The endemic Mediterranean reef building vermetid gastropods Dendropoma petraeum complex (Dendropoma spp) and Vermetus triquetrus develop bio-constructions (rims) on rocky shorelines at about Mean Sea Level (MSL) and are therefore commonly used as relative sea-level (RSL) markers. In this study, we use elevations and age data of vermetid reefs to (1) re-assess the vertical uncertainties of these biological

Studies on the sediment distribution along the fluvial to marine transition zone are rare and have focused on large-scale systems. Here, we report a case study from the Dong Nai River System (DNRS), a small-scale, tide-dominated river delta from southern Vietnam. The study is based on 80 channel bed sediment samples, together with channel depth, temperature, and salinity measurements, identification

Calcification of microbial mats adds significant amounts of calcium carbonate to primary coral reef structures that stabilizes and binds reef frameworks. Previous studies have shown that the distribution and thicknesses of late Quaternary microbial crusts have responded to changes in environmental parameters such as seawater pH, carbonate saturation state, and sediment and nutrient fluxes. However

The Arctic shelf makes up half of the area within the Arctic Ocean. It plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, whilst its part in the recycling process of redox-sensitive elements (RSEs) is still not clear. This study has selected nine sediment cores, 30 to 40 cm in length, covering a wide area over the East Siberian Arctic Shelves (ESAS) and analyzed a suite of RSEs (S, Mn, Mo, U, V, Cd)

In this study, organic geochemical analyses of two sediment cores (BL16 and LV63–23) recovered from the western Bering Sea were carried out to examine the sea-ice variability and its relationship to phytoplankton community evolution over the past century. Bulk stable organic carbon isotopic composition (δ13CTOC) showed pronounced depletion on the northern shelf since the late 1970s, indicating greater

Inner-channel mouth bars (IMB) are common and vital geomorphological structures in estuaries that can efficiently promote the progradation of a fluvial delta. However, these significant structures face serious interferences by natural and human forces. This study mainly focuses on IMB deposited in the mixed fluvial-tidal dominated South Passage (SP) of the Changjiang Estuary between 1959 and 2018 to

To better understand the depositional constraints on the sulfate reduction process, we present a set of sulfur isotope data for hand-picked pyrites (δ34Spyr) from the coarse fraction (63–250 μm) of bulk sediments, coupled with the contents of carbonate, total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN), as well as δ13C values of the TOC, from sediments of core EC2005 on the inner shelf of the East China

Foraminifera from salt-marsh environments have been used extensively in quantitative relative sea-level reconstructions due to their strong relationship with tidal level. However, the influence of temporal and spatial variability of salt-marsh foraminifera on quantitative reconstructions remains unconstrained. Here, we conducted a monitoring study of foraminifera from four intertidal monitoring stations

The present work simulated a hypothetical 4D delta-canyon-fan depositional system using stratigraphic forward modelling (SFM) to: 1) investigate the differences and linkages of the sea-level control on the evolution of each sub-environment; 2) explain the evolution under the constraints of sea-level change from the perspective of channel activities. The SFM approach LECODE applied in this study combines

The Pearl River Delta is a composite delta with one of the densest channel networks in the world. To analyze the internal erosion/deposition characteristics of the net channel area, this paper studies the upstream evolution characteristics using Digital Elevation Model data from local channel sections. We attempt to establish the relationship between the changes in low water level and erosion rate

Assessing modern radiolarian distribution in the marginal seas is essential for understanding its relationship to hydrographic and environmental variables, upon which subsequent interpretation of past radiolarian records can be made reliably. Here, we combine published radiolarian assemblages in 69 surface sediments from the Japan Sea with those obtained from 15 new surface sediments in this study

Five small islands offshore of the State of Kuwait in the northern Arabian Gulf (Miskan, Awhah, Kubbar, Qaruh, and Umm Al-Maradem) occur in differing structural settings and have evolved in a dynamic environment of shifting fluvial depocenters, fluctuating Holocene sea level, and variable tidal conditions. As a first step in reconstructing the origin and evolution of the islands, bathymetric charts

The Azores Plateau is an active magmatic region in the Central North Atlantic Ocean. In this study, we present a comprehensive data set of major element compositions and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of pore waters from surface sediments (0–9 mbsf) of the Azores Plateau. Based on distinct geochemical signatures we can separate normal marine from hydrothermally affected sediments. Normal marine sediments can further

The chemical fractionation of ten metals (Al, Ti, Cr, Fe, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn and Ni) is reported for a marine sediment collected in the Joides Basin, Ross Sea, Antarctica. To evaluate their mobility and availability, the BCR sequential extraction procedure was applied on 11 sections of the sediment. The analyses, performed both by ICP-OES and GF-AAS, highlighted that most of the elements were in the

A large ice sheet or ice shelf may have developed repeatedly along the East Siberian continental margin since the Middle Pleistocene. In combination with ice-rafted debris, major elements, and foraminifera, clay mineral records from four gravity sediment cores are used to trace ice events along the East Siberian continental margin during the last two glaciations. The clay mineral assemblages show a

The SW Iberian continental margin is well recognized as a tectonically active area, where major canyons and mass wasting events are both present. Earthquake triggered submarine landslides may cause tsunami and result in catastrophic damage to bordering coastal areas. In this setting, submarine landslide susceptibility mapping represents a major step towards a regional risk mitigation strategy. Landslide

South China Sea (SCS) sediments have multiple sources. The quantitative assessment of the potential sources is crucial to understanding the source-to-sink transport processes in the SCS. In this study, 1987 surface sediments were collected from the entire SCS (excluding the Gulf of Thailand). Major elements were measured, and the co-occurrence relationships among the major elements and grain sizes

The M9.3 2004 Sumatra and M9.0 2011 Tohoku earthquakes and tsunamis had devastating consequences for the adjacent heavily populated coasts. They had large shallow coseismic slip that reached the trench, which is thought to be a key factor in generating the huge tsunamis. The sedimentary record contains unique spatial and temporal information on the effects of megathrust earthquakes. It can provide

Understanding how past coastal systems have evolved is critical to predicting future coastal change. Using over 12,000 trackline kilometers of recently collected, co-located multi-channel boomer, sparker and chirp seismic reflection profile data integrated with previously collected borehole and vibracore data, we define the upper (< 115 m below mean lower low water) seismic stratigraphic framework

A violent gas outburst occurred offshore the Scoglio d'Affrica islet (Tuscan Archipelago, Northern Tyrrhenian Sea) on March 16th 2017, with local fishermen observing columns of dirty water rising up to 10 m above the sea surface. The integration of video footage and dissolved CH4 measurements collected 5 days after the event with high-resolution multibeam data collected 4 months later, allowed us to

Ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts provide a useful paleoenvironmental archive for studying the poorly understood climatic, oceanographic, and geologic evolution of the Arctic Ocean. This study is based on the identification and temporal reconstruction of sources and inferred transport pathways of terrigenous material in FeMn crusts collected from several sites across the Amerasia Basin. Samples from the

Pore fluid sulfate, calcium and magnesium concentrations in ocean drilling sites 981–984, 925–929 and 803–807 are modeled to estimate the rates of sulfate reduction and carbonate precipitation/dissolution. These sites represent scenarios where the sulfate reduction rate is high, moderate, and low. Results show that the rate of carbonate precipitation decreases with decreasing sulfate reduction rate

The relative sea-level variation curve, obtained by dating and leveling vermetid shells from northern Santa Catarina State (26.3°S), presents fall trend during all the last 4.0 cal ka BP, which matches previous results based on the same kind of indicator for the Brazilian coast between 3°S and 28°S. Chemical and isotopic analyses of 50 vermetid bioconstructions from distinct localities of south-southeastern

Submarine landslides are common geomorphological features of continental margins. Some of the largest submarine landslides occurred on low-angle (< 4°), sediment-starved margins, yet their preconditioning and trigger mechanisms are still largely unconstrained. The southwestern continental margin of the East Sea (between 37.5°N and 38.0°N), Korea, occupies a narrow shelf (< 10 km), is characterized

Evidences for active fluid seepages have been discovered along the Zambezi continental slope (offshore Southern Mozambique). These seepages are mostly associated with pockmarks which are aligned along a trend parallel to the slope and running closely upstream of the headwall scarp of a wide zone of slope destabilization. Fluid seepages are interpreted as a potential trigger for the slope destabilization

The stacking pattern of shoreline progradational sequences in subsiding basins have been used as a chronologic tool in the Mediterranean region. Most previous studies have used a few key seismic lines seaward of deltas, where the record is complicated by deltaic distributary switching. Southeastern Saronikos Gulf, in the western Aegean Sea at the northwestern end of the South Aegean Arc, lacks large

A comprehensive tectonic analysis of the Eratosthenes Seamount (ESM) and its surrounding domains covered by our seismic data, contributes to better understanding of the evolution of the eastern Mediterranean. Tectonic origins of the ESM and the Zohr-like sub-Messinian salt highs between the ESM and the Nile delta are both continental fragments detached from the African-Arabian plate. These continental

This study investigates the Late Quaternary sediment distribution of the Zambezi turbidite system (Mozambique Channel, Western Indian Ocean) from a set of piston cores that characterizes the sedimentation in the Intermediate Basin and in the proximal and distal parts of the Zambezi Fan. Sedimentological and geochemical analyses permit to define variations in sediment composition, sediment accumulation

The architecture of magma-poor continental margins, from break-up to the establishment of an oceanic spreading centre has received significant recent interest. A general consensus as to their characteristics exists and although it has been applied to margins globally is still dominated by the Iberian-Newfoundland “type” margin. Additionally, many studies rely upon sparsely distributed 2D seismic reflection

Cold water mass (CWM) is a distinct hydrologic phenomenon in summer in worldwide continental shelf seas. CWM can significantly affect circulation patterns and biogeochemical fluxes, and thus marine ecosystems. Nonetheless, limited studies have documented the seasonal migration of the CWM thermal front and the corresponding sediment distribution in the South Yellow Sea (SYS). This study used field observations

How the Yangtze Delta responds to riverine sediment decline has become a research hot spot and an urgent issue to be addressed, especially after the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam in 2003. This study investigated sedimentary features through the sediment granularity of surficial samples and short cores over the entire Yangtze subaqueous delta, aiming to better understand the spatial response of

Large sub-tropical carbonate platforms shed huge volumes of sediment onto their adjacent slopes. Resulting carbonate successions are comprised of gravity-flow beds (turbidites, debrites), which are occasionally reworked into mass-transport deposits (MTDs) by the failure of inconsistently lithified portions of slope strata. Despite their significance in the depositional record, the internal architecture

The Lesser Antilles arc is a mixed siliciclastic and carbonate active margin made of active volcanic and flat plio-quaternary carbonate islands. It was built as a result of a complex tectonic history at the slowly converging boundary between the American plates and the Caribbean plate. The sedimentary processes as a consequence of external forcing (earthquakes, volcanism, hurricanes) were rarely documented

Embayed beaches constitute a large proportion of the world's rocky coastlines, but there is a paucity of studies focusing on the longshore sediment exchange between embayed beaches separated by rocky stretches of coast. Here, we investigate the nearshore sediment transport dynamics along a 15-km stretch of the embayed coastline of north Cornwall, SW England, using Delft3D. Numerical simulations (coupled

Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient and has an important impact on global primary productivity. Presently, the dynamics of the P cycle in low sulfate, anoxic settings are largely unknown. In this study, the adsorption–desorption behavior of Fe-bound P, organic-P, loosely-bund P, detrital apatite P, and refractory P was described in the sulfate and methane transition zone (SMTZ) at site 973–4 in

Sediment source identification is critical for understanding delta evolution processes and for managing delta sustainability, particularly for deltas experiencing significant recent fluvial sediment discharge. Sediment sources for the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) are commonly assumed to be derived from the Yangtze River, despite the fact that the YRD is a tide-dominated delta that can receive marine-sourced

Gas hydrate systems are unique habitats for microorganisms in deep marine sediments, and gas hydrate reservoirs can be divided into focused high-flux and distributed low-flux gas hydrate systems. Little is known about the microbial distribution patterns in these systems, especially in the South China Sea (SCS). In this study, a macroscopic fracture filling gas hydrate zone (GHZ) and a microscopic pore

Anthropogenic activities have decreased the sediment transport from catchment to the river-dominated continental margin mainly through river damming that controlled the estuarine and associated shelf modern sedimentation. In this study, radioisotopes 210Pb (210Pbex and 226Ra) and 137Cs, grain size, and X-radiograph were combined to evaluate the modern sedimentary processes in the Yangtze River Estuary

We produced a new suite of sea-level data which allowed assessing the Holocene evolution of the Bonifacio Strait, a key coastal sector of the Mediterranean Sea which experienced significant morphological changes since the Last Glacial Maximum. Squeezed between Corsica and Sardinia islands, this strait connects the two major basins of the western Mediterranean. Due to its peculiar geographic and morphological

Dating of sediments in the tidal-dominated Yangtze River delta remains a challenge because of extremely complicated processes during sediment transport and deposition in such a fluvial-marine transition zone. To better understand the late Quaternary sedimentary history of the Yangtze River delta, we explore the applicability of K-feldspar luminescence dating techniques to deposits through a case study

Many estuaries worldwide are subject to significant human interventions, such as dam construction, channel deepening, and land reclamation. However, the impact of these interventions on the spatiotemporal river-tide dynamics is insufficiently understood. In this study, we explored the seasonal changes in river-tide dynamics in the Modaomen Estuary of the Pearl River, where a significant increase in

The Columbia River Littoral Cell (CRLC) (160 km in length) provides opportunities to compare competing accommodation space relations under different conditions of relative sea level change. The CRLC system includes abundant littoral sand supply from the large Columbia River, late-Holocene prograded beach plains and barrier spits (0.5–5 km in width), two large marine-dominated estuaries (Willapa Bay

The storm impact on coastal environment is complex and systematic. With a validated numerical model, this study quantitatively investigates the effects of a historical storm process on the morphodynamic evolution of an unsheltered Nanpu channel-shoal system (NS) in the Bohai Sea, China. Results show that the storm event in October 2003 induces a destructive erosion in the tidal flats during the whole

The Bohai Sea is a shallow, semi-closed gulf (basin) at the proximal position of the very wide (one to several thousand kilometers) eastern Chinese margin and was persistently impacted by tectonic frameworks. Its late Quaternary stratigraphy provides an excellent natural laboratory for research on the sedimentary processes and evolutionary patterns on flat proximal continental margins with high sediment

Sequence analysis using borehole samples and high-resolution seismic data in the Nakdong River valley yielded a good example of a river-valley sequence influenced by the complex interplay between the bottom morphology of the steep paleo-valley, varying sediment supply, and Holocene sea-level change associated with coastal currents. The late Quaternary stratigraphic sequence in the Nakdong River Estuary

Preliminary results of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expeditions 367/368/368X have confirmed the unique opening mechanism of the South China Sea differentiating from that of the Atlantic Ocean. However, its detailed evolution history and controlling factors spanning from the early Oligocene breakup to the early Miocene steady spreading are still unclear. Here, we conducted sedimentary

Yield stress materials have a wide range of commercial applications. Yet, the suitable way of determining the yield stress values of a given material has been the subject of many studies and debates. Yield stresses are dependent on the material (shear) history and composition, which implies that robust protocols should be developed to study the yield stress dependence on a given parameter. In this

The continental slope and rise seaward of the Totten Glacier and the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica features continental margin depositional systems with high sediment input and consistent along-slope current activity. Understanding their genesis is a necessary step in interpreting the paleoenvironmental records they contain. Geomorphic mapping using a systematic multibeam survey shows variations in

Giant sand waves (heights >10 m) are widely developed on the Taiwan Banks, the distribution pattern, morphotypes and morphometric relationships of which have not yet been fully clarified. Based on multi-beam bathymetric swath data covering 780 line km of survey track, giant sand waves with heights up to 22.5 m and wavelengths up to 2115 m have been recorded. The relationship between height (H) and

The Holocene evolution of the Krishna Delta was inferred using landform characteristics and 11 sediment cores with 59 Accelerator Mass Spectrometry 14C dates. The landform assemblages in a 5880 km2 area of the Krishna Delta indicate an upper (landward) river-built fluvial plain and a lower (seaward) marine-built beach-ridge plain. Holocene sediment unconformably overlying a Pleistocene basement consists

On continental margins, the upper slope to shelf break environment forms a critical region where sediment supply, hydrographic activity and gravitational processes determine how and when sediments are partitioned between the shallow- and deep-marine realm. On the SW Iberian margin, relatively few studies have addressed the dynamics of this region, although it holds key information regarding the link

A numerical model was used to determine whether the landward migration of shore platforms at the low tidal level, due to downwearing and possibly other mechanisms, can match the recession caused by wave erosion at the high tidal level. The hybrid model calculated the time required to undercut a cliff face and to remove the debris, and the amount of recession accomplished at the low tidal level during

Few stratigraphic models of continental shelves incorporate the process of geostrophic current-sweeping, consequently its role in the stratigraphic record is often overlooked. We examine the narrow, current-swept Eastern Cape shelf of South Africa using a combination of geophysical techniques, seafloor sampling and video observations and interpret the role of current action on the transgressive stratigraphy

The understanding of the surrounding river impacts on the sediment supply to the Bohai Sea, northern China, is insufficient. In this study, magnetic measurements on surface sediment from the Bohai Sea and surrounding rivers were performed to interpret the distribution and origin of sediment in the Bohai Sea. Different magnetic properties in the analyzed material correspond to seven provenance areas