Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Traces of historical tropical cyclones and tsunamis in the Ashburton Delta (north-west Australia)
- Abstract Although the north-western coast of Western Australia is highly vulnerable to tropical cyclones and tsunamis, little is known about the geological imprint of historic and prehistoric extreme wave events in this particular area. Despite a number of site-specific difficulties such as post-depositional changes and the preservation potential of event deposits, both tropical cyclones and tsunamis may be inferred from the geomorphology and the stratigraphy of beach ridge sequences, washover fans and coastal lagoons or marshes. A further challenge is the differentiation between tsunami and storm deposits in the geological record, particularly where modern deposits and/or historical reports on the event are not available. This study presents a high-resolution sedimentary record of washover events from the Ashburton River delta (Western Australia) spanning approximately the last 150 years. A detailed characterization of event deposits is provided, and a robust chronostratigraphy for the investigated washover sequence is established based on multi-proxy sediment analyses and optically stimulated luminescence dating. Combining sedimentological, geochemical and high-resolution optically stimulated luminescence data, event layers are assigned to known historical events and tropical cyclone deposits are separated from tsunami deposits. For the first time, the 1883 Krakatoa and 1977 Sumba tsunamis are inferred from sedimentary records of the north-western part of Western Australia. It is demonstrated that optically stimulated luminescence applied in coastal sedimentary archives with favourable luminescence characteristics can provide accurate chronostratigraphies even on a decadal timescale. The results contribute to the data pool of tropical cyclone and tsunami deposits in Holocene stratigraphies; however, they also demonstrate how short-lived sediment archives may be in dynamic sedimentary environments.
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Prograded foredunes of Western Australia's macro-tidal coast – implications for Holocene sea-level change and high-energy wave impacts
- Abstract The Holocene evolution of the Canning Coast of Western Australia has largely been overlooked so far mainly due to its remoteness and low population density. We report on new data from a sequence of foredunes inside the macro-tidal Admiral Bay, 110 km southwest of Broome. Based on sediment cores, differential global positioning system (dGPS)-based elevation transects, and stratigraphical analyses on outcrops of the relict foredunes, we aim at reconstructing Holocene coastal changes and relative sea levels (RSLs), as well as identifying and dating imprints of extreme-wave events. Sedimentary analyses comprise the documentation of bedding structures, foraminiferal content and macrofaunal remains, grain size distribution, and organic matter. The chronological framework is based on 26 carbon-14 accelerator mass spectrometry (14C-AMS) datings. Marine flooding of the pre-Holocene surface landward of the 2.5 km-wide foredune barriers occurred 7400–7200 cal bp, when mangroves colonized the area. After only 200–400 years, a high-energy inter-tidal environment established and prevailed until c. 4000 cal bp, before turning into the present supralittoral mudflat. During that time, coastal regression led to beach progradation and the formation of aligned foredunes. Drivers of progradation were a stable RSL or gradual RSL fall after the mid-Holocene and a positive sand budget. The foredunes overlie upper beach deposits located up to >2 m above the present upper beach level and provide evidence for a higher mid-Holocene RSL. Discontinuous layers of coarse shells and sand are intercalated in the foredunes, indicating massive coastal flooding events. One such layer was traced over three dune ridges and dated to c. 1700–1550 cal bp. However, it seems that most tropical cyclones induce net erosion rather than deposition at aligned foredunes and thus, they are only suitable for reconstructing temporal variability if erosional features or sedimentation reliably tied to these events can be identified and dated accurately. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Small things can make a big difference: a comparison of pollen and macrobotanical records of some food plants from medieval and post-medieval cesspits in the Netherlands and northern Belgium
- This paper presents a review of records of pollen and botanical macroremains of a selection of food plants from late and post-medieval cesspits (12th century-19th century ad) in the Netherlands and northern Belgium. The presented data demonstrate that several food plants remain largely invisible in the macrobotanical records. These are all plants from which the flowers or flower buds (Borago officinalis, Capparis, Carthamus tinctorius, Crocus sativus, Syzygium aromaticum) or leaves (Anthriscus cerefolium, Spinacia oleracea) are eaten, or that are typical components of honey (Cistus). As a result, little is known about the import or local production and consumption of these food plants in these times. This review now shows that past use of some of these plants is reflected in the pollen assemblages of (post-) medieval cesspits. For the first time, a large archaeobotanical dataset is presented, including pollen, providing information on the past use of these plants between the 12th and 19th century ad in the Netherlands and Belgium.
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Chapter 16.3 - Arthropoda: Ostracoda
- An updated taxonomic review of Ostracoda present in the Palaearctic is presented in this chapter. Dichotomous identification keys to the lowest justifiable taxonomic level based on the most recent literature are provided. These are coupled with the necessary material preparation methods, defined relevant morphological terms, and current limitations in our knowledge of the group. Additional information on the “Ecology and General Biology” of this group can be found in Volume I of this book series.
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Registry of introduced terrestrial molluscs in Belgium. Version 1.4.
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Molecular validation of native and invasive mosquito species in Belgium
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New native Culicidae species records to Belgium validated using DNA-based techniques
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De mysterieuze stenencirkels van Diepenbeek: "Stonehenge" of fantasie?
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Volcanic tuff, an exotic historical building stone in Flanders.
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Romeins gebruik van natuursteen in de provincies Limburg
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Relict stones in the province of Limburg
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Quantifying the carbon benefits of ending bottom trawling
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Deriving pre-eutrophic conditions from an ensemble model approach for the North-West European seas
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Distribution model of shrimp species in lake Nokoué, Southern Benin, West Africa
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Baelen/Baelen : l’habitat germanique de Nereth. Etat d’avancement de l’étude du mobilier lithique (fouilles 2013-2021).
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Grâce-Hollogne/Horion-Hozémont : les aiguisoirs et polissoirs du site de la rue de Fontaine.
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Moth Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from the Belgian transition of the Atlantic to the Central European Faunal Zones
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Mineralogical and geochemical study of the rare earth element mineralization at Gakara (Burundi).
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Unravelling the processes controlling apatite formation in the Phalaborwa Complex (South Africa) based on combined cathodoluminescence, LA-ICPMS and in-situ O and Sr isotope analyses.
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Geochemical and spectroscopic investigation of apatite in the Siilinjärvi carbonatite complex: Keys to understanding apatite forming processes and assessing potential for rare earth elements.
