Salt marshes are sensitive highly productive habitats crucial for carbon cycling. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of organic geochemical indicators and geochronology in the Mira salt marsh (SW Portugal) over eight centuries. The closely intertwined carbon and bromine (Br) biogeochemical cycles in these environments can influence the fluxes of volatile compounds such as ozone-depleting methyl bromide, emphasizing the importance of understanding sediment organic matter (OM) origin, budget, and composition in salt marshes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe age and ability of salt marshes to accumulate and sequester carbon is often assessed using the carbon isotopic signatures (ΔC and δC) of sedimentary organic matter. However, transfers of allochthonous refractory carbon (C) from the watershed to marshes would not represent new C sequestration. To better understand how refractory carbon (C) inputs affect assessments of marsh age and C sequestration, ΔC and δC of both total organic carbon (TOC), C, and non-C organic matter fractions were measured in salt marshes from four contrasting systems on the North Atlantic coast.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper aims at providing insight about bromine (Br) cycle in four Portuguese estuaries: Minho, Lima (in the NW coast) and Sado, Mira (in the SW coast). The focus is on their tidal marsh environments, quite distinct with regard to key biophysicochemical attributes. Regardless of the primary bromide (Br) common natural source, i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe uncertainties surrounding present and future sea-level rise have revived the debate around sea-level changes through the deglaciation and mid- to late Holocene, from which arises a need for high-quality reconstructions of regional sea level. Here, we explore the stratigraphy of a sandy barrier to identify the best sea-level indicators and provide a new sea-level reconstruction for the central Portuguese coast over the past 6.5 ka.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA sediment core collected in Caminha tidal marsh, NW Portugal, was used to assess bromine (Br) signal over the last ca. 1,700 years. The Br temporal variability reflects its close relationship with soil/sediment organic matter (OM) and also alterations in Br biogeochemical recycling in marsh environment.
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