Record of Anthropogenic and Natural Modification Along Tunisian Coast, Based on the Micropaleontological Proxy during the Holocene and Anthropocene

Abstract

The Tunisian coast has witnessed radical changes during the Late Holocene and the Anthropocene, including sea level variation, increasing polluting activities and obvious climatic changes. Among other geological proxies, micropaleontology revealed an efficient tool to infer changes. This work is a deepened discussion of recent works on the micropaleontology of exoreic wetlands stretching along the Tunisian coast. This review explores the role of these microfossils in deciphering the Holocene depositional environments of Tunisian lagoons, drawing upon relevant research. Microfossils serve as excellent bioindicators, providing early warnings of potential environmental risks related to heavy metal contamination. As a tangled relationship, micropaleontology and microplastics are seemingly disparate fields, yet they are increasingly intertwined due to the pervasive presence of plastic pollution in our environment.