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Wang, Haozhuang; Lo Iaconob, Claudio; Wienberg, Claudia; Titschack, Jürgen; Hebbeln, Dierk (2019): Sediment analyses of sediment cores from the cold-water coral mound province off Melilla, southern Alboran Sea. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905904, Supplement to: Wang, H et al. (2019): Cold-water coral mounds in the southern Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea): Internal waves as an important driver for mound formation since the last deglaciation. Marine Geology, 412, 1-18, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2019.02.007

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Abstract:
Cold-water corals (CWCs) are widely distributed in the entire Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea), but only along the Moroccan margin they have formed numerous coral mounds, which are constrained to the West and the East Melilla CWC mound provinces (WMCP and EMCP). While information already exists about the most recent development of the coral mounds in the EMCP, the temporal evolution of the mounds in the WMCP was unknown up to the present. In this study, we present for the first time CWC ages obtained from four sediment cores collected from different mounds of the WMCP, which allowed to decipher their development since the last deglaciation. Our results revealed two pronounced periods of coral mound formation. The average mound aggradation rates were of 75-176 cm kyr-1 during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial and the Early Holocene, only temporarily interrupted during the Younger Dryas, when aggradation rates decreased to <45 cm kyr-1. Since the Mid Holocene, mound formation significantly slowed-down and finally stagnated until today. No living CWCs thrive at present on the mounds and some mounds became even buried. The observed temporal pattern in mound formation coincides with distinct palaeoceanographic changes that significantly influenced the local environment. Within the Alboran Sea, enhanced surface ocean productivity and seabed hydrodynamics prevailed during the Bølling-Allerød and the Early Holocene. Only with the onset of the Mid Holocene, the area turned into an oligotrophic setting. The strong hydrodynamics during the mound formation periods are most likely caused by internal waves that developed along the water mass interface between the Modified Atlantic Water and the Levantine Intermediate Water. In analogue to observations from modern CWC settings, we assume that internal waves created turbulent hydrodynamic conditions that increased the lateral delivery of particulate material, promoting the availability of food for the sessile CWCs. Overall, our data point to the dominant role of the water column structure in controlling the proliferation of CWCs and hence the development of coral mounds in the southern Alboran Sea.
Keyword(s):
Alboran Sea; Cold-water coral mounds; coral mound formation; internal waves; last deglaciation; Levantine Intermediate Water; mound aggradation rate
Coverage:
Median Latitude: 35.470069 * Median Longitude: -3.083992 * South-bound Latitude: 35.413333 * West-bound Longitude: -3.155017 * North-bound Latitude: 35.499930 * East-bound Longitude: -2.553667
Date/Time Start: 2009-06-06T17:25:00 * Date/Time End: 2014-02-28T11:58:00
Size:
15 datasets

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Datasets listed in this publication series

  1. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): AMS 14 dating from on-mound cores MD13-3451G and MD13-3452G. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905868
  2. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Coral mound aggradation rate. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905869
  3. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Stable carbon isotopes of C. kullenbergi from sediment core GeoB13731-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905903
  4. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Coral clast angle of sediment core GeoB18127-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905874
  5. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Coral clast size of sediment core GeoB18127-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905875
  6. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Coral content of sediment core GeoB18127-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905876
  7. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Coral clast angle of sediment core GeoB18130-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905877
  8. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Coral clast size of sediment core GeoB18130-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905878
  9. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Coral content of sediment core GeoB18130-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905879
  10. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Age model of core GeoB18131-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905888
  11. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Benthic foraminifera accumulation rate of sediment core GeoB18131-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905900
  12. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Mean grain size of sediment core GeoB18131-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905897
  13. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Stable oxygen and carbon isotope from the benthic foraminfiera C. mundulus and C. pachydrema of sediment core GeoB18131-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905896
  14. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): Stable oxygen and carbon isotope from mixed benthic foraminifera Cibicoides mundulus and Cibicoides pachyderma of sediment core GeoB18131-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905895
  15. Wang, H; Lo Iaconob, C; Wienberg, C et al. (2019): U-series dating from on-mound cores GeoB18127-1 and GeoB18130-1. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.905866