Three sediment cores from Nara Inlet provide a record of mixed clastic and carbonate accumulation on the middle shelf of the central Great Barrier Reef. Radiocarbon ages indicate the top 3 meters of sediment accumulated within the last 3000 years, with a slowing accumulation rate toward present-day. The data, hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network, shows a system where both clastic and carbonate accumulation decreased over time, with clastic input decreasing faster.
Use Cases
- Modeling sediment accumulation rates based on radiocarbon-dated benthic foraminifera tests.
- Analyzing the temporal shift in sediment composition based on the described weight percentages of terrigenous clay and carbonate components.
- Investigating the influence of fringing reef growth on sediment input based on the described mechanism of progressive impedance.
- Reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions on the Great Barrier Reef shelf based on the described clastic source and depositional history.
Strengths
- Includes radiocarbon ages derived from benthic foraminifera tests, providing chronological control.
- Quantifies sediment composition, specifying a carbonate component of 25.80% by weight.
- Covers a defined late Holocene time period, with the top 3 meters representing the last 3000 years.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Three sediment cores collected from Nara Inlet, Whitsunday Islands.
- Time Range
- Late Holocene, specifically the last 3000 years.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-27 20:27:20.572961; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Nara Inlet, Whitsunday Islands, central Great Barrier Reef platform, Australia.