<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Foraminiferal assemblages were analyzed in a 620-cm long core retrieved from the central part of the Mecklenburg Bay (MB, south-western Baltic Sea) to aid in the reconstruction of environmental changes occurring in the area during the Holocene and to complement a set of previously investigated palaeoenvironmental proxies. A total of five foraminifera-based stratigraphic units were identified, including an initial 80-cm thick layer devoid of foraminifera. The next two units featured an increasing abundance of the foraminiferal assemblage dominated by the calcareous <italic>Ammonia</italic> group species. Nearly all the calcareous foraminifera found in the core were decalcified. Following the maximum abundance within the 470–410 cm layer, the foraminiferal abundance declined sharply and the assemblage’s dominance structure changed to domination of the agglutinated foraminiferal species, <italic>Eggerelloides scaber</italic>, which continued up to the top of the core and marked a pronounced shift in environmental conditions (shallower depth, lower salinity, more dynamic sedimentation conditions). The foraminifera-based stratigraphy of the core proved to be complementary to that emerging from previous analyses of diatoms and sediment geochemistry.</p>
</abstract>

Foraminiferal assemblages were analyzed in a 620-cm long core retrieved from the central part of the Mecklenburg Bay (MB, south-western Baltic Sea) to aid in the reconstruction of environmental changes occurring in the area during the Holocene and to complement a set of previously investigated palaeoenvironmental proxies. A total of five foraminifera-based stratigraphic units were identified, including an initial 80-cm thick layer devoid of foraminifera. The next two units featured an increasing abundance of the foraminiferal assemblage dominated by the calcareous Ammonia group species. Nearly all the calcareous foraminifera found in the core were decalcified. Following the maximum abundance within the 470–410 cm layer, the foraminiferal abundance declined sharply and the assemblage’s dominance structure changed to domination of the agglutinated foraminiferal species, Eggerelloides scaber, which continued up to the top of the core and marked a pronounced shift in environmental conditions (shallower depth, lower salinity, more dynamic sedimentation conditions). The foraminifera-based stratigraphy of the core proved to be complementary to that emerging from previous analyses of diatoms and sediment geochemistry.

The foraminiferal record in the Holocene evolution of the Mecklenburg Bay (south-western Baltic Sea)

Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences

Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences

Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Foraminiferal assemblages were analyzed in a 620-cm long core retrieved from the central part of the Mecklenburg Bay (MB, south-western Baltic Sea) to aid in...

The foraminiferal record in the Holocene evolution of the Mecklenburg Bay (south-western Baltic Sea)

Article Category: Original research paper

Published Online: Jun 05, 2021

Page range: 169 - 183

Received: Oct 28, 2020

Accepted: Jan 04, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/oandhs-2021-0016

Keywords
Foraminifera, decalcification, environmental changes, Littorina transgression, canonical correlation analysis, Mecklenburg Bay

© 2021 Robert Kostecki et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The foraminiferal record in the Holocene evolution of the Mecklenburg Bay (south-western Baltic Sea)

Article Category: Original research paper

Published Online: Jun 05, 2021

Page range: 169 - 183

Received: Oct 28, 2020

Accepted: Jan 04, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/oandhs-2021-0016

KeywordsForaminifera, decalcification, environmental changes, Littorina transgression, canonical correlation analysis, Mecklenburg Bay

© 2021 Robert Kostecki et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Foraminifera, decalcification, environmental changes, Littorina transgression, canonical correlation analysis, Mecklenburg Bay