Holocene investigations of sediments from Eilandvlei

DOI

This study investigates Holocene sediments from Eilandvlei, a coastal lake located within the Wilderness embayment at the southern Cape coast of South Africa. The evolution of the present estuarine/coastal lake system is reconstructed based on seismic data as well as a multi-proxy approach on a 30.5 m sediment core spanning the last ~8.9 kyr. Geochemical (Ca, TOC/S, Br/TOC) and micropalaeontological data (diatoms, foraminifera) reflect changes in the degree of marine influence at the core site. The embayment likely developed via distinct phases of connectivity to the Indian Ocean caused by sea level changes and dune progradation. Marine conditions prevailed at the core site from ~8900 to 4700 cal BP. The rapid sea level rise during the early Holocene caused the inundation of a palaeovalley that most likely had formed at lower sea levels during the Pleistocene. Towards the mid-Holocene the sea level exceeded its present height around ~7500 cal BP creating a marine embayment. At ~4700 cal BP, the embayment became distinctly more disconnected from the ocean turning into a lagoon system that persisted until ~1200 cal BP. Subsequently, the marine influence further decreased and the present estuarine/coastal lake system was established.Grain size and geochemical data (Fe, Si/Al, chemical index of alteration (CIA)) further reflect changes in the deposition of terrigenous sediments at the core site. While the sedimentation of fine-grained (<16 µm), iron-rich and highly weathered material is linked to periods of increased river discharge and rainfall, high amounts of deposited quartz (31-250 µm, high Si/Al) point to relatively dry and/or windy conditions during which increased aeolian transport of dune sands occurred. The proxies indicate reduced river discharge and hence possibly drier climatic conditions than today from ~8900 to 7900 cal BP and ~6400 to 3000 cal BP. In contrast, the periods between ~7900-6400 cal BP and ~3000 cal BP-present were likely characterized by high river discharge and thus, generally more rainfall. The reconstructed palaeoclimatic variations are discussed within the context of e.g., shifts in the position of the Antarctic sea ice extent and the mid-latitude westerly wind belt as well as changes in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

Supplement to: Wündsch, Michael; Haberzettl, Torsten; Cawthra, Hayley C; Kirsten, Kelly L; Quick, Lynne J; Zabel, Matthias; Frenzel, Peter; Hahn, Annette; Baade, Jussi; Daut, Gerhard; Kasper, Thomas; Meadows, Michael E; Mäusbacher, Roland (2018): Holocene environmental change along the southern Cape coast of South Africa - Insights from the Eilandvlei sediment record spanning the last 8.9 kyr. Global and Planetary Change, 163, 51-66

Identifier
DOI https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.887884
Related Identifier https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2018.02.002
Metadata Access https://ws.pangaea.de/oai/provider?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=datacite4&identifier=oai:pangaea.de:doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.887884
Provenance
Creator Wündsch, Michael; Haberzettl, Torsten ORCID logo; Cawthra, Hayley C ORCID logo; Kirsten, Kelly L ORCID logo; Quick, Lynne J ORCID logo; Zabel, Matthias ORCID logo; Frenzel, Peter ORCID logo; Hahn, Annette (ORCID: 0000-0002-3647-473X); Baade, Jussi ORCID logo; Daut, Gerhard ORCID logo; Kasper, Thomas; Meadows, Michael E ORCID logo; Mäusbacher, Roland
Publisher PANGAEA
Publication Year 2018
Funding Reference Federal Ministry of Education and Research https://doi.org/10.13039/501100002347 Crossref Funder ID 03G0840A https://foerderportal.bund.de/foekat/jsp/SucheAction.do?actionMode=view&fkz=03G0840A Regional Archives for Integrated iNvestigations; Federal Ministry of Education and Research https://doi.org/10.13039/501100002347 Crossref Funder ID 03G0840B https://foerderportal.bund.de/foekat/jsp/SucheAction.do?actionMode=view&fkz=03G0840B Regional Archives for Integrated iNvestigations
Rights Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
OpenAccess true
Representation
Language English
Resource Type Supplementary Publication Series of Datasets; Collection
Format application/zip
Size 8 datasets
Discipline Earth System Research
Spatial Coverage (22.640 LON, -33.995 LAT)
Temporal Coverage Begin 2013-10-18T00:00:00Z
Temporal Coverage End 2013-10-24T00:00:00Z