Paleoenvironmental a nalysis of the Suriname River and the coastal area, northeastern Sout h America
The low-lying coastal plain of Suriname, which i s important to the country's population and economy, is becoming incr easingly vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change. Surin ame's coastline is naturally protected by a dynamic system of mangrov e forests, hydrodynamic processes and sediment deposition. It is stro ngly influenced by the variation in discharge mud and silt from the A mazon River through the cycle of longshore migrating mud banks.
Earth scientist Kathleen Gersie investigated the role of sediments f rom the Amazon River, the Suriname River and other small rivers in th e geomorphological development of the Suriname coastal plain from the Paleogene to the present. To answer the research questions, she used a combination of palynological and geochemical analyses, light micro scopy, satellite imagery, and historical geomorphological and topogra phic maps.
The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, also known as
the PETM, was recorded in Paleogene sediments. The same is true of a
major shift in the composition of mangrove forests between the Paleog
ene and Neogene, independent of Amazonian influence. During the Plioc
ene-Pleistocene, the development of coastal vegetation coincided with
a transition in sediment supply from local rivers originating from t
he Guiana Shield to the supply of material originating from the Andes
.
River terraces along the Suriname River reflect different gu
iding processes: terraces in the upper and middle flowing river secti
on were formed by a combination of tectonic uplift and climate-driven
changes in river flow and sediment supply, while terraces along the
lower river section were mainly determined by sea level fluctuations.
The south-north flowing rivers of Suriname have largely kept pace wi
th coastal progradation, while anthropogenic factors, particularly th
e Afobaka dam, have significantly altered the hydrodynamics and morph
ology of the river channel.
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DESCRIPTION: Paleoenvironmental analysis of the Suriname River and the coastal area, northeastern South America The low-lying coastal plain of Suriname, which is important to the country's population and econ omy, is becoming increasingly vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change. Suriname's coastline is naturally protected by a dyna mic system of mangrove forests, hydrodynamic processes and sediment d eposition. It is strongly influenced by the variation in discharge mu d and silt from the Amazon River through the cycle of longshore migra ting mud banks.Earth scientist Kathleen Gersie investigated the role of sediments from the Amazon River, the Suriname River and other smal l rivers in the geomorphological development of the Suriname coastal plain from the Paleogene to the present. To answer the research quest ions, she used a combination of palynological and geochemical analyse s, light microscopy, satellite imagery, and historical geomorphologic al and topographic maps.The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, also kn own as the PETM, was recorded in Paleogene sediments. The same is tru e of a major shift in the composition of mangrove forests between the Paleogene and Neogene, independent of Amazonian influence. During th e Pliocene-Pleistocene, the development of coastal vegetation coincid ed with a transition in sediment supply from local rivers originating from the Guiana Shield to the supply of material originating from th e Andes.