Diatoms as Indicators of Environmental Change in Estuaries

  • Kathryn H. Taffs
  • Krystyna M. Saunders
  • Brendan Logan
Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research book series (DPER, volume 20)

Abstract

Diatoms are valuable paleo-indicators of natural processes and environmental changes caused by human activities in estuaries. They have been used to study sea level change, climate variability, floods and tsunamis, problems associated with changes in salinity and nutrients due to human activities, and to assess ecosystem responses to remediation, among others. There are many challenges such as issues of sediment disturbance and frustule preservation, as well as limitations on the development of transfer functions due to a lack of analogue sites. However, the application of diatoms to paleo-studies in a range of coastal habitats has enabled reliable and informative qualitative and quantitative reconstructions of environmental change. This chapter provides an overview of diatom estuarine ecology, different applications of diatoms to estuarine paleoecological research, their potential yet often informative limitations, and challenges going forward.

Keywords

Diatoms Estuary Paleoecology Natural processes Human impacts 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. John Gibson for his vision and enthusiasm initiating this project, and his dedication and passion for the estuarine environment. We would like to acknowledge the input from the reviewers whose suggestions contributed to significantly improving the quality of this chapter.

References

  1. Andrén E, Shimmield G, Brand T (1999) Environmental changes of the last three centuries indicated by siliceous microfossil records from the southwestern Baltic Sea. Holocene 9:25–38CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Andrén E, Andrén T, Kunzendorf H (2000) Holocene history of the Baltic Sea as a background for assessing records of human impact in the sediments of the Gotland Basin. Holocene 10:687–702CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Atwater BF, Furukawa R, Hemphill-Haley E et al (2004) Seventeenth-century uplift in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Holocene 14:489–501CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Barker P, Fontes JC, Gasse F et al (1994) Experimental dissolution of diatom silica in concentrated salt solutions and implications for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Limnol Oceanogr 39:99–110CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Bateman MD, Boulter CH, Carr AS et al (2007) Detecting post-depositional sediment disturbance in sandy deposits using optical luminescence. Quat Geochron 2:57–64CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Battarbee RW, Jones VJ, Flower RJ et al (2001) Diatoms: terrestrial, algal and siliceous indicators. In: Smol JP, Birks HJB, Last WM (eds) Tracking environmental change using lake sediments, vol 3, Terrestrial, algal and siliceous indicators. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, pp 155–202CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Bennion H (1994) A diatom phosphorus transfer function for shallow, eutrophic ponds in south east England. Hydrobiologia 275(276):391–410CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Bennion H, Juggins S, Anderson NJ (1996) Predicting epilimnetic phosphorus concentrations using an improved diatom-based transfer function and its application to lake eutrophication management. Environ Sci Technol 30:2004–2007CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Birks HJB, Line JM, Juggins S et al (1990) Diatoms and pH reconstruction. Phil Trans R Soc London 327:263–278CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Birks JBH, Lotter AF, Juggins S et al (eds) (2012) Tracking environmental change using lake Sediments, vol 5, Data Handling and Numerical Techniques. Springer, DordrechtGoogle Scholar
  11. Byrne R, Ingram BL, Starratt S et al (2001) Carbon-isotope, diatom, and pollen evidence for Late Holocene salinity change in a brackish marsh in the San Francisco estuary. Quat Res 55:66–76CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Cassina F, Dalton C, Dillane M et al (2013) A multi-proxy paleolimnological study to reconstruct the evolution of a coastal brackish lake (Lough Furnace, Ireland) during the Late Holocene. Paleogeogr Paleoclimatol Paleoecol 383–384:1–15CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Castro DF, de Oliveira PE, Rossetti DF et al (2013) Late Quaternary landscape evolution of northeastern Amazonia from pollen and diatom records. An Acad Bras Cienc 85:35–55CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Clarke AL, Weckström K, Conley DJ et al (2006) Long-term trends in eutrophication and nutrients in the coastal zone. Limnol Oceanogr 51:385–397CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Conley DJ (1999) Biogeochemical nutrient cycles and nutrient management strategies. Hydrobiologia 410:87–96CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Cooper SR, Brush GS (1991) Long-term history of Chesapeake Bay anoxia. Science 254:992–996CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Cooper SR, Huvane J, Vaithiyanathan P et al (1999) Calibration of diatoms along a nutrient gradient in Florida Everglades Water Conservation Area-2A, USA. J Paleolimnol 22:413–437CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Cooper SR, McGlothlin SK, Madritch M et al (2004) Paleoecological evidence of human impacts on the Neuse and Pamlico Estuaries of North Carolina USA. Estuaries 27:617–633CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Cooper SR, Gaiser E, Wachnicka A (2010) Estuarine paleoenvironmental reconstruction using diatoms. In: Smol JP, Stoermer E (eds) The diatoms: application for the environmental and earth sciences, 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 324–345CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Cremer H, Bunnik FPM, Kirilova EP et al (2009) Diatom-inferred trophic history of IJsselmeer (The Netherlands). Hydrobiologia 631:279–287CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Crusius J, Bothner MH, Sommerfield CK (2004) Bioturbation depths, rates and processes in Massachusetts Bay sediments inferred from modeling of Pb-210 and Pu239 + 240 profiles. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 61:643–655CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Dawson S, Smith DE, Ruffman A et al (1996) The diatom biostratigraphy of tsunamic sediments: examples from recent and middle Holocene events. Phys Chem Earth 21:87–92CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Del Amo Y, Brzezinski MA (1999) The chemical form of dissolved Si taken up by marine diatoms. J Phycol 35:1162–1170CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Dong XH, Bennion H, Battarbee R et al (2008) Tracking eutrophication in Taihu Lake using the diatom record: potential and problems. J Paleolimnol 40:413–429CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Ellegaard M, Clarke AL, Reuss N et al (2006) Multi-proxy evidence of long-term changes in ecosystem structure in a Danish marine estuary, linked to increased nutrient loading. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 68:567–578CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Espinosa MA, Hassan GS, Isla F (2012) Diatom-inferred salinity changes in relation to Holocene sea-level fluctuations in estuarine environments of Argentina. Alcheringa 36:373–386CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Eyre B, Balls P (1999) A comparative study of nutrient behavior along the salinity gradient of tropical and temperate estuaries. Estuaries 22:313–326CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Fang Y, Wang YH, Liu YH et al (2012) Feature of phytoplankton community and canonical correlation analysis with environmental factors in Xiaoqing River estuary in autumn. In: Zhang L (ed) Second Sree Conference on Engineering Modelling and Simulation, vol 37, Proceedia Engineering., pp 19–24Google Scholar
  29. Flower RJ (1991) Seasonal changes in sedimenting material collected by high aspect ratio sediment traps operated in a holomictic eutrophic lake. Hydrobiologia 214:311–316CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Flower RJ, Likoshway Y (1993) An investigation of diatom preservation in Lake Baikal. In: Fifth workshop on diatom algae. March 16–20, Irkutsk, Russia, pp 77–78Google Scholar
  31. Flower RJ, Ryves DB (2009) Diatom preservation: differential preservation of sedimentary diatoms in two saline lakes. Acta Bot Croat 68:381–399Google Scholar
  32. Fluin J, Gell P, Haynes D et al (2007) Palaeolimnological evidence for the independent evolution of neighbouring terminal lakes, the Murray Darling Basin, Australia. Hydrobiologia 591:117–134CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Foged N (1978) Diatoms in Eastern Australia. Bibliotheca Phycologica. Band 41, J Cramer, Germany, 243 ppGoogle Scholar
  34. Freund H, Gerdes G, Streif H et al (2004) The indicative meaning of diatoms, pollen and botanical macro fossils for the reconstruction of paleoenvironments and sea-level fluctuations along the coast of Lower Saxony; Germany. Quat Int 112:71–87CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Fritz SC, Cumming BF, Gasse F et al (1999) Diatoms as indicators of hydrologic and climatic change in saline lakes. In: Stoermer E, Smol JP (eds) The diatoms: applications for the environmental and earth sciences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 41–72CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Gaiser E (2008) Periphyton as in indicator of restoration in the Everglades. Ecol Indicators 9:S37–S45CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Gasse F (1983) Diatoms from East Africa. Bibliotheca Phycologica Band 11, J Cramer, Stuttgart, 105 ppGoogle Scholar
  38. Glibert PM, Heil CA, O’Neil JM et al (2006) Nitrogen, phosphorus, silica, and carbon in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia: differential limitation of phytoplankton biomass and production. Estuar Coast 29:209–221CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. Goff J, McFadgen BG, Chague-Goff C (2004) Sedimentary differences between the 2002 Easter storm and the 15th-century Okoropunga tsunami, southeastern North Island, New Zealand. Mar Geol 204:235–250CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. Goff J, Pearce S, Nichol SL et al (2010) Multi-proxy records of regionally-sourced tsunamis, New Zealand. Geomorphology 118:369–382CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Goff J, Chague-Goff C, Nichol S et al (2012) Progress in paleotsunami research. Sediment Geol 243:70–88CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Grinham A, Gale D, Udy J (2011) Impact of sediment type, light and nutrient availability on benthic diatom communities of a large estuarine bay: Moreton Bay, Australia. J Paleolimnol 46:511–523CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Guinder VA, Popovich CA, Molinero JC et al (2010) Long-term changes in phytoplankton phenology and community structure in the Bahia Blanca Estuary, Argentina. Mar Biol 157:2703–2716CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Haese RR, Murray EJ, Smith CS et al (2007) Diatoms control nutrient cycles in a temperate, wave-dominated estuary (southeast Australia). Limnol Oceanogr 52:2686–2700CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. Hassan GS (2013) Diatom-based reconstruction of Middle to Late Holocene paleoenvironments in Lake Lonkoy, southern Pampas, Argentina. Diatom Res 28:473–486CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  46. Hassan GS, Espinosa MA, Isla FI (2007) Dead diatom assemblages in surface sediments from a low impacted estuary: the Quequen Salado river, Argentina. Hydrobiologia 579:257–270CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  47. Hassan GS, Espinosa MA, Isla FI (2008) Fidelity of dead diatom assemblages in estuarine sediments: how much environmental information is preserved? Palaios 23:112–120CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Haynes D, Skinner R, Tibby J et al (2011) Diatom and foraminifera relationships to water quality in The Coorong, South Australia, and the development of a diatom-based salinity transfer function. J Paleolimnol 46:543–560CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. Hemphill-Haley E (1996) Diatoms as an aid in identifying late-Holocene tsunami deposits. Holocene 6:439–448CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  50. Hendey NI (1964) An Introductory Account of the Smaller Algae of British Coastal Waters, vol V, Bacillariophyceae (Diatoms). Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London, 186 ppGoogle Scholar
  51. Hill TCB, Woodland WA, Spencer CD et al (2007) Holocene sea-level change in the Severn Estuary, southwest England: a diatom-based sea-level transfer function for macrotidal settings. Holocene 17:639–648CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  52. Horton BP, Corbett R, Culver SJ et al (2006) Modern saltmarsh diatom distributions of the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and the development of a transfer function for high resolution reconstructions of sea level. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 69:381–394CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  53. John J (1983) The diatom flora of the Swan River. Bibliotheca Phycologica Band 64, J Cramer, Stuttgart, 359 ppGoogle Scholar
  54. Juggins S (1992) Diatoms in the Thames Estuary, England: ecology, paleoecology and salinity transfer function. Bibliotheca Phycologica Band 25, J Cramer, Stuttgart, 216 ppGoogle Scholar
  55. Kauppila P, Weckström K, Vaalgamaa S et al (2005) Tracing pollution and recovery using sediments in an urban estuary, northern Baltic Sea: are we far from ecological reference conditions? Mar Ecol Prog Ser 290:35–53CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  56. Khan NS, Vane CH, Horton BP et al (2015) The application of delta C-13, TOC and C/N geochemistry to reconstruct Holocene relative sea levels and paleoenvironments in the Thames Estuary, UK. J Quat Sci 30:417–433CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  57. Lavoie C, Pienitz R, Allard M (2006) Diatom flora of the Nastapoka River delta: an emerging coastal system on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay, subarctic Quebec. Nova Hedwigia 83:31–51CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  58. Lent RM, Lyons B (2001) Biogeochemistry of silica in Devils Lake: implications for diatom preservation. J Paleolimnol 26:53–66CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  59. Lewin J (1960) The dissolution of silica from diatom walls. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 21:182–198CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  60. Li XX, Bianchi TS, Yang ZS et al (2011) Historical trends of hypoxia in Changjiang River estuary: applications of chemical biomarkers and microfossils. J Mar Syst 86:57–68CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  61. Liukkonen M, Kairesalo T, Keto J (1993) Eutrophication and recovery of Lake Vesijärvi (south Finland): diatom frustules in varved sediments over a 30-year period. Hydrobiologia 269:415–426CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  62. Lizitzin AP (1971) Distribution of siliceous microfossils in suspension and in bottom deposits. In: Funnel BM, Reidel WR (eds) The Micropaleontology of Oceans. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 173–195Google Scholar
  63. Loebl M, Dolch T, van Beusekom JEE (2007) Annual dynamics of pelagic primary production and respiration in a shallow coastal basin. J Sea Res 58:269–282CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  64. Logan B, Taffs KH (2013) Relationship between diatoms and water quality (TN, TP) in sub-tropical east Australian estuaries. J Paleolimnol 50:123–137CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  65. Logan B, Taffs KH, Cunningham L (2010) Applying paleolimnological techniques in estuaries: a cautionary case study from Moreton Bay, Australia. Mar Freshw Res 61:1039–1047CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  66. Lundholm N, Clarke A, Ellegaard M (2010) A 100-year record of changing pseudo-nitzschia species in a sill-fjord in Denmark related to nitrogen loading and temperature. Harmful Algae 9:449–457CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  67. Maestrini SY, Breret M, Berland BR et al (1997) Nutrients limiting the algal growth potential (AGP) in the Po River plume and an adjacent area, northwest Adriatic Sea: enrichment bioassays with the test algae Nitzschia closterium and Thalassiosira pseudonana. Estuaries 20:416–429CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  68. McQuoid MR, Hobson LA (1997) A 91-year record of seasonal and interannual variability of diatoms from laminated sediments in Saanich Inlet, British Columbia. J Plankton Res 19:173–194CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  69. Norström E, Risberg J, Gröndahl H et al (2012) Coastal paleo-environment and sea-level change at Macassa Bay, southern Mozambique, since c 6600 cal BP. Quat Int 260:153–163CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  70. Parsons ML (1998) Salt marsh sedimentary record of the landfall of Hurricane Andrew on the Louisiana coast: diatoms and other paleoindicators. J Coast Res 14:939–950Google Scholar
  71. Parsons ML, Dortch Q, Turner RE et al (1999) Salinity history of coastal marshes reconstructed from diatom remains. Estuaries 22:1078–1089CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  72. Pike J, Allen CS, Leventer A et al (2008) Comparison of contemporary and fossil diatom assemblages from the western Antarctic Peninsula shelf. Mar Micropaleontol 67:274–287CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  73. Plater AJ, Horton BP, Haworth EY et al (2000) Holocene tidal levels and sedimentation rates using a diatom-based paleoenvironmental reconstruction: the Tees estuary, northeastern England. Holocene 10:441–452CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  74. Podzorski AC, Hakansson H (1987) Freshwater and marine diatoms from Palawan (a Philippine Island). Bibliotheca Phycologica, Band 13, J Cramer, Stuttgart, 245 ppGoogle Scholar
  75. Ribeiro L, Brotas V, Rince Y et al (2013) Structure and diversity of intertidal benthic diatom assemblages in contrasting shores: a case study from the Tagus Estuary. J Phycol 49:258–270CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  76. Risberg J, Sandgren P, Andrén E (1996) Early Holocene shore displacement and evidence of irregular isostatic uplift northwest of Lake Vanern, western Sweden. J Paleolimnol 15:47–63CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  77. Round FE, Crawford RM, Mann DG (1990) The diatoms: biology and morphology of the Genera. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 746 ppGoogle Scholar
  78. Ryan NA, Mitrovic SM (2008) Temporal and spatial variability in the phytoplankton community of Myall lakes, Australia, and influences of salinity. Hydrobiologia 608:69–86CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  79. Ryves DB, Juggins S, Fritz SC et al (2001) Experimental diatom dissolution and the quantification of microfossil preservation in sediments. Paleogeogr Paleoclimatol Paleoecol 172:99–113CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  80. Ryves DB, Battarbee RW, Fritz SC (2009) The dilemma of disappearing diatoms: incorporating diatom dissolution data into paleoenvironmental modelling and reconstruction. Quat Sci Rev 28:120–136CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  81. Sanders JG, Cibik SJ, D’Elia CF et al (1987) Nutrient enrichment studies in a coastal plain estuary: changes in phytoplankton species composition. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 44:83–90CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  82. Saunders KM (2011) A diatom dataset and diatom-salinity inference model for southeast Australian estuaries and coastal lakes. J Paleolimnol 46:525–542CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  83. Saunders KM, Taffs KH (2009) Palaeoecology: a tool to improve the management of Australian estuaries. J Environ Manage 90:2730–2736CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  84. Saunders KM, McMinn A, Roberts D et al (2007) Recent human-induced salinity changes in Ramsar-listed Orielton Lagoon, south-east Tasmania, Australia: a new approach for coastal lagoon conservation and management. Aquat Conserv 17:51–70CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  85. Savage C, Leavitt PR, Elmgren R (2010) Effects of land use, urbanization, and climate variability on coastal eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. Limnol Oceanogr 55:1033–1046CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  86. Sawai Y, Horton BP, Nagumo T (2004) The development of a diatom-based transfer function along the Pacific coast of eastern Hokkaido, northern Japan—an aid in paleoseismic studies of the Kuril subduction zone. Quat Sci Rev 23:2467–2483CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  87. Scanes P, Ferguson A, Potts J (2017) Estuary form and function: implications for palaeoecological studies. In: Weckström K, Saunders KM, Gell PA, Skilbeck CG (eds) Applications of paleoenvironmental techniques in estuarine studies, vol 20, Developments in paleoenvironmental research. Springer, DordrechtGoogle Scholar
  88. Schallenberg M, Goff J, Harper MA (2012) Gradual, catastrophic and human induced environmental changes from a coastal lake, southern New Zealand. Sed Geol 273:48–57CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  89. Shennan I, Green F, Innes J et al (1996) Evaluation of rapid relative sea-level changes in north-west Scotland during the last glacial-interglacial transition: evidence from Ardtoe and other isolation basins. J Coast Res 12:862–874Google Scholar
  90. Sherrod BL, Bucknam RC, Leopold EB (2000) Holocene relative sea level changes along the Seattle Fault at restoration point, Washington. Quat Res 54:384–393CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  91. Skilbeck CG, Trevathan-Tackett S, Apichanangkool P et al (2017) Sediment sampling in estuaries—site selection and sampling techniques. In: Weckström K, Saunders KM, Gell PA, Skilbeck CG (eds) Applications of paleoenvironmental techniques in estuarine studies, vol 20, Developments in paleoenvironmental research. Springer, DordrechtGoogle Scholar
  92. Smol J, Stoermer E (2010) The diatoms: applications for the environmental and earth sciences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 667 ppCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  93. Snoeijs P (1993) Intercalibration and distribution of diatom species in the Baltic Sea, vol 1. Opulus Press, Uppsala, 129 ppGoogle Scholar
  94. Snoeijs P, Balashova N (1998) Intercalibration and distribution of diatom species in the Baltic Sea, vol 5. Opulus Press, Uppsala, 144 ppGoogle Scholar
  95. Snoeijs P, Kasperoviciene J (1996) Intercalibration and distribution of diatom species in the Baltic Sea, vol 4. Opulus Press, Uppsala, 126 ppGoogle Scholar
  96. Snoeijs P, Potova M (1995) Intercalibration and distribution of diatom species in the Baltic Sea, vol 3. Opulus Press, Uppsala, 126 ppGoogle Scholar
  97. Snoeijs P, Vilbaste S (1994) Intercalibration and distribution of diatom species in the Baltic Sea, vol 2. Opulus Press, Uppsala, 126 ppGoogle Scholar
  98. Sonneman I, Sincock AJ, Fluin J et al (2000) An illustrated guide to the common stream diatom species from temperate Australia. The Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Canberra, 166 ppGoogle Scholar
  99. Sullivan TJ, Charles DF, Bernert JA (1999) Relationship between landscape characteristics, history, and lakewater acidification in the Adirondack Mountains, New York. Water Air Soil Poll 112:407–427CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  100. Swetnam TW, Allen CD, Betancourt JL (1999) Applied historical ecology: using the past to manage for the future. Ecol Appl 9:1189–1206CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  101. Taffs KH, Farago LJ, Heijnis H et al (2008) A diatom-based Holocene record of human impact from a coastal environment: Tuckean Swamp, eastern Australia. J Paleolimnol 39:71–82CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  102. Tanigawa K, Hyodo M, Sato H (2013) Holocene relative sea-level change and rate of sea-level rise from coastal deposits in the Toyooka Basin, western Japan. Holocene 23:1039–1051CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  103. Telford RJ, Birks HJB (2011) A novel method for assessing the statistical significance of quantitative reconstructions inferred from biotic assemblages. Quat Sci Rev 30:1272–1278CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  104. Treguer P, Nelson DM, Vanbennekom AJ et al (1995) The silica balance in the world ocean—a reestimate. Science 268:375–379CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  105. van Beusekom JEE, Loebl M, Martens P (2009) Distant riverine nutrient supply and local temperature drive the long-term phytoplankton development in a temperate coastal basin. J Sea Res 61:26–33CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  106. Veres AJ, Pienitz R, Smol JP (1995) Lake water salinity and periphytic diatom succession in 2 sub-arctic lakes, Yukon Territory, Canada. Arctic 48:63–70CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  107. Vos PC, De Wolf H (1993) Diatoms as a tool for reconstructing sedimentary environments in coastal wetlands—methodological aspects. Hydrobiologia 269:285–296CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  108. Wachnicka A, Gaiser E, Collins L et al (2010) Distribution of diatoms and development of diatom-based models for inferring salinity and nutrient concentrations in Florida bay and adjacent coastal wetlands of South Florida (USA). Estuar Coast 33:1080–1098CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  109. Wachnicka A, Gaiser E, Boyer J (2011) Ecology and distribution of diatoms in Biscayne Bay, Florida (USA): implications for bioassessment and paleoenvironmental studies. Ecol Indic 11:622–632CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  110. Wachnicka A, Collins LS, Gaiser EE (2013) Response of diatom assemblages to 130 years of environmental change in Florida Bay (USA). J Paleolimnol 49:83–101CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  111. Weckström K (2006) Assessing recent eutrophication in coastal waters of the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea) using subfossil diatoms. J Paleolimnol 35:571–592CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  112. Wetzel RG (2001) Limnology: lake and river systems. Academic, San DiegoGoogle Scholar
  113. Witkowski A, Lange-Bertelot H, Metzeltin S (2000) Diatom flora of marine coasts 1, vol 7, Iconographia diatomologica. Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein, 925 ppGoogle Scholar
  114. Zong Y, Lloyd JM, Leng MJ et al (2006) Reconstruction of Holocene monsoon history from the Pearl River Estuary, southern China, using diatoms and carbon isotope ratios. Holocene 16:251–263CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  115. Zong Y, Kemp AC, Yu F et al (2010a) Diatoms from the Pearl River estuary, China and their suitability as water salinity indicators for coastal environments. Mar Micropaleontol 75:38–49CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  116. Zong Y, Yu F, Huang G et al (2010b) The history of water salinity in the Pearl River estuary, China, during the Late Quaternary. Earth Surf Proc Land 35:1221–1233CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  117. Zong YQ, Huang KY, Yu FL et al (2012) The role of sea-level rise, monsoonal discharge and the paleo-landscape in the early Holocene evolution of the Pearl River delta, southern China. Quat Sci Rev 54:77–88CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Kathryn H. Taffs
    • 1
  • Krystyna M. Saunders
    • 2
    • 3
  • Brendan Logan
    • 1
  1. 1.School of Environment, Science and EngineeringSouthern Cross UniversityLismoreAustralia
  2. 2.Institute of Geography and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change ResearchUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
  3. 3.Australian Nuclear Science and Technology OrganisationLucas HeightsAustralia

Personalised recommendations