SEMINAR: TODAY GEOTOPICS: Foraminifera of Florida Bay: A proxy for salinity and seagrass abundance through time

[Keri Vinas <KVinas@rsmas.miami.edu>]

Monday, February 27, 2012
3:15, SLAB Seminar Room, S/A 103
Refreshments at 3:00 PM

Our upcoming speaker is Dr. Laurel S. Collins from the Department of Earth and Environment, FIU, Miami.
The title of her talk is "Foraminifera of Florida Bay: A proxy for salinity and seagrass abundance through time".

Abstract
In coastal areas such as Florida Bay, which drains Everglades National Park, salinity and seagrass abundance are well correlated with water quality, and the effects of human settlement and natural events have been much debated. Foraminifera, meiofaunal protists that occur abundantly in marine waters, are well known paleoenvironmental indicators. The fossil record of bottom-dwelling foraminiferal species observed in 200 samples of 6 sediment cores was used to examine the historical salinity and seagrass abundances of Florida Bay. The environmental proxies were applied to 200 samples from 6 sediment cores. The salinity proxy was based on species with well-known ecologies. The seagrass proxy, the percent of seagrass-associated foraminifera, was verified by comparison with the timing of the bay’s 1987-1994 great seagrass dieoff, then applied to the 4,000-year history of Florida Bay.

We hope to see you all there!

Your GEOTOPICS Coordinators,

Keri Vinas and Arash Sharifi