Pub Date : 2025-07-02DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107614
Song Zhang , Zhongqiao Li , Bassem Jalali , Youcheng Bai , Zhongqiang Ji , Hongliang Li , Haiyan Jin , Jianfang Chen
Recent Arctic warming has accelerated permafrost thaw, mobilizing ancient organic carbon (OC) into the ocean. The Bering Sea, connected to major rivers such as the Yukon and Anadyr, receives substantial terrigenous carbon inputs. However, the sources and fate of the terrigenous OC remain poorly characterized. In this study, we aimed to assess the sources and sinks of organic matter on the Bering Sea Shelf by analyzing multi parameters such as TOC, TN, δ13C, lignin phenols, grain size and SSA of the surface sediments. OC and TN exhibit similar spatial patterns, with higher concentrations in the western region but lower along the Alaska Coastal Current (ACC). δ13C values decreased from east to west, ranging from −24.36 ‰ to −22.03 ‰, suggesting a westward decline in terrigenous OC influence, corroborated by C/N ratios. Lignin content (Λ8) varies from 0.49 to 4.58 mg/100 mg OC, peaking near the Yukon River estuary. Ratios of syringyl to vanillyl (S/V) and cinnamyl to vanillyl (C/V) phenols indicate mixed inputs from angiosperms and gymnosperms. Our findings demonstrate that the distribution of terrigenous OC is primarily governed by hydrodynamic sorting and mineral surface adsorption. We conclude that the Bering Sea shelf functions as a net sink for terrigenous organic carbon, a phenomenon expected to intensify with anticipated Arctic warming.
{"title":"The Bering Sea shelf as a sink for terrigenous organic carbon: Insights from sediment geochemistry","authors":"Song Zhang , Zhongqiao Li , Bassem Jalali , Youcheng Bai , Zhongqiang Ji , Hongliang Li , Haiyan Jin , Jianfang Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107614","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107614","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent Arctic warming has accelerated permafrost thaw, mobilizing ancient organic carbon (OC) into the ocean. The Bering Sea, connected to major rivers such as the Yukon and Anadyr, receives substantial terrigenous carbon inputs. However, the sources and fate of the terrigenous OC remain poorly characterized. In this study, we aimed to assess the sources and sinks of organic matter on the Bering Sea Shelf by analyzing multi parameters such as TOC, TN, δ<sup>13</sup>C, lignin phenols, grain size and SSA of the surface sediments. OC and TN exhibit similar spatial patterns, with higher concentrations in the western region but lower along the Alaska Coastal Current (ACC). δ<sup>13</sup>C values decreased from east to west, ranging from −24.36 ‰ to −22.03 ‰, suggesting a westward decline in terrigenous OC influence, corroborated by C/N ratios. Lignin content (Λ8) varies from 0.49 to 4.58 mg/100 mg OC, peaking near the Yukon River estuary. Ratios of syringyl to vanillyl (S/V) and cinnamyl to vanillyl (C/V) phenols indicate mixed inputs from angiosperms and gymnosperms. Our findings demonstrate that the distribution of terrigenous OC is primarily governed by hydrodynamic sorting and mineral surface adsorption. We conclude that the Bering Sea shelf functions as a net sink for terrigenous organic carbon, a phenomenon expected to intensify with anticipated Arctic warming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107614"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144580592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107612
Kenta Minamidate , Takashi Ishizawa , Hironobu Kan , Yusuke Yokoyama , Naoto Koiwa , Akifumi Ito , Kazuhisa Goto
Tropical cyclones (TCs) are among the most destructive hydrodynamic disturbances, yet our knowledge of their long-term climatology is limited by the short length of observational records. Geological records provide valuable insights into TC activity before modern observation. Although the western North Pacific (WNP) is the most active TC basin, little is known about how intense TCs have responded to long-term climate variability. Here, this study presents a new two-millennia record of intense TC activity from coastal boulder deposits on Amami-Oshima Island in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The results indicate reduced TC activity during colder periods, including the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA; 540–660 CE) and the Little Ice Age (LIA; 1400–1700 CE), and increased activity from the end of cold periods to warm periods, including the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; 950–1250 CE) and the Current Warm Period (CWP; 1850 CE–present). Our integration of paleo-TC and paleoclimate records shows that TC activity had been synchronously activated during warm periods at middle latitudes in the WNP; however, it had been enhanced during the LIA at low latitudes. These meridional anti-phase patterns are likely driven by the variability in air and sea surface temperature and associated shifts in the Hadley circulation. Given the unprecedented rise in global mean temperature, ongoing climate change may drive significant changes in TC behavior, potentially mirroring or exceeding past warm-period trends.
{"title":"Two millennia of intense tropical cyclone activity in the western North Pacific: Insights from coastal boulder deposits","authors":"Kenta Minamidate , Takashi Ishizawa , Hironobu Kan , Yusuke Yokoyama , Naoto Koiwa , Akifumi Ito , Kazuhisa Goto","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107612","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107612","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tropical cyclones (TCs) are among the most destructive hydrodynamic disturbances, yet our knowledge of their long-term climatology is limited by the short length of observational records. Geological records provide valuable insights into TC activity before modern observation. Although the western North Pacific (WNP) is the most active TC basin, little is known about how intense TCs have responded to long-term climate variability. Here, this study presents a new two-millennia record of intense TC activity from coastal boulder deposits on Amami-Oshima Island in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The results indicate reduced TC activity during colder periods, including the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA; 540–660 CE) and the Little Ice Age (LIA; 1400–1700 CE), and increased activity from the end of cold periods to warm periods, including the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; 950–1250 CE) and the Current Warm Period (CWP; 1850 CE–present). Our integration of paleo-TC and paleoclimate records shows that TC activity had been synchronously activated during warm periods at middle latitudes in the WNP; however, it had been enhanced during the LIA at low latitudes. These meridional anti-phase patterns are likely driven by the variability in air and sea surface temperature and associated shifts in the Hadley circulation. Given the unprecedented rise in global mean temperature, ongoing climate change may drive significant changes in TC behavior, potentially mirroring or exceeding past warm-period trends.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107612"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107613
Mengming Yu , Chi-Yue Huang , Graciano P. Yumul Jr. , Jonny Wu , Guangfa Zhong , Minghui Zhao , Yi Yan
Understanding the global water balance between subduction influx and outflux requires exploring for unrecognized sources of water outflux beyond island-arc volcanism. Here we investigate the petrogenesis of the principal high-temperature hydrous mineral (i.e., amphiboles) in oceanic gabbros of the Huatung Basin, an Early Cretaceous oceanic relict sandwiched between the Gagua Ridge Arc and the Taiwan-Luzon Arc in the northwesternmost corner of the Philippine Sea Plate. The amphiboles show low TiO2 (<1.5 wt%) and Nb/Yb (≤0.3) and ∼550–800 °C equilibration temperatures using amphibole-plagioclase thermometry, indicating high-temperature metamorphic origins. The low whole-rock 87Sr/86Sr (703216–0.703294) indicates the fluids involved in the formation of these amphiboles were hydrous island-arc melts. Viewed in conjunction with the large variations of the existed radioisotopic ages (∼130, ∼123–116, ∼105, and ∼70 Ma), the reported seismic velocity structure of the Huatung Basin that implies younger ocean lithosphere ages (20–50 Ma) is likely related to pervasive supra-subduction lithospheric metasomatism of the oceanic lithosphere. This metasomatism was probably hosted by intrusions of Gagua Ridge and Taiwan-Luzon island-arc magmatism. We suggest that such metasomatism of supra-subduction lithosphere by hydrous island-arc melts could be important for water outflux beyond island-arc volcanism globally.
{"title":"Supra-subduction lithospheric metasomatism and water outflux beyond island-arc volcanism","authors":"Mengming Yu , Chi-Yue Huang , Graciano P. Yumul Jr. , Jonny Wu , Guangfa Zhong , Minghui Zhao , Yi Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107613","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107613","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the global water balance between subduction influx and outflux requires exploring for unrecognized sources of water outflux beyond island-arc volcanism. Here we investigate the petrogenesis of the principal high-temperature hydrous mineral (i.e.<em>,</em> amphiboles) in oceanic gabbros of the Huatung Basin, an Early Cretaceous oceanic relict sandwiched between the Gagua Ridge Arc and the Taiwan-Luzon Arc in the northwesternmost corner of the Philippine Sea Plate. The amphiboles show low TiO<sub>2</sub> (<1.5 wt%) and Nb/Yb (≤0.3) and ∼550–800 °C equilibration temperatures using amphibole-plagioclase thermometry, indicating high-temperature metamorphic origins. The low whole-rock <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr (703216–0.703294) indicates the fluids involved in the formation of these amphiboles were hydrous island-arc melts. Viewed in conjunction with the large variations of the existed radioisotopic ages (∼130, ∼123–116, ∼105, and ∼70 Ma), the reported seismic velocity structure of the Huatung Basin that implies younger ocean lithosphere ages (20–50 Ma) is likely related to pervasive supra-subduction lithospheric metasomatism of the oceanic lithosphere. This metasomatism was probably hosted by intrusions of Gagua Ridge and Taiwan-Luzon island-arc magmatism. We suggest that such metasomatism of supra-subduction lithosphere by hydrous island-arc melts could be important for water outflux beyond island-arc volcanism globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107613"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-24DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107607
Raphaël Paris , Franck Lavigne , Christine Hatté , Juan Francisco Betancort , Jean-Pierre Flandrois , Arnauld Vinçon-Laugier , Eve Poulallion , Simon Falvard , Bachtiar W. Mutaqin , Christophe Lécuyer
14C dating of tsunami deposits in arid environments is often challenging, especially when there is no organic material available. The marine bioclasts found in the tsunami deposits thus become the main dating possibility. Apart from the reservoir effect, the main source of uncertainty is the age difference between the shells and the tsunami that transported them. Taking as an example a tsunami deposit on the island of La Graciosa (Canary Islands), we demonstrate that the marine shells (Patella) come from different sources, with 14C ages ranging from >45 kBP to 200 BP, the main source being an ancient marine terrace probably of MIS5e age. In addition, we propose a landslide source for this tsunami, the scar of which can be observed on the Famara cliff to the northeast of Lanzarote, just opposite the tsunami deposit outcrops at La Graciosa. In addition to the methodological aspects of shell dating, this study also serves as a reminder that local tsunamis generated by coastal cliff collapses are not a hazard to be neglected.
{"title":"14C dating of tsunami deposits in arid environments: How challenging can it be? The example of La Graciosa, Canary Islands","authors":"Raphaël Paris , Franck Lavigne , Christine Hatté , Juan Francisco Betancort , Jean-Pierre Flandrois , Arnauld Vinçon-Laugier , Eve Poulallion , Simon Falvard , Bachtiar W. Mutaqin , Christophe Lécuyer","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107607","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107607","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><sup>14</sup>C dating of tsunami deposits in arid environments is often challenging, especially when there is no organic material available. The marine bioclasts found in the tsunami deposits thus become the main dating possibility. Apart from the reservoir effect, the main source of uncertainty is the age difference between the shells and the tsunami that transported them. Taking as an example a tsunami deposit on the island of La Graciosa (Canary Islands), we demonstrate that the marine shells (<em>Patella</em>) come from different sources, with <sup>14</sup>C ages ranging from >45 kBP to 200 BP, the main source being an ancient marine terrace probably of MIS5e age. In addition, we propose a landslide source for this tsunami, the scar of which can be observed on the Famara cliff to the northeast of Lanzarote, just opposite the tsunami deposit outcrops at La Graciosa. In addition to the methodological aspects of shell dating, this study also serves as a reminder that local tsunamis generated by coastal cliff collapses are not a hazard to be neglected.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107607"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144490026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-24DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107608
Riccardo Arosio , David Amblas
Submarine canyons are deep, large-scale incisions found on most of the world's continental margins. In Antarctica, canyons are widespread features driving mesoscale oceanographic processes with significant implications for global climate and circulation, connecting shallow to deep sedimentary processes and positively influencing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The understanding of their oceanographic, climatic, geological and ecological significance is limited by the detail, accuracy and extent of canyon inventory. This study aims to create the best possible catalogue of Antarctic submarine canyons and gullies taking advantage of the new International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBSCO) v.2. Semi-automatic hydrological techniques were adopted to delineate the drainage network, and to extract attributes such as the stream order, stream gradient and sinuosity. We identified 332 drainage networks with 3291 stream segments, nearly 5 times the number of canyons identified in previous studies, and calculated 15 morphometric parameters for each segment. We observe significant differences across Antarctic margins. East Antarctica shows the most complex and largest drainage networks, while the Antarctic Peninsula has the greatest number of networks, although with the lowest stream orders and shortest lengths. Western Antarctica has less complexity and shorter network lengths compared to East Antarctica. These differences may reflect the contrasting glacial histories of the two regions, with the earlier onset of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet leading to older and more developed canyon systems.
{"title":"The geomorphometry of Antarctic submarine canyons","authors":"Riccardo Arosio , David Amblas","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107608","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107608","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Submarine canyons are deep, large-scale incisions found on most of the world's continental margins. In Antarctica, canyons are widespread features driving mesoscale oceanographic processes with significant implications for global climate and circulation, connecting shallow to deep sedimentary processes and positively influencing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The understanding of their oceanographic, climatic, geological and ecological significance is limited by the detail, accuracy and extent of canyon inventory. This study aims to create the best possible catalogue of Antarctic submarine canyons and gullies taking advantage of the new International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBSCO) v.2. Semi-automatic hydrological techniques were adopted to delineate the drainage network, and to extract attributes such as the stream order, stream gradient and sinuosity. We identified 332 drainage networks with 3291 stream segments, nearly 5 times the number of canyons identified in previous studies, and calculated 15 morphometric parameters for each segment. We observe significant differences across Antarctic margins. East Antarctica shows the most complex and largest drainage networks, while the Antarctic Peninsula has the greatest number of networks, although with the lowest stream orders and shortest lengths. Western Antarctica has less complexity and shorter network lengths compared to East Antarctica. These differences may reflect the contrasting glacial histories of the two regions, with the earlier onset of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet leading to older and more developed canyon systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107608"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144490025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-22DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107611
Fangyou Lin , Shuwen Mei , Hao Xu , Maojie Yang , Michael E. Meadows , Zhanghua Wang (王张华)
The Yaojiang-Ningbo coastal plain in East China is naturally vulnerable to salinity intrusion. At around 5.3 ka, the study area experienced a period (the 5.3 ka extreme storm period) when extreme storm events and associated salinity intrusions were especially frequent. Sedimentary records are widely distributed in the plain but have thus far not been systematically amalgamated, constraining interpretation of the impacts of these extreme storms on prehistoric coastal communities. Here we present a multi-proxy analysis of the chronology, sedimentology, and geochemistry of a profile containing records of the 5.3 ka extreme storm period from a newly excavated Neolithic site, Hukengji, in the Yaojiang-Ningbo plain. Results of the paleoenvironmental reconstruction evidences a tidal marsh environment at the site at ca. 6.0 ka, which was exposed to salinity intrusions at ca. 5.3 ka and river flooding at ca. 5.1 ka. Through comparison with other sedimentary records in the region, we show that the 5.3 ka extreme storm period in the Yaojiang-Ningbo Plain extended from ca. 5.4 ka to ca. 4.9 ka, with two peaks at around 5.3 ka and 5.1 ka. Communities of the Hemudu Culture Period IV adapted to this phase of coastal flooding, for example, by constructing artificial mounds. However, the effects of the extreme hydroclimatic events during the 5.3 ka extreme storm period led eventually to the Hemudu Culture being replaced across the region by the more complex and socially stratified Liangzhu Culture from around 5.1 ka onwards.
{"title":"Sedimentary records of mid-Holocene extreme storm events and Neolithic cultural response in the Yaojiang-Ningbo Plain, East China","authors":"Fangyou Lin , Shuwen Mei , Hao Xu , Maojie Yang , Michael E. Meadows , Zhanghua Wang (王张华)","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107611","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Yaojiang-Ningbo coastal plain in East China is naturally vulnerable to salinity intrusion. At around 5.3 ka, the study area experienced a period (the 5.3 ka extreme storm period) when extreme storm events and associated salinity intrusions were especially frequent. Sedimentary records are widely distributed in the plain but have thus far not been systematically amalgamated, constraining interpretation of the impacts of these extreme storms on prehistoric coastal communities. Here we present a multi-proxy analysis of the chronology, sedimentology, and geochemistry of a profile containing records of the 5.3 ka extreme storm period from a newly excavated Neolithic site, Hukengji, in the Yaojiang-Ningbo plain. Results of the paleoenvironmental reconstruction evidences a tidal marsh environment at the site at ca. 6.0 ka, which was exposed to salinity intrusions at ca. 5.3 ka and river flooding at ca. 5.1 ka. Through comparison with other sedimentary records in the region, we show that the 5.3 ka extreme storm period in the Yaojiang-Ningbo Plain extended from ca. 5.4 ka to ca. 4.9 ka, with two peaks at around 5.3 ka and 5.1 ka. Communities of the Hemudu Culture Period IV adapted to this phase of coastal flooding, for example, by constructing artificial mounds. However, the effects of the extreme hydroclimatic events during the 5.3 ka extreme storm period led eventually to the Hemudu Culture being replaced across the region by the more complex and socially stratified Liangzhu Culture from around 5.1 ka onwards.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107611"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144516952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-21DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107610
Howard K.Y. Yu , Nicole S. Khan , Nina Desianti , Ed Garrett , Noah J. Planavsky , Ayesha Ahmed
We investigated the utility of foraminifera, diatoms, and δ13C and C/N geochemistry as proxies for generating late Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) records from Deep Bay on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta. We described the contemporary distribution of these proxies from 66 samples across subtidal, intertidal (mudflat and mangrove), and upland environments from three transects. Using Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) cluster analysis, we identified ten distinct, vertically-zoned groups of foraminifera and two groups of diatoms. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that tidal elevation was the primary environmental variable controlling foraminiferal assemblages, while salinity, which covaried with elevation, primarily influenced diatom assemblages. We also identified 6 vertically-zoned, environmental zones on the basis of δ13C and C/N geochemistry using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Bayesian transfer functions (BTFs) were developed from modern foraminifera and diatom training sets incorporating priors from geochemically-defined environmental zones and BTF predictions derived from the other microfossil group. These BTFs were applied to a sediment core collected from contemporary mangroves, which began accumulating around 1960 CE. Comparison of our RSL reconstructions with local tide gauge records demonstrated that incorporating informative priors improved the accuracy and precision of RSL reconstructions. Among the approaches tested, microfossil BTF-derived priors yielded greater improvement, producing lower prediction uncertainties compared to those based on geochemical priors. The foraminifera BTF captured all tide gauge observations within its 1σ uncertainty bounds regardless of whether informed by priors, while using diatom BTF priors led to a reduction in Mean Squared Error (MSE) by 121 % (MSE: 0.014 m2), and average 1σ uncertainty by 36 %. The incorporation of foraminifera BTF priors in the diatom BTF did not result in substantial improvements in accuracy but reduced its average 1σ uncertainty by 43 %. Our results demonstrate that foraminifera, diatoms, and δ13C and C/N geochemistry together offer robust tools for reconstructing late Holocene RSL in the Pearl River Delta, although their utility in isolation is limited by poor preservation of foraminiferal tests and the influence of planktonic diatom taxa in sediment archives.
{"title":"The utility of mangrove foraminifera, diatoms, and stable carbon isotope and C/N geochemistry in relative sea-level reconstruction in the Pearl River Delta, China","authors":"Howard K.Y. Yu , Nicole S. Khan , Nina Desianti , Ed Garrett , Noah J. Planavsky , Ayesha Ahmed","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107610","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107610","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We investigated the utility of foraminifera, diatoms, and δ<sup>13</sup>C and C/N geochemistry as proxies for generating late Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) records from Deep Bay on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta. We described the contemporary distribution of these proxies from 66 samples across subtidal, intertidal (mudflat and mangrove), and upland environments from three transects. Using Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) cluster analysis, we identified ten distinct, vertically-zoned groups of foraminifera and two groups of diatoms. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that tidal elevation was the primary environmental variable controlling foraminiferal assemblages, while salinity, which covaried with elevation, primarily influenced diatom assemblages. We also identified 6 vertically-zoned, environmental zones on the basis of δ<sup>13</sup>C and C/N geochemistry using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Bayesian transfer functions (BTFs) were developed from modern foraminifera and diatom training sets incorporating priors from geochemically-defined environmental zones and BTF predictions derived from the other microfossil group. These BTFs were applied to a sediment core collected from contemporary mangroves, which began accumulating around 1960 CE. Comparison of our RSL reconstructions with local tide gauge records demonstrated that incorporating informative priors improved the accuracy and precision of RSL reconstructions. Among the approaches tested, microfossil BTF-derived priors yielded greater improvement, producing lower prediction uncertainties compared to those based on geochemical priors. The foraminifera BTF captured all tide gauge observations within its 1σ uncertainty bounds regardless of whether informed by priors, while using diatom BTF priors led to a reduction in Mean Squared Error (MSE) by 121 % (MSE: 0.014 m<sup>2</sup>), and average 1σ uncertainty by 36 %. The incorporation of foraminifera BTF priors in the diatom BTF did not result in substantial improvements in accuracy but reduced its average 1σ uncertainty by 43 %. Our results demonstrate that foraminifera, diatoms, and δ<sup>13</sup>C and C/N geochemistry together offer robust tools for reconstructing late Holocene RSL in the Pearl River Delta, although their utility in isolation is limited by poor preservation of foraminiferal tests and the influence of planktonic diatom taxa in sediment archives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107610"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144469881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-20DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107609
Charline Coudun , Paul Brichard , Christophe Basile , Sébastien Zaragosi , Vincent Marieu , Martin Patriat , Lies Loncke
The Buteur Ridge is a 7 km-long and 6 km-wide relief on the eastern rifted margin of the Demerara Plateau, offshore French Guiana. This margin was formed during the Lower Cretaceous. In early 2023, the oceanographic cruise DIADEM used a manned deep submersible (Nautile) to sample and directly observe the eastern flank of this 3750 m-deep ridge.
This study presents a new underwater photogrammetric method developed from the Nautile video records. This method incorporates both camera and submarine movements to produce photogrammetric 3D models of the seafloor below decimetre scale. The presented underwater photogrammetric method can be used for both past and future video records, as long as both underwater device and camera movements are recorded.
The data obtained from the 3D reconstructions allow to reconstruct detailed stratigraphic and structural framework of the Buteur Ridge. The eastern flank of the Buteur Ridge is entirely composed of sedimentary layers. Structural analysis at bed scale suggests prograding structures likely associated with a N-S-directed paleocurrent. At ridge scale, structural analysis combined with seismic observations suggests that the Buteur Ridge is the result of a polyphased tectonic evolution. We highlight that Cretaceous tilted blocks, bounded by east-dipping faults, are overlapped by a post-rift unit. The syn-rift units are in contact with the east-dipping post-rift unit by a post-rift unconformity. Subsequent tilt and fault reactivation offset both the post-rift unconformity and the post-rift unit, resulting in the present relief of the Buteur Ridge.
{"title":"Quantitative structural geology in the deep ocean using photogrammetry: Implications for the polyphased tectonic evolution of the Buteur Ridge, French Guiana","authors":"Charline Coudun , Paul Brichard , Christophe Basile , Sébastien Zaragosi , Vincent Marieu , Martin Patriat , Lies Loncke","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107609","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107609","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Buteur Ridge is a 7 km-long and 6 km-wide relief on the eastern rifted margin of the Demerara Plateau, offshore French Guiana. This margin was formed during the Lower Cretaceous. In early 2023, the oceanographic cruise DIADEM used a manned deep submersible (<em>Nautile</em>) to sample and directly observe the eastern flank of this 3750 m-deep ridge.</div><div>This study presents a new underwater photogrammetric method developed from the <em>Nautile</em> video records. This method incorporates both camera and submarine movements to produce photogrammetric 3D models of the seafloor below decimetre scale. The presented underwater photogrammetric method can be used for both past and future video records, as long as both underwater device and camera movements are recorded.</div><div>The data obtained from the 3D reconstructions allow to reconstruct detailed stratigraphic and structural framework of the Buteur Ridge. The eastern flank of the Buteur Ridge is entirely composed of sedimentary layers. Structural analysis at bed scale suggests prograding structures likely associated with a N-S-directed paleocurrent. At ridge scale, structural analysis combined with seismic observations suggests that the Buteur Ridge is the result of a polyphased tectonic evolution. We highlight that Cretaceous tilted blocks, bounded by east-dipping faults, are overlapped by a post-rift unit. The syn-rift units are in contact with the east-dipping post-rift unit by a post-rift unconformity. Subsequent tilt and fault reactivation offset both the post-rift unconformity and the post-rift unit, resulting in the present relief of the Buteur Ridge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107609"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-18DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107606
Yunwei Wang , Yali Qi , Qian Yu
Coastal salt marshes are an essential part of the ecosystem, but they are threatened by marsh-edge cliff retreat. Using satellite remote sensing and field data from 2013 to 2017, this study investigates the exceptionally high retreat rates of marsh-edge cliffs along the central Jiangsu coast of China, averaging 24.6 m/a (range: 7.3–39.2 m/a), which are an order of magnitude higher than typical global values. We examine the temporal and spatial patterns of cliff retreat and explore the mechanisms driving these rapid changes. Previous studies have widely considered wave power as the primary driver of marsh-edge retreat; however, this study shows that it cannot fully explain the observed rates. We identify two key factors contributing to the rapid retreat: (1) the open tidal flat environment, where strong tidal and coastal currents transport eroded sediment away, hindering sediment replenishment, and (2) the relatively tall marsh-edge cliffs with a substantial mesotidal range (∼3.4 m), which are more susceptible to erosion through cantilever failure and slumping. These findings highlight the complex interplay of environmental factors driving marsh degradation and suggest that future research should incorporate high-temporal-resolution monitoring to better capture the nature of cliff erosion, especially with increasing changes in climate condition globally.
{"title":"Rapid retreat of marsh-edge cliffs, Jiangsu coast, China","authors":"Yunwei Wang , Yali Qi , Qian Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107606","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107606","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coastal salt marshes are an essential part of the ecosystem, but they are threatened by marsh-edge cliff retreat. Using satellite remote sensing and field data from 2013 to 2017, this study investigates the exceptionally high retreat rates of marsh-edge cliffs along the central Jiangsu coast of China, averaging 24.6 m/a (range: 7.3–39.2 m/a), which are an order of magnitude higher than typical global values. We examine the temporal and spatial patterns of cliff retreat and explore the mechanisms driving these rapid changes. Previous studies have widely considered wave power as the primary driver of marsh-edge retreat; however, this study shows that it cannot fully explain the observed rates. We identify two key factors contributing to the rapid retreat: (1) the open tidal flat environment, where strong tidal and coastal currents transport eroded sediment away, hindering sediment replenishment, and (2) the relatively tall marsh-edge cliffs with a substantial mesotidal range (∼3.4 m), which are more susceptible to erosion through cantilever failure and slumping. These findings highlight the complex interplay of environmental factors driving marsh degradation and suggest that future research should incorporate high-temporal-resolution monitoring to better capture the nature of cliff erosion, especially with increasing changes in climate condition globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107606"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144329936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-11DOI: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107605
Lucien F. Montaggioni , Bernard Salvat , Éric Brunaud , Edwige Pons-Branchu , Gilbert Poli , Bertrand Martin-Garin
Extreme marine hazard events are expected to increase in the next future as a response to global warming. Estimating their frequency and magnitude in the recent past is of prime concern to better project their future impacts. In tropical reef provinces, coral boulders deposited on reef top surfaces can be used as key proxies for defining the occurrence – recurrence time and effects of paleo-storms. The present study defines origin, morphometry, location, orientation, timing and mode of deposition of a number of coral reef boulders present on reef-flats surfaces, along the south-eastern rim areas of Fakarava Atoll, north-west Tuamotu, central South Pacific. These boulders, extracted from the upper forereef spurs, were projected onto the reef-flat zone, at distances of 51 to 235 m from the outer reef edge. Among the 44 described boulders >20 m3, only 19 were revealed to be covered by well-preserved coral colonies in growth position and as such, were submitted to physical analysis and U/Th dating. Upper reef spurs have been built from about 5000 to 3000 cal. yr BP. Dominantly platy in shape, with sharp broken, lateral faces, the 19 investigated boulders range between 3 and 8.5 m long, 4 and 82 m3 in volume, 6.8 to 139.4 tons in weight. The minimum flow velocities to initially move and uplifted these blocks were estimated between about 4 to >13 m/s. Morphometric comparison of the boulder set investigated at Fakarava with those from nearby atolls recognized as cyclone-moved strongly suggests that boulder detachment and deposition at Fakarava have resulted from cyclogenesis than tsunamigenic impacts. Contrary to cyclone-related boulder deposition that appears to have occurred mainly during the last centuries in the nearby atolls, U/Th dating of boulders at Fakarava reveals that cyclogenesis has increased between 3400 and 2300 cal. yr BP (15th–4th centuries BC) and between 2,000 and 1,700 cal. yr BP (1st–4th centuries AD) in the considered region, with an expected mean reccurrence time of around 30 to 50 years. This intensification of cyclone activity is interpreted as related to amplified enso phases in the south Pacific.
由于全球变暖,预计未来极端海洋灾害事件将会增加。在最近的过去估计它们的频率和大小是更好地预测它们未来影响的首要问题。在热带珊瑚礁省,沉积在礁顶表面的珊瑚巨石可以作为确定古风暴发生-复发时间和影响的关键指标。本研究确定了沿南太平洋中部土阿莫土西北法卡拉瓦环礁东南边缘地区的礁滩表面上出现的一些珊瑚礁巨石的起源、形态、位置、方向、时间和沉积模式。这些巨石是从上部的前礁刺中提取出来的,被投射到离外礁边缘51到235米的礁滩地带。在描述的44块20立方米的巨石中,只有19块被保存完好的珊瑚群落所覆盖,因此需要进行物理分析和U/Th定年。上礁刺形成于约5000至3000 cal. yr BP。被调查的19块巨石主要呈板状,具有锋利的破碎侧面,长度在3至8.5米之间,体积在4至82立方米之间,重量在6.8至139.4吨之间。最初移动和抬升这些区块的最小流速估计在4到13米/秒之间。法卡拉瓦研究的巨石组与附近被认为是气旋移动的环礁的巨石组的形态计量学比较强烈地表明,法卡拉瓦的巨石分离和沉积是由气旋形成而不是海啸形成的影响造成的。与旋风相关的巨石沉积似乎主要发生在最近几个世纪附近的环礁相反,Fakarava巨石的U/Th定年显示,在考虑的地区,旋风形成在3400至2300 cal. yr BP(公元前15 - 4世纪)和2000至1700 cal. yr BP(公元1 - 4世纪)之间增加,预计平均复发时间约为30至50年。这种气旋活动的增强被解释为与南太平洋enso阶段的放大有关。
{"title":"Coral reef boulders as recorders of cyclone activity over the last 3500 years (Fakarava Atoll, Tuamotu, French Polynesia)","authors":"Lucien F. Montaggioni , Bernard Salvat , Éric Brunaud , Edwige Pons-Branchu , Gilbert Poli , Bertrand Martin-Garin","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107605","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107605","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extreme marine hazard events are expected to increase in the next future as a response to global warming. Estimating their frequency and magnitude in the recent past is of prime concern to better project their future impacts. In tropical reef provinces, coral boulders deposited on reef top surfaces can be used as key proxies for defining the occurrence – recurrence time and effects of paleo-storms. The present study defines origin, morphometry, location, orientation, timing and mode of deposition of a number of coral reef boulders present on reef-flats surfaces, along the south-eastern rim areas of Fakarava Atoll, north-west Tuamotu, central South Pacific. These boulders, extracted from the upper forereef spurs, were projected onto the reef-flat zone, at distances of 51 to 235 m from the outer reef edge. Among the 44 described boulders >20 m<sup>3</sup>, only 19 were revealed to be covered by well-preserved coral colonies in growth position and as such, were submitted to physical analysis and U/Th dating. Upper reef spurs have been built from about 5000 to 3000 cal. yr BP. Dominantly platy in shape, with sharp broken, lateral faces, the 19 investigated boulders range between 3 and 8.5 m long, 4 and 82 m<sup>3</sup> in volume, 6.8 to 139.4 tons in weight. The minimum flow velocities to initially move and uplifted these blocks were estimated between about 4 to >13 m/s. Morphometric comparison of the boulder set investigated at Fakarava with those from nearby atolls recognized as cyclone-moved strongly suggests that boulder detachment and deposition at Fakarava have resulted from cyclogenesis than tsunamigenic impacts. Contrary to cyclone-related boulder deposition that appears to have occurred mainly during the last centuries in the nearby atolls, U/Th dating of boulders at Fakarava reveals that cyclogenesis has increased between 3400 and 2300 cal. yr BP (15th–4th centuries BC) and between 2,000 and 1,700 cal. yr BP (1st–4th centuries AD) in the considered region, with an expected mean reccurrence time of around 30 to 50 years. This intensification of cyclone activity is interpreted as related to amplified <span>enso</span> phases in the south Pacific.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"488 ","pages":"Article 107605"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144296967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}