Amazonian mangrove dynamics during the last millennium: The relative sea-level and the Little Ice Age

The integration of stratigraphic and palynological data with radiocarbon dating has allowed the identification of two periods characterized by low inundation frequency during the last 1000 years in the mangroves of the Bragança Peninsula in North Brazil. The first event extended over a period of 380 years and took place between 1130 and 1510 AD. The second began about 1560 AD and probably finished at the end of the 19th century. These two events are temporally correlated with the so-called “Little Ice Age” period, and may reflect a sea-level regression and/or drier conditions with less rainfall. The study also indicates that mangroves on the Bragança Peninsula have been migrating to higher elevation zones during the last decades, suggesting a relative sea-level rise. This increase can be associated with the global tendency towards an eustatic sea-level rise, due to the increase in temperature and glaciers melting around the world during the last 150 years.