Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Characterization of storm-surge deposits: A multi-proxy approach along the northern Halland coast with implications for organic carbon storage

Meret, Ellison LU (2026) In Dissertations in Geology at Lund University GEOR11 20261
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (MGeo)
Abstract
Storm-surges are considered a major coastal threat to ecosystems and infrastructure in the current changing climate, with increasingly frequent flooding events, erosion and sediment redistribution. In this context, efforts to identify traces of storm-surges in the geological record are becoming increasingly important to understand the impacts of such events on the environment. This project investigates the coasts of northern Halland, Sweden, using a multi-proxy approach across multiple sites to identify and characterize storm-surge deposits, as well as their impacts on organic carbon storage in coastal meadows.
Three study sites were investigated: Rosendal, Sallebacka and Träslöv, where sedimentological observations suggest relatively... (More)
Storm-surges are considered a major coastal threat to ecosystems and infrastructure in the current changing climate, with increasingly frequent flooding events, erosion and sediment redistribution. In this context, efforts to identify traces of storm-surges in the geological record are becoming increasingly important to understand the impacts of such events on the environment. This project investigates the coasts of northern Halland, Sweden, using a multi-proxy approach across multiple sites to identify and characterize storm-surge deposits, as well as their impacts on organic carbon storage in coastal meadows.
Three study sites were investigated: Rosendal, Sallebacka and Träslöv, where sedimentological observations suggest relatively high-energy events compared to the background coastal conditions, with erosional contacts, laterally discontinuous sand layers and the presence of coarser material inland. To support the sedimentological interpretation, geochemical analyses (X-ray fluorescence, loss on ignition, and elemental analyses of C and N) were conducted and show shifts between relatively higher- and lower-energy depositional conditions reflected by variations in elemental proxies. However, the spatial variability of many of the proxies used is also highlighted, with emphasis on the influence of local environmental conditions and the lack of universal geochemical thresholds to identify storm-surge signals across different sites. In this sense, a multi-site, multi-proxy approach helps cross-validate results to obtain more robust interpretations.
In the context of carbon storage, despite the generally low organic content in the analyzed sediments, storm-related sedimentation may enhance short-term carbon burial during individual storm events due to increased accumulation rates. However, increased storm-surge frequency may ultimately reduce the overall long-term carbon storage capacity of coastal systems through enhanced erosion, sediment reworking, and degradation of carbon-storing ecosystems. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Stormfloder betraktas som ett stort hot mot ekosystem och infrastruktur längs kuster, och hotet ökar på grund av det nuvarande föränderliga klimatet, med alltmer frekventa översvämningshändelser, erosion och sedimentomlagring. I detta sammanhang blir insatser för att identifiera spår av stormfloder i geologiska arkiv allt viktigare för att förstå effekterna av sådana händelser på miljön. Denna studie undersöker kusterna i norra Halland, Sverige, med flera olika metoder över flera lokaler för att identifiera och karakterisera stormflodsavlagringar samt deras påverkan på lagring av organiskt kol i kustnära miljöer.
Tre studieområden undersöktes: Rosendal, Sallebacka och Träslöv, där sedimentologiska observationer av erosiva kontakter,... (More)
Stormfloder betraktas som ett stort hot mot ekosystem och infrastruktur längs kuster, och hotet ökar på grund av det nuvarande föränderliga klimatet, med alltmer frekventa översvämningshändelser, erosion och sedimentomlagring. I detta sammanhang blir insatser för att identifiera spår av stormfloder i geologiska arkiv allt viktigare för att förstå effekterna av sådana händelser på miljön. Denna studie undersöker kusterna i norra Halland, Sverige, med flera olika metoder över flera lokaler för att identifiera och karakterisera stormflodsavlagringar samt deras påverkan på lagring av organiskt kol i kustnära miljöer.
Tre studieområden undersöktes: Rosendal, Sallebacka och Träslöv, där sedimentologiska observationer av erosiva kontakter, lateralt diskontinuerliga sandlager och förekomst av grövre material längre in mot land tyder på perioder med högre vågenergi. För att stödja den sedimentologiska tolkningen genomfördes geokemiska analyser (XRF, LOI och C/N), vilka visar skiften mellan hög- och lågenergetiska hydrodynamiska förhållanden, återspeglade i variationer i elementära proxyvariabler. Den rumsliga variationen hos många av de variablerna är stor mellan de undersökta lokalerna och påverkas av lokala miljöförhållanden och det saknas även universella geokemiska tröskelvärden för att identifiera stormflodssignaler. I detta avseende bidrar en multiproxyansats över flera lokaler till att korsvalidera resultaten och möjliggöra mer robusta tolkningar.
I ett kollagringsperspektiv visar resultaten att trots den generellt låga halten organiskt material i de analyserade sedimenten kan stormrelaterad sedimentation ändå öka inlagringen av kol i samband med stormfloder. En ökad frekvens av stormfloder kan dock i slutändan minska den långsiktiga kollagringskapaciteten i kustsystemen genom ökad erosion, sedimentomlagring och påverkan på ekosystemens kapacitet att lagra in kol. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Meret, Ellison LU
supervisor
organization
course
GEOR11 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
storm-surges, high-energy coastal events, northern Halland, multi-proxy, sedimentological observations, geochemical analyses, XRF, LOI, C/N, carbon storage
publication/series
Dissertations in Geology at Lund University
report number
729
language
English
id
9228784
date added to LUP
2026-06-04 09:45:06
date last changed
2026-06-04 09:45:06
@misc{9228784,
  abstract     = {{Storm-surges are considered a major coastal threat to ecosystems and infrastructure in the current changing climate, with increasingly frequent flooding events, erosion and sediment redistribution. In this context, efforts to identify traces of storm-surges in the geological record are becoming increasingly important to understand the impacts of such events on the environment. This project investigates the coasts of northern Halland, Sweden, using a multi-proxy approach across multiple sites to identify and characterize storm-surge deposits, as well as their impacts on organic carbon storage in coastal meadows. 
Three study sites were investigated: Rosendal, Sallebacka and Träslöv, where sedimentological observations suggest relatively high-energy events compared to the background coastal conditions, with erosional contacts, laterally discontinuous sand layers and the presence of coarser material inland. To support the sedimentological interpretation, geochemical analyses (X-ray fluorescence, loss on ignition, and elemental analyses of C and N) were conducted and show shifts between relatively higher- and lower-energy depositional conditions reflected by variations in elemental proxies. However, the spatial variability of many of the proxies used is also highlighted, with emphasis on the influence of local environmental conditions and the lack of universal geochemical thresholds to identify storm-surge signals across different sites. In this sense, a multi-site, multi-proxy approach helps cross-validate results to obtain more robust interpretations. 
In the context of carbon storage, despite the generally low organic content in the analyzed sediments, storm-related sedimentation may enhance short-term carbon burial during individual storm events due to increased accumulation rates. However, increased storm-surge frequency may ultimately reduce the overall long-term carbon storage capacity of coastal systems through enhanced erosion, sediment reworking, and degradation of carbon-storing ecosystems.}},
  author       = {{Meret, Ellison}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Dissertations in Geology at Lund University}},
  title        = {{Characterization of storm-surge deposits: A multi-proxy approach along the northern Halland coast with implications for organic carbon storage}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}