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Department of Geological Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858
Institute for Coastal Science and Policy, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858
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ENSR | AECOM, 7041 Old Wake Forest Rd., Suite 103, Raleigh, NC, 27616
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Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX
*Current affiliation: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College,
City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367
**Corresponding Author: Tel: 252.328.5431; e-mail: walshj@ecu.edu
ABSTRACT.Mixed siliciclastic-carbonate systems are globally distributed throughout the tropics, but have
received limited research attention on active sedimentation. A detailed examination of sedimentation near
La Parguera, Puerto Rico has been conducted to better understand this mixed system on the border of the
Caribbean Sea, along the southwest coast of the island. This study includes an assessment of the sediment
composition and texture of material accumulating on the La Parguera seabed, as well as an examination of
excess 210Pb-activity profiles and accumulation rates. Variations in grain-size distribution and carbonate and
loss-on-ignition (LOI) percentages are examined on the shelf. More specifically, an increase in carbonate percentage and a decrease in the LOI fraction in the seaward direction are evident. Excess 210Pb-activity profiles
display steady-state and non-steady-state profiles. Steady-state profiles are most common and display a range
of thicknesses in surface-mixed layers (3 - >20 cm). Non-steady-state profiles are observed in some nearshore
settings, reflecting episodic deposition or human influence. Greatest sediment accumulation rates are generally found close to shore, where maximum rates approach 0.5 cm y-1. Sediment accumulation rates in more
seaward reef areas are approximately 0.2 cm y-1. Mass accumulation rates calculated from the composition and
accumulation rate data indicate there is a seaward decrease in terrestrial (non-carbonate and LOI-free) sediment flux to the seabed. Fluxes of terrestrial sediment in nearshore areas are typically several times higher
(>0.05 vs. 0.01 g cm-2 y-1). These trends in composition and mass accumulation reflect sediment supply and dispersal from terrestrial and marine sources along with the reduced wave climate from reef sheltering. A preliminary sediment budget suggests the majority (61%) of terrestrial sediment supplied to the shelf is stored
locally. Sediment accumulating on the shelf is principally carbonate (85%) and is assumed to be marinederived. Terrestrial (12%) and LOI (3%) material represent considerably smaller, but significant constituents
of the sediment stored. Collectively, data suggest terrestrial sedimentation is a lesser, but increasing sedimentary component of the La Parguera mixed siliciclastic-carbonate setting.
KEYWORDS.sedimentation, La Parguera, terrestrial, carbonate, sediment, budget
Introduction
Where land meets the ocean, sedimentary dynamics are complex because of the
diversity of processes at work (e.g., river
discharge, waves, tides). This complexity
is increased in a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate environment where fluvial sediments
are supplied to areas with organisms producing a significant amount of sediments,
and the former can potentially impact the
latter with changes in environmental conditions. The direct and indirect effects
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K. RYAN-MISHKIN, ET AL.
152
provide insights into how human and natural perturbations may affect coral reef
ecosystems. In this evaluation of the sedimentation processes on the La Parguera
shelf, the major objectives are to: (1) examine the distribution of sedimentary components, (2) determine rates of sediment and
mass accumulation on a decadal time scale,
and (3) create a preliminary sediment budget
for carbonate and terrestrial components.
Regional setting
Geology and climate
The study area is located adjacent to La
Parguera, a coastal village in southwestern
Puerto Rico. The area lies in the rainshadow
of an east-west trending mountain range,
Cordillera Central, and as a result, receives
relatively little precipitation (average rainfall = 75 cm y-1) (Ewel and Whitmore 1973).
With no perennial rivers draining into the
study area, terrestrial sediment flux into the
marine environment is relatively low. It is
likely that the low sediment supply is largely
in the form of sheet runoff and ephemeral
stream transport induced by strong rainfall
events. Because of a mean westward flowing coastal current (Warne et al. 2005), rivers upstream (eastward) of La Parguera
may provide an additional sediment source.
Several moderately sized rivers drain the
southern coast of Puerto Rico, contributing an average of 3.5 x 106 t yr-1 (Warne et al.
2005). Ro Loco and Ro Guayanilla, which
discharge approximately 12 and 28 km
east of La Parguera, supply an estimated
55,120 t yr-1 and 128,790 t yr-1 of suspended
sediment to the coastal ocean, respectively.
Sediment yields of southwestern Puerto Rico
range from 1000 to 4300 t km-2 y-1 (Warne
et al. 2005). Hurricanes, which frequently
transverse Puerto Rico, may produce significant sediment runoff from intense and
voluminous rainfall and impact coastal
waters, but sedimentation associated with
these events are not specifically addressed
here due to the nature of the data collected.
Oceanography
The major currents affecting southwest
Puerto Rico are the Caribbean Current, part
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Fig. 1. Topography, bathymetry and reefs in a region encompassing the study area. The inset highlights the
region in Puerto Rico. The location of the study area is indicated by the box which also defines the coverage of
Figure 2. The dashed line depicts the approximate drainage area boundary; the land area circumscribed by this
line is used for generating the local terrestrial sediment production in the sediment budget. Reef structures from
the NOAA benthic habitat dataset (Kendall et al., 2001) are denoted by a stippled pattern.
Fig. 2. Core locations and sedimentation regions in this study. Core sites are shown and labeled. Note, these lie
within five shaded regions that are anticipated to represent areas experiencing similar sedimentation rates and
processes, and thus are used to construct a sediment budget. The five depositional regions are regularly referred
to in the text by the following names: Bioluminescent Bay, Nearshore, West Backreef, East Backreef, and Forereef.
Mangrove and reef areas are indicated (Kendall et al., 2001).
K. RYAN-MISHKIN, ET AL.
154
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K. RYAN-MISHKIN, ET AL.
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Excess Pb profiles are useful for deciphering the nature of sedimentation and
specifically measuring the SARs on continental shelves (e.g., Nittrouer et al. 1979;
Jaeger et al. 1998; McKee et al. 2004; Walsh &
Nittrouer, 2004; Corbett et al. 2006). Each
core profile is interpreted by the pattern
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Fig. 4. Down-core profiles of 210Pb activities and fine-grained sediment percentages (triangles) for Type I cores.
Solid and open circles represent total and excess 210Pb activities, respectively. The profiles plotted here indicate
steady-state accumulation below a surface-mixed layer at several sites in the Nearshore, Biolumniscent Bay and
Forereef areas (Fig. 2), and from these data sediment and mass accumulation rates determined (Table 1). Triangles
representent percentage of fine-grained sediments in the depth interval.
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K. RYAN-MISHKIN, ET AL.
Fig. 5. Down-core profiles of 210Pb activities and fine-grained sediment percentages (triangles) for Type I cores.
Solid and open circles represent total and excess 210Pb activities, respectively. The profiles plotted here indicate
steady-state accumulation below a surface-mixed layer at several sites in the Backreef (Fig. 2), and from these data
sediment and mass accumulation rates determined (Table 1).
Discussion
Sediment accumulation in the
La Parguera system
Two types of 210Pb profiles are observed
on the La Parguera shelf, steady-state and
non-steady-state (Figs. 4-6), and this is
important as the profiles reflect different
sedimentation processes (e.g., Nittrouer
et al. 1979; Jaeger et al. 1998; Sommerfield
& Nittrouer 1999). Furthermore, the steadystate profiles in this study display varying
rates of sediment accumulation as well as
notable differences in the thickness of the
SML (Figs. 4 and 5; Table 1). The steadystate nature of many of the profiles provides
evidence for a consistent seabed supply and thus a consistent transport mechanism(s) over time. Kuehl et al. (1986,
1996) attributed non-steady-state profiles
from the Amazon delta as having resulted
from either episodic sedimentation and/or
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K. RYAN-MISHKIN, ET AL.
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Table 1. Compositional data and sediment and mass accumulation rates for the cores in this study. Values
represent an average composition or rate for each core and include standard error using the standard deviation
calculated from core sample measurements. Data for individual samples can be obtained from Ryan (2007).
Core
%CaCO3
%LOI
%Terrestrial
S2
S3
S5
S6
S7
S8
S9
S10
S11
S12
S13
S14
S15
S16
LP3
LP4
LP5
LP6
LP12
LP20
95.8 0.2
96.5 0.2
50.3 0.9
95.0 0.4
89.3 0.4
65.7 1.5
89.1 1.5
93.1 0.7
93.9 0.4
76.4 2.5
90.6 0.5
90.7 0.5
33.7 2.8
84.1 2.6
91.3 1.2
91.2 0.5
90.7 0.4
91.1 0.6
94.6 0.2
82.3 3.0
1.8 0.04
1.3 0.3
8.6 0.3
2.4 0.3
2.3 0.08
5.2 0.4
3.3 0.4
2.4 0.2
2.0 0.1
1.1 0.3
3.8 0.2
2.4 0.2
15.6 0.9
4.1 0.5
2.7 0.6
2.2 0.1
2.5 0.2
2.0 0.09
1.1 0.06
4.6 1.4
5.9 0.6
2.3 0.8
41.1 3.7
2.7 0.9
8.4 1.7
29.2 7.1
7.6 5.2
4.6 2.1
4.2 0.9
22.5 11.4
5.7 1.3
6.9 1.5
50.7 16.8
11.7 10.0
6.0 1.9
6.6 2.0
6.8 1.4
6.9 2.6
4.3 0.8
13.1 3.1
0.3 0.1
0.2 0.02
0.5 0.03
n-s-s
0.3 0.02
0.5 0.05
n-s-s
0.2 0.1
0.2 0.1
n-s-s
n-s-s
0.1 0.02
0.3 0.04
n-s-s
0.2 0.02
0.4 0.02
0.3 0.02
0.2 0.02
0.3 0.04
0.5 0.07
0.3 0.04
0.2 0.4
0.2 0.01
n-s-s
0.3 0.03
0.3 0.03
n-s-s
0.2 0.03
0.2 0.01
n-s-s
n-s-s
0.1 0.01
0.2 0.06
n-s-s
0.2 0.01
0.3 0.02
0.3 0.02
0.2 0.02
0.3 0.04
0.4 0.06
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K. RYAN-MISHKIN, ET AL.
163
Fig. 8. Terrestrial (A) and carbonate (B) sediment budgets. Note, most if not all (see text) of the terrestrial sediment that is supplied to the shelf from local sources is stored. Also note that reef-erosion plays a minor role in
carbonate sediment generation.
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K. RYAN-MISHKIN, ET AL.
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Conclusions
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