HOLOCENE CLIMATE CHANGES AS RECORDED IN A COASTAL ESTUARY, CENTRAL TEXAS: POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS FOR GLOBAL WARMING?

With the recent attention on Global Warming, a rejuvenated interest has been sparked on determining the impact of accelerated rates of sea level rise on coastal systems. The impact of such increases in sea level rise has been shown to be important; however, often the impact of climate change itself on coastal systems is often over looked. The estuarine sediments of Corpus Christi Bay along the Central Texas coast span a time when at least two major climatic shifts occurred during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. These climatic shifts occurred around 10,000 to 8,000 BP and again around 5,000 BP. Using high resolution seismic and over 50 cores within the bay, the impact of such climate changes is addressed. The impact of climate change is more drastic in the upper portions of the bay and includes changes in the sedimentation rate, position and existence of the bayhead deltas and other geomorphic units within the bay, distribution of oyster reefs, and the overall bulk grain size within the estuary deposits. All of these changes provide insights into how coastal systems might respond to periods of climatic change in the future including global warming.