Inc . Paleo - Environmental Analyses of Marsh Sequences ( Clinton , Connecticut ) : Evidence for Punctuated Rise in Relative

<!!!!!!!! THOMAS, E. and VAREKAMP, J.C, 1991. Paleo-environmental analyses of marsh sequences (Clinton, Connecticut): evidence for punctuated rise in relative sealevel during the latest Hol ocene. Journal of Coastal Research, SI #11, 125-158. Fort Lauderdale (Florida). ISSN 0749 0208. We developed an integrated chemical-faunal approach to paleo-environmental analysis of salt marsh sequences. Sediment cores from the Hammock River Marsh (Clinton, Connecticut, U.S.A.) were studied for benthic foraminiferal assemblages and sediment chemistry (Fe, Zn, Cu, S). Foraminiferal faunal assemblages, especially the relative abundance of the species Tro chammina macrescens, as well as the abundance of Fe, Zn and S are reliable indicators for the flooding frequency of marsh sub-environments in the intertidal range. The faunal assemblages largely reflect the average exposure time to the atmosphere, and the sediment chemistry reflects the trapping of fine-grained particulate matter in the marsh, and thus reflects the complemen tary aspect, flooding frequency. Results from the chemical and faunal analyses are in close agreement, and indicate that the Hammock River Marsh underwent three relatively sudden periods of drowning over the last 1500 years, followed by marsh recovery. Much of the rise in relative sea level over the last 1500 years can be accounted for by these three periods of drown ing of the marsh. We propose that these pulses might represent true eustatic accelerations with an estimated time span of several decades to some hundred years. ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Climate change, marsh foraminifera, sea level rise, trace ele ments in marsh sediments.