Recent benthic foraminiferal assemblages and their relationship to environmental variables on the shoreface and inner shelf off Valencia (Western Mediterranean)
The environmental variables that determine the distributions of benthic foraminiferal assemblages on the shoreface and inner shelf of the north of Valencia province (Western Mediterranean) are identified. The possible influence of variables such as water depth, distance from shore, hydrodynamics, substrate type, carbonate content, organic matter content and human activity is evaluated. Multivariate cluster-Q-type analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) are used to identify the environmental variables that have the greatest influence on the assemblage distribution. The spatial distribution of the assemblages is closely associated with water depth and substrate. The diversity and abundance of …
Environmental evolution and mid–late Holocene climate events in the Valencia lagoon (Mediterranean coast of Spain)
Integration of geomorphological, stratigraphic, malacological, sedimentological and micropalaeontological techniques and14C dating allows us to characterise the processes and evolution of the coastal barrier–lagoon system of Valencia (Spain), from the middle Holocene to the historical epoch, as well as the responses to global climate events. Four stages are recognised. Phase 1: around 8240 ± 80 cal. yr BP, a brackish lagoon of moderate energy and in restricted environment was formed, with an energy peak that could correspond to the maximum Holocene marine transgression. Dating (8240 ± 80 cal. yr BP) carried out in peat corresponds to a cold cycle and low water levels in inland lakes of the …
Multi proxy analysis for reconstructing the late Holocene evolution of a Mediterranean Coastal Lagoon: Environmental variables within foraminiferal assemblages
Abstract This study reconstructs the evolution of foraminiferal assemblages and the environmental variables (type of substrate, content in calcium carbonate and content in organic matter) in the Valencia lagoon (western Mediterranean) in response to changes in the late Holocene. In this area of low tidal range, several multiproxy analyses were carried out to determine which environmental variables influence the distribution of the fossil assemblage, and its association with global, regional or local climatic phenomena. The statistical results show that in environments with higher exposure to marine conditions, the calcium carbonate content is the dominant factor, whereas in more restricted …