Intertidal Mangrove Foraminifera From the Central Great Barrier Reef Shelf, Australia: Implications for Sea-Level Reconstruction

Abstract

Contemporary foraminiferal samples and environmental information were collected from three fringing mangrove environments (Sandfly Creek Transect 1 and 2, and Cocoa Creek) in Cleveland Bay, and an estuarine mangrove environment (Saunders Creek) in Halifax Bay, on the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR) coastline, Australia, to elucidate the relationship of the foraminiferal assemblages with the environment. The data support the vertical zonation concept, which suggests that the distribution of foraminifera in the intertidal zone is usually a direct function of elevation, with the duration and frequency of subaerial exposure as the most important factor. An agglutinated foraminiferal assemblage dominated by Miliammina fusca, Trochammina inflata, Ammotium directum and Haplophragmoides sp. exists at the landward edge of the field sites, in a zone between just above Mean Low Water of Neap Tides to Highest Astronomical Tide level (a vertical range of 1.8 m). In addition, a foraminiferal assemblage dominated by Ammonia aoteana is found at all sites, existing between just below Mean Low Water of Neap Tides and Mean High Water of Neap Tides (a vertical range of 0.8 m). These assemblages may be used to reconstruct sea level from fossil cores from the area. Comments Published in

Mangrove pollen of Indonesia and its suitability as a sea-level indicator

“…Work by Horton et al (2005a) and Debenay et al (2004) have shown that Foraminifera are capable of reconstructing sea level in tropical environments, however the fossil record is prone to preservation issues with Debenay et al (2004) stating that foraminifera in mangrove environments are "dramatically affected by taphonomic processes". Woodroffe et al (2005) in Australia also demonstrate that foraminifera preservation within mangrove sediments is problematic. Diatom preservation is also problematic within fossil cores, potentially due to the high salinity and temperature of the mangrove environments that promotes their dissolution (Barker et al 1994).…”

Palaeoecology of the South Wellesley Archipelago. A history of human occupation and environmental change

“…Great Barrier Reef on the northeast coast is a tectonically stable area, and the focus of many sealevel studies (Chappell, 1983;Lambeck and Nakada, 1990;Nakada and Lambeck, 1989;Woodroffe et al, 2005). Studies indicate sea level reached modern height by 7,000 cal.…”

Distribución de foraminíferos bentónicos (Protozoa: Foraminiferida) en la ensenada Quillaipe (41°32' S; 72°44' O), Chile: Implicaciones para el estudio del nivel del mar

“…Tradicionalmente la mayoría de las investigaciones consideran solo el centímetro superior del sedimento para estudios foraminiferológicos (e.g., Debenay et al 1998, Alve & Murray 1999, Horton et al 1999, Murray & Alve 1999, Gehrels et al 2001, Horton et al 2003, Edwards et al 2004, Horton et al 2005, Woodroffe et al 2005. Esto puede provocar que las especies que Fig.…”

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