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The relative utility of foraminifera and diatoms for reconstructing late Holocene sea-level change in North Carolina, USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Andrew C. Kemp ,
Benjamin P. Horton ,
D. Reide Corbett ,
Stephen J. Culver ,
Robin J. Edwards  and
Orson van de Plassche
Andrew C. Kemp*
Affiliation:
Sea-Level Research Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Benjamin P. Horton
Affiliation:
Sea-Level Research Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
D. Reide Corbett
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA Institute of Interdisciplinary Coastal Science and Policy, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Stephen J. Culver
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Robin J. Edwards
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Orson van de Plassche
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
*
*Corresponding author. Email Address:[email protected]
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Abstract

Foraminifera and diatoms preserved in salt-marsh sediments have been used to produce high-resolution records of Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) change. To determine which of these microfossil groups is most appropriate for this purpose we investigated their relative utility from salt marshes in North Carolina, USA. Regional-scale transfer functions were developed using foraminifera, diatoms and a combination of both (multi-proxy) from three salt marshes (Oregon Inlet, Currituck Barrier Island and Pea Island). We evaluated each approach on the basis of transfer-function performance. Foraminifera, diatoms and multi-proxy-based transfer functions all demonstrated a strong relationship between observed and predicted elevations (r2jack > 0.74 and RMSEP < 0.05 m), suggesting that they have equal utility. Application of the transfer functions to a fossil core from Salvo to reconstruct former sea levels enabled us to consider relative utility in light of ‘paleo-performance’. Fossil foraminifera had strong modern analogues, whilst diatoms had poor modern analogues making them unreliable. This result reflects the high diversity and site-specific distribution of modern diatoms. Consequently, we used foraminifera to reconstruct RSL change for the period since ∼ AD 1800 using a 210Pb- and 14C-based chronology, and we were able to reconcile this with tide-gauge records.

Keywords

ForaminiferaDiatomsTransfer functionSea levelNorth Carolina
Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 71 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 9 - 21
Copyright
University of Washington

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