ESTUARINE GRAVEYARDS, CLIMATIC CHANGE, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENT

摘要: Abstract: Climatic variations and sea level fluctuations control the origin distribution of estuaries. Interglacial ages lasting approximately 10,000 years each, followed by a glacial maximum, have occurred on average every 100,000 during at least past million years. Corresponding been order 100 m. During highstands level, estuaries are abundant relatively large; lowstands, rare small. Estuaries ephemeral geological time scale; lifetimes usually limited to few thousands most tens Weather events, such as hurricanes floods, can accelerate evolution an estuary shorten its life span appreciably. only 10–20% last The biological importance survival organisms maintenance total marine ecosystem appears exaggerated. Estuarine deposits rarely now be delimited unequivocally from other shallow water in geologic record, particularly those laid down more than ago, because their areal extent, character, lack distinctive features. estuarine graveyard is palimpsest tales obliterated.