Diatoms in estuaries and tidal marshes

Diatoms from estuarine and marsh sediments can be used to evaluate a number of geological processes. Information on salinity, elevation, and substrate derived from modern assemblages have been used to determine local and regional Holocene sea level history, identify seismic and tsunami events, and aid in the recognition of regional variations in precipitation. In order to apply diatoms to these questions, it is necessary to have a detailed knowledge of the ecology of marine, brackish, and freshwater taxa, as well as an understanding of the taphonomic processes that determine the final diatom assemblage. The potential for studies of pre-Holocene estuarine depositional systems is largely limited by the availability of study sites.