Salt-marsh foraminifera in Ho Bugt, western Denmark, and their use as sea-level indicators

Abstract

Twenty-seven surface samples were collected from the Kjelst Enge salt marsh in Ho Bugt, Jutland, to investigate the potential use of salt-marsh foraminifera as sea-level indicators in Holocene intertidal deposits. Previous work from many coastlines around the world has shown that the vertical distribution of salt-marsh foraminifera is strongly controlled by the duration of tidal flooding (or height relative to tide level). Concentrations of foraminifera in Kjelst Enge salt marsh are low, especially in the high marsh, but a strong correlation was found between relative abundances of foraminiferal species and tidal elevation for 16 samples containing more than 30 specimens per 5 cc of sediment (r² = 0.80, root mean square error = 0.16 m). Sediment pH also has a strong influence on the distribution of the foraminifera, but salinity appears to be insignificant.

Key words:

• Sea-level change
• intertidal zonation
• Holocene
• Wadden Sea