Keppel Bay Beach-Ridge Sedimentation Influenced by Climate and Land Use

Beach ridges at Keppel Bay, central Queensland, preserve a record of sediment accumulation from the historical period back to middle Holocene times. The dataset, sourced from the Australian Ocean Data Network, includes optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages indicating periods of rapid progradation approximately 1500, 1000, 450 and 230 years before present. It demonstrates how these deposits provide insights into sediment accumulation processes and responses to climate variations in tropical coastal systems.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal progradation rates based on OSL-dated beach ridge sequences.
• Analyzing the relationship between catchment erosion and coastal sediment composition based on described trace-element signatures.
• Investigating the impact of historical climate phases, such as a wetter late Holocene, on sediment supply rates.
• Assessing the role of cyclonic flood events with an average 7-year recurrence interval on sediment delivery.

Strengths

• Includes OSL ages pinpointing depositional events at approximately 1500, 1000, 450, and 230 years BP.
• Quantifies the beach-ridge plain as a significant sediment store, potentially trapping 79% of the Fitzroy River's estimated long-term average annual bedload.
• Links sediment provenance changes to specific historical land-use changes like vegetation clearing.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing solely on Keppel Bay.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Likely contains field measurements and laboratory analysis (e.g., OSL dating, sediment composition analysis) of beach ridge deposits.

Time Range

Covers the late Holocene to modern period, with specific events dated to approximately 1500, 1000, 450, and 230 years BP, plus recent ridges (<100 years BP).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-17 00:23:20.677979; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Keppel Bay, central Queensland, Australia, with sediment sourced from the Fitzroy River catchment.