Coastal caves and sinkholes
In: Shennan, I.; Long, A.J.; Horton, B.P. (Ed.) (2015). Handbook of sea-level research. John Wiley & Sons: Chichester. ISBN 978-1-13-9235-77-8. xiv, 581, a36 pp. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118452547, more |
| Authors | | Top | - van Hengstum, P.J.
- Richards, D.A.
- Onac, B.P.
- Dorale, J.A.
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| Abstract | This chapter presents a simple model for environmental succession in coastal karst basins (CKB) under sea-level forcing, and uses this model as a framework for reviewing sea-level indicators preserved in caves and sinkholes. The model explains how common karst sea-level indicators develop, and why some of these indicators are sea-level index points (SLIPs) with a clearly defined indicative meaning, whereas others can only provide maximum or minimum constraints on sea level. The model dovetails geological, environmental, biological, and ecosystem research, and it also provides a simple framework for analyzing the sea-level proxies that are preserved in coastal karst basins. In order to use karst sea-level proxies, researchers must also understand the hydrography and stratification of coastal aquifers. In conclusion, sea-level change drives environmental change in CKBs worldwide, which in turn forces CKBs to transition through predictable environmental states. |
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