Late-Holocene salinity fluctuations in Bjømsholm Bay, Limfjorden, Denmark, as deduced from micro- and macrofossil analysis

Abstract

Cores from the central part of the Limfjord, Denmark, have been investigated with respect to content of foraminifera, Ostracoda, macrofauna, and aquatic flora. The observed shifts in faunal composition are mainly due to changing salinity conditions caused by a varying connection between the Limfjord and the North Sea. A total of 16 AMS radiocarbon age determinations have been performed on mollusc shells and foraminifera from the cores, and the datings show that the studied sequence represents a time period of c. 2000 years. The faunal shifts at the latest zone boundaries in the sequence correspond very well with information on changes in the marine environment recorded in written sources from the last 900 years.