Late Holocene environmental change in Celestun Lagoon, Yucatan, Mexico

AbstractEpikarst estuary response to hydroclimate change remains poorly understood, despite the well-studied link between climate and karst groundwater aquifers. The influence of sea-level rise and coastal geomorphic change on these estuaries obscures climate signals, thus requiring careful development of paleoenvironmental histories to interpret the paleoclimate archives. We used foraminifera assemblages, carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13C) and carbon:nitrogen (C:N) mass ratios of organic matter in sediment cores to infer environmental changes over the past 5300 years in Celestun Lagoon, Yucatan, Mexico. Specimens (> 125 µm) from modern core top sediments revealed three assemblages: (1) a brackish mangrove assemblage of agglutinated Miliammina and Ammotium taxa and hyaline Haynesina (2) an inner-shelf marine assemblage of Bolivina, Hanzawaia, and Rosalina, and (3) a brackish assemblage dominated by Ammonia and Elphidium. Assemblages changed along the lagoon channel in response to changes in salinity and vegetation, i.e. seagrass and mangrove. In addition to these three foraminifera assemblages, lagoon sediments deposited since 5300 cal yr BP are comprised of two more assemblages, defined by Archaias and Laevipeneroplis, which indicate marine Thalassia seagrasses, and Trichohyalus, which indicates restricted inland mangrove ponds. Our data suggest that Celestun Lagoon displayed four phases of development: (1) an inland mangrove pond (5300 BP) (2) a shallow unprotected coastline with marine seagrass and barrier island initiation (4900 BP) (3) a protected brackish lagoon (3000 BP), and (4) a protected lagoon surrounded by mangroves (1700 BP). Stratigraphic (temporal) changes in core assemblages resemble spatial differences in communities across the modern lagoon, from the southern marine sector to the northern brackish region. Similar temporal patterns have been reported from other Yucatan Peninsula lagoons and from cenotes (Nichupte, Aktun Ha), suggesting a regional coastal response to sea level rise and climate change, including geomorphic controls (longshore drift) on lagoon salinity, as observed today. Holocene barrier island development progressively protected the northwest Yucatan Peninsula coastline, reducing mixing between seawater and rain-fed submarine groundwater discharge. Superimposed on this geomorphic signal, assemblage changes that are observed reflect the most severe regional wet and dry climate episodes, which coincide with paleoclimate records from lowland lake archives (Chichancanab, Salpeten). Our results emphasize the need to consider coastal geomorphic evolution when using epikarst estuary and lagoon sediment archives for paleoclimate reconstruction and provide evidence of hydroclimate changes on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Download Full-text

PALEOLIMNOLOGY OF THE MAYA LOWLANDS

Ancient Mesoamerica ◽

10.1017/s0956536102131063 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 141-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 83

Author(s):

Mark Brenner ◽

Michael F. Rosenmeier ◽

David A. Hodell ◽

Jason H. Curtis

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Sediment Cores ◽

Maya Lowlands ◽

Holocene Climate ◽

The Past ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

Paleoclimate Records

Since the late 1950s, scientists have used sediment cores from lakes on the Yucatan Peninsula to explore the complex interactions among climate, environment, and ancient Maya culture. Early paleolimnological studies generally assumed that late Holocene climate was invariable. Consequently, paleolimnologically inferred environmental changes that occurred during the past 3,000 years or so—for example, forest decline and soil erosion—were attributed wholly to anthropogenic activities such as land clearance for agriculture and construction. Recent high-resolution, proxy-based paleoclimate records from continental and insular sites around the Caribbean Sea contradict the assumption of late Holocene climate stability. Instead, these core data suggest that regional drying began about 3,000 years ago and that the past three millennia were characterized by variable moisture availability. Paleoclimate inferences from Lakes Chichancanab and Punta Laguna, northern Yucatan Peninsula, indicate that drought events over the past 2,600 years were cyclical. These dry events, thought to have been driven by solar forcing, appear to have occurred approximately every two centuries (about 208 years). The driest period of the late Holocene occurred between A.D. 800 and 1000, coincident with the Classic Maya Collapse. We review the history of paleolimnological studies in the Maya Lowlands, discuss the difficulty of differentiating climatic signals from anthropogenic signals in late Holocene lake sediment profiles, and assess current understanding of past climate changes in the region based on regional lacustrine sediment studies.

Download Full-text

Palaeoenvironmental evolution of Cenote Aktun Ha (Carwash) on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico and its response to Holocene sea-level rise

Journal of Paleolimnology ◽

10.1007/s10933-008-9271-x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 199-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Jeremy J. Gabriel ◽

Eduard G. Reinhardt ◽

Matthew C. Peros ◽

Dawn E. Davidson ◽

Peter J. van Hengstum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

Holocene Sea Level

Download Full-text

Sedimentary records of recent sea level rise and acceleration in the Yucatan Peninsula

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.08.142 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 573 ◽

pp. 1063-1069 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Vladislav Carnero-Bravo ◽

Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza ◽

Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández ◽

Martín Merino-Ibarra ◽

Claude Hillaire-Marcel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Sedimentary Records ◽

Yucatán Peninsula

Download Full-text

Age and magnitude of the late Pleistocene sea-level rise on the eastern Yucatan Peninsula

Geology ◽

10.1130/0091-7613(1978)6<713:aamotl>2.0.co;2 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 6 (12) ◽

pp. 713 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

B. J. Szabo ◽

W. C. Ward ◽

A. E. Weidie ◽

M. J. Brady

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Late Pleistocene ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Yucatán Peninsula

Download Full-text

SCALE DEPENDENT BEHAVIORS OF THE BEACH AND DUNE: IMPLICATIONS FOR BARRIER ISLAND RESPONSE TO SEA LEVEL RISE

10.1130/abs/2018am-316450 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Chris Houser ◽

◽

Phillipe A. Wernette ◽

Bradley Allen Weymer

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Barrier Island

Download Full-text

Holocene sea level and climate interactions on wet dune slack evolution in SW Portugal: A model for future scenarios?

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/0959683618804633 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 26-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Manel Leira ◽

Maria C Freitas ◽

Tania Ferreira ◽

Anabela Cruces ◽

Simon Connor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Sediment Accumulation ◽

High Energy ◽

Sediment Supply ◽

Dune Slack ◽

Ecological Stability ◽

The Holocene ◽

Climate Interactions

We examine the Holocene environmental changes in a wet dune slack of the Portuguese coast, Poço do Barbarroxa de Baixo. Lithology, organic matter, biological proxies and high-resolution chronology provide estimations of sediment accumulation rates and changes in environmental conditions in relation to sea-level change and climate variability during the Holocene. Results show that the wet dune slack was formed 7.5 cal. ka BP, contemporaneous with the last stages of the rapid sea-level rise. This depositional environment formed under frequent freshwater flooding and water ponding that allowed the development and post-mortem accumulation of abundant plant remains. The wetland evolved into mostly palustrine conditions over the next 2000 years, until a phase of stabilization in relative sea-level rise, when sedimentation rates slowed down to 0.04 mm yr−1, between 5.3 and 2.5 cal. ka BP. Later, about 0.8 cal. ka BP, high-energy events, likely due to enhanced storminess and more frequent onshore winds, caused the collapse of the foredune above the wetlands’ seaward margin. The delicate balance between hydrology (controlled by sea-level rise and climate change), sediment supply and storminess modulates the habitat’s resilience and ecological stability. This underpins the relevance of integrating past records in coastal wet dune slacks management in a scenario of constant adaptation processes.

Download Full-text

Modeling vegetation community responses to sea-level rise on Barrier Island systems: A case study on the Cape Canaveral Barrier Island complex, Florida, USA

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0182605 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. e0182605 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Tammy E. Foster ◽

Eric D. Stolen ◽

Carlton R. Hall ◽

Ronald Schaub ◽

Brean W. Duncan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Barrier Island ◽

Community Responses ◽

Vegetation Community

Download Full-text

RELATIVE SEA LEVEL RISE EFFECTS AT THE MARAMBAIA BARRIER ISLAND AND GUARATIBA MANGROVE: SEPETIBA BAY (SE BRAZIL)

Journal of Sedimentary Environments ◽

10.12957/jse.2019.44397 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 249-262

Author(s):

Carolina Santana da Costa Santos ◽

Fábio Ferreira Dias ◽

Barbara Franz ◽

Paulo Roberto Alves dos Santos ◽

Thalita Da Fonseca Rodrigues ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Rio De Janeiro ◽

Central Area ◽

Barrier Island ◽

Aerial Images ◽

Relative Sea Level ◽

Sepetiba Bay ◽

Se Brazil ◽

Relative Sea Level Rise

Human activities change coastal ecosystems, but they are also altered by natural causes, such as the relative sea level rise. This work analyzes the influence of changes of the relative sea level at Guaratiba mangrove and Marambaia barrier island, in Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro State (SE, Brazil), based on photo interpretation. The objective of this study is to analyze the morphodynamics of Marambaia coastal sand barrier, estimating the rate of the shoreline change by mapping the vegetation line position, variations of dune extension and overwash processes. The Marambaia barrier island and Guaratiba mangrove are highly vulnerable to sea level rise. The mangrove is suffering pressure from the relative sea level rising and urbanization. The mangrove migration towards the continent is evident through the analyses of aerial images from 1976 to 2005. If the current erosion process continues in the Marambaia barrier island, a disruption in the central area of the sand bank should occur, which will create a new communication between Sepetiba Bay and the ocean. This break will change the present internal circulation of the bay and modify the ecosystems. Also considering the anthropic pressure, if the Marambaia barrier island breaks, the mangrove area will be reduced or disappear. The sea level rise and the sedimentation rate lowering will result in the migration and marine transgression in Marambaia barrier island and Guaratiba mangrove. EFEITOS DO AUMENTO RELATIVO DO NÍVEL DO MAR NA ILHA BARREIRA DE MARAMBAIA E DO MANGUEZAL DE GUARATIBA: BAÍA DE SEPETIBA (SE BRASIL) ResumoAs atividades humanas alteram os ecossistemas costeiros, mas estes também são alterados por causas naturais, como por exemplo, o aumento relativo do nível do mar. Este trabalho analisa a influência das mudanças relativas do nível do mar no manguezal de Guaratiba e na ilha barreira de Marambaia, na Baía de Sepetiba, localizada no Estado do Rio de Janeiro (SE, Brasil), com base na fotointerpretação. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar a morfodinâmica da barreira costeira de areia de Marambaia, estimando a taxa de variação da linha de costa, mapeando a posição da linha de vegetação, variações da extensão dunar e os processos de overwash. A ilha barreira de Marambaia e o manguezal de Guaratiba são altamente vulneráveis à elevação do nível do mar. O manguezal está sofrendo pressão do aumento relativo do nível do mar e da urbanização. A migração do manguezal para o continente é evidente através da análise de imagens aéreas de 1976 a 2005. Se continuar o processo atual de erosão na ilha barreira de Marambaia, deverá ocorrer uma ruptura na área central do banco de areia, o que dará origem a uma nova comunicação entre a Baía de Sepetiba e a oceano. Essa quebra vai mudar a atual circulação interna da baía e modificar os ecossistemas. Se a ilha barreira de Marambaia se romper, a área de manguezal irá ser reduzida ou desaparecerá. Este efeito é tanto mais provável se for considerada também a pressão antrópica. A elevação do nível do mar e a redução da taxa de sedimentação resultarão na migração e transgressão marinha na barreira de Marambaia e no mangue de Guaratiba. Palavras-chave: Ilha da Barreira. Manguezal. Elevação do nível relativo do mar. Erosão costeira. Galgamento oceânico.

Download Full-text