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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2022

Unravelling a 2300 year long sedimentary record of megathrust and intraslab earthquakes in proglacial Skilak Lake, south-central Alaska

Seismic hazards in subduction settings typically arise from megathrust, intraslab and crustal earthquake sources. Despite the frequent occurrence of intraslab earthquakes in subduction zones and their potential threat to communities, their long-term recurrence behaviour is barely studied. Sedimentary sequences in lakes may register ground shaking from different seismic sources. This study investigates two long sediment cores (13 m and 16 m) from Skilak Lake, a proglacial lake in south-central Alaska, to evaluate whether different seismic sources leave a distinct imprint. The sedimentary record shows a continuously varved sediment sequence, occasionally interrupted by turbidites, slump deposits and tephra beds. Turbidites and slump deposits were objectively identified using a statistical outlier analysis on varve thickness. The earthquake origin of these deposits was ascertained by resemblance with deposits induced by instrumentally recorded earthquakes (for example, 1964 ce M w 9.2 megathrust and 1954 ce M w 6.4 intraslab earthquakes) and correlation with multiple coeval landslide deposits on sub-bottom profiles. The Skilak Lake record chronicles 19 earthquakes with moderate to very high confidence level in the past 1350 years. The sedimentary evidence of instrumentally-recorded intraslab and megathrust earthquakes within the past 70 years demonstrates that not only megathrust earthquakes, but also past intraslab events are recorded. Although reported seismic intensities at Skilak Lake are comparable for the 1964 ce megathrust and the 1954 ce intraslab earthquakes, the long duration and low frequency content of seismic ground motion during megathrust earthquakes facilitate the triggering of multiple, voluminous landslides and the generation of megaturbidites. In contrast, the shorter duration and higher frequency source spectrum of intraslab earthquakes may only induce surficial slope remobilization and the generation of thinner turbidites. This study demonstrates that the sedimentary record of Skilak Lake has the potential to decipher multiple seismic sources, which opens possibilities for a comprehensive seismic hazard analysis for south-central Alaska.

Alaska↗
USGS2022

Sedimentary record of annual-decadal timescale reservoir dynamics: Anthropogenic stratigraphy of Lake Powell, Utah, U.S.A.

The tributaries of Lake Powell were impounded following construction of Glen Canyon Dam, resulting in deposition of reservoir sediment over a ∼650 km2 area since 1963. These units have been exposed through erosion as water storage in Lake Powell has decreased since 2000. This anthropogenic sedimentary record reflects the complex interplay among wet and dry periods of Colorado River runoff and the reservoir operating rules of Lake Powell. The relevant sedimentary exposures are mapped at reconnaissance level over 300 river-km above Glen Canyon Dam in canyons of the Colorado, San Juan, Escalante, and Dirty Devil Rivers. A detailed reference section measured in Calf Canyon, a tributary to the Colorado River, preserves more than 12 m of lacustrine, mainstem Colorado River, and local tributary sediment in an up-river location and elevation that is determined to have been inundated only during the highest reservoir level periods. At Calf Canyon, exposed reservoir sediment is comprised of cyclic sand-mud interbeds that record periods of deposition when reservoir level was at or above full pool. Six depositional cycles are identified in Calf Canyon, and each of these is interpreted to represent rapid sand deposition during Colorado River flood events (likely related to spring snowmelt runoff) followed by deposition of lacustrine mud while reservoir levels were high. The lacustrine mud units display significant pedogenic modification, indicating exposure and colonization dominated by tamarisk plants, prior to deposition of the next sand unit. High-precision elevation surveys of the 6 main lacustrine marker beds in Calf Canyon are correlated to multiple lake level highstands between 1975 and 2000. Preliminary observations suggest that age-equivalent strata are widespread within the reservoir-affected zones of all major tributaries including the Colorado and San Juan River arms as well as the Escalante and Dirty Devil Rivers. We predict that future map- ping in other Lake Powell side canyons will demonstrate strong local control on sediment provenance, dictated by side canyon lithology, as well as time-transgressive deposition (and erosion) moving up and down the main canyons.

Utah↗
USGS2000

Sedimentary record of the California Current system, middle Miocene to Holocene: A synthesis of Leg 167 results

During Ocean Drilling Program Leg 167, the California continental margin was drilled from about 30°N to 42°N to sample high-resolution paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic records in the California Current system. Because of typically high sedimentation rates along the margin (80 to >200 m/m.y.), drilling has proved necessary to collect late Pleistocene sedimentary records that usually are sampled by standard piston cores in other oceanic regions. Triple piston coring on Leg 167 enabled us to construct continuous submillennial paleoceanographic records to about 2 Ma. In the offshore drill sites, continuous records were constructed into the Miocene. The oldest sediments recovered on Leg 167 have an age of ~14 Ma. The California margin has an active diagenetic system driven by the degradation of organic matter. Leg 167 drilling provided a means to quantify the diagenetic processes within the deep sediment column and to study the links between sediment diagenesis and primary productivity. This synthesis chapter also documents the oceanographic variability along the California margin at all time scales, from 10 3 to 10 6 yr. Millennial-scale variability is found in Santa Barbara Basin (drilled during Leg 146) and in nearby basins drilled during Leg 167. Leg 167 cores also captured millennial-scale variability in the northern and central California margin. Orbitally forced insolation changes invoke a strong response throughout the California margin. Sea-surface temperature (SST) measured by the alkenone U k' 37 paleothermometer is highly coherent with the oxygen isotope record, being cold in glacials and much warmer in interglacials. Faunal and floral plankton assemblages vary strongly on the glacial-interglacial scale. Coastal plant communities show a glacial-interglacial variability that is most pronounced in the north, near the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. Major changes in the sediments prior to the Pleistocene mark major late Neogene oceanographic events. Opaline silica burial in the middle and upper Miocene sections have step-like drops from high opal deposition in the middle Miocene. One major drop occurs at ~11 Ma and is roughly correlative with the eastern equatorial Pacific Miocene carbonate crash. A second major drop occurs at about 8 Ma, equivalent in age to the end of the Monterey Formation. A third drop occurs slightly younger than the end of the Miocene. A lower Pliocene interval, roughly from 5 to 4.2 Ma, is low in all biogenic components. It separates the Miocene high-opal sediments from upper Pliocene high-carbonate sediments. High CaCO 3 deposition occurred all along the entire California margin in the late Pliocene, but CaCO 3 burial dropped abruptly with the beginning of Northern Hemisphere glaciation (2.6 Ma).

Baja California, California↗
USGS2012

Predicted sedimentary record of reflected bores

Where a steep slope blocks an inrushing tsunami, the tsunami commonly reverses direction as a reflected bore. A simple method for relating vertical and horizontal variation in sediment size to output from numerical models of depth-averaged tsunami flow yields predictions about the sedimentary record of reflected bores: 1. Near the reflector, a abrupt slowing of the flow as the reflected bore passes is recorded by a normally graded layer that drapes preexisting topography. 2. At intermediate distances from the reflector, the deposit consists of a single normally graded bed deposited preferentially in depressions, possibly including a sharp fine-over-coarse contact. This contact records a brief period of erosion as the front of the reflected bore passes. 3. Far seaward of the reflector, grading in the deposit includes two distinct normally graded beds deposited preferentially in depressions separated by an erosional unconformity. The second normally graded bed records the reflected bore.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2004

Contrasting glacial/interglacial regimes in the western Arctic Ocean as exemplified by a sedimentary record from the Mendeleev Ridge

Distinct cyclicity in lithology and microfaunal distribution in sediment cores from the Mendeleev Ridge in the western Arctic Ocean (water depths ca. 1. 5 km) reflects contrasting glacial/interglacial sedimentary patterns. We conclude that during major glaciations extremely thick pack ice or ice shelves covered the western Arctic Ocean and its circulation was restricted in comparison with interglacial, modern-type conditions. Glacier collapse events are marked in sediment cores by increased contents of ice-rafted debris, notably by spikes of detrital carbonates and iron oxide grains from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Composition of foraminiferal calcite ?? 18O and ??13C also shows strong cyclicity indicating changes in freshwater balance and/or ventilation rates of the Arctic Ocean. Light stable isotopic spikes characterize deglacial events such as the last deglaciation at ca. 12 14C kyr BP. The prolonged period with low ??18O and ??13C values and elevated contents of iron oxide grains from the Canadian Archipelago in the lower part of the Mendeleev Ridge record is interpreted to signify the pooling of freshwater in the Amerasia Basin, possibly in relation to an extended glaciation in arctic North America. Unique benthic foraminiferal events provide a means for an independent stratigraphic correlation of sedimentary records from the Mendeleev Ridge and other mid-depth locations throughout the Arctic Ocean such as the Northwind and Lomonosov Ridges. This correlation demonstrates the disparity of existing age models and underscores the need to establish a definitive chronostratigraphy for Arctic Ocean sediments. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology↗
USGS2023

Construction and modification of debris-flow alluvial fans as captured in the geomorphic and sedimentary record: Examples from the western Sangre de Cristo Mountains, south-central Colorado

Debris-flow alluvial fans are iconic features of dynamic landscapes and are hypothesized to record tectonic and climatic change. Here, we highlight their complex formation and evolution through an exemplary suite of Quaternary debris-flow alluvial fans emanating from the western range front of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in south-central Colorado, USA. To evaluate the constructive and modifying processes that produce fan form and the associated sedimentary signatures, we applied a combined geomorphologic and sedimentologic approach using sedimentary facies analysis, soils mapping, high-resolution topographic data, and luminescence geochronology to document timing of fan construction and modification. We explored two subsets of fans in the study area: a southern set sourced from the extensively glaciated drainages of the Blanca Peak massif, and a northern set from the unglaciated drainages south of Great Sand Dunes National Park. Both sets of fans have: (1) active and successively abandoned surfaces that show evolving degradation of primary features through modification by secondary processes, (2) associated facies that display distinct characteristics representative of primary depositional and secondary modifying sedimentary processes, and (3) evidence of primary debris flow with subsequent modification by secondary processes. We found that surface geomorphology and facies assemblages in exposed alluvial-fan deposits represent sediment transport processes on both active and abandoned lobes. The link between fan surface morphologies and the sedimentary facies of their deposits provides a basis for an evolutionary process–based interpretation of debris-flow alluvial-fan geomorphology and provides a better understanding of complexities in buried paleosurfaces (intraformational progressive unconformities), surficial deformation, and landform development as recorded in debris-flow fan deposits in the sedimentary record.

Colorado↗
USGS2009

Postglacial sedimentary record of the Southern California continental shelf and slope, Point Conception to Dana Point

Sedimentary strata on the Southern California shelf and slope (Point Conception to Dana Point) display patterns and rates of sediment accumulation that convey information on sea-level inundation, sediment supply, and oceanic transport processes following the Last Glacial Maximum. In Santa Monica Bay and San Pedro Bay, postglacial transgression is recorded in shelf deposits by wave-ravinement surfaces dated at 13-11 ka and an upsection transition from coastal to shallow-marine sediment facies. Depositional conditions analogous to the modern environment were established in the bays by 8-9 ka. On the continental slope, transgression is evidenced in places by an increase in sediment grain size and accumulation rate ca. 15-10 ka, a consequence of coastal ravinement and downslope resedimentation, perhaps in conjunction with climatic increases in fluvial sediment delivery. Grain sizes and accumulation rates then decreased after 12-10 ka when the shelf flooded and backfilled under rising sea level. The Santa Barbara coastal cell contains the largest mass of postglacial sediment at 32-42 ?? 10 9 metric tons, most of which occurs between offshore Santa Barbara and Hueneme Canyon. The San Pedro cell contains the second largest quantity of sediment, 8-11 ?? 10 9 metric tons, much of which is present on the eastern Palos Verdes and outer San Pedro shelves. By comparison, the mass of sediment sequestered within the Santa Monica cell is smaller at ??6-8 ?? 10 9 metric tons. The postglacial sediment mass distribution among coastal cells reflects the size of local fluvial sediment sources, whereas intracell accumulation patterns reflect antecedent bathymetric features conducive for sediment bypass or trapping. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Special Paper of the Geological Society of America↗
USGS2013

Integrating satellite observations and modern climate measurements with the recent sedimentary record: An example from Southeast Alaska

Assessments of climate change over time scales that exceed the last 100 years require robust integration of high-quality instrument records with high-resolution paleoclimate proxy data. In this study, we show that the recent biogenic sediments accumulating in two temperate ice-free fjords in Southeast Alaska preserve evidence of North Pacific Ocean climate variability as recorded by both instrument networks and satellite observations. Multicore samples EW0408-32MC and EW0408-43MC were investigated with 137 Cs and excess 210 Pb geochronometry, three-dimensional computed tomography, high-resolution scanning XRF geochemistry, and organic stable isotope analyses. EW0408-32MC (57.162°N, 135.357°W, 146 m depth) is a moderately bioturbated continuous record that spans AD ∼1930–2004. EW0408-43MC (56.965°N, 135.268°W, 91 m depth) is composed of laminated diatom oozes, a turbidite, and a hypopycnal plume (river flood) deposit. A discontinuous event-based varve chronology indicates 43MC spans AD ∼1940–1981. Decadal-scale fluctuations in sedimentary Br/Cl ratios accurately reflect changes in marine organic matter accumulation that display the same temporal pattern as that of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. An estimated Sitka summer productivity parameter calibrated using SeaWiFS satellite observations support these relationships. The correlation of North Pacific climate regime states, primary productivity, and sediment geochemistry indicate the accumulation of biogenic sediment in Southeast Alaska temperate fjords can be used as a sensitive recorder of past productivity variability, and by inference, past climate conditions in the high-latitude Gulf of Alaska.

Alaska↗
USGS2009

The Eocene-Oligocene sedimentary record in the Chesapeake Bay impact structure: Implications for climate and sea-level changes on the western Atlantic margin

A multidisciplinary investigation of the Eocene-Oligocene transition in the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)-U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Eyreville core from the Chesapeake Bay impact basin was conducted in order to document environmental changes and sequence stratigraphic setting. Planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy indicate that the Eyreville core includes an expanded upper Eocene (Biozones E15 to E16 and NP19/20 to NP21, respectively) and a condensed Oligocene-Miocene (NP24-NN1) sedimentary sequence. The Eocene-Oligocene contact corresponds to a =3-Ma-long hiatus. Eocene- Oligocene sedimentation is dominated by great diversity and varying amounts of detrital and authigenic minerals. Four sedimentary intervals are identified by lithology and mineral content: (1) A 30-m-thick, smectite- and illite-rich interval directly overlies the Exmore Formation, suggesting long-term reworking of impact debris within the Chesapeake Bay impact structure. (2) Subsequently, an increase in kaolinite content suggests erosion from soils developed during late Eocene warm and humid climate in agreement with data derived from other Atlantic sites. However, the kaolinite increase may also be explained by change to a predominant sediment input from outside the Chesapeake Bay impact structure caused by progradation of more proximal facies belts during the highstand systems tract of the late Eocene sequence E10.Spectral analysis based on gamma-ray and magnetic susceptibility logs suggests infl uence of 1.2 Ma low-amplitude oscillation of the obliquity period during the late Eocene. (3) During the latest Eocene (Biozones NP21 and E16), several lithological contacts (clay to clayey silt) occur concomitant with a prominent change in the mineralogical composition with illite as a major component: This lithological change starts close to the Biozone NP19/20-NP21 boundary and may correspond to sequence boundary E10-E11 as observed in other northwest Atlantic margin sections. It could result from a shift to more distal depositional environments and condensed sedimentation during maximum fl ooding, rather than refl ecting a climatic change in the hinterland. The distinct 1% increase of the oxygen isotopes may correspond to the short-term latest Eocene "precursor isotope event." (4) The abrupt increase of sediment grainsize, carbonate content, and abundance of authigenic minerals (glauconite) across the major unconformity that separates Eocene from Oligocene sediments in the Eyreville core refl ects deposition in shallower settings associated with erosion, winnowing, and reworking. Sediments within the central crater were affected by the rapid eustatic sea-level changes associated with the greenhouse-icehouse transition, as well as by an abrupt major uplift event and possibly enhanced current activity on the northwestern Atlantic margin. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Chesapeake Bay↗
USGS2006

Detrital zircon provenance of the Late Triassic Songpan-Ganzi complex: Sedimentary record of collision of the North and South China blocks

Using detrital zircon geochronology, turbidite deposystems fed from distinct sediment sources can be distinguished within the Songpan-Ganzi complex, a collapsed Middle to Late Triassic turbidite basin of central China. A southern Songpan-Ganzi deposystem initially was sourced solely by erosion of the Qinling-Dabie orogen during early Late Triassic time, then by Qinling-Dabie orogen, North China block, and South China block sources during middle to late Late Triassic time. A northern Songpan-Ganzi system was sourced by erosion of the Qinling-Dabie orogen and the North China block throughout its deposition. These separate deposystems were later tectonically amalgamated to form one complex and then uplifted as the eastern Tibet Plateau. ?? 2006 Geological Society of America.

Geology↗
USGS2019

The sedimentary record of the 2018 Anchorage Earthquake in Eklutna Lake, Alaska: Calibrating the lacustrine seismograph

The 30 November 2018 M w "> M M w "> w 7.1 Anchorage earthquake caused modified Mercalli intensities of V¼ to V½ at Eklutna Lake (south central Alaska). A few hours after the earthquake, a “dirt streak” was observed on the lake surface, followed by a peak in sediment turbidity values ( ⁠ ∼ 80 "> ∼ 80 times normal) at a drinking water facility, which receives water from the lake through a pipe. These observations hint toward turbidity currents triggered by the earthquake in Eklutna Lake. Here, we study 32 short sediment cores retrieved from across Eklutna Lake and observe a millimeter‐to‐centimeter scale turbidite that can be confidently attributed to the 2018 earthquake in all coring locations. X‐ray computed tomography, grain‐size, and color‐spectral analyses of the turbidite show that it shares physical characteristics with the turbidite generated by the 1964 M w "> M w 9.2 Great Alaska earthquake, while it is considerably different from turbidites caused by historical floods. The 2018 turbidite reaches its largest thickness in the inflow‐proximal basin, but when compared to the 1964 turbidite and thereby canceling out local site effects, it is relatively thick in the inflow‐distal sub‐basin. The latter was exposed to stronger shaking during the 2018 earthquake, and this relative thickness trend may therefore be attributed to shaking intensity and gives an indication of the location of the earthquake epicenter relative to the basin axis. Furthermore, in contrast to the 1964 turbidite, which was sourced from both deltas and hemipelagic slopes, the 2018 turbidite was sourced from deltas only, as evidenced by its distribution. These results confirm that while it is generally accepted that shaking intensities of ≥ VI "> ≥ VI are needed to trigger turbidity currents from hemipelagic slopes, intensities as low as V¼ can be sufficient to trigger turbidity currents from deltaic slopes. Our results show that proglacial lakes can sensitively record differences in shaking intensity and that investigating deposits from recent earthquakes is crucial to calibrate the lacustrine seismograph.

Alaska↗
USGS2022

Biomarkers in the Precambrian: Earth’s ancient sedimentary record of life

The hydrocarbon remnants of biologically diagnostic lipids inform our understanding of Earth’s early ecosystems, particularly where morphological vestiges of biology are absent or ambiguous. Yet both the analysis and interpretation of ancient biomarkers require scrutinous approaches. Here, we describe the status quo of Precambrian biomarker geochemistry with four examples that highlight current challenges and opportunities.

Elements↗
USGS2010

Geological Impacts and Sedimentary Record of the February 27, 2010, Chile Tsunami-La Trinchera to Concepcion

The February 27, 2010, Chilean tsunami substantially altered the coastal landscape and left a permanent depositional record that may be preserved at many locales along the central coast of Chile. From April 24 to May 2, 2010, a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Chilean scientists examined the geological impacts of the tsunami at five sites along a 200-km segment of coast centered on the earthquake epicenter. Significant observations include: (1) substantial tsunami-induced erosion and deposition (+/- 1 m) on the coastal plain; (2) erosion from return flow, inundation scour around the bases of trees, and widespread planation of the land surface; (3) tsunami sand deposits at all sites that extended to near the limit of inundation except at one site; (4) evidence of multiple strong onshore waves that arrived at different times and from different directions; (5) vegetation height and density controlled the thickness of tsunami deposits at one site, (6) the abundance of layers of plane-parallel stratification in some deposits and the presence of large bedforms at one site indicated at least some of the sediment was transported as bed load and not as suspended load; (7) shoreward transport of mud boulders and rock cobbles where they were available; and (8) the maximum tsunami inundation distance (2.35 km) was up an alluvial valley. Most of the tsunami deposits were less than 25 cm thick, which is consistent with tsunami-deposit thicknesses found elsewhere (for example, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Sumatra, Sri Lanka). Exceptions were the thick tsunami deposits near the mouths of Rio Huenchullami (La Trinchera) and Rio Maule (Constitucion), where the sediment supply was abundant. The substantial vertical erosion of the coastal plain at Constitucion

Open-File Report↗
USGS2002

Climate variability from the Florida Bay sedimentary record: Possible teleconnections to ENSO, PNA and CNP

We analyzed decadal and interannual climate variability in South Florida since 1880 using geochemical and faunal paleosalinity indicators from isotopically dated sediment cores at Russell Bank in Florida Bay (FB). Using the relative abundance of 2 ostracode species and the Mg/Ca ratios in Loxoconcha matagordensis shells to reconstruct paleosalinity, we found evidence for cyclic oscillations in the salinity of central FB. During this time salinity fluctuated from as low as ~18 parts per thousand (ppt) to as high as ~57 ppt. Time series analyses suggest, in addition to a 5.6 yr Mg/Ca based salinity periodicity, there are 3 other modes of variability in paleosalinity indicators: 6-7, 8-9, and 13-14 yr periods which occur in all paleo-proxies. To search for factors that might cause salinity to vary in FB, we compared the Russell Bank paleosalinity record to South Florida winter rainfall, the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the winter Pacific North American (PNA) index, and a surrogate for the PNA in the winter season, the Central North Pacific (CNP) index. SOI and PNA/CNP appear to be associated with South Florida winter precipitation. Time series analyses of SOI and winter rainfall for the period 1910-1999 suggest ~5, 6-7, 8-9 and 13-14 yr cycles. The 6-7 yr and 13-14 yr cycles correspond to those observed in the faunal and geochemical time series from Russell Bank. The main periods of the CNP index are 5-6 and 13-15 yr, which are similar to those observed in FB paleosalinity. Cross-spectral analyses show that winter rainfall and salinity are coherent at 5.6 yr with a salinity lag of ~1.6 mo. These results suggest that regional rainfall variability influences FB salinity over interannual and decadal timescales and that much of this variability may have its origin in climate variability in the Pacific Ocean/atmosphere system.

Climate Research↗
USGS2000

Clostridium perfringens in Long Island Sound sediments: An urban sedimentary record

Clostridium perfringens is a conservative tracer and an indicator of sewage-derived pollution in the marine environment. The distribution of Clostridium perfringens spores was measured in sediments from Long Island Sound, USA, as part of a regional study designed to: (1) map the distribution of contaminated sediments; (2) determine transport and dispersal paths; (3) identify the locations of sediment and contaminant focusing; and (4) constrain predictive models. In 1996, sediment cores were collected at 58 stations, and surface sediments were collected at 219 locations throughout the Sound. Elevated concentrations of Clostridium perfringens in the sediments indicate that sewage pollution is present throughout Long Island Sound and has persisted for more than a century. Concentrations range from undetectable amounts to 15,000 spores/g dry sediment and are above background levels in the upper 30 cm at nearly all core locations. Sediment focusing strongly impacts the accumulation of Clostridium perfringens spores. Inventories in the cores range from 28 to 70,000 spores/cm2, and elevated concentrations can extend to depths of 50 cm. The steep gradients in Clostridium perfringens profiles in muddier cores contrast with concentrations that are generally constant with depth in sandier cores. Clostridium perfringens concentrations rarely decrease in the uppermost sediment, unlike those reported for metal contaminants. Concentrations in surface sediments are highest in the western end of the Sound, very low in the eastern region, and intermediate in the central part. This pattern reflects winnowing and focusing of Clostridium perfringens spores and fine-grained sediment by the hydrodynamic regime; however, the proximity of sewage sources to the westernmost Sound locally enhances the Clostridium perfringens signals.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jer↗
USGS2003

The sedimentary record of climatic and anthropogenic influence on the Patuxent estuary and Chesapeake Bay ecosystems

Ecological and paleoecological studies from the Patuxent River mouth reveal dynamic variations in benthic ostracode assemblages over the past 600 years due to climatic and anthropogenic factors. Prior to the late 20th century, centennial-scale changes in species dominance were influenced by climatic and hydrological factors that primarily affected salinity and at times led to oxygen depletion. Decadal-scale droughts also occurred resulting in higher salinities and migration of ostracode species from the deep channel (Loxoconcha sp., Cytheromorpha newportensis) into shallower water along the flanks of the bay. During the 19th century the abundance of Leptocythere nikraveshae and Perissocytheridea brachyforma suggest increased turbidity and decreased salinity. Unprecedented changes in benthic ostracodes at the Patuxent mouth and in the deep channel of the bay occurred after the 1960s when Cytheromorpha curta became the dominant species, reflecting seasonal anoxia. The change in benthic assemblages coincided with the appearance of deformities in foraminifers. A combination of increased nitrate loading due to greater fertilizer use and increased freshwater flow explains this shift. A review of the geochemical and paleoecological evidence for dissolved oxygen indicates that seasonal oxygen depletion in the main channel of Chesapeake Bay varies over centennial and decadal timescales. Prior to 1700 AD, a relatively wet climate and high freshwater runoff led to oxygen depletion but rarely anoxia. Between 1700 and 1900, progressive eutrophication occurred related to land dearance and increased sedimentation, but this was superimposed on the oscillatory pattern of oxygen depletion most likely driven by climatological and hydrological factors. It also seems probable that the four- to five-fold increase in sedimentation due to agricultural and timber activity could have contributed to an increased natural nutrient load, likely fueling the early periods (1700-1900) of hypoxla prior to widespread fertilizer use. Twentieth-century anoxia worsened in the late 1930s-1940s and again around 1970, reaching unprecedented levels in the past few decades. Decadal and interannual variability in oxygen depletion even in the 20th century is still strongly influenced by climatic processes influencing precipitation and freshwater runoff.

Estuaries↗