Late Pleistocene to Holocene evolution, sedimentation processes, and anthropogenic impact of a coastal system: Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays, New Jersey
Item
-
Title
-
Late Pleistocene to Holocene evolution, sedimentation processes, and anthropogenic impact of a coastal system: Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays, New Jersey
-
Identifier
-
d_2009_2013:6a67ed385515:11506
-
identifier
-
11964
-
Creator
-
Klein, Elana A.,
-
Contributor
-
Cecilia McHugh
-
Date
-
2012
-
Language
-
English
-
Publisher
-
City University of New York.
-
Subject
-
Geology | Environmental geology | marine geology | metal contaminants | sea level incursion | sediments | storm deposits
-
Abstract
-
The objectives of this study were: 1) to decipher the late Pleistocene to modern-day evolution of a coastal system; 2) determine the impact of natural processes such as longshore currents and storms on its sedimentary patterns; and 3) assess the impact of anthropogenic activities due to the proximity of a large metropolitan region. An ultimate goal was to assess the health of the ecosystems within the coastal environment.;The study area included the Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays, New Jersey, located just south of the terminus of the maximum extent of the Laurentide ice sheet. The area has long been affected by the growth of a spit, storms, and anthropogenic pollution.;Seismic reflection profiles provided a framework for the evolution of this simple-fill estuary since the Last Glacial Maximum. Studies of Vibracores from Sandy Hook Bay revealed that the latest Holocene sediment in the bay is dominated by low energy deposition in a back-barrier environment created by the development of the Sandy Hook Spit, interrupted by storm events (e.g., storm surge, fluvial flooding) which have either left unconformities due to erosion, or mass-wasting deposits.;Radiocarbon ages of two shallow marine (i.e., low tide- 10 m) mollusks (Anomia simplex; Anadara transversa) suggest sea level entered the Sandy Hook Bay at ∼6.1 cal. ka BP, similar to estimates by Fairbanks (1989), Siddall et al. (2003), and Wright et al. (2009) that sea level reached its present day height ∼ 6.0 ka BP. This suggests the land was not affected as greatly by the forebulge than areas previously depressed under the glacial ice.;Five mass-wasting deposits were dated (from 970 AD, 1399 AD, 1525 AD, 1591 AD, and 1778 AD; mean ages) with radiocarbon ages of shells retrieved from the cores and correlated with storm deposits identified in previous studies of Long Island, NY, and the New Jersey coast. These findings show that large areas of a coastline need to be studied to characterize a long-term prehistoric record of storms.;Results from X-ray fluorescence, magnetic susceptibility, loss on ignition, and short-lived radioisotopes, revealed that metal concentrations were greater in the upper sediments of the bay, primarily in the backbarrier sections and proximal to the beaches. Coarser-grained sediments near the tip of the spit were associated with less contaminants in the upper sediments, most likely related to dredging, or the higher energy related to tidal currents and waves.;Initial results from wet chemistry (ICP Spectrometer) tests conducted by an independent laboratory showed Pb was present at levels determined by Long et al. (1995) to have adverse effects on organisms. Future research is necessary to identify and designate sections of the bay where fish and shellfish should not be harvested from, due to metal concentrations that may adversely affect the health of organisms that inhabit the substrate.
-
Type
-
dissertation
-
Source
-
2009_2013.csv
-
degree
-
Ph.D.
-
Program
-
Earth & Environmental Sciences
