Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Degree Granting Department

Marine Science

Major Professor

Alastair G.C. Graham, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

David F. Naar, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Cheryl J. Hapke, Ph.D.

Keywords

seafloor geomorphology, multibeam bathymetry, mesophotic coral ecosystems, West Florida Shelf

Abstract

An inventory of multibeam bathymetry containing relict drowned and lithified paleoshorelines has been compiled and analyzed in the first ever shelf-wide investigation of paleo sea level indicators on the west Florida shelf (WFS). On the largest scale, the WFS is a wide and gently sloping terrain that is characterized by a carbonate-rich sediment regime. This framework coupled with the region’s tectonic stability provided a setting in which sea level changes since ~ 20 ka have been recorded to a remarkable degree of resolution in the form of paleoshorelines which formed at sea level and were subsequently drowned and preserved in place. Previously described geophysical datasets along with new unpublished datasets were compiled and analyzed in a suite of geoinformatic softwares (ArcGIS, Fledermaus, Qimera) to obtain information about the depth, geomorphology, and dispersal of paleoshoreline features. In total, 27 paleoshorelines were identified and classified based on geomorphic identifiers, and a hypothetical scenario for sea level history between 14.3 ka – 11.0 ka is put forth. Additionally, recommendations and basemaps have been laid forth regarding deep light-dependent mesophotic coral ecosystems which have been documented on the lithified ridges formed by paleoshorelines and drowned reefs across the Gulf of Mexico, particularly on the WFS between -45 to -90 m. The overarching conclusion of this work is the need for continued high-resolution mapping on the WFS in the interest of paleoclimatological, geological, hydrographical, and ecological research.

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