Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.4
2.7
Journals
JMSE
Special Issues
Feature Review Papers in Geological Oceanography
share announcement

Feature Review Papers in Geological Oceanography

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Geological Oceanography".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 3154

Image courtesy of Prof. Dr. Markes E. Johnson

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Markes E. Johnson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Geosciences Department, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267, USA
Interests: paleoecology; rocky-shore ecosystems; island dynamics; phanerozoic sea-level changes; storm deposits; carbonate dune systems; paleogeography of Baja California (Mexico) and the macaronesian islands of the NE atlantic
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to collect high-quality review papers in research fields related to Geological Oceanography with the goal of creating a space where readers can access a range of topics, demonstrating the methodology, insights, and prospects for future research. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the interplay between modern environments and their counterparts in the geological record. For example, how do present-day settings in coastal oceanography such as rocky shores, sandy beaches, or tide-water delta systems inform the reconstruction of counterparts from the rock record? This would include the interpretations of coastal geomorphology from both the recent 2.5 million years (Pleistocene) and the older times, i.e., from the last 500 million years (Phanerozoic). Also, the dynamics of the contemporary storm systems (hurricanes/typhoons) are crucial as they are considered in the interpretation of storm deposits. The effect of natural hazards is another dynamic area that includes earthquake-related and/or storm-related landslides with identifiable slump deposits from the past. Specific coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, sand dunes, coral reefs, clam flats, and rhodolith banks, also have their equivalents in the rock record, all of which illustrate the evolution of such systems through geologic time. Finally, this Special Issue welcomes manuscripts on the importance of geoheritage through the agency of national parks and especially geoparks for the education of the public at large.

Prof. Dr. Markes E. Johnson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coastal geomorphology
  • cyclonic storms
  • storm deposits
  • ecosystem equivalents
  • mangroves
  • coastal sand dunes
  • reefs
  • coralline algae
  • geoheritage

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

23 pages, 4326 KiB  
Review
Stromatolites and Their “Kin” as Living Microbialites in Contemporary Settings Linked to a Long Fossil Record
by Ed Landing and Markes E. Johnson
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(12), 2127; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12122127 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 127
Abstract
Organo-sedimentary deposits that result from fine-grained sediment trapping, binding, and likely precipitation (of carbonate) by microbes in flat-mat, branching, and dome-shaped constructions are termed microbialites. They were first identified as stromatolites by paleontologists well before the discovery of cyanobacteria that build the same [...] Read more.
Organo-sedimentary deposits that result from fine-grained sediment trapping, binding, and likely precipitation (of carbonate) by microbes in flat-mat, branching, and dome-shaped constructions are termed microbialites. They were first identified as stromatolites by paleontologists well before the discovery of cyanobacteria that build the same kinds of structures in contemporary settings around the world. Earth’s earliest life forms were prokaryotes (bacteria and bacteria-like forms) that reproduced under anaerobic conditions and later produced increasingly aerobic conditions. Stromatolites persisted through later Archean and Proterozoic times through the subsequent Phanerozoic to the present. At the start of the Cambrian Period 538 million years ago, stromatolites continued alongside rapidly diversifying plant and animal phyla during the Cambrian explosion of eukaryotic life, which have complex cells with internal structures and tissue-grade organization in multicellular taxa. The type locality exhibiting clear examples of stromatolite structures is conserved at Lester Park near Saratoga Springs in northeastern New York State. Paleontologist James Hall (1811–1898) was the first in 1884 to assign a Latin binomen (Cryptozoon proliferum) to stromatolite fossils from Lester Park. Thereafter, reports on formally named stromatolites proliferated, as did examples from virtually all subsequent geological time intervals including the Pleistocene Epoch. However, recognition that living cyanobacteria formed stromatolites identified as Cryptozoon took place much later in 1961 with the announcement by geologist Brian W. Logan (1933–2008) who described modern constructions in Hamlin Pool, Shark Bay, Western Australia. Initially, Shark Bay was regarded as a one-of-a-kind sanctuary for stromatolites living under restricted conditions with elevated levels of salinity that prohibited competition or grazing by eukaryotes. Most notably, among other settings with living stromatolites discovered and described since then are the Bahamas, East African rift lakes, Mexico’s Baja California, and saline lakes in Argentina. This report reviews the history of discoveries of modern-day stromatolites, more commonly called microbialites by biologists. All are predicated on the ground-breaking efforts of geologists and paleontologists who first described fossil stromatolites but were unaware of their living counterparts. The Lester Park locality is highlighted together with a master list of other North American localities that feature purported Cryptozoons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Review Papers in Geological Oceanography)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

22 pages, 10387 KiB  
Review
Indication of Deep-Water Gravity Flow Types by Shelf-Edge Trajectory Migration Patterns: A Case Study of the Quaternary Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea
by Chang Ma, Hongjun Qu and Xian Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(11), 2051; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12112051 - 12 Nov 2024
Viewed by 524
Abstract
The shelf-edge trajectory is comprehensively controlled by tectonics, sediment supply, sea level, and climate fluctuations; its migration and evolution have a strong influence on what happens in the deep-water depositional system during the Quaternary. The shelf-edge trajectory pattern, sediment-budget partitioning into deep-water areas, [...] Read more.
The shelf-edge trajectory is comprehensively controlled by tectonics, sediment supply, sea level, and climate fluctuations; its migration and evolution have a strong influence on what happens in the deep-water depositional system during the Quaternary. The shelf-edge trajectory pattern, sediment-budget partitioning into deep-water areas, and reservoir evaluations are focused topics in international geosciences. In this paper, the Qiongdongnan Basin (QDNB) in the northern South China Sea is taken as an example to study how shelf-edge trajectory migration patterns can influence the types of deep-water gravity flow which are triggered there. Through quantitatively delineating the Quaternary shelf-edge trajectory in the QDNB, four types of shelf-edge trajectory are identified, including low angle slow rising type, medium angle rising type, high angle sharp rising type, and retrogradation-slump type. A new sequence stratigraphic framework based on the migration pattern of shelf-edge trajectory is established. There are four (third-order) sequences in the Quaternary, and several systems tracts named lowstand systems tract (LST), transgressive systems tract (TST), and highstand system tract (HST) are identified. This study indicates that the type of deep-water gravity flow can be dominated by the shelf-edge trajectory migration patterns. When the shelf-edge trajectory angle (α) ranged between 0° and 4°, the continental canyons were mostly small-scaled and shallowly incised, with multiple large-scale sandy submarine fan deposits with few MTDs found in the deep-water area. When the angle (α) ranged from 4° < α < 35°, the size and incision depth of the continental slope canyons increased, relating to frequently interbedded sandy submarine fan deposits and MTDs. When angle (α) ranged from 35° < α < 90°, only a few deeply-incised canyons were present in the continental slope; in this condition, large-scaled and long-distance MTDs frequently developed, with fewer submarine fans deposits. When angle (α) ranged from 90° < α < 150°, the valley in the slope area was virtually undeveloped, sediments in the deep-sea plain area consisted mainly of large mass transport deposits, and submarine fan development was minimal. Since the Quaternary, the temperature has been decreasing, the sea level has shown a downward trend, and the East Asian winter monsoon has significantly enhanced, resulting in an overall increase in sediment supply in the study area. However, due to the numerous rivers and rich provenance systems in the west of Hainan Island, a growing continental shelf-edge slope has developed. In the eastern part of Hainan Island, due to fewer rivers, weak provenance sources, strong tectonic activity, and the subsidence center, a type of destructive shelf-edge slope has developed. The above results have certain theoretical significance for the study of shelf-edge systems and the prediction of deep-water gravity flow deposition type. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Review Papers in Geological Oceanography)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 5691 KiB  
Review
Exposure of Carboniferous Granitoids on Triassic–Jurassic Seashores in the Western Caucasus: A Stratigraphical Review
by Dmitry A. Ruban
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(9), 1623; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12091623 - 12 Sep 2024
Viewed by 441
Abstract
Granitoids are known to crop out on ancient seashores, but the related geological evidence remains limited. The information from the Western Caucasus sheds light on the stratigraphical distribution of coarse siliciclastic beds associated with late Carboniferous granitoids of the Dakh, Rafabgo, and Sakhray [...] Read more.
Granitoids are known to crop out on ancient seashores, but the related geological evidence remains limited. The information from the Western Caucasus sheds light on the stratigraphical distribution of coarse siliciclastic beds associated with late Carboniferous granitoids of the Dakh, Rafabgo, and Sakhray crystalline massifs. For the purposes of this study, the available information was reviewed and verified against the modern stratigraphical scales. It is established that the considered coarse sisliciclastic beds occur at five stratigraphical levels of the Triassic–Jurassic succession. A rocky seashore with granitoid exposures existed for a short time around the Sakhray and probably Rufabgo massifs at the very beginning of the Triassic. The Dakh Massif possessed such a shore twice (at least), i.e., in the Norian–Rhaetian and the Early Toarcian. However, it cannot be excluded that rocky shores persisted there for >50 Ma. Generally, the Western Caucasus provides an example of granitoid exposures on Mesozoic seashores and adds knowledge of the global distribution of rocky shores in the Triassic and Jurassic periods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Review Papers in Geological Oceanography)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

34 pages, 15303 KiB  
Review
Ecology of Intertidal Rocky Shores Related to Examples of Coastal Geology across Phanerozoic Time
by Markes E. Johnson
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(8), 1399; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081399 - 15 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1545
Abstract
The boundary between land and sea is among the most extensive and extreme ecological barriers on planet Earth. Intertidal organisms living at this junction are subject to potentially lethal conditions related to desiccation, temperature fluctuations, and wave shock. Although difficult to quantify at [...] Read more.
The boundary between land and sea is among the most extensive and extreme ecological barriers on planet Earth. Intertidal organisms living at this junction are subject to potentially lethal conditions related to desiccation, temperature fluctuations, and wave shock. Although difficult to quantify at a global level, rocky coasts account for between a third and three-quarters of all shorelines today. Resistant to coastal erosion, rocky coasts also exhibit adaptations by marine invertebrates and marine algae within intertidal zones that are geographically widespread. Biotic composition is variable depending on the tidal range at any given place and on climatic differences between tropical and more temperate latitudes. Contemporary granite shores having low recession rates with well-established biotic zones are reviewed in three regions: Mount Desert Island in Maine, USA (44° N latitude), Mahé and Praslin islands in Seychelles (4°30′ S Latitude), and Lizard Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia (14°40′ S Latitude). The zonal composition and overall biotic diversity at these locations are compared, as well as the fossilization potential of key biota. Over the Phanerozoic time period during the last 538 million years, the ratio between land and ocean varied as a function of plate tectonics depending on the maximum dispersal or coalescence of continents and on relative changes in global sea level. Fossil biotas from a dozen paleoislands with dominant rocky shores that range from 485 million to 125,000 years in age are reviewed to show diversification through time, taking into account episodic mass extinctions. Relationships between storm tracks and volcanic eruptions that factor into physical disruptions are also considered as means of rapid burial and preservation. Themes related to rocky-shore ecology and paleoecology benefit from the cross-fertilization of ideas by marine biologists and marine paleontologists. It is hoped this review may attract a cohort of new students to these allied fields of study, especially in Asia, Africa, and South America. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Review Papers in Geological Oceanography)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop