Origin and evolution of coastal lagoons from the Pampean region: Mar Chiquita, Las Brusquitas, Reta

Federico Ignacio Isla; José Bedmar; Camilo Vélez Agudelo; Luis Cortizo

Autores/as

Federico Ignacio Isla Conicet-UNMDP
José Bedmar
Camilo Vélez Agudelo
Luis Cortizo

Resumen

Low-lying coasts are specially conditioned for the origin and development of coastal lagoons. The Pampean region (Buenos Aires, Argentina) contains the surplus of a sea level fluctuation that occurred d during the last 6000 years. This report shows results from the study of three coastal lagoons at different stages of their evolution: Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, Las Brusquitas estuarine lagoon, and the small coastal lagoon of Balneario Reta. The long-term evolution is considered in the case of Mar Chiquita and Las Brusquitas, while modern trends are also described for the Mar Chiquita silting problems and the urbanisation of the Reta village surrounding the lagoon. The study is based on radiocarbon datings, salinity analyses, and sedimentological records on outcrops and piston cores. At Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, a shallow open bay has been restricting since the Middle Holocene, causing the development of marshes and tidal flats between cheniers and regressive spits. Its evolution is therefore conditioned to high-energy events that reworked bioclastic sands (cheniers and regressive spits) and the silting of fine sediments. The sequence cropping out at the outlet of the Las Brusquitas creek extended temporally between 6190 and 2380 ¹⁴C years BP; the estuarine lagoon was located at the outlet of two creeks. New outcrops exhumed and radiocarbon datings indicated this new interpretation of the site as an estuarine lagoon silted in the last 2000 years. The small estuarine lagoon (“microalbufera”) of Balneario Reta is another wetland flooded by the increase in water discharge due to artificial channels. The connection to the sea depends on the effects of high tides and winds blowing from the south. The contents in diatom assemblages were interpreted as indicators of changes in salinity balances during the Late Holocene. Oligohaline specimens dominated at the three coastal lagoons; polihaline and mesohaline assemblages characterise some intervals at the Mar Chiquita and Las Brusquitas sedimentary sequences. In order to preserve these coastal lagoons and the natural reserves related, it is necessary to preserve their dynamics according to forecasted sea level rise, and the water balances between salt and fresh waters.

Citas

Augustinus, P.G.E.F. (1980). Actual development of the chenier coast of Suriname (South America). Sedimentary Geology, 26: 91-113.

Carrasco, A.R., Ferreira, O., and Roelvink, D. (2016). Coastal lagoons and rising sea level: A review. Earth-Science Reviews, 154: 356-368.

Chapman, P.M. (2012). Management of coastal lagoons under climate change. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 110: 32-35.

Colombo, F., Serra, J., Cabello, P., Bedmar, J., and Isla, F. I. (2021). Chronology of recent sedimentary infill of the Inner Río de la Plata Estuary, Argentina. Journal of Iberian Geology, 47: 663-684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41513-021-00176-x

Davies, J.L. (1973). Geographical variation in coastal development. Geomorphology texts, Hafner Publ., New York, 204 pp.

Espinosa, M.A., Fasano, J.L., Ferrero, L., Isla, F.I., Mujica, A., and Schnack, E.J. (1984). Micropaleontología y microestratigrafía de los sedimentos holocenos aflorantes en la desembocadura Arroyo Las Brusquitas (Partido de General Pueyrredón) y en Punta Hermengo (Partido de General Alvarado), Provincia de Buenos Aires. IX congr. Geol. Arg., Bariloche, Actas III: 520 537.

Espinosa, M.A., Hassan, G.S., and Isla, F.I., (2012). Diatom-inferred salinity changes in relation to Holocene sea-level fluctuations in estuarine environments of Argentina. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 36 (3): 373-386. DOI:10.1080/03115518.2012.657501

Fornari, M., Giannini, P.C.F., and Nascimento, D.R. (2012). Facies associations and controls on the evolution from a coastal bay to a lagoon system, Santa Catarina Coast, Brazil. Marine Geology, 323–325: 56-68.

Glok Galli, M. (2014). El agua subterránea como agente geológico en el sector meridional de la cuenca de la laguna Mar Chiquita, provincia de Buenos Aires. Su estudio con herramientas hidrogeoquímicas e isotópicas. Unpublished Thesis, University of La Plata, La Plata, 340 pp.

Glok Galli, M., Martínez, D., Kruse, E.E., Grondona, S.I., and Lima, M.L. (2014). Hydrochemical and isotopic characterization of the hydrological budget of a MAB Reserve: Mar Chiquita lagoon, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Environmental Earth Sciences, 72: 2821–2835.

Hassan, G.S., Espinosa, M.A., and Isla, F.I. (2009). Diatom-based inference model for palaeosalinity reconstructions in the northeastern Argentinean coast. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 275: 77-91.

Hughen, K.A., Baillie, M.G.L., Bard, E., Beck, J.W., Bertrand, C.J.H., Blackwell, P.G., Buck, C.E., Burr, G.S., Cutler, K.B., Damon, P.E., Edwards, R.L., Fairbanks, R.G., Friedrich, M., Guilderson, T.P., Kromer, B., McCormac, G., Manning, S., Bronk Ramsey, C., Reimer, P.J., Reimer, R.W., Remmele, S., Southon, J.R., Stuiver, M., Talamo, S., Taylor, F.W., van der Plicht, J., Weyhenmeyer, C. E. (2004). Marine04 marine radiocarbon age calibration, 0–26 cal kyr BP. Radiocarbon, 46(3): 1059–86.

Isla, F.I. (1995). Coastal lagoons. In Perillo, G.M.E. (ed.) Morphology and sedimentology of estuaries. Ch. 9, Elsevier Sci. Publ., 241-272.

Isla, F.I. (1998). Uniformitarismo transgresivo o regresivo? Boletim Paranaense de Geociências, 46: 165-174.

Isla, F.I. (2017). Coastal barriers from Argentina: Buenos Aires, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Quaternary and Environmental Geosciences 07(1):1-9.

Isla, F.I. (2018). ENSO-triggered floods in South America: correlation between maximum monthly discharges during strong events. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. Discussion, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2018-107.

Isla, F.I., and Bedmar, J.M. (2014). Cheniers and regressive bedforms. In Kennish, M. J. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Estuaries, 113-121. DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4.

Isla, F.I., and Espinosa, M.A. (1998). Modelo sedimentario de colmatación de pequeños estuarios dominados por limos, Provincia de Buenos Aires. VII Reunión Argentina de sedimentología, Salta, Actas, 24-36.

Isla, F.I., Espinosa, M., Gerpe, M., Iantanos, N., Menone, M., Miglioranza, K.S.B., Ondarza, P., Gonzalez, M., Bertola, G., Aizpun, J.E., and Moreno, V.J. (2010). Patagonian salt marshes: the soil effects on the NDVI response. Thalassas, 6 (1): 23-31.

Isla, F.I., Ferrero, L., Fasano, J.L., Espinosa, M.A., and Schnack, E.J. (1986). Late Quaternary marine estuarine sequences of the Southeastern coast of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Quaternary of South America and Antarctic Peninsula, 4: 137 157.

Isla, F.I., and Gaido, E.S. (2001). Evolución geológica de la Laguna Mar Chiquita. En Iribarne, O. (ed.) Reserva de Biósfera Mar Chiquita. Características físicas, biológicas y ecológicas. ORCYT, UNMDP, Fundación Antorchas, 19-30.

Isla, F.I., Isla, M.F. (2022). Geological changes in coastal areas of Patagonia, Argentina and Chile. In Helbling, E.W., Narvarte, M., González, R.A., Villafañe, V.E. (eds.) Global change in Atlantic coastal Patagonian ecosystem. A journey through time. Natural and social sciences of Patagonia. Springer, 73-89.

Isla, F.I., and Toldo, E.E. (2013). ENSO impacts on Atlantic watersheds of South America. Quaternary and Environmental Geosciences, 4(1-2): 34-41.

Isla, F.I., Vilas, F.E., Bujalesky, G., Ferrero, M., Gonzalez Bonorino, G., and Arche Miralles, A., (1991). Gravel drift and wind effects over the macrotidal San Sebastián Bay, Tierra del Fuego. Marine Geology, 97: 211 224.

Kjerfve, B. (1994). Coastal lagoon processes. Elsevier Oceanography Series 60, 577 pp.

López-Dóriga, U., and Jiménez, J.A. (2020). Impact of relative sea-level rise on low-lying coastal areas of Catalonia, NW Mediterranean, Spain. Water, 12: 3252; doi:10.3390/w12113252.

Magrin, G.O., Marengo, J.A., Boulanger, J.P., Buckeridge, M.S., Castellanos, E., Poveda, G., Scarano, F.S., and Vicuña, S. (2014). Central and South America. In: Barros, V.R., C.B. Field, D.J. Dokken, M.D. Mastrandrea, K.J. Mach, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C. Genova, B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L. White (eds.) Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part B: Regional Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and USA, pp. 1499-1566.

Marquez, M., Ferrero, L., and Cusminsky, G.C. (2016). Holocene palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Pampa coastal plain (Argentina) based on calcareous microfossils. Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia, 19(1): 25-40.

Mateus, M., Almeida, D., Simonson, W., Felgueiras, M., Banza, P., and Batty, L. (2016). Con?ictive uses of coastal areas: A case study in a southern European coastal lagoon (Ría de Alvor, Portugal). Ocean & Coastal Management, 132: 90-100.

McCormac, F.G., Hogg, A.G., Blackwell, P.G., Buck, C.E., Higham, T.F.G., Reimer, P.J. (2004). SHCal04 Southern Hemisphere calibration, 0–11.0 cal kyr BP. Radiocarbon, 46(3): 1087-1092.

Milana, J.P., and Kröhling, D. (2015). Climate change and solar cycles recorded at the Holocene Paraná Delta and their impact on human population. Scientific Reports 5, 12.851. https:// doi. org/ 10. 1038/ srep1 2851.

Oppenheimer, M., Glavovic, B., Hinkel, J., van de Wal, R., Magnan, A.K., Abd-Elgawad, A., Cai, R., Cifuentes-Jara, M., DeConto, R.M., Ghosh, T., Hay, J., Isla, F., Marzeion, B., Meyssignac, B., and Sebesvari, Z. (2019). Sea level rise and implications for low-lying islands, coasts and communities. In: Pörtner, H.-O., Roberts, D.C., Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Tignor, M., Poloczanska, E., Mintenbeck, K., Alegría, A., Nicolai, M., Okem, A., Petzold, J., Rama, B., and Weyer, N.M. (eds.) IPCC special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate. Cambridge University Press, 321-445.

Piccinali, L.E. (2013) Geomorfología y desarrollo urbano turístico en Reta (1927-2012). Unpublished Thesis, Facultad de Filosofia y Letras, Buenos Aires University, Buenos Aires, 213 pp.

Price, W.A. (1955). Environment and formation of the chenier plain. Quaternaria, 2: 75-86.

Roy, P. (1984). New South Wales estuaries: their origin and evolution. In Thom, B.G. (ed.) Coastal Geomorphology in Australia. Academic Press, Australia, 99-121.

Sanders, J.E., and Kumar, N. (1975). Evidence of shoreface retreat and “in-place” drowning during Holocene submergence of barriers, shelf off Fire Island, New York. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 86: 65-76.

Schnack, E.J., Fasano, J.L., and Isla, F.I. (1982). The evolution of Mar Chiquita lagoon, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. En Colquhoun, D. J. (ed.) Holocene Sea Level Fluctuations: Magnitudes and Causes. IGCP 61, Univ. S. Carolina, Columbia, Sc, 143 155.

Spennemann, D.H.R., and Head, M.J. (1996). Reservoir modification of radiocarbon signatures in coastal and near-shore waters of eastern Australia: The state of play. Quaternary Australasia, 14: 32–39.

Stuiver, M., and Braziunas, T.F. (1993). 14C ages of marine samples to 10,000 BC. Radiocarbon, 35(1): 137–89.

Swift, D.J.P., and Moslow, T.F. (1982). Holocene transgression in South Central Long Island, New York – Discussion. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 52(3): 1014-1019.

Turney, Ch.S.M., and Palmer, J.G. (2007). Does the El Niño-Southern Oscillation control the interhemispheric radiocarbon offset? Quaternary Research, 67: 174-180.

Ulm, S. (2006 a). Australian marine reservoir effects: a guide to ?R values. Australian archaeology, Short reports, 63: 57-60.

Ulm, S. (2006 b). Marine and estuarine reservoir effects in central Queensland: determination of ?R values. Coastal Themes: An Archaeology of the Southern Curtis Coast, Queensland. Terra Australis 24, Chapter 4, 64 pp.