Many lagoons surrounded by reefs are partially or completely infilled with reef-derived detrital carbonate sediment. Sediment deposits in such restricted environments are archives of prevailing environmental conditions during lagoon infill. For Indonesia, no paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on Holocene lagoon sediments exist. Here we analyze the sedimentary record obtained from five percussion cores penetrating 10 m into the unconsolidated subsurface of a reef island in the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia. The combined compositional, textural and chronostratigraphic analyses reveal that the sedimentary infill of the lagoon underlying the island, starting 6900 years cal BP, was interrupted between 5800 and 4400 years cal BP, when sea level was ~ 0.5 m higher than at present, and monsoon intensity was lower. After the intensity of the monsoons increased to modern levels, and sea level dropped to its present position, lagoonal sedimentation was re-initiated and created the foundation for an island that built up since 3000 years cal BP. Our study provides the first geological evidence for the strong sensitivity of detrital carbonate systems in Indonesia to fluctuations in sea level and dominant wind direction. It thus sheds light on how changing environmental conditions in the context of global warming could affect the morphological development of reef systems, and thereby also habitable coastal areas.
Kappelmann Y., Westphal H., Kneer D., Wu H.C., Wizemann A., Jompa J. and Mann T. (2023) Fluctuating sea-level and reversing Monsoon winds drive Holocene lagoon infill in Southeast Asia. Scientific Reports 13(1). 10.1038/s41598-023-31976-z
@article{Kappelmann2023,
Title = {Fluctuating sea-level and reversing Monsoon winds drive Holocene lagoon infill in Southeast Asia},
Author = {Kappelmann, Yannis and Westphal, Hildegard and Kneer, Dominik and Wu, Henry C. and Wizemann, Andre and Jompa, Jamaluddin and Mann, Thomas},
Editor = {},
Journal = {Scientific Reports},
Year = {2023},
Volume = {13},
Doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-31976-z},
Abstract = {Many lagoons surrounded by reefs are partially or completely infilled with reef-derived detrital carbonate sediment. Sediment deposits in such restricted environments are archives of prevailing environmental conditions during lagoon infill. For Indonesia, no paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on Holocene lagoon sediments exist. Here we analyze the sedimentary record obtained from five percussion cores penetrating 10 m into the unconsolidated subsurface of a reef island in the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia. The combined compositional, textural and chronostratigraphic analyses reveal that the sedimentary infill of the lagoon underlying the island, starting 6900 years cal BP, was interrupted between 5800 and 4400 years cal BP, when sea level was ~ 0.5 m higher than at present, and monsoon intensity was lower. After the intensity of the monsoons increased to modern levels, and sea level dropped to its present position, lagoonal sedimentation was re-initiated and created the foundation for an island that built up since 3000 years cal BP. Our study provides the first geological evidence for the strong sensitivity of detrital carbonate systems in Indonesia to fluctuations in sea level and dominant wind direction. It thus sheds light on how changing environmental conditions in the context of global warming could affect the morphological development of reef systems, and thereby also habitable coastal areas.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - Kappelmann, Yannis
AU - Westphal, Hildegard
AU - Kneer, Dominik
AU - Wu, Henry C.
AU - Wizemann, Andre
AU - Jompa, Jamaluddin
AU - Mann, Thomas
TI - Fluctuating sea-level and reversing Monsoon winds drive Holocene lagoon infill in Southeast Asia
T2 - Scientific Reports
PY - 2023
VL - 13
DO - 10.1038/s41598-023-31976-z
AB - Many lagoons surrounded by reefs are partially or completely infilled with reef-derived detrital carbonate sediment. Sediment deposits in such restricted environments are archives of prevailing environmental conditions during lagoon infill. For Indonesia, no paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on Holocene lagoon sediments exist. Here we analyze the sedimentary record obtained from five percussion cores penetrating 10 m into the unconsolidated subsurface of a reef island in the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia. The combined compositional, textural and chronostratigraphic analyses reveal that the sedimentary infill of the lagoon underlying the island, starting 6900 years cal BP, was interrupted between 5800 and 4400 years cal BP, when sea level was ~ 0.5 m higher than at present, and monsoon intensity was lower. After the intensity of the monsoons increased to modern levels, and sea level dropped to its present position, lagoonal sedimentation was re-initiated and created the foundation for an island that built up since 3000 years cal BP. Our study provides the first geological evidence for the strong sensitivity of detrital carbonate systems in Indonesia to fluctuations in sea level and dominant wind direction. It thus sheds light on how changing environmental conditions in the context of global warming could affect the morphological development of reef systems, and thereby also habitable coastal areas.
ER -
