Characteristics of sediments from Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece

The evolution of environmental changes during the last decades and the impact on the living biomass in the western part of Amvrakikos Gulf was investigated using abundances and species distributions of benthic foraminifera and lipid biomarker concentrations. These proxies indicated that the gulf has markedly changed due to eutrophication. Eutrophication has led to a higher productivity, a higher bacterial biomass, shifts towards opportunistic and tolerant benthic foraminifera species (e.g. Bulimina elongata, Nonionella turgida, Textularia agglutinans, Ammonia tepida) and a lower benthic species density. Close to the Preveza Strait (connection between the gulf and the Ionian Sea), the benthic assemblages were more diversified under more oxygenated conditions. Sea grass meadows largely contributed to the organic matter at this sampling site. The occurrence of isorenieratane, chlorobactane and lycopane supported by oxygen monitoring data indicated that anoxic (and partly euxinic) conditions prevailed seasonally throughout the western part of the gulf with more severe oxygen depletion towards the east. Increased surface water temperatures have led to a higher stratification, which reduced oxygen resupply to bottom waters. Altogether, these developments led to mass mortality events and ecosystem decline in Amvrakikos Gulf.

Data and Resources

This dataset has no data

Cite this as

Naeher, Sebastian, Geraga, Maria, Papatheodorou, George, Ferentinos, George, Kaberi, Helen, Schubert, Carsten J (2012). Dataset: Characteristics of sediments from Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.834900

DOI retrieved: 2012

Additional Info

Field Value
Imported on November 30, 2024
Last update November 30, 2024
License CC-BY-3.0
Source https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.834900
Author Naeher, Sebastian
Given Name Sebastian
Family Name Naeher
More Authors
Geraga, Maria
Papatheodorou, George
Ferentinos, George
Kaberi, Helen
Schubert, Carsten J
Source Creation 2012
Publication Year 2012
Resource Type application/zip - filename: Naeher_2012c
Subject Areas
Name: Ecology

Name: Lithosphere

Related Identifiers
Title: Environmental variations in a semi-enclosed embayment (Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece) - reconstructions based on benthic foraminifera abundance and lipid biomarker pattern
Identifier: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-5081-2012
Type: DOI
Relation: IsSupplementTo
Year: 2012
Source: Biogeosciences
Authors: Naeher Sebastian , Geraga Maria , Papatheodorou George , Ferentinos George , Kaberi Helen , Schubert Carsten J .