Recent saltmarsh accretion and sea level fluctuations in the Dyfi Estuary, central Cardigan Bay, Wales, UK

Abstract

Rates of saltmarsh accretion were determined for the Dyfi Estuary, central Cardigan Bay, Wales, using marker layers and X-ray radiographic laminae counts. A three-month study revealed the amount of sediment that had accumulated, totalling 2.5 mm, equivalent to 10.0 mm/yr. The saltmarsh sediment accretion rate estimated by laminae counts is 11.5 mm/yr. These data, compared with previous published data, indicate that the rate of sediment accretion has decreased since the 1920s. This is cautiously proposed as suggesting that the upward trend of relative sea level in the Dyfi Estuary may have been decreasing over the last 80 years.