Distribution of foraminifera in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of SW Europe: Tools to reconstruct past sea-level variations

Eduardo Leorri; W. Roland Gehrels; Benjamin P. Horton; Francisco Fatela; Alejandro Cearreta

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2009.10.033

Distribution of foraminifera in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of SW Europe: Tools to reconstruct past sea-level variations

Eduardo Leorri
, W. Roland Gehrels
, Benjamin P. Horton
, Francisco Fatela
, Alejandro Cearreta

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

68 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Surface sediments were sampled from the salt marshes of the Morbihan Gulf (Brittany, France), the Barbadun, Plentzia and Urdaibai estuaries (Basque Country, northern Spain), the Minho and Lima estuaries (northern Portugal) and the Sado estuary (southern Portugal), to study the vertical distribution of foraminifera and their potential use for sea-level studies along the Atlantic coasts of SW Europe. The most abundant species found in the marshes are Jadammina macrescens and Trochammina inflata, with Miliammina fusca and Arenoparrella mexicana as secondary species, but there are some important regional differences in the composition of the foraminiferal assemblages. In the Basque marshes, Haynesina germanica and Ammonia tepida are dominant species, whereas in northern Portugal the most abundant species are M. fusca, Haplophragmoides spp. and T. inflata together with J. macrescens. Local transfer functions for sea-level reconstruction were constructed from fossil foraminiferal assemblages using Partial-Least-Squares (PLS) regression for data sets with a linear distribution (Morbihan and Sado) and Weighted-Averaging-Partial-Least-Squares (WA-PLS) regression for data sets with unimodal foraminiferal distributions (Basque and Minho-Lima). The most accurate models were obtained from high marsh assemblages. The transfer function models provided errors of ca. ±0.10. m, indicating that precise reconstructions of former sea levels are possible in this area. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	104-115
Journal	Quaternary International
Volume	221
Issue number	1-2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2009.10.033
Publication status	Published - Jul 2010
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publication details (e.g. title, author(s), publication statuses and dates) are captured on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis at the time of record harvesting from the data source. Suggestions for further amendments or supplementary information can be sent to [email protected].

Funding

Dr. Leorri was supported by the contract SFRH/BPD/44750/2008 (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT; Portugal). Nieves González carried out the digitalization of the data sets from the Basque sites. Simon Newman performed the foraminiferal analyses of the Sado Estuary samples. Veronica Rossi carried out micropaleontological sampling preparation and foraminiferal counting of the Morbihan Gulf samples as part of her PhD dissertation research project. The research was funded by the following grants: NSF Grant EAR-0713332, EnviChanges (PDCTM/PP/MAR/15251/99; FCT), MicroDyn (POCTI/CTA/45185/2002; FCT), Basque Government GIC07/32-IT-332-07, Acção Integrada Luso-Espanhola n°; E-20/80/Acción Integrada Hispano-Portuguesa HP2007-0098 (Assessing palaeoenvironmental proxies in the Iberian coast: marsh foraminifera as sea-level indicators), HOLSMEER (Late Holocene Shallow Marine Environments of Europe, EU Fifth Framework contract EVK2-CT-2000-00060), and Ihobe-UPV/EHU Contract (Estudio de las variaciones recientes del nivel marino en la costa vasca en el marco del proyecto K-Egokitzen-Cambio climático: impacto y adaptación). This paper is a contribution to IGCP Project 495 (“Late Quaternary Land–Ocean Interactions: Driving Mechanisms and Coastal Responses”) and to the Northwest Europe working group of the INQUA commission on Coastal and Marine Processes.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 14 Life Below Water

Policy Impact

Cited in Policy Documents

Access Output

10.1016/j.quaint.2009.10.033

Other Access Options

Check CityUHK Library

Permanent Link

Right click to copy link

Cite this

@article{ffb084d338d643a19ac2fb78c2891c5b,

title = "Distribution of foraminifera in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of SW Europe: Tools to reconstruct past sea-level variations",

abstract = "Surface sediments were sampled from the salt marshes of the Morbihan Gulf (Brittany, France), the Barbadun, Plentzia and Urdaibai estuaries (Basque Country, northern Spain), the Minho and Lima estuaries (northern Portugal) and the Sado estuary (southern Portugal), to study the vertical distribution of foraminifera and their potential use for sea-level studies along the Atlantic coasts of SW Europe. The most abundant species found in the marshes are Jadammina macrescens and Trochammina inflata, with Miliammina fusca and Arenoparrella mexicana as secondary species, but there are some important regional differences in the composition of the foraminiferal assemblages. In the Basque marshes, Haynesina germanica and Ammonia tepida are dominant species, whereas in northern Portugal the most abundant species are M. fusca, Haplophragmoides spp. and T. inflata together with J. macrescens. Local transfer functions for sea-level reconstruction were constructed from fossil foraminiferal assemblages using Partial-Least-Squares (PLS) regression for data sets with a linear distribution (Morbihan and Sado) and Weighted-Averaging-Partial-Least-Squares (WA-PLS) regression for data sets with unimodal foraminiferal distributions (Basque and Minho-Lima). The most accurate models were obtained from high marsh assemblages. The transfer function models provided errors of ca. ±0.10. m, indicating that precise reconstructions of former sea levels are possible in this area. {\textcopyright} 2009 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.",

author = "Eduardo Leorri and Gehrels, \{W. Roland\} and Horton, \{Benjamin P.\} and Francisco Fatela and Alejandro Cearreta",

note = "Publication details (e.g. title, author(s), publication statuses and dates) are captured on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis at the time of record harvesting from the data source. Suggestions for further amendments or supplementary information can be sent to [email protected].",

year = "2010",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1016/j.quaint.2009.10.033",

language = "English",

volume = "221",

pages = "104--115",

journal = "Quaternary International",

issn = "1040-6182",

publisher = "Elsevier Ltd.",

number = "1-2",

}

Distribution of foraminifera in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of SW Europe: Tools to reconstruct past sea-level variations. / Leorri, Eduardo; Gehrels, W. Roland; Horton, Benjamin P. et al.
In: Quaternary International, Vol. 221, No. 1-2, 07.2010, p. 104-115.

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Distribution of foraminifera in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of SW Europe

T2 - Tools to reconstruct past sea-level variations

AU - Leorri, Eduardo

AU - Gehrels, W. Roland

AU - Horton, Benjamin P.

AU - Fatela, Francisco

AU - Cearreta, Alejandro

N1 - Publication details (e.g. title, author(s), publication statuses and dates) are captured on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis at the time of record harvesting from the data source. Suggestions for further amendments or supplementary information can be sent to [email protected].

PY - 2010/7

Y1 - 2010/7

N2 - Surface sediments were sampled from the salt marshes of the Morbihan Gulf (Brittany, France), the Barbadun, Plentzia and Urdaibai estuaries (Basque Country, northern Spain), the Minho and Lima estuaries (northern Portugal) and the Sado estuary (southern Portugal), to study the vertical distribution of foraminifera and their potential use for sea-level studies along the Atlantic coasts of SW Europe. The most abundant species found in the marshes are Jadammina macrescens and Trochammina inflata, with Miliammina fusca and Arenoparrella mexicana as secondary species, but there are some important regional differences in the composition of the foraminiferal assemblages. In the Basque marshes, Haynesina germanica and Ammonia tepida are dominant species, whereas in northern Portugal the most abundant species are M. fusca, Haplophragmoides spp. and T. inflata together with J. macrescens. Local transfer functions for sea-level reconstruction were constructed from fossil foraminiferal assemblages using Partial-Least-Squares (PLS) regression for data sets with a linear distribution (Morbihan and Sado) and Weighted-Averaging-Partial-Least-Squares (WA-PLS) regression for data sets with unimodal foraminiferal distributions (Basque and Minho-Lima). The most accurate models were obtained from high marsh assemblages. The transfer function models provided errors of ca. ±0.10. m, indicating that precise reconstructions of former sea levels are possible in this area. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

AB - Surface sediments were sampled from the salt marshes of the Morbihan Gulf (Brittany, France), the Barbadun, Plentzia and Urdaibai estuaries (Basque Country, northern Spain), the Minho and Lima estuaries (northern Portugal) and the Sado estuary (southern Portugal), to study the vertical distribution of foraminifera and their potential use for sea-level studies along the Atlantic coasts of SW Europe. The most abundant species found in the marshes are Jadammina macrescens and Trochammina inflata, with Miliammina fusca and Arenoparrella mexicana as secondary species, but there are some important regional differences in the composition of the foraminiferal assemblages. In the Basque marshes, Haynesina germanica and Ammonia tepida are dominant species, whereas in northern Portugal the most abundant species are M. fusca, Haplophragmoides spp. and T. inflata together with J. macrescens. Local transfer functions for sea-level reconstruction were constructed from fossil foraminiferal assemblages using Partial-Least-Squares (PLS) regression for data sets with a linear distribution (Morbihan and Sado) and Weighted-Averaging-Partial-Least-Squares (WA-PLS) regression for data sets with unimodal foraminiferal distributions (Basque and Minho-Lima). The most accurate models were obtained from high marsh assemblages. The transfer function models provided errors of ca. ±0.10. m, indicating that precise reconstructions of former sea levels are possible in this area. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/77953710618

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77953710618&origin=recordpage

UR - https://app-overton-io.ezproxy.cityu.edu.hk/articles.php?query=10.1016/j.quaint.2009.10.033

U2 - 10.1016/j.quaint.2009.10.033

DO - 10.1016/j.quaint.2009.10.033

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 1040-6182

VL - 221

SP - 104

EP - 115

JO - Quaternary International

JF - Quaternary International

IS - 1-2

ER -

Distribution of foraminifera in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of SW Europe: Tools to reconstruct past sea-level variations

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Policy Impact

Access Output

Other Access Options

Permanent Link

Other Files and Links

Fingerprint

Cite this