The relative utility of foraminifera and diatoms for reconstructing late Holocene sea-level change in North Carolina, USA

Foraminifera and diatoms preserved in salt-marsh sediments have been used to produce high-resolution records of Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) change. To determine which of these microfossil groups is most appropriate for this purpose we investigated their relative utility from salt marshes in North Carolina, USA. Regional-scale transfer functions were developed using foraminifera, diatoms and a combination of both (multi-proxy) from three salt marshes (Oregon Inlet, Currituck Barrier Island and Pea Island). We evaluated each approach on the basis of transfer-function performance. Foraminifera, diatoms and multi-proxy-based transfer functions all demonstrated a strong relationship between observed and predicted elevations (r²_jack > 0.74 and RMSEP < 0.05 m), suggesting that they have equal utility. Application of the transfer functions to a fossil core from Salvo to reconstruct former sea levels enabled us to consider relative utility in light of ‘paleo-performance’. Fossil foraminifera had strong modern analogues, whilst diatoms had poor modern analogues making them unreliable. This result reflects the high diversity and site-specific distribution of modern diatoms. Consequently, we used foraminifera to reconstruct RSL change for the period since ∼ AD 1800 using a ²¹⁰Pb- and ¹⁴C-based chronology, and we were able to reconcile this with tide-gauge records.     

Holocene sedimentation on the North Norfolk barrier coast in relation to relative sea-level change

Fourteen distinct sedimentary environments have been recognised in the surface sediments of the intertidal zone of the North Norfolk coast. Nine of these can be distinguished in borehole samples on the basis of sedimentological and micro-palaeontological characteristics. They comprise: gravel; channel sand; intertidal sand; intertidal silty sand; intertidal mud and marsh creek; lower salt marsh; upper salt marsh; dune sand; and peat. Sediment accumulations have been penetrated to a depth of ?8 m OD and basal peats dated by ¹⁴C back to 8410 ± 50 years BP. An overall rate of sediment accumulation (and subsidence) of about 1 m per thousand years is indicated. There is considerable persistence of sedimentary environments in the same areas during up-building, but some erosion and roll-over of the coastal barrier system has occurred. Evidence of positive and negative sea-level tendencies are present in the record, but the main development of the tract is determined by sediment supply to the beach and marshes; positive sea-level tendencies occur at c. 6610, 5970, 4630 and 2790 BP, negative sea-level tendencies occur at 4520 to 4450 and (possibly) 3470 BP.     

The Tilia decline: vegetation change in lowland Britain during the mid and late Holocene

Pollen data indicate Tilia was an important component of the primary woodland cover of many lowland areas in northern and central Europe. High values recorded in mid-Holocene pollen diagrams are generally followed by well-defined declines. In this study the palynological, spatial and temporal trends associated with declines in Tilia pollen at sites from lowland Britain are assessed to evaluate the nature and relative importance of the processes responsible. Processes primarily related to the depositional environment (paludification, marine inundation, breaks in sedimentation) and percentage representation of pollen data play the dominant role in 44% of the 164 declines included in the study. Anthropogenic activity can account for the remainder. Tilia rarely recovers from low values after anthropogenic declines, suggesting such declines have the potential to elucidate patterns in the destruction of primary woodland across lowland Britain. Other than declines associated with the mid-Holocene Ulmus decline event, few anthropogenic Tilia declines have been reliably dated prior to c. 5000 cal. BP. Tilia largely disappeared from areas with calcareous and loamy soils as a result of clearance activity in the period 5000–3000 cal. BP (Late Neolithic to Late Bronze Age). Between 3000 and 2500 cal. BP few declines are recorded suggesting a link between clearance activity and climate change. Later declines are concentrated on the sandier lithologies and often associated with heathland formation. The scarcity of declines after 2000 cal. BP is likely to be related to the exhaustion of primary woodland.     

Holocene sea-level changes along the North Carolina Coastline and their implications for glacial isostatic adjustment models

We have synthesized new and existing relative sea-level (RSL) data to produce a quality-controlled, spatially comprehensive database from the North Carolina coastline. The RSL database consists of 54 sea-level index points that are quantitatively related to an appropriate tide level and assigned an error estimate, and a further 33 limiting dates that confine the maximum and minimum elevations of RSL. The temporal distribution of the index points is very uneven with only five index points older than 4000 cal a BP, but the form of the Holocene sea-level trend is constrained by both terrestrial and marine limiting dates. The data illustrate RSL rapidly rising during the early and mid Holocene from an observed elevation of ?35.7 ± 1.1 m MSL at 11062–10576 cal a BP to ?4.2 m ± 0.4 m MSL at 4240–3592 cal a BP.We restricted comparisons between observations and predictions from the ICE-5G(VM2) with rotational feedback Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) model to the Late Holocene RSL (last 4000 cal a BP) because of the wealth of sea-level data during this time interval. The ICE-5G(VM2) model predicts significant spatial variations in RSL across North Carolina, thus we subdivided the observations into two regions. The model forecasts an increase in the rate of sea-level rise in Region 1 (Albemarle, Currituck, Roanoke, Croatan, and northern Pamlico sounds) compared to Region 2 (southern Pamlico, Core and Bogue sounds, and farther south to Wilmington). The observations show Late Holocene sea-level rising at 1.14 ± 0.03 mm year^?1 and 0.82 ± 0.02 mm year^?1 in Regions 1 and 2, respectively. The ICE-5G(VM2) predictions capture the general temporal trend of the observations, although there is an apparent misfit for index points older than 2000 cal a BP. It is presently unknown whether these misfits are caused by possible tectonic uplift associated with the mid-Carolina Platform High or a flaw in the GIA model. A comparison of local tide gauge data with the Late Holocene RSL trends from Regions 1 and 2 support the spatial variation in RSL across North Carolina, and imply an additional increase of mean sea level of greater than 2 mm year^?1 during the latter half of the 20th century; this is in general agreement with historical tide gauge and satellite altimetry data.     

Pipe-like molybdenite-wolframite-bismuth deposits of wolfram camp,North Queensland,Australia

Mineralium Deposita - Branching, pipe-like, quartz-rich molybdenite-wolframite-bismuth pipes occur within the altered margin and roof zone of a Permian high level leucoadamellite. The alteration...     

A new Holocene sea-level curve for the southern North Sea

A new sea-level curve (MHW, mean high water level) for the southern North Sea is presented, spanning the last 10 000 years and based on new data recently obtained along the German coast. The 118 dates were selected from basal as well as intercalated peats of the Holocene sequence and archaeological dates from the last 3000 years. Because of different MHW levels along the German North Sea coast, all data were corrected to the standard tide gauge at Wilhelmshaven to make them comparable. Special advantages of this area for sea-level reconstructions are negligible tectonic and isostatic subsidence and the absence of coastal barrier systems that might have mitigated or masked sea-level changes. Changes of water level had therefore immediate consequences for the facies and could be dated exactly. The chronostratigraphic Calais-Dunkirk system has been improved and adapted to the new data. Altogether seven regressions (R 1-R 7) have been identified, each of them characterized by a distinct decline in sea level. These fluctuations are in accord with the evidence from other parts of the North Sea region. A draft of former North Sea shorelines is presented on the basis of this sea-level curve.     

Barrier island response to late Holocene climate events, North Carolina, USA

The Outer Banks barrier islands of North Carolina, USA, contain a geologic record of inlet activity that extends from ca. 2200 cal yr BP to the present, and can be used as a proxy for storm activity. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating (26 samples) of inlet-fill and flood tide delta deposits, recognized in cores and geophysical data, provides the basis for understanding the chronology of storm impacts and comparison to other paleoclimate proxy data. OSL ages of historical inlet fill compare favorably to historical documentation of inlet activity, providing confidence in the technique. Comparison suggests that the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA) were both characterized by elevated storm conditions as indicated by much greater inlet activity relative to today. Given present understanding of atmospheric circulation patterns and sea-surface temperatures during the MWP and LIA, we suggest that increased inlet activity during the MWP responded to intensified hurricane impacts, while elevated inlet activity during the LIA was in response to increased nor'easter activity. A general decrease in storminess at mid-latitudes in the North Atlantic over the last 300 yr has allowed the system to evolve into a more continuous barrier with few inlets.     

On the origin of late Holocene sea-level highstands within equatorial ocean basins

Late Holocene sea-level highstands of amplitude 3 m are endemic to equatorial ocean basins. These highstands imply an ongoing and moderate, sub-mm/yr, sea-level fall in the far field of the Late Pleistocene ice cover that has long been linked to the process of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA; Clark et al., 1978). Mitrovica and Peltier (1991) coined the term ‘equatorial ocean syphoning’ to describe the GIA-induced sea-level fall and they provided the first physical explanation for the process. They argued that water migrated away from far-field equatorial ocean basins in order to fill space vacated by collapsing forebulges at the periphery of previously glaciated regions. We provide a complete physical explanation for the origin of equatorial ocean syphoning, and the associated development of sea-level highstands, using numerical solutions of the equation that governs meltwater redistribution on spherical, viscoelastic Earth models. In particular, we separate the total predicted sea-level change into contributions associated with ice and meltwater loading effects, and, by doing so, isolate a second mechanism that contributes significantly to the ocean syphoning process. Ocean loading at continental margins induces a ‘levering’ of continents and a subsidence of offshore regions that has also long been recognized within the GIA literature (Walcott, 1972). We show that the influx of water into the volume created by this subsidence produces a sea-level fall at locations distant from these margins—indeed over the major ocean basins—that is comparable in amplitude to the syphoning mechanism isolated by Mitrovica and Peltier (1991).     

Detailed documentation of a Holocene sea-level record in the perth region, southern Western Australia

Holocene prograded coastal sequences at Becher/Rockingham, southern Western Australia, contain a detailed record of sea level over the last 6400 yr. Radiocarbon dating and use of a distinct stratigraphic indicator as a sea-level marker permit reconstruction of sea-level history and suggest that the sea was at least 2.5 m above present datum about 6400 yr B.P. before falling to its present level. No evidence was found for eustatic fluctuations of the scale proposed by R. W. Fairbridge [1961, in “Physics and Chemistry of the Earth” (L. H. Ahrens, F. Press, K. Rankema, and S. K. Runcorn, Eds.), Vol. 4, pp. 99–185, Pergamon, Oxford]. The sea-level record preserved on this coast can be explained by hydro-isostasy, tectonism, or eustasy, acting individually or in concert. Without a fixed reference point or analogous data from other locations, a firm conclusion on which mechanism(s) has(have) operated could not be reached. Published sea-level data from this and other coasts are often insufficiently detailed to compare with this study. Application of the techniques of this study to analogous sedimentary sequences elsewhere will provide data of comparable accuracy that would contribute to a more precise understanding of relative sea-level movements in the late Quaternary.     

The mid- to late Holocene paleoceanographic changes in the northern North Atlantic

A high-resolution diatom record from core MD99-2275 shows a general paleoceanographic change in the northern North Atlantic since 5000 cal. a B.P. by Principle Component Analysis. Sea surface temperature (SST) increased gradually during 5000 and 3000 cal. a B.P. on the North Icelandic shelf as a result of increasing influence of warm Atlantic water mass from the Irminger Current. It apparently started to decrease since 3000 cal. a B.P. due to the weakening influence of warm water and enhanced influence of the Polar and Arctic water masses from the East Greenland Current and the East Icelandic Current. Abrupt decreases in SST and intrusions of Polar and Arctic water superimposed on the late Holocene cooling trend during 3000-2600, 1300-1000 and 600-200 cal. a B.P.. The paleoceanographic record revealed from core MD99-2275 corresponds well with δ¹⁸O record from the GISP2 and is generally consistent with other SST records based on diatom on the North Icelandic shelf. __________ Translated from Marine Science Bulletin, 2008, 27(5) [译自:海洋通报]     

Isolation basin stratigraphy and Holocene relative sea-level change on Arveprinsen Ejland,Disko Bugt,West Greenland

This paper presents the results of an investigation into Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) change, isostatic rebound and ice sheet dynamics in Disko Bugt, West Greenland. Data collected from nine isolation basins on Arveprinsen Ejland, east Disko Bugt, show that mean sea level fell continuously from ca. 70 m at 9.9 ka cal. yr BP (8.9 ka ¹⁴C yr BP) to reach a minimum of ca. −5 m at 2.8 ka cal. yr BP (2.5 ka ¹⁴C yr BP), before rising to the present day. A west–east gradient in isostatic uplift across Disko Bugt is confirmed, with reduced rebound observed in east Disko Bugt. However, RSL differences (up to 20 m at 7.8 ka to 6.8 ka cal. yr BP (7 ka to 6 ka ¹⁴C yr BP)) also exist within east Disko Bugt, suggesting a significant north–south component to the area’s isostatic history. The observed magnitude and timing of late Holocene RSL rise is not compatible with regional forebulge collapse. Instead, RSL rise began first in the eastern part of the bay, as might be expected under a scenario of crustal subsidence caused by neoglacial ice sheet readvance. The results of this study demonstrate the potential of isolation basin data for local and regional RSL studies in Greenland, and the importance of avoiding data compilations from areas where the isobase orientation is uncertain. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Carboniferous Continental Andesite--Rhyolite Association from the 'Nychum' Area, North Queensland, Australia

The Nychum Volcanics, which were emplaced on the continentalside of the Tasman Geosyncline immediately after the mid-Carboniferousorogeny, are composed mostly of acid pyroclastics and lavas,together with subordinate andesite and minor basalt. They areintruded by closely associated plugs of andesite and rhyolite,and a dyke swarm. The volcanics show calc-alkaline characteristics,except for two andesites that have tholeiite-like mineralogyand major-element chemistry. It is suggested that the volcanicsare derived from three magma types, and have been affected byboth high-pressure and low-pressure fractionation.     

World atlas of Holocene sea-level changes

Book reviewed in this article:
Pirazoli. P. A. 1991: World Atlas of Holocene Sea-Level Changes     

Molecular fossils as a tool for tracking Holocene sea-level change in the Loch of Stenness,Orkney

Sediments deposited in the Loch of Stenness (Orkney Islands, Scotland) during the Holocene transgression, previously dated to between ~5939–5612 bp , were analysed for molecular fossils – lipids and chlorophyll pigments from primary producers – that complement conventional microfossil and lithological approaches for studying past sea-level change. While microfossil and lithological studies identified a transgression between 102 and 81 cm core depth, key molecular fossils fluctuate in occurrence and concentration between 118 and 85 cm, suggesting an earlier start to the transgression. Terrestrial lipid concentrations decreased and algal-derived, short-chain, n-alkanoic acid concentrations increased at 118 cm, indicating a disruption of the freshwater lake conditions associated with the early stages of the marine transgression. The lipid and pigment analyses provided information that complements and extends that from microfossil analysis, presenting a more complete record of Holocene sea-level changes and local vegetation changes in the Loch of Stenness. The isostatic stability of Stenness during the Holocene points towards other factors to explain the transgression, such as regional factors and/or melting of the Antarctic ice sheet (which occurred up to 3 ka).     

Holocene sea-level changes in Palau,West Caroline Islands

¹⁴C ages supplemented by ${}^{230}\text{Th}{}^{234}\text{U}$ determinations have been obtained for calcareous deposits on Koror, Babelthuap, Auluptagel, and Adorius Islands in the Palau Group, West Caroline Islands. Test borings for a bridge between Koror and Babelthuap reveal shoreface terraces consisting largely of bioclastic sand, but resembling fringing reefs. The base of the shoreface terraces dates to between 7000 and 8000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. and the upper surfaces are slightly younger than 4000 yr B.P. Spacing of the subsurface isochrons indicates that the rate of sedimentation increased up-section on Koror terrace and decreased up-section on Babelthuap terrace. The average rate of deposition in the terraces was 0.5 cm/yr. Isochrons in the Babelthuap shoreface terrace are 7 m higher than those in the Koror terrace. If deposition was sufficient to keep the surfaces of the terraces at low tide level, then the Babelthuap side was essentially stable and the Koror side was uplifted between about 8000 and 6300 yr ago, and then subsided until 4000 yr ago; since then there has been about 2 m of uplift. “Top hat” microatolls on Koror terrace indicate that relative sea level has dropped about 30 cm in the past 75 yr. In the absence of good evidence for changes of level in water ponded in a moat, it is likely that the microatolls indicate uplift of the terrace. On the other hand, if tectonic activity was minimal, then differences in the two terraces are due to differences in sedimentation with the Koror side of the channel being substantially subtidal between about 7000 and 5000 yr B.P. Taking the composite eustatic sea-level curve of Hawaii and elsewhere as a reference standard, it is deduced that Auluptagel Island has risen 0.8 m in the last 2900 yr, and Adorius Island has risen approximately 8 m in the last 5000–6000 yr.     

Holocene relative sea-level change, isostatic subsidence and the radial viscosity structure of the mantle of northwest Europe (Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, southern North Sea)

A comprehensive observational database of Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) index points from northwest Europe (Belgium, the Netherlands, northwest Germany, southern North Sea) has been compiled in order to compare and reassess the data collected from the different countries/regions and by different workers on a common time–depth scale. RSL rise varies in magnitude and form between these regions, revealing a complex pattern of differential crustal movement which cannot be solely attributed to tectonic activity. It clearly contains a non-linear, glacio- and/or hydro-isostatic subsidence component, which is only small on the Belgian coastal plain but increases significantly to a value of ca 7.5 m relative to Belgium since 8 cal. ka BP along the northwest German coast. The subsidence is at least in part related to the Post-Glacial collapse of the so-called peripheral forebulge which developed around the Fennoscandian centre of ice loading during the Last Glacial Maximum. The RSL data have been compared to geodynamic Earth models in order to infer the radial viscosity structure of the Earth's mantle underneath NW Europe (lithosphere thickness, upper- and lower-mantle viscosity), and conversely to predict RSL in regions where we have only few observational data (e.g. in the southern North Sea). A very broad range of Earth parameters fit the Belgian RSL data, suggesting that glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) only had a minor effect on Belgian crustal dynamics during and after the Last Ice Age. In contrast, a narrow range of Earth parameters define the southern North Sea region, reflecting the greater influence of GIA on these deeper/older samples. Modelled RSL data suggest that the zone of maximum forebulge subsidence runs in a relatively narrow, WNW–ESE trending band connecting the German federal state of Lower Saxony with the Dogger Bank area in the southern North Sea. Identification of the effects of local-scale factors such as past changes in tidal range or tectonic activity on the spatial and temporal variations of sea-level index points based on model-data comparisons is possible but is still complicated by the relatively large range of Earth model parameters fitting each RSL curve, emphasising the need for more high-quality observational data.     

Holocene sea-level change and the emergence of Neolithic seafaring in the Fuzhou Basin (Fujian,China)

Neolithic seafaring across the Taiwan Strait began approximately 5000 years ago and involved open-sea voyages over distances of at least 130 km. Rapid sea-level rise preceded the emergence of open-sea voyaging, but the possible role of environmental change as a stimulus for the development of seafaring is poorly understood. We investigate this problem by presenting a record of Holocene sea-level change and coastal transformation based on sediment cores obtained from the Fuzhou Basin on the coast of Fujian, China. The cores are located in direct proximity to archaeological sites of the Tanshishan Neolithic culture (5000–4300 cal BP), which is significant for its similarity to the earliest Neolithic cultures of Taiwan. Multiple lines of evidence record the early Holocene inundation of the Fuzhou Basin around 9000 cal BP, the mid-Holocene sea-level highstand, and the final Holocene marine transgression. This final transition is precisely documented, with AMS dates showing the change occurred close to 1900 cal BP. Our paleogeographic reconstruction shows that a large estuary filled the Fuzhou Basin during the mid-Holocene. Tanshishan and Zhuangbianshan, two of the major Fuzhou Basin Neolithic sites, are located today on hills nearly 80 km from the modern coastline. However, when the sites were settled around 5500–5000 cal BP, the marine transgression had transformed these hills into islands in the upper estuary. We suggest that the Neolithic era estuary setting, together with the lack of land suitable for rice paddy agriculture, inhibited intensive food production but favored a maritime orientation and the development of seafaring.     

Phytolith evidence for C4-dominated grassland since the early Holocene at Long Pocket, northeast Queensland, Australia

Preliminary phytolith analysis of ephemeral lake fill sediment at Long Pocket, near Toomba, northeast Queensland, Australia, indicates that a C4-dominated grassland with a minor woody component has been present in the region since ca. 8000 cal yr B.P. Based on the modern distribution of C4 and C3 native grasses in Australia, this suggests that mean summer temperatures of at least 14°C (ca. 10°C cooler than present) were maintained since the early Holocene. This interpretation is comparable with previous studies, which together imply that the establishment of C4-dominated grasses in central and northeast Australia occurred between the last glacial maximum (most likely after ca. 16,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.) and ca. 7200 ¹⁴C yr B.P. (ca. 8000 cal yr B.P.). Taxonomic composition of the grassland appears relatively consistent since the early Holocene at Long Pocket and includes phytoliths comparable with those from modern Arundinoideae, Panicoideae, and Chloridoideae. Rare non-grass phytoliths are also present. A gradual decrease in abundance of saddle phytolith forms (attributed to Chloridoideae grasses) from the base of the record at ca. 6500-7000 cal yr B.P. suggests decreasing aridity throughout the Holocene. This trend could reflect a locally drawn out effect of the end of the postglacial arid period due to the well-drained basalt flow catchment maintaining a local arid habitat for the Chloridoideae grasses.     

华北晚古生代海平面变化及其层序地层响应

依据沉积学、煤地质学、层序地层学、古生物学等多学科综合方法,对华北地区晚古生代地层进行层序地层分析,并研究了相对海平面升降和其层序地层学响应,研究结果表明:研究区晚古生代地层存在着8种层序界面,主要包括古构造运动面、古生物间断面、大面积泥炭化沼泽化界面、陆表海低水位砂体底界、盆地转换界面、大范围冲刷面、大面积暴露面和硅质海绵岩等;依据界面的划分原则可以将研究区地层划分出1个盆地充填层序、3个构造层序(相当于二级层序)和7个三级层序;分析发现,基于层序格架下的相对海平面升降可以分为层序1-层序3的短期大规模海侵阶段及长时间海退阶段和层序4-层序7的长时期的海退阶段.在此基础上,依据海平面变化曲线及其层序地层响应特征发现华北晚古生代海平面变化具有周期性与复合性和高频性与事件性等特点.