,并广泛发育潟湖、沙坝和平原河流沉积体系.此后,海平面趋于稳定,人类活动增强,导致海岸沉积环境大片萎缩、消亡.同样利用泥炭(45个)测年数据重建了长江三角洲全新世海平面变动,结果与尼罗河的差异较大,可能是两地沉降差异所致.近代长江三角洲人类活动也是导致环境退化的主要原因.     

Late Quaternary sedimentation within a submarine channel–levee system offshore Cap Timiris, Mauritania

Aeolian and fluvial sediment transport to the Atlantic Ocean offshore Mauritania were reconstructed based on grain-size distributions of the carbonate-free silt fraction of three marine sediment records of Cap Timiris Canyon to monitor the climatic evolution of present-day arid north-western Africa. During the late Pleistocene, predominantly coarse-grained particles, which are interpreted as windborne dust, characterise glacial dry climate conditions with a low sea level and extended sand seas that reach onto the exposed continental shelf off Mauritania. Subsequent particle fining and the abrupt decrease in terrigenous supply are attributed to humid climate conditions and dune stabilisation on the adjacent African continent with the onset of the Holocene humid period. Indications for an ancient drainage system, which was discharging fluvial mud offshore via Cap Timiris Canyon, are provided by the finest end member for early to mid Holocene times. However, in comparison to the Senegal and Niger River further south, the river system connecting Cap Timiris Canyon with the Mauritanian hinterland was starved during the late Holocene and is non-discharging under present-day arid climate conditions.     

Holocene strata along the coastal area of eastern Guangdong

The data of about 1700 drill holes are correlated, of which 47 drill sections are discussed comprehensively for chronology and sedimentology, and the characteristics and changes of sporo-pollen are analysed. The authors consider that the Holocene strata along the coast of eastern Guangdong can be divided into five formations. The Holocene began 12 000 years ago; the fluvial facies gravel, the striped weathered clay and the "old red sand" serves as the boundary between the Holocene and the Pleistocene.     

Budgets of Mn,Cd and Cu in the macrotidal Gironde estuary (SW France)

The behavior and budget of Mn, Cd and Cu in the Gironde estuary were investigated through data from both the water column (WC) and sediment depth profiles. In the estuarine freshwater reaches, Mn and Cd removal from and Cu addition to the dissolved phase occurs with a magnitude equivalent to 10%, 30% and 25% of their respective annual fluvial gross dissolved input, respectively. In the saline estuary, diffusive benthic outflow is the main source of dissolved Mn (74% of the total gross dissolved input within the estuary) to the WC. In contrast, Cd (96%) and Cu (89%) are mainly released into the dissolved phase of the WC from fluvial, estuarine and dredging-related particles through complexation (Cd) and organic carbon mineralization (Cu). Anthropogenic activities (sediment dredging) induce pore water inputs, particulate sulfide oxidation and sediment resuspension, significantly contributing to the metal budget of the WC. The related amounts of metals released could be equivalent to 20–50% (Cd) and up to 70% (Cu) of their respective net dissolved addition. Mass balances suggest that a large part of the metals previously released into the dissolved phase from processes within the estuary are removed by suspended particles due to (co-)precipitation of Fe/Mn (oxy)hydroxides and scavenging on autochthonous organic matter. On an annual basis, the Gironde estuary acts as a net sink of dissolved Mn, removing 60% of the dissolved fluvial inputs, and as a net source of dissolved Cd and Cu, contributing ∼ 85% and 20–45% to the dissolved Cd and Cu fluxes to the ocean.     

Temporal and spatial changes of dunes in the Changjiang (Yangtze) estuary,China

The response of subaqueous dunes to the variation of riverine sediment supply in an estuary is rarely reported. Five sets of field measurements of bed sediments and topography were made in the Changjiang estuary, China during dry and flood seasons for the past 9 years. Results show that dunes were mainly three-dimensional (3D) during flood seasons and two-dimensional (2D) dunes during dry seasons. Dunes were also much larger in flood seasons. Dunes mainly occurred within the main channels of the estuary although they extended 11.7 km seaward of their normal extent in the South Channel during dry seasons from 2002 to 2006. This extension of the dune field is likely due to a sharp decline of sediment discharge caused by large reservoirs such as Three Gorges.     

Evolution of the Salinas-El Espartal and Xagó beach/dune systems in north-western Spain over recent decades: evidence for responses to natural processes and anthropogenic interventions

The confining barrier comprising the Salinas-El Espartal beach/dune system forms part of the mouth complex of the Avilés estuary on the central coast of Asturias (NW Spain). In this study the evolution of the beach and its dune field, as well as the estuary, is established based on appraisal of both natural and anthropogenic processes. In particular, dredging in the estuary mouth has had a strong negative impact on the system, including the recession of the dune front by between 20 and 30 m, and degradation of the seafront, first built at the edge of the beach dunes in 1965 and rebuilt in 1994. By contrast, the dumping of dredged material at a nearby beach, Xagó, has caused a remarkable dune progradation of 45 m on average, creating aeolian tabular sheets. The future dredging management of the mouth of the Avilés estuary should be directly related to the evolution of the El Espartal and Xagó dune fields.     

南黄海辐射状沙脊成因研究的新进展

南黄海辐射状沙脊位于现代长江三角洲以北、旧黄河三角洲以南的苏北岸外浅海区,大致以港为顶点向海呈辐射状分布,其规模巨大,形态特殊,且具北大南小的明显不对称格架,在国内外罕见。我国学者对其接触始于５０年代末６０年代初的全国海岸带普查。由于该区脊槽多变,...     

Late Holocene coastal sand movements in the Outer Hebrides, N.W. Scotland

Lithostratigraphical and biostratigraphical investigation of coastal marshes along the Atlantic coast of the Outer Hebrides from Lewis in the north to Barra in the south discloses inland-tapering sand units within marshland areas. The inland extent of each sand unit has been radiometrically dated and the units have been collectively interpreted as a proxy for past coastal storminess. The data appear to indicate that for the study sites investigated, the majority of the sand units were produced during episodes of climate deterioration both prior to and after the well-known period of Medieval warmth (MWP). Many were produced after ca. AD 1400. It is argued that the episodes of sand blow indicated by the deposits may reflect periods of increased cyclogenesis in the Atlantic associated with increased sea ice cover and an increase in the thermal gradient across the North Atlantic region.     

海河口地区全新世海侵层的相变与海面波动的对应关系

B_2孔揭示海河口地区全新世海侵层厚达19.2m,自下往上依次出现潮间滩、近岸浅海、前三角洲、三角洲湾、河口砂坝及河口边滩六个亚相,下部两个亚相呈海进层序,上部四个亚相呈海退层序。除河口边滩亚相底界外,其他所有亚相间的界面均为不连续面,显示海侵层为不连续沉积。研究表明该不连续沉积与海面波动有关.在全新世海侵高峰后,海面一直处于幅度不大(约1m 左右)的振荡运动状态,一次振荡波就在海岸线上留下一道贝壳堤,近5000余年来发生了5次振荡波,在海退平原中就有5道贝克堤与之对应。B_2孔海退层序中曲不连续面与贝壳堤基底侵蚀面相对应,也与振荡波的上升坡段相对应。海退层序所表现出来的海岸向海推进现象不是海面大幅度下降的反映,而主要是河口区沉积物迅速加积的结果。     

Can beach dune ridges of the Texas Gulf Coast preserve climate signals?

A study of the evolution of North Padre Island (southern Texas Gulf Coast) dunes was carried out using LIDAR topographic data, dune vibracores through the center of the dunes, and grab samples of shoreface sand at four locations along a cross-shore profile. Grain-size analyses of the vibracores show vertical variations in shoreface sand deposition over decimeter depth intervals. A dune ridge growth model is introduced that describes the dune vertical accretion rate as a function of island progradation and freshwater lens expansion. This model allows indirect dating of the dune core samples based on a known island progradation rate (1?m/year), and height and spacing of the dunes calculated from the topographic data. A sand provenance model is also proposed that links the sand deposition in the dunes with sand sourced from various depths along the shoreface profile, depending on storm activity. We present evidence linking the changes in storm-sand deposition in the dune cores with yearly climatic fluctuations in the Gulf of Mexico associated with landfalling tropical storm activity in the period from 1942?C1965. This record of storm-induced sand variability is negatively correlated with El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (Pacific) sea surface temperature variability, and positively correlated with North Atlantic decadal sea surface temperature variability.     

Medium-term sedimentation on high intertidal mudflats and salt marshes in the Severn Estuary, SW Britain: the role of wind and tide

Six sites monitored monthly on salt marshes and mudflats in the middle and outer Severn Estuary gave potentially predictive–retrodictive relationships between the vertical response of the sedimentary surface (erosion/accretion), a factor reflecting tidal heights, and the wind-wave power-supply. The continuing rise of relative sea level in the area, at the rate of a few millimetres annually, is providing accommodation space at a pace low enough to permit the continuing vertical build-up of the salt marshes throughout the estuary. On the mudflats, wind and tidal conditions during the survey maintained an accretionary regime in the middle estuary but an erosional one in the outer part. The Severn Estuary is a system in delicate balance which is likely to respond dramatically to modest changes in the tidal and/or wind regimes.     

Ten-year observation of the Gironde tributary fluvial system: fluxes of suspended matter, particulate organic carbon and cadmium

A program of long-term observation of suspended solids (TSS), particulate organic carbon (POC) and cadmium transported into the Gironde estuary (France) by its major tributaries has been carried out between 1990 and 1999. This decade included contrasting hydrologic cycles and appears representative of a much longer period (1959–1999). The Garonne and the Dordogne river systems are the main tributaries of the Gironde estuary and derive their waters from drainage basins with different geological, industrial and agricultural features. To better understand their respective contributions, they have been observed separately and compared. Water and TSS fluxes of the Garonne River show greater temporal variations and discharge is more related to the hydrology of the drainage basin (e.g. wet/dry years, local flood events etc.). As POC and particulate Cd concentrations in suspended matter are much less variable than turbidity, their fluxes are mainly controlled by the TSS transport. A major part of annual fluxes of TSS and associated pollutants may occur within few flood days (depending on various parameters, e.g. intensity, duration, season, etc.), and also the succession of dry and wet years has an important influence on annual fluxes. The presented data allow calculating fluvial inputs into the Gironde as the sum of fluxes transported by its major tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne river systems. Mean annual fluxes into the Gironde observed in 1990–1999 are about 34×10⁹ m³ year⁻¹ for river water, 3.24×10⁶ t year⁻¹ for suspended solids (TSS) and 9.88×10⁹ mol year⁻¹ for particulate organic carbon (POC). Generally, these fluxes are dominated by the contributions of the Garonne River. However, in dry years, the mean contribution of the Dordogne river system (including Dronne and Isle rivers) to the POC input into the estuary exceeded that of the Garonne. This reflects significant differences in vegetation and soil due to natural properties and land management of the basins. Mean Cd fluxes into the estuary are about 110×10³ mol year⁻¹ of which 19.6×10³ mol year⁻¹ are transported in the dissolved and 90.8×10³ mol year⁻¹ in the particulate phases, respectively. In 1991 (dry year), the net (dissolved) Cd flux towards the ocean exceeded the gross fluvial input of total Cd, suggesting the release of Cd from an important stock in the maximum turbidity zone (MTZ) or the fluid mud of the Gironde estuary.     

Morphological characteristics and sand volumes of different coastal dune types in Essaouira Province, Atlantic Morocco

Altogether three coastal dune fields, one located north and two south of the city of Essaouira, Atlantic Morocco, have been investigated to establish the distribution and overall sand volumes of various dune types. The purpose of the study was to characterize and classify the aeolian landforms of the coastal dune belt, to estimate their sand volumes and to assess the effectiveness of coastal dune stabilization measures. The northern dune field is 9 km long and lined by a wide artificial foredune complex fixed by vegetation, fences and branches forming a rectangular grid. Active and ephemeral aklé dunes border the inner backshore, while some intrusive dunes have crossed the foredune belt and are migrating farther inland. The total sand volume of the northern dune belt amounts 13,910,255 m³. The central coastal sector comprises a much smaller dune field located just south of the city. It is only 1.2 km long and, with the exception of intrusive dunes, shows all other dune types. The overall sand volume of the central dune field amounts to about 172,463 m³. The southern dune field is characterized by a narrower foredune belt and overall lower dunes that, in addition, become progressively smaller towards the south. In this sector, embryonic dunes (coppice, shadow dunes), tongue-like and tabular dunes, and sand sheets intrude from the beach, the profile of which has a stepped appearance controlled by irregular outcrops of old aeolianite and beach rock. The total volume of the southern dune field amounts 1,446,389 m³. For the whole study area, i.e. for all three dune fields combined, a sand volume of about 15,529,389 m³ has been estimated. The sand of the dune fields is derived from coastal erosion and especially the Tensift River, which enters the sea at Souira Qedima some 70 km north of Essaouira. After entering the sea, the sand is transported southwards by littoral drift driven by the mainly north-westerly swell climate and the Trade Winds blowing from the NNE. This sand feeds the beaches along the coast, from where it is blown obliquely onshore to generate the dune fields. The maximum sand input occurs in the north, from where it gradually decreases southwards, this being also reflected in the grain size and dune typologies. The study shows that dune stabilization measures have been reasonably effective along most of the coast, with the exception of a large area immediately north of Essaouira where the almost complete destruction of the plant cover has reactivated sand mobility—this may in the future threaten the city.     

河北昌黎典型海岸沙丘的沉积构造及其发育模式

采用探地雷达探测了昌黎海岸沙丘区典型横向沙脊和新月形沙丘的沉积构造,据此初步揭示了研究区海岸沙丘的沉积序列特征和发育过程。结果表明,昌黎海岸带在2 000 a BP波浪作用下发育滨岸沙坝,沙坝主要以向海向陆缓倾斜的沉积构造为主,现今的风成沉积发育于滨海相沙坝之上。海岸带向海一侧经历了潮上带前丘到横向沙脊的过程,横向沙脊在东北风的作用下主要发育向陆倾斜的高角度交错层理,同时由于向岸合成风力的阶段性变化,这些层理的倾角略有差异,记录了海岸带风沙活动的周期性变化;内侧新月形沙丘由4组倾角不同的层理组成,被较大规模的二级界面分隔,复合新月形沙丘(链)经历了由盾状沙堆到典型新月形沙丘的加积发育并遭受风蚀的过程。     

Chenier plain development in northern Sierra Leone, West Africa

The coast of northern Sierra Leone, between the Scarcies and Mellacoree estuaries, forms a prograding muddy Holocene plain comprising two separate, as yet undated, clusters of sand cheniers. The general coastal morpho-stratigraphy and available data on regional climatic and sealevel history suggest that alternations between muddy progradation and chenier cluster formation have been controlled by a probable conjunction of several factors, including the local geomorphic framework, a climatically induced change in mud supply, and relative sealevel oscillations since the middle Holocene. The inner chenier cluster was apparently elaborated under conditions of efficient wave action over a deep, largely unfilled Mellacoree estuary and at a time of reduced mud availability. It peters out seaward, probably in response to several factors, including an increase in mud supply from the upland, a negative sealevel pulse resulting in higher rates of mud export from accreted inner tidal flats, increased muddy sedimentation over a shallower nearshore zone, and attenuated wave action as a result of energy capture by accreted estuarine shoals. The outer cluster, which partly fringes the coast, was formed in a mayor embayment representing the terminus of longshore sand drift. It is suggested that its formation may have been favoured by a higher sealevel resulting in efficient winnowing of sands from subtidal muds, a greater propensity for accretion of tidal flats landwards and, consequently, a lower mud supply to the foreshore.

Although the timing of muddy progradation and chenier formation has not been determined, the foregoing interpretation suggests a complex sequence of events, reflecting as much the influence of local morphodynamic factors as external factors.     

Successful colonization of the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa in the oligo-mesohaline area of the Gironde estuary (SW France) – Natural or anthropogenic forcing?

The copepod Acartia tonsa appeared in Europe in the first half of the 20th century and colonized progressively European seas and estuaries, possibly transferred from North Atlantic Coast of America. It had been reported in the polyhaline area of the Gironde estuary for a long time but was first recorded in the oligo-mesohaline area in 1983. Its abundance has been increasing significantly. High abundances of A. tonsa were reported since 1999, supplanting the abundances of its autochthonous congeneric species, Acartia bifilosa. This colonization was characterized by analyzing the mean seasonal variability: (1) for three 5-year periods corresponding to three different steps of A. tonsa appearance (1978–1982, A. tonsa was absent; 1988–1992, low abundances of the species; and 1999–2003, high abundances of A. tonsa) in the oligo-mesohaline area and (2) for three stations distributed along the salinity gradient during the recent period. The aim of this work was to define if this colonization was due to natural or anthropogenic forcing and to evaluate its possible impact on autochthonous zooplanktonic community.Both natural and anthropogenic forcings seem to explain the colonization of Acartia tonsa in the oligo-mesohaline area of the Gironde estuary. First records (1983–1988) could be due to marine water inputs caused by high values of the North Atlantic Oscillation index. The global warming which caused the increase of the summer warm period, the marinisation of the system and the local decrease of the turbidity should have been the key factors favoring the establishment of the species. Anthropogenic forcings as the establishment of the nuclear power plant which locally causes warmer conditions are also important factors explaining the differences of seasonal cycle observed between oligo-mesohaline area and other stations: the seasonal pattern of A. tonsa in the oligo-mesohaline area was indeed characterized by an autumnal peak of abundances which has been observed in other stations and in many North European estuaries, and by a second spring peak that had only been observed in Southern estuaries.The introduction of Acartia tonsa in the Gironde estuary significantly changed the seasonal pattern of autochthonous copepods, by limiting their seasonal abundances without affecting their long-term population stability. Finally, the successful colonization of A. tonsa had led to the spread of the seasonal zooplanktonic production which could have had an impact on fish and shrimp productions.