Holocene coastal environmental changes on the periphery of an area of glacio‐isostatic uplift: an example from Scapa Bay,Orkney, UK

The first detailed investigation of a deep, coastal, sedimentary basin in Orkney reveals a complex Holocene history of back‐barrier morphodynamics. At Scapa Bay, the sea flooded a freshwater marsh after ca. 9400 yr BP at ca. ?5.4 m OD. Before ca. 7800 BP, abundant sediment from nearby cliffs was mobilised inland into a series of gravel barriers across the valley mouth. By ca. 7500 BP, direct marine influence was restricted in the back‐barrier area, although saltmarsh persisted until ca. 5900 BP. By then, at least four gravel ridges had enclosed the backing lagoon, where freshwater inputs became dominant. As terrestrial sediments filled the basin, another freshwater marsh developed. The multiple barrier complex demonstrates progradation resulting from continuous sediment supply in a sheltered embayment. The progressively rising height of the barrier crests seawards probably resulted from a combination of factors such as barrier morphodynamics, increased storminess and long‐term rising relative sea levels. The dominant vegetation surrounding Scapa Bay changed from open grassland to scrub ca. 9400 BP, then to deciduous woodland ca. 7800 BP, and to dwarf‐shrub heath ca. 2600 BP, the latter probably a response to a combination of climate change and human activity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrochemical and isotopic characterization of the hydrological budget of a MAB Reserve: Mar Chiquita lagoon,province of Buenos Aires,Argentina

Mar Chiquita is a coastal lagoon located in the Argentine Buenos Aires province in South America. The aim of this study was to perform a hydrochemical and stable isotopes characterization in order to better the understanding of the hydrology of the Mar Chiquita lagoon’s catchment and its water budget. Groundwater samples were taken from 144 wells and 21 samples from main streams, and seven lagoon water samples were also collected. Chemical analyses were carried out using standard laboratory methods, and isotopic determinations were made through laser spectroscopy using a DLT-100 liquid–water isotope analyzer. Hydrochemical analysis permits a general classification of groundwater and streamwater as sodium bicarbonate waters, while the lagoon chemical composition shows an evolution toward seawater composition, from the north to its mouth, which is located southerly. Isotopic data show a source of aquifer recharge from rainfall and a groundwater domain into the streams’ flow. Three main components can be recognized as end members in a plot of electrical conductivity (EC) versus δ¹⁸O: seawater, streamwater and groundwater. Obtained EC values for groundwater in the discharge zone (EC average value = 3,516 μS/cm) allow minimizing its direct contribution and to take into consideration two dominating end members: streamwater and seawater. Mar Chiquita lagoon’s water falls close to the line between streamwater and seawater end members according to its EC and δ¹⁸O. The obtained seawater proportion for these samples ranges from 84 % in the lagoon’s mouth to around 0 % in the more distal area.     

The mid-Holocene sea-level highstand at Bogenfels Pan on the southwest coast of Namibia

The radiocarbon ages of mollusc shells from the Bogenfels Pan on the hyper arid southern coast of Namibia provide constraints on the Holocene evolution of sea level and, in particular, the mid-Holocene highstand. The Bogenfels Pan was flooded to depths of 3 m above mean sea level (amsl) to form a large subtidal lagoon from 7300 to 6500 calibrated radiocarbon years before present (cal yr BP). The mollusc assemblage of the wave sheltered lagoon includes Nassarius plicatellus, Lutraria lutraria, and the bivalves Solen capensis and Gastrana matadoa, both of which no longer live along the wave-dominated southern Namibian coast. The radiocarbon ages of mollusc shell from a gravely beach deposit exposed in a diamond exploration trench indicate that sea level fell to near or 1 m below its present-day position between 6500 and 4900 cal yr BP. The rapid emergence of the pan between 6500 and 4900 cal yr BP exceeds that predicted by glacio-isostatic models and may indicate a 3-m eustatic lowering of sea level. The beach deposits at Bogenfels indicate that sea level rose to 1 m amsl between 4800 and 4600 cal yr BP and then fell briefly between 4600 and 4200 cal yr BP before returning to 1 m amsl. Since 4200 cal yr BP sea level has remained within one meter of the present-day level and the beach at Bogenfels has prograded seaward from the delayed arrival of sand by longshore drift from the Orange River. A 6200 cal yr BP coastal midden and a 600 cal yr BP midden 1.7 km from the coast indicate sporadic human utilization of the area. The results of this study are consistent with previous studies and help to refine the Holocene sea-level record for southern Africa.     

New insights on late Quaternary palaeogeographic setting in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Italy)

Sedimentological, geochemical and micropalaeontological data from sediment cores in the northwestern Adriatic Sea were obtained to reconstruct the stratigraphic framework and palaeogeographic setting during the last post‐glacial sea‐level rise (14000–6000 yr BP). Four lithostratigraphic units were identified: (a) distal plain deposits (>14000 yr BP), submerged during the first phases of marine ingression; (b) coastal lagoon system; (c) barrier‐lagoon system, which is dated back to between 10019 ± 61 and 10228 ± 174 cal. yr BP from ¹⁴C dating on peat and shell remains; (d) marine prodelta deposits (<5500 yr BP). Geochemical data allow the identification of three distinct sediment sources: River Po, River Adige and Eastern Alpine rivers characterised by decreasing Ni/Mg ratios (50–70, 8–15 and 5–10, respectively) and Ba/Al ratios of 45–55, 55–65 and 35–45, respectively. The three sources display different relative abundances in time. During the Lateglacial, the Po is the main sediment source for the southern cores, whereas the Eastern Alps and the River Adige are the main sediment sources for the northern cores. This suggests a northern position of the Po River bed compared to previous studies. Coastal drowning led to a homogenization of the provenance signal within the sediments. Only after the marine transgression does a River Po signal appear in the northern cores. At the same time, in the southern cores the signal of Eastern Alpine rivers becomes stronger. Transgressive barrier‐lagoon and recent sediments do not display a predominant signal for provenance indicators. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area, southern Greenland

We present results from an investigation of relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area in south Greenland from c. 11 000 cal. yr BP to the present. Isolation and transgression sequences from six lakes and two tidal basins have been identified using stratigraphical analyses, magnetic susceptibility, XRF and macrofossil analyses. Macrofossils and bulk sediments have been dated by AMS radiocarbon dating. Maximum and minimum altitudes for relative sea level are provided from two deglaciation and marine lagoon sequences. Initially, relative sea level fell rapidly and reached present-day level at ∼9000 cal. yr BP and continued falling until at least 8800 cal. yr BP. Between 8000 and 6000 cal. yr BP, sea level reached its lowest level of around 6-8 m below highest astronomical tide (h.a.t.). At around 3750 cal. yr BP, sea level has reached above 2.7 m below h.a.t. and continued to rise slowly, reaching the present-day level between ∼2000 cal. yr BP and the present. As in the Nanortalik area further south, initial isostatic rebound caused rapid isolation of low elevation basins in the Qaqortoq area. Distinct isolation contacts in the sediments are observed. The late Holocene transgression is less well defined and occurred over a longer time interval. The late Holocene sea-level rise implies reloading by advancing glaciers superimposed on the isostatic signal from the North American Ice Sheet. One consequence of this transgression is that settlements of Palaeo-Eskimo cultures from ∼4000 cal. yr BP may have been transgressed by the sea.     

The effect of migratory shorebirds on the benthic species of three southwestern Atlantic Argentinean estuaries

We experimentally evaluate the effect of migratory shorebirds on the benthic fauna of three southwestern Atlantic Argentinean stop-over and wintering sites: Bahía Samborombon (35°30′–36°22′S, 57°23′W), Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (37°40′S, 57°26′W), and Bahía Blanca (38°48′–39°25′S, 50°–62°25′W). The experiments consisted of exclusion ceilings and controls (both 1 m²), with 10 replicates each and aligned at the same tidal level. During December 1994–May 1995 these experiments were done, twice in Bahía Samborombon, twice at two sites (Sotelo and Celpa) 4 km apart in Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, and three times in Bahía Blanca. Three polychaete species (Laeonereis acuta, Nephtys fluviatilis, andHeteromastus similis) were found in similar densities in both areas of the Mar Chiquita lagoon.L. acuta andN. fluviatilis were affected in Sotelo, but there was no treatment effect in Celpa. In Sotelo the most abundant shorebirds were Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica), American golden plover (Pluvialis dominica), and White-rumped sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), and in Celpa the most abundant shorebirds were White-rumped sandpiper, two-banded plower (Charadrius falklandicus), and lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes). The largest polychaete densities were in the upper sediment layer (0–6 cm), which was also the most affected layer. Three polychaete species were found in Bahía Samborombon (L. acuta, H. similis, andNeanthes succinea), but onlyH. similis showed a treatment effect. The most abundant shorebirds in Samborombon were white-rumped sandpiper and two-banded plover. No effect was detected in Bahía Blanca, where the most abundant shorebirds were white-rumped sandpiper and American golden plover. In all cases, the species affected by shorebirds were the most abundant species. From the two sites of Mar Chiquita, there was a treatment effect only in Sotelo, which was also the area with higher shorebirds counts. However, much lower densities observed in Samborombon (similar to the unaffected area of Mar Chiquita) also produced a significant decrease in infaunal abundance. These evidences also suggest that just selection of study sites may produce different views of the interaction between shorebirds and benthic species.     

Palaeoenvironmental evolution and sea‐level fluctuations along the southeastern Pampa grasslands coast of Argentina during the Holocene

Holocene pollen and diatom analyses and complementary data from δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C, malacology and sedimentology have provided a detailed record of vegetation history and palaeoenvironmental change at arroyo Las Brusquitas, on the southeastern coast of the pampas of Argentina especially in relation to past sea levels. Holocene palaeosalinity trends were estimated by Detrended Correspondence Analysis and by salinity indexes based on pollen and diatom data. As a consequence of sea‐level rise from the postglacial an extensive wave‐cut platform formed over which Holocene infilling sequences were deposited unconformably. In these sequences, variation in pollen and diatom assemblages occurred in agreement with changes in mollusc diversity and abundance, isotope values, and sediment deposits. Between ca. 6700 and 6190 ¹⁴C yr BP (6279–6998 cal. yr BP) saline conditions predominated in an environment highly influenced by tides and salt water during the Holocene sea‐level highstand. Between ca. 6200 and 3900 ¹⁴C yr BP (4235–4608 cal. yr BP) shallow brackish water bodies formed surrounded by saltmarsh vegetation that became more widespread from 5180 ¹⁴C yr BP (5830–6173 cal. yr BP) to 3900 ¹⁴C yr BP in relation to a sea‐level stabilisation period within the regression phase. Less saline conditions marked by frequent variations in salinity predominated between ca. 3900 and 2040 yr ¹⁴C BP (1830–2160 cal. yr BP). The intertidal saltmarsh environment changed into a brackish marsh dominated by freshwater conditions and sporadic tidal influence. Halophytic vegetation increased towards ca. 2000¹⁴C yr BP indicating that saline conditions may be due to either desiccation or an unusually high tide range with rare frequency. After ca. 2000 ¹⁴C yr BP the sedimentary sequences were buried by aeolian sand dunes. Changes in Holocene vegetation and environments in Las Brusquitas area are in agreement with data obtained from various southeastern coastal sites of the Pampa grasslands. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea‐level changes on the Isle of Skye,Scotland, UK

Detailed litho‐ and biostratigraphical analyses from three coastal sites in contrasting coastal settings on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK, reveal evidence for several changes in relative sea level during the Late Devensian and Holocene. At the start of the record, relative sea level in the area was high at ca. 12 500 ¹⁴C (ca. 14 800 cal.) yr BP but then fell, reaching a low point during the Younger Dryas, at ca. 11 000–10 000 ¹⁴C (ca. 13 000–11 600 cal.) yr BP, when a rock platform, correlated with the Main Rock Platform, was formed. In the early–middle Holocene, relative sea level was rising by ca. 8000 ¹⁴C (ca. 8800 cal.) yr BP and in northeast Skye a lagoonal surface, correlated with the Main Postglacial Shoreline, was formed at ca. 6600 ¹⁴C (ca. 7500 cal.) yr BP. By the late Holocene, relative sea level was again falling, but a rise, registered at at least two sites, began probably before ca. 4000 ¹⁴C (ca. 4500 cal.) yr BP, and a second lagoonal surface in northeast Skye, correlated with the Blairdrummond Shoreline, was formed, although by ca. 3000 ¹⁴C (ca. 3200 cal.) yr BP relative sea level in the area had resumed its downward trend. The pattern of relative sea‐level changes disclosed is compared with evidence elsewhere in Scotland. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mid‐Holocene environmental changes in the Bay of Skaill,Mainland Orkney,Scotland: an integrated geomorphological,sedimentological and stratigraphical study

A detailed multidisciplinary investigation of intertidal freshwater sediments exposed in the north of the Bay of Skaill, Mainland Orkney, Scotland, have revealed a complex sedimentary sequence. This provided evidence for dynamic coastal environmental changes in the area since the mid‐Holocene. Freshwater ponds developed on glacial sediments ca. 6550 ± 80 yr BP (cal. bc 5590–5305). From ca. 6120 ± 70 yr BP (cal. bc 5040–4855), these were infilled by blown sand from the distal edge of a dune ridge located to the west. Thereafter, a series of sand‐blow events alternating with periods of quiescence occurred until ca. 4410 ± 60 yr BP (cal. bc 3325–2900). Between ca. 5240 ± 160 and 4660 ± 80 yr BP (cal. bc 4370–3115), pollen and charcoal records show evidence of anthropogenic activities, associated with the nearby Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae. Agriculture was probably affected by recurrent sand movement and widespread deposition of calcium carbonate in the hinterland of the bay. Machair development between ca. 6100 and 5000 yr BP (cal. bc 5235–3540) corresponds to a mid‐Holocene phase of dune formation recorded elsewhere in northwest Europe. The more recent and progressive formation of the bay has probably been related to increasing external forcing via storminess, long‐term relative sea‐level change and sediment starvation within this exposed environment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evolution of the barrier islands of southern Long Island, New York

Three lines of evidence based on data from more than 400 boreholes and vibrocores have been used to reconstruct the evolution of the barrier islands during the Holocene transgression in southern Long Island, New York: (1) the Holocene transgressive stratigraphic sequence behind the present barriers, (2) the stratigraphic patterns of the inner shelf, and (3) the morphology of the now-buried late Pleistocene coastal features. The extensive preservation of backbarrier sediments, radiocarbon dated between 7000 and 8000 yr BP, on the inner shelf of southern Long Island suggests that the barriers have not retreated by continuous shoreface erosion alone, but have also undergone discontinuous retreat by in-place ‘drowning’ of barriers and stepwise retreat of the surf zone. Such stepwise retreat of the surf zone has prevented the backbarrier sediments from being reworked. Based on the presence of submerged barrier sand bodies in seismic records, it is inferred that about 9000 years ago, when the sea stood about 24 m below the present sea level, a chain of barriers developed on the present shelf about 7 km offshore of the present barriers. With continued sea-level rise, the – 24 m barrier built upward until the sea reached about – 15 m MSL, just prior to 7000 yr BP. The barriers were then submerged by the rapidly rising sea, and the surf zone shifted rapidly landward to a position about 2 km from the present shoreline. The surf zone overstepped to the landward margin of the old lagoon, which had become fixed at the steep seaward face of mid-Wisconsinan (?) or Sangamonian coastal barriers. During the past 5000 or 6000 years, the shoreface has retreated continuously by about 2 km. Evidence from southern Long Island and elsewhere in regions of coastal submergence indicates that rapid sea-level rise and low sand supply seem to favour the stepwise retreat of barriers, whereas slow rates of submergence and a greater supply of sand generally favour continuous shoreface retreat. Stationary upbuilding, or seaward progradation of barriers may occur when supply of sand is great, and/or submergence is slowed or reversed. Morphologic highs on the pretransgression surface (such as old barrier ridges) tend to fix the migrating barrier shoreline during either continuous retreat, or stepwise retreat of barriers.     

Feeding ecology of flatfish juveniles (pleuronectiformes) in Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

During a two-year period in Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (Buenos Aires, Argentina), the diet of juvenileParalichthys orbignyanus andOncopterus darwinii sorted according to size, area, and season was analyzed. Sampling was carried out using a beach seine net in three zones of different salinity. The small size of the individuals collected and the high percentage of full stomachs, corresponding with high food availability in the lagoon, indicated that Mar Chiquita is used as a nursery ground. The diet ofP. orbignyanus consisted of crustaceans and polychaetes, whereasO. darwinii fed predominantly on small crustaceans (gammarid amphipods, harpacticoid copepods, mysids, and ostracods); polychaetes were less important. Diet of both flatfish species varied with length. Smaller individuals were microphagous, while bigger specimens included larger prey in their diet. Prey taxa number increased for both species, seawards to the mouth of the lagoon, probably related to the salinity gradient. Prey diversity forP. orbignyanus was highest in autumn and spring, and the lowest percentage of stomachs with food occurred in winter. Prey diversity was lowest forO. darwinii in spring and the highest percentage of empty stomachs was found in autumn.     

A 6000-year record of ecological and hydrological changes from Laguna de la Leche, north coastal Cuba

Laguna de la Leche, north coastal Cuba, is a shallow (≤ 3 m), oligohaline (∼ 2.0-4.5‰) coastal lake surrounded by mangroves and cattail stands. A 227-cm core was studied using loss-on-ignition, pollen, calcareous microfossils, and plant macrofossils. From ∼6200 to ∼ 4800 cal yr BP, the area was an oligohaline lake. The period from ∼ 4800 to ∼ 4200 cal yr BP saw higher water levels and a freshened system; these changes are indicated by an increase in the regional pollen rain, as well as by the presence of charophyte oogonia and an increase in freshwater gastropods (Hydrobiidae). By ∼ 4000 cal yr BP, an open mesohaline lagoon had formed; an increase in salt-tolerant foraminifers suggests that water level increase was driven by relative sea level rise. The initiation of Laguna de la Leche correlates with a shift to wetter conditions as indicated in pollen records from the southeastern United States (e.g., Lake Tulane). This synchronicity suggests that sea level rise caused middle Holocene environmental change region-wide. Two other cores sampled from mangrove swamps in the vicinity of Laguna de la Leche indicate that a major expansion of mangroves was underway by ∼ 1700 cal yr BP.     

High‐resolution reconstruction of a coastal barrier system: impact of Holocene sea‐level change

This study presents a detailed reconstruction of the sedimentary effects of Holocene sea‐level rise on a modern coastal barrier system. Increasing concern over the evolution of coastal barrier systems due to future accelerated rates of sea‐level rise calls for a better understanding of coastal barrier response to sea‐level changes. The complex evolution and sequence stratigraphic framework of the investigated coastal barrier system is reconstructed using facies analysis, high‐resolution optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating. During the formation of the coastal barrier system starting 8 to 7 ka rapid relative sea‐level rise outpaced sediment accumulation. Not before rates of relative sea‐level rise had decreased to ca 2 mm yr^?1 did sediment accumulation outpace sea‐level rise. From ca 5·5 ka, rates of regionally averaged sediment accumulation increased to 4·3 mm yr^?1 and the back‐barrier basin was filled in. This increase in sediment accumulation resulted from retreat of the barrier island and probably also due to formation of a tidal inlet close to the study area. Continued transgression and shoreface retreat created a distinct hiatus and wave ravinement surface in the seaward part of the coastal barrier system before the barrier shoreline stabilized between 5·0 ka and 4·5 ka. Back‐barrier shoreline erosion due to sediment starvation in the back‐barrier basin was pronounced from 4·5 to 2·5 ka but, in the last 2·5 kyr, barrier sedimentation has kept up with and outpaced sea‐level. In the last 0·4 kyr the coastal barrier system has been prograding episodically. Sediment accumulation shows considerable variation, with periods of rapid sediment deposition and periods of non‐deposition or erosion resulting in a highly punctuated sediment record. The study demonstrates how core‐based facies interpretations supported by a high‐resolution chronology and a well‐documented sea‐level history allow identification of depositional environments, erosion surfaces and hiatuses within a very homogeneous stratigraphy, and allow a detailed temporal reconstruction of a coastal barrier system in relation to sea‐level rise and sediment supply.     

A late Holocene record of environmental changes from the Aliki lagoon,Egion, North Peloponnesus,Greece

Aliki lagoon is a small lagoon located on the micro-tidal south coast of the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. The sediments of the lagoon recovered in three cores provide a record of late Holocene environmental change, including tectonic subsidence, tsunami layers, and change in local vegetation and sedimentation. Four periods of rapid environmental changes were identified over a 5000-yr-long record. These date from about 4700, 3000, 2500 and 2000 yr BP. Each change is linked to activity on the Egion fault, a deepening of the lagoonal bottom and a rise in relative sea level. Six tsunami events are recorded and have been caused by earthquakes on the Egion fault (three events ∼4700, ∼3000 and ∼2500 BP), Eliki fault (2350±40 yr BP) and two more distal fault ruptures. The vegetation history and pollen zones are similar to those recognised by Jahns (Vegetation Hist. Archaebot. 2 (1993) 187) on the Argive Plain, 100 km southeast of the lagoon. Five successive sedimentological configurations are established in relation to the time frame provided by the tectonic activity: (1) crevasse splay; (2) fresh to brackish water marsh; (3) and (4) brackish to hypersaline “blind” lagoon, and (5) brackish to hypersaline “blind” lagoon or brackish open lagoon.     

Stone Age settlement and Holocene shore displacement in the Narva‐Luga Klint Bay area,eastern Gulf of Finland

Based on geological and archaeological proxies from NW Russia and NE Estonia and on GIS‐based modelling, shore displacement during the Stone Age in the Narva‐Luga Klint Bay area in the eastern Gulf of Finland was reconstructed. The reconstructed shore displacement curve displays three regressive phases in the Baltic Sea history, interrupted by the rapid Ancylus Lake and Litorina Sea transgressions c. 10.9–10.2 cal. ka BP and c. 8.5–7.3 cal. ka BP, respectively. During the Ancylus transgression the lake level rose 9 m at an average rate of about 13 mm per year, while during the Litorina transgression the sea level rose 8 m at an average rate of about 7 mm per year. The results show that the highest shoreline of Ancylus Lake at an altitude of 8–17 m a.s.l. was formed c. 10.2 cal. ka BP and that of the Litorina Sea at an altitude of 6–14 m a.s.l., c. 7.3 cal. ka BP. The oldest traces of human activity dated to 8.5–7.9 cal. ka BP are associated with the palaeo‐Narva River in the period of low water level in the Baltic basin at the beginning of the Litorina Sea transgression. The coastal settlement associated with the Litorina Sea lagoon, presently represented by 33 Stone Age sites, developed in the area c. 7.1 cal. ka BP and existed there for more than 2000 years. Transformation from the coastal settlement back to the river settlement indicates a change from a fishing‐and‐hunting economy to farming and animal husbandry c. 4.4 cal. ka BP, coinciding with the time of the overgrowing of the lagoon in the Narva‐Luga Klint Bay area.     

Mid-to-late Holocene sea level influence on coastal wetland development in Trinidad

Understanding how Holocene sea levels influenced coastal wetland development in the Caribbean will aid wetland management in the context of predicted sea level rise. Nine radiocarbon dates from the Maracas and Nariva Swamps on wave-dominated coasts from Trinidad, show sea level was –9 m approximately 7000 yr BP, and rose gradually to –2 m by 2000 yr BP. Since then there may have been isostatic readjustment. Wetlands developed with a transgression of dry upland habitats by rising seas and the facultative halophyte Rhizophora colonized the new brackish water environment. A freshwater plant community gradually replaced the Rhizophora as the marine influence decreased. At Maracas, higher sea levels caused wetland retreat as beach and lagoon habitats migrated inland. Sand ridges in Nariva Swamp indicate that, as in Maracas Swamp, sea level rise created beaches and lagoons, but that these landforms prograded as additional nearshore sediments were deposited. Basins were also filled with sediment delivered by streams that drain the watershed, and by mangrove peat accumulation.     

Physical stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Late Pleistocene-Holocene Tiber Delta depositional sequence

The Tiber Delta lies on the passive continental margin of central western Italy. The Tiber Delta is a Late Pleistocene—Holocene sedimentary succession and constitutes an ‘incomplete’high-frequency depositional sequence (4th or 5th order), which developed from the last post-glacial rise in sea level to the present stillstand. It is bound by a type 1 basal unconformity which cuts Pleistocene deposits. Five depositional systems have been identified: (1) coastal barrier—lagoon; (2) shelf-transition; (3) fluvial braided; (4) Tiber lagoonal deltas (T1, T2, T3); and (5) Tiber wave-dominated delta. The first four systems constitute the transgressive system tract (TST) which is characterized by a retrogradational parasequences set, while the fifth system represents the highstand system tract (HST) characterized by only one parasequence (progradational). The evolution of these depositional systems has been mostly controlled by sea-level rise, which was not continuous, but punctuated by eight minor stillstands and rapid rises. This mechanism of sea-level change led to the formation of parasequences that developed within the depositional systems. From a palaeogeographical point of view the present Tiber Delta area was mainly characterized by a coastal barrier, lagoon and Tiber lagoonal deltas (T1, T2, T3), which migrated landwards during the sea-level rise. Throughout the time of the present stillstand, the T3 lagoonal delta prograded rapidly into the lagoon, reaching the coastal barrier, and the lagoon was replaced first by marshes and then by the alluvial plain. Finally, the Tiber River overcame the littoral barrier supplying the coast, giving rise to the present wave-dominated delta.     

Formation and preservation of an overstepped segmented lagoon complex on a high‐energy continental shelf

The duration of shoreline occupation at a given sea‐level, coastal response to sea‐level change and the controls on preservation of various shoreline elements can be recognized by detailed examination of submerged shorelines on the continental shelf. Using bathymetric and seismic observations, this article documents the evolution and preservation of an incised valley and lithified barrier complex between ?65 m and ?50 m mean sea‐level on a wave‐dominated continental shelf. The barrier complex is preserved as a series of aeolianite or beachrock ridges backed by laterally extensive back‐barrier sediments. The ridges include prograded cuspate lagoonal shoreline features similar to those found in contemporary lagoons. The incised valley trends shore‐parallel behind the barrier complex and records an early phase of valley filling, followed by a phase of extensive lagoonal sedimentation beyond the margins of the incised bedrock valley. Sea‐level stability at the outer barrier position (ca ?65 m) enabled accumulation of a substantial coastal barrier that remained intact during a phase of subsequent slow sea‐level rise to ?58 m when the lagoon formed. These lagoonal sediments are stripped seawards by bay ravinement processes which caused the formation of several prograded marginal cuspate features. An abrupt rise in sea‐level to ?40 m, correlated with melt‐water pulse 1B, enabled the preservation of thick lagoonal sediments at the top of the incised valley fill and preservation on the sea bed of the cemented core of the barriers. This situation is unique to subtropical coastlines where early diagenesis is possible. The overlying sandy sediment from the uncemented upper portion of the barriers is dispersed by ravinement, partly burying the ridges and protecting the underlying sediments. The high degree of barrier or shoreline preservation is attributed to rapid overstepping of the shoreline, early cementation in favourable climatic conditions and the protection of the barrier cores by sand sheet draping.     

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a Late Quaternary lagoon system in southern Brazil (Jaguaruna region,Santa Catarina state) based on multi‐proxy analysis

This paper provides a paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a Late Quaternary lagoon system in the Jaguaruna region of Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. Integrated results of bulk sedimentary organic matter characterization (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and C/N), microfossil (pollen and diatom) and grain‐size analysis from three shallow cores (～2.5 m depth) allowed us to propose an evolving paleogeographic scenario in this coastal region for the last ca. 5500 cal a BP. The lagoonal system in this area was more extensive during the mid‐Holocene than today, with a gradual and continuous lagoon–sea disconnection until the present. We add to the debate regarding relative sea‐level (RSL) variations for the Brazilian coast during the Holocene and discuss the importance of sedimentary dynamics for interpreting changes in coastal ecosystems. The multi‐proxy analysis suggests that changes in coastal ecosystems could be directly related to local sedimentary processes, which are not necessarily linked to RSL fluctuations and/or to climatic variations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relative sea‐level changes since 15 000 cal. yr BP in the Nanortalik area,southern Greenland

We present new results for relative sea‐level change for southern Greenland for the interval from 9000 cal. yr BP to the present. Together with earlier work from the same region this yields a nearly complete record from the time of deglaciation to the present. Isolation and/or transgression sequences in one lake and five tidal basins have been identified using lithostratigraphic analyses, sedimentary characteristics, magnetic susceptibility, saturated induced remanent magnetisation (SIRM), organic and carbonate content, and macrofossil analyses. AMS radiocarbon dating of macrofossils and bulk sediment samples provides the timescale. Relative sea level fell rapidly and reached present‐day level at ～9300 cal. yr BP and continued falling until at least 9000 cal. yr BP. Between 8000 and 6000 cal. yr BP sea level reached its lowest level of around ～10 m below highest astronomical tide. At around 5000 cal. yr BP, sea level had reached above 7.8 m below highest astronomical tide and slowly continued to rise, not reaching present‐day sea level until today. The isostatic rebound caused rapid isolation of the basins that are seen as distinct isolation contacts in the sediments. In contrast, the late Holocene transgressions are less well defined and occurred over longer time intervals. The late Holocene sea‐level rise may be a consequence of isostatic reloading by advancing glaciers and/or an effect of the delayed response to isostatic rebound of the Laurentide ice sheet. One consequence of this transgression is that settlements of Palaeo‐Eskimo cultures may be missing in southern Greenland. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.