Fate of terrigenous organic carbon in muddy clinothems on continental shelves revealed by stratal geometries: Insight from the Adriatic sedimentary archive

Pellegrini, Claudio; Tesi, Tommaso; Schieber, Jüergen; Bohacs, Kevin M.; Rovere, Marzia; Asioli, Alessandra; Nogarotto, Alessio; Trincardi, Fabio

doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103539

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…During the last glacial interval, the targeted portion of the Adriatic experienced high sedimentation rates, eutrophic waters, and frequent freshwater inflows (Asioli et al, 2001;Pellegrini et al, 2018). Although similar conditions were present also during the middle-late Holocene (Amorosi et al, 2016;Pellegrini et al, 2021), some of the key abiotic factors are estimated to have differed strongly between glacial and interglacial periods. Salinity was lower during the LG period due to a more confined Adriatic basin and higher inflow of freshwater from the Po River (Asioli et al, 2001;Pellegrini et al, 2017).…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Change and Ecosystem Resiliencementioning

confidence: 96%

Resilient biotic response to long‐term climate change in the Adriatic Sea

Scarponi

Nawrot

Azzarone

et al. 2022

Global Change Biology

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Section: Mechanisms Of Change and Ecosystem Resiliencementioning

confidence: 96%

Resilient biotic response to long‐term climate change in the Adriatic Sea

Scarponi

Nawrot

Azzarone

et al. 2022

Global Change Biology

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“…Alternatively, the elongated accretions could be fed by northward‐redistributed sediments emanating from the QSL, given the elongated accretions in our focus area is incorporated in the accretions off QSL (Figure 6). However, the latter interpretation conflicts with both the previously documented sediment budget and transport regime in QSL, since over 90% of the river‐borne sediments were accumulated close to the river mouth (Bornhold et al., 1986; Wang et al., 2010), and the rest preferentially transported to the SE by SE‐directed longshore drift (Figure 1a) (Wiseman et al., 1986); this led to formation of distal accumulations (distal mudbelt and wedge) which were also documented at deltas worldwide (e.g., Korus & Fielding, 2015; Pellegrini et al., 2015, 2021). The alternative interpretation also has difficulties in explaining (a) the fate of the wasted mass on the upper DF, and (b) the occurrence of lobate accretions evident in the 7–8 year observation windows (Figures 5c and 5d).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

The Impact of Gravity‐Driven Sedimentation on Reshaping the Huanghe (Yellow River) Delta Front

et al. 2022

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Many of the world's mega‐river deltas are currently degrading due to a shortage of sediment supply feeding their construction. Here, using bathymetric and seismic data, the geomorphological/sedimentary evolution on and near a recently abandoned (1976 CE) Huanghe delta lobe is investigated. The delta front (DF) exhibits a lobe switching‐controlled pattern of progradation followed by mass wasting on the upper front, and redeposition at the seaward toe of the front; the latter process appears to be associated with sediment failure and contributes to delta degradation. During degradation, mass wasting‐driven deepening of the upper DF was initially up to ∼0.86 m/yr from 1978 to 1985 CE, slowed to ∼0.12 m/yr from 1985 to 2000 CE, and has been negligible since. In either prograding or degrading, gravity‐driven sedimentation results in a downlapping seismic unit superimposed on the bottomset of an earlier converging clinoform, with numerous buried/exposed submarine channels at its seaward terminus. These units exhibit a shore‐parallel elongated and continuous geometry, suggesting lateral spreading, which we attribute to alongshore hydrodynamic (especially tidal) remolding. Our findings underscore the significance of sediment gravity flows in the evolution of a degrading delta front, particularly as a principal mechanism of downslope mass transport that gentled (halving the gradient) and reshaped the DF over time. Gravity‐driven accumulations sourced from upper DF collapse can account for ∼1/3 of the previous DF and laterally extend over an unexpectedly large area (∼60‐km long) through hydrodynamic redistribution. Both processes should be considered for modeling other subaqueous deltas.

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“…Recent studies of marine mudstones (Schieber et al ., 2007; Macquaker et al ., 2010; Schieber, 2011, 2016; Laycock et al ., 2017; Li & Schieber, 2018; Li et al ., 2021) show that these rocks may consist of coarse silt to sand‐sized, mud‐dominated composite particles (composed of multiple clay or silt‐size mineral grains). Thus, transport and deposition of muds is likely to be subject to more complex processes than commonly appreciated (Palinkas & Nittrouer, 2006; Wheatcroft et al ., 2006; Goni et al ., 2008; Bhattacharya & MacEachern, 2009; Macquaker et al ., 2010; Bohacs et al ., 2014; Plint, 2014; Walsh et al ., 2014; Wilson & Schieber, 2014; Li et al ., 2015; Pellegrini et al ., 2015, 2021; Lazar et al ., 2015b; Bao et al ., 2016; Schieber, 2016; Birgenheier et al ., 2017; Collins et al ., 2017; Laycock et al ., 2017; Boulesteix et al ., 2019; Schieber et al ., 2019; Bhattacharya et al ., 2020; Paz et al ., 2022). Because fine‐grained sediments preserve information about past conditions, mud and mudstones are key archives that need to be interpreted accurately, taking into consideration the variability of sediment supply and the suite of post‐depositional processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At first glance, mudstones appear quite homogenous (Schieber, 1999; Bhattacharya & MacEachern, 2009; Plint, 2014), because in outcrop they show: (i) a high degree of weathering that can preclude detailed analysis; and (ii) uncertainties regarding the linkage between sedimentary fabrics and flow characteristics of primary formative processes (i.e. surge‐type turbidity currents, hyperpycnal flows, storm surges, bottom current transport of flocculated muds), as well as potential interactions between turbidity currents and other types of bottom currents (Mulder et al ., 2008; Fonnesu & Felletti, 2019; Miramontes et al ., 2020; Pellegrini et al ., 2021). One added challenge in the analysis of modern muds is their typically high initial water content, which requires time‐consuming techniques to turn ‘soup’ and ‘toothpaste’ into something that can be put under the microscope (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On depositional processes governing along‐strike facies variations of fine‐grained deposits: Unlocking the Little Ice Age subaqueous clinothems on the Adriatic shelf

Pellegrini,

Sammartino,

Schieber

et al. 2023

Sedimentology

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Depositional processes recorded by shelf deposits may vary widely along‐strike, depending largely on the mode of delivery and deposition of sediments to the basin. In fine‐grained systems in particular, depositional processes are difficult to reconstruct with standard facies analysis of sediment cores due to the ostensibly featureless and homogenous appearance of muds. In this study, sedimentological, palaeontological, geochemical and oceanographic data were combined in a detailed characterization of depositional conditions via sedimentary structures, type of organic matter, trace‐metal geochemistry and benthic fauna assemblages (foraminifera and ostracods) along the 600 km long shelf delta clinothems of the West Adriatic shelf (Italy). Processes inferred from sedimentary facies and micro‐structures were then considered in the context of the modern Adriatic oceanographic regime. Specific attention was given to the Little Ice Age stratigraphic unit (1500–1850 CE), which contains a continuum of genetically related fine‐grained strata. The Little Ice Age deposit offers the opportunity to examine a source‐to‐sink system with the high resolution typical of modernanalogues, at a time interval when Apennine rivers were not yet hydraulically engineered with man‐made sediment traps along their trunks. Individual beds within the Little Ice Age muddy prodelta form hectometre to kilometre‐wide bedsets that reflect the interplay between energetic meteo‐ocean conditions (storm‐dominated beds), flood supply (river‐dominated beds or hyperpycnites) and along‐shelf bottom‐current dispersion (drift‐dominated beds). The multidisciplinary approach applied at different scales of observations helped in understanding sediment provenance and the relative timing of sediment transport before final burial that strongly promoted organic matter oxygen exposure and the loss of carbon by microbial degradation. Overall, the distinctive depositional processes that acted in concert along the prodelta slope produced a subtle lateral heterogeneity of preserved sedimentary structures, faunal associations and organic matter composition in a laterally‐continuous lithostratigraphic unit deposited at centennial scale. These findings have implications on the forcing conditions that ultimately control the location and nature of fine‐grained beds in both modern and ancient, mud‐dominated depositional systems.

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Fate of terrigenous organic carbon in muddy clinothems on continental shelves revealed by stratal geometries: Insight from the Adriatic sedimentary archive

Cited by 32 publications

References 97 publications

Resilient biotic response to long‐term climate change in the Adriatic Sea

Resilient biotic response to long‐term climate change in the Adriatic Sea

The Impact of Gravity‐Driven Sedimentation on Reshaping the Huanghe (Yellow River) Delta Front

On depositional processes governing along‐strike facies variations of fine‐grained deposits: Unlocking the Little Ice Age subaqueous clinothems on the Adriatic shelf

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