EFFECT OF OCEANIC CURRENT AND STORM SURGES ON FORAMINIFERAL DEATH ASSEMBLAGES OF SAN SALVADOR ISLAND, BAHAMAS

Sand samples from the northeastern side of the Bahamian island of San Salvador were used to quantify onshore death assemblages of foraminifera. The foraminifera were picked from three sampling locations and an additional storm berm sample from the northernmost location. Genus and species were identified in order to understand how longshore current affects onshore foraminiferal species concentrations as well as if storm activity affects which species wash ashore. Previous research indicates a northern longshore current on the eastern side of the island. This might indicate a higher percentage of the more resistive-shelled Archaias angulatus in the northern locations, however a decreasing percentage of A. angulatus found at the middle location shows this theory was not supported. Species in the storm berm also were of distinctly different species concentrations than from the foreshore at the same location. These findings suggest that longshore drift may play a lesser role in onshore foraminiferal death assemblages than offshore reefs, and also that storm activity has a large effect on the island’s death assemblages.