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Applications of Paleoenvironmental Techniques in Estuarine Studies pp 357–387Cite as

Application of Molluscan Analyses to the Reconstruction of Past Environmental Conditions in Estuaries

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Part of the book series: Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research ((DPER,volume 20))

Abstract

Molluscs possess a number of attributes that make them an excellent source of past environmental conditions in estuaries: they are common in estuarine environments; they typically have hard shells and are usually well preserved in sediments; they are relatively easy to detect in the environment; they have limited mobility as adults; they grow by incremental addition of layers to their shells; and they are found in all the major environments surrounding estuaries—terrestrial, freshwater, brackish, and marine waters. Analysis of molluscan assemblages can contribute information about past changes in sea level, climate, land use patterns, anthropogenic alterations, salinity, and other parameters of the benthic habitat and water chemistry within the estuary. High-resolution (from less than a day to annual) records of changes in environmental parameters can be obtained by analyzing the incremental growth layers in mollusc shells (sclerochronology). The shell layers retain information on changes in water temperature, salinity, seasonality, climate, river discharge, productivity, pollution and human activity. Isotopic analyses of mollusc shell growth layers can be problematic in estuaries where water temperatures and isotopic ratios can vary simultaneously; however, methods are being developed to overcome these problems. In addition to sclerochronology, molluscs are important to Holocene and Pleistocene estuarine palaeoenvironmental studies because of their use in the development of age models through radiocarbon dating, amino acid racemization, uranium-thorium series dating, and electron spin resonance (ESR) dating.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Bruce Wardlaw (USGS), Thomas Cronin (USGS), and an anonymous reviewer, for their thoughtful comments on our manuscript. Funding for δ18Owater data in Fig. 15.5 was provided to Donna Surge by the National Science Foundation (award #0455974). Lynn Wingard’s research is funded by the USGS Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Science program. Bethany Stackhouse (USGS) prepared Figs. 15.1 and 15.2 and assisted with background research.

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  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA, USA

    G. Lynn Wingard

  2. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Donna Surge

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Correspondence to G. Lynn Wingard .

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  1. Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Kaarina Weckström

  2. Institute of Geography and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Krystyna M. Saunders

  3. Water Research Network, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia, Mt Helen, Victoria, Australia

    Peter A. Gell

  4. School of Life Sciences, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia

    C. Gregory Skilbeck

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Wingard, G.L., Surge, D. (2017). Application of Molluscan Analyses to the Reconstruction of Past Environmental Conditions in Estuaries. In: Weckström, K., Saunders, K., Gell, P., Skilbeck, C. (eds) Applications of Paleoenvironmental Techniques in Estuarine Studies. Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0990-1_15

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