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A large mid-Holocene estuary was not present in the lower River Murray, Australia

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dc.contributor.authorTibby, J.
dc.contributor.authorBourman, B.
dc.contributor.authorWilson, C.
dc.contributor.authorMosley, L.M.
dc.contributor.authorBelperio, A.P.
dc.contributor.authorRyan, D.D.
dc.contributor.authorHesp, P.A.
dc.contributor.authorMurray-Wallace, C.V.
dc.contributor.authorda Silva, G.M.
dc.contributor.authorDillenburg, S.R.
dc.contributor.authorHaynes, D.
dc.date.issued2021
dc.description.abstractRecent research has suggested that during the mid-Holocene (c. 8500 to 5000 cal yr BP) a large estuary occupied the lower River Murray and its terminal lakes (Lakes Alexandrina and Albert: herein the Lower Lakes) in South Australia. This research has questioned both reconstructions of past River Murray discharge and contemporary environmental water provisions aimed at maintaining the freshwater state of the Lower Lakes. We show that (1) a large mid-Holocene estuary extending into the lower River Murray was not physically possible, and (2) that the River Murray and Lower Lakes were predominantly fresh during the mid-Holocene. Sea level was well below present at the time of purported initiation of estuarine sedimentation and, therefore, could not have allowed formation of an estuary. Holocene human occupation of the lower River Murray valley, that was reliant on freshwater resources, negates the existence of a large estuary in the valley. A variety of freshwater indicators in sediments from in, and around, the Lower Lakes negate the notion of significant marine incursion. Hence, current management of the Lower Lakes as freshwater ecosystems is consistent with their Holocene history.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityJ. Tibby, B. Bourman, C. Wilson, L. M. Mosley, A. P. Belperio, D. D. Ryan ... et al.
dc.identifier.citationScientific Reports, 2021; 11(1):12082-1-12082-5
dc.identifier.doi10.1038/s41598-021-90025-9
dc.identifier.issn2045-2322
dc.identifier.issn2045-2322
dc.identifier.orcidTibby, J. [0000-0002-5897-2932]
dc.identifier.orcidMosley, L.M. [0000-0002-7446-8955]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/133777
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherNature Publishing Group
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP190102782
dc.rights© The Author(s) 2021. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http:// creat iveco mmons. org/ licen ses/ by/4. 0/.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90025-9
dc.subjectRivers
dc.subjectAustralia
dc.subjectEstuaries
dc.subject.meshRivers
dc.subject.meshAustralia
dc.subject.meshEstuaries
dc.titleA large mid-Holocene estuary was not present in the lower River Murray, Australia
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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