Benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the North Adriatic Sea (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) : a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves

We investigated the distribution of ostracoda and benthic foraminifera from the shallow (<40 m water depth) river-influenced North Adriatic shelf. Combining faunal and environmental data from a sub-set of literature databases (Breman, 1975; Jorissen, 1988), we recognised the main environmental dr...

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Main Authors: Barbieri, Giulia, Rossi, Veronica, Vaiani, Stefano Claudio, Horton, Benjamin Peter
Other Authors: Asian School of the Environment
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/137149
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author Barbieri, Giulia
Rossi, Veronica
Vaiani, Stefano Claudio
Horton, Benjamin Peter
author2 Asian School of the Environment
author_facet Asian School of the Environment
Barbieri, Giulia
Rossi, Veronica
Vaiani, Stefano Claudio
Horton, Benjamin Peter
author_sort Barbieri, Giulia
collection NTU
description We investigated the distribution of ostracoda and benthic foraminifera from the shallow (<40 m water depth) river-influenced North Adriatic shelf. Combining faunal and environmental data from a sub-set of literature databases (Breman, 1975; Jorissen, 1988), we recognised the main environmental drivers for ostracoda (grain-size and bathymetry) and benthic foraminifera (organic matter concentration). Integrating these benthic groups, we identified five depositional settings dependent on the relative position from the main source of riverine material: the Po River. Near the Po Delta, where high fluxes of sediment occur, taxa tolerant to organic-rich muddy substrates and oxygen deficiency are abundant (Palmoconcha turbida, Leptocythere ramosa, Ammonia tepida, Ammonia parkinsoniana, Nonionella turgida). Downdrift of the delta, ostracoda discriminate between shallow sandy substrates (Semicytherura incongruens, Xestoleberis spp.) subject to longshore currents and deeper clayey environments (S. incongruens, Palmoconcha turbida), whereas benthic foraminifera are monotonous being represented by taxa tolerant to moderate organic matter concentrations (A. parkinsoniana, A. tepida, Aubignyna perlucida). The mud-loving Cytheridea neapolitana and Bulimina denudata, tolerating high organic matter fluxes, characterise the 20–40 m deep mud-belt subject to the major accumulation of riverine material. Updrift, sandy substrates with low organic matter are typified by S. incongruens, Pontocythere turbida and Milioloidea. Out of the fluvial influence (water depth > 20 m), diversified meiofaunal assemblages occur with ostracoda discriminating sediment-starved areas enriched in sand. Our results demonstrate that the combined use of ostracoda and benthic foraminifera represents a powerful tool for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves and to achieve detailed palaeogeographical reconstructions from shallow marine successions.
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spelling ntu-10356/1371492023-02-28T16:42:04Z Benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the North Adriatic Sea (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) : a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves Barbieri, Giulia Rossi, Veronica Vaiani, Stefano Claudio Horton, Benjamin Peter Asian School of the Environment Earth Observatory of Singapore Science::Geology Ostracoda Benthic Foraminifera We investigated the distribution of ostracoda and benthic foraminifera from the shallow (<40 m water depth) river-influenced North Adriatic shelf. Combining faunal and environmental data from a sub-set of literature databases (Breman, 1975; Jorissen, 1988), we recognised the main environmental drivers for ostracoda (grain-size and bathymetry) and benthic foraminifera (organic matter concentration). Integrating these benthic groups, we identified five depositional settings dependent on the relative position from the main source of riverine material: the Po River. Near the Po Delta, where high fluxes of sediment occur, taxa tolerant to organic-rich muddy substrates and oxygen deficiency are abundant (Palmoconcha turbida, Leptocythere ramosa, Ammonia tepida, Ammonia parkinsoniana, Nonionella turgida). Downdrift of the delta, ostracoda discriminate between shallow sandy substrates (Semicytherura incongruens, Xestoleberis spp.) subject to longshore currents and deeper clayey environments (S. incongruens, Palmoconcha turbida), whereas benthic foraminifera are monotonous being represented by taxa tolerant to moderate organic matter concentrations (A. parkinsoniana, A. tepida, Aubignyna perlucida). The mud-loving Cytheridea neapolitana and Bulimina denudata, tolerating high organic matter fluxes, characterise the 20–40 m deep mud-belt subject to the major accumulation of riverine material. Updrift, sandy substrates with low organic matter are typified by S. incongruens, Pontocythere turbida and Milioloidea. Out of the fluvial influence (water depth > 20 m), diversified meiofaunal assemblages occur with ostracoda discriminating sediment-starved areas enriched in sand. Our results demonstrate that the combined use of ostracoda and benthic foraminifera represents a powerful tool for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves and to achieve detailed palaeogeographical reconstructions from shallow marine successions. NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore) MOE (Min. of Education, S’pore) Published version 2020-03-02T09:12:56Z 2020-03-02T09:12:56Z 2019 Journal Article Barbieri, G., Rossi, V., Vaiani, S. C., & Horton, B. P. (2019). Benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the North Adriatic Sea (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) : a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves. Marine Micropaleontology, 153, 101772. doi:10.1016/j.marmicro.2019.101772 0377-8398 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/137149 10.1016/j.marmicro.2019.101772 2-s2.0-85072206626 153 101772 en Marine Micropaleontology © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY-NC-ND/4.0/). application/pdf
spellingShingle Science::Geology
Ostracoda
Benthic Foraminifera
Barbieri, Giulia
Rossi, Veronica
Vaiani, Stefano Claudio
Horton, Benjamin Peter
Benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the North Adriatic Sea (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) : a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves
title Benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the North Adriatic Sea (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) : a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves
title_full Benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the North Adriatic Sea (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) : a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves
title_fullStr Benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the North Adriatic Sea (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) : a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves
title_full_unstemmed Benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the North Adriatic Sea (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) : a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves
title_short Benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the North Adriatic Sea (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) : a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river-influenced shelves
title_sort benthic ostracoda and foraminifera from the north adriatic sea italy mediterranean sea a proxy for the depositional characterisation of river influenced shelves
topic Science::Geology
Ostracoda
Benthic Foraminifera
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/137149
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