Foraminifera in the Albemarle Estuarine System, North Carolina: Distribution and recent environmental change

摘要

This study investigated the surface and subsurface distributions of foraminifera (both live populations and dead assemblages) throughout the Albemarle Estuarine System (AES) to determine the utility of the modern foraminiferal assemblages as models for paleoenvironmental interpretations in this estuarine and barrier island system. Thirty-seven species were recognized in the dead assemblages from 49 stations; 19 species comprised the living populations. Cluster analysis of the dead assemblages defined five biofacies: the calcareous foraminiferal nearshore marine and inlet biofacies, and the dominantly agglutinated foraminiferal estuarine shoal, estuary, inner estuary, and marsh biofacies.