Unexpected biotic resilience on the Japanese seafloor caused by the 2011 Tōhoku-Oki tsunami

Toyofuku, Takashi; Duros, Pauline; Fontanier, Christophe; Mamo, Briony; Bichon, Sabrina; Buscail, Roselyne; Chabaud, Gérard; Deflandre, Bruno; Goubet, Sarah; Grémare, Antoine; Menniti, Christophe; Fujii, Minami; Kawamura, Kazutaka; Koho, Karoliina A.; Noda, Atsushi; Namegaya, Yuichi; Oguri, Kazuta; Radakovitch, Olivier; Murayama, Masafumi; Nooijer, Lennart de; Kurasawa, Atushi; Ohkawara, Nina; Okutani, Takashi; Sakaguchi, Arito; Jorissen, Frans; Reichart, Gert‐Jan; Kitazato, Hiroshi

doi:10.1038/srep07517

Cited by 34 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The occurrence of displaced benthic foraminifera and their interpretation in terms of submarine sediment transport and deposition by backwash waves have already been discussed by many authors who studied the 2004 and 2011 tsunami deposits (Sugawara et al ., ; Jonathan et al ., ; Milker et al ., ; Toyofuku et al ., ), as well as the 1755 historical tsunami deposit off the Algarve coast in Portugal (Quintela et al ., ). Hence, it was observed that in several offshore tsunami layers, displaced foraminifera species along with backwash coarse‐grained sediments are often represented by a significant amount of coastal foraminifera (marine/estuarine species as well as epiphytic taxa) often combined with organic matter enrichment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

New coring study in Augusta Bay expands understanding of offshore tsunami deposits (Eastern Sicily, Italy)

et al. 2019

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Tsunami deposits present an important archive for understanding tsunami histories and dynamics. Most research in this field has focused on onshore preserved remains, while the offshore deposits have received less attention. In 2009, during a coring campaign with the Italian Navy Magnaghi, four 1 m long gravity cores (MG cores) were sampled from the northern part of Augusta Bay, along a transect in 60 to 110 m water depth. These cores were taken in the same area where a core (MS06) was collected in 2007 about 2·3 km offshore Augusta at a water depth of 72 m below sea level. Core MS06 consisted of a 6·7 m long sequence that included 12 anomalous intervals interpreted as the primary effect of tsunami backwash waves in the last 4500 years. In this study, tsunami deposits were identified, based on sedimentology and displaced benthic foraminifera (as for core MS06) reinforced by X‐ray fluorescence data. Two erosional surfaces (L1 and L2) were recognized coupled with grain‐size increase, abundant Posidonia oceanica seagrass remains and a significant amount of Nubecularia lucifuga, an epiphytic sessile benthic foraminifera considered to be transported from the inner shelf. The occurrence of Ti/Ca and Ti/Sr increments, coinciding with peaks in organic matter (Mo incoherent/coherent) suggests terrestrial run‐off coupled with an input of organic matter. The L1 and L2 horizons were attributed to two distinct historical tsunamis (ad 1542 and ad 1693) by indirect age‐estimation methods using 210Pb profiles and the comparison of Volume Magnetic Susceptibility data between MG cores and MS06 cores. One most recent bioturbated horizon (Bh), despite not matching the above listed interpretative features, recorded an important palaeoenvironmental change that may correspond to the ad 1908 tsunami. These findings reinforce the value of offshore sediment records as an underutilized resource for the identification of past tsunamis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

New coring study in Augusta Bay expands understanding of offshore tsunami deposits (Eastern Sicily, Italy)

et al. 2019

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“…). While previous efforts attempted to use 210 Pb to identify offshore deposits of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (Feldens et al , ; Sakuna et al , ) and Tohoku‐oki tsunami (Toyofuku et al ., ), contamination of caesium released from the accident at the Fukushima‐Daiichi Nuclear Plant can provide solid chronological evidence in Sendai Bay (Ikehara et al , 2014). This paper presents sediment facies observed in cores at 44 sites combined with the measurement of 134 Cs concentration to identify the tsunami deposits, examining their variations and inferred sedimentary processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shallow-marine deposits associated with the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami in Sendai Bay, Japan

et al. 2015

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Little is known about offshore tsunami deposits, although they have the potential to improve palaeotsunami reconstructions, especially in areas with limited preservation of onshore tsunami deposits. We analysed 44 sediment cores collected in 2012 at water depths of 14–30 m in Sendai Bay, north‐eastern Japan, to identify the deposits of the 2011 Tohoku‐oki tsunami with the aid of 134Cs released from the Fukushima‐Daiichi Nuclear Plant. The preserved tsunami deposits in the inner shelf are interbedded with very fine sand and mud, showing similar features to storm deposits. In the shoreface, a distinct layer of coarse sand overlies fine sand, appearing to have originated as beach sand transported offshore by the tsunami backwash. The coarse sand fades offshore around the boundary between the shoreface and inner shelf. Many of the core sites show evidence that surface sediment was reworked, probably by post‐tsunami storm waves, suggesting that further reworking would make the ultimate preservation of the tsunami deposits unlikely.

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“…Moreover, the knowledge of the ecological condition after the disaster will be important for encouraging victims to resume their normal life. Toyofuku et al (2014) reported that the biotic resilience in Tohoku area was quicker than they had expected, and it means that there would be active interactions between living organisms and debris. Tsunami debris will stay in nature for a certain time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Seawater influence monitored by NaCl on the growth of Trametes versicolor

Yanagawa

2015

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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There are only a few scientific data about the function of ecosystems after tsunami disasters. The ecosystems help the environment to recover after a disaster, and therefore, the research on its function is important. We estimated the seawater influences on wood degradation after a tsunami disaster by the growth of Trametes versicolor. The debris from the Great East Japan Earthquake on the pacific coast in March 2011 was used for the simulations. Its growth on debris was compared with those on seawater-treated woods, and the amount of sodium chloride was examined to know the approximate amount of salts in the samples. Sodium chloride contents were employed as an indicative parameter of sea salts, which contained many elements. As a result, this common white-rot fungus degraded wood debris in the same way as sound sapwood. Although the study was conducted at the laboratory level, this is the first report from the real debris, which assessed the fungal decomposition ability of the ecosystem after a tsunami disaster.

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Unexpected biotic resilience on the Japanese seafloor caused by the 2011 Tōhoku-Oki tsunami

Cited by 34 publications

References 38 publications

New coring study in Augusta Bay expands understanding of offshore tsunami deposits (Eastern Sicily, Italy)

New coring study in Augusta Bay expands understanding of offshore tsunami deposits (Eastern Sicily, Italy)

Shallow-marine deposits associated with the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami in Sendai Bay, Japan

Seawater influence monitored by NaCl on the growth of Trametes versicolor

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