Clay mineral distribution patterns as influenced by depositional processes in the Southeastern Levantine Sea

Analysis of the clay minerals in stratigraphically defined cores (23,000 years BP to the present) in the southeastern Levantine-Nile Cone sector of the eastern Mediterranean indicates that depositional processes are very significant in determining the distribution of clay assemblages. The interplay of long-distance transport by water mass circulation, downslope mass gravity transport and wind dispersal is recorded by the clay assemblages in each of the stratigraphic layers. The temporal variations and spatial distribution of smectite, the dominant clay mineral of the River Nile, can be related closely to downslope gravity-related processes and to deposition from water mass flow. Increased kaolinite, in part of wind-blown origin from North Africa, correlates with areas receiving low terrigenous input but influenced by enhanced suspended sediment transport. Illite and chlorite distributions are most closely associated with a northern Levantine provenance and dispersal by the circulation of eastern Mediterranean water masses. Climatically induced changes may have altered the clay minerals in the region and minor diagenetic changes may have occurred, but these factors do not fully explain observed vertical clay mineral changes in the Late Quaternary. We conclude that palaeoclimatic interpretations based on vertical clay mineralogical changes at single core localities should be approached cautiously in small ocean basins such as the Mediterranean.     

Is the North Atlantic Oscillation reflected in Scandinavian glacier mass balance records?

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is one of the modes of climate variability in the North Atlantic region. The atmospheric circulation during the winter season in this region commonly displays a strong meridional (north–south) pressure contrast, with low air pressure (cyclone) centred close to Iceland and high air pressure (anticyclone) near the Azores. This pressure gradient drives the mean surface winds and the mid‐latitude winter storms from west to east across the North Atlantic, bringing mild moist air to northwest Europe. The NAO index is based on the difference of normalised sea‐level pressures (SLP) between Ponta Delgada, Azores and Stykkisholmur, Iceland. The SLP anomalies at these stations are normalised by division of each monthly pressure by the long‐term (1865–1984) standard deviation. Interannual atmospheric climate variability in northwest Europe, especially over Great Britain and western Scandinavia has, during the last decades, been attributed mainly to the NAO, causing variations in the winter weather over the northeast North Atlantic and the adjacent land areas. A comparison between the NAO index and the winter (December–March) precipitation between ad 1864 and 1995 in western Norway shows that these are strongly linked (correlation coefficient 0.77). Variations in the NAO index are also reflected in the mass balance records of glaciers in western Scandinavia. The NAO index is best correlated with mass balance data from maritime glaciers in southern Norway (e.g. Ålfotbreen R² = 0.51). The record of Holocene (last ca. 11 500 cal. yr) glacier variations of maritime glaciers in western Scandinavia is thus a proxy of pre‐instrumental NAO variations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Europe Blocking and Their Impacts on Extreme Snowstorms: A Review

Large-scale, low frequency modes such as the North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO)and blocking, have an important modulation on the northern hemisphere weather and climate. In this paper, the physical mechanism studies on inter-decadal and decadal variability of NAO and blocking were summarized. The relationship between NAO regime transitions and the interannual variability of NAO in winter during was examined by using a statistical approach. The time-space relationship between NAO and European blocking were discussed. Based on two extreme cold and snowstorm events, the impacts on local weather especially the extreme events within the life cycle (two weeks) of the NAO and blocking were further examined. It was found that the frequently occurrence of the Eurasian extreme snowstorm was closely related to the special combination of NAO and blocking regime. In addition, the development of theoretical modes for NAO and blocking was discussed and issues that remain to be solved were proposed.     

Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironment of Gonghe Basin, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, During the Lastdeglacial: Weathering, Erosion and Vegetation Cover Affect Clay Mineral Formation

With the analysis of the sources and formation mechanism of the clay minerals in the sediment core from the Dalianhai lake in the Gonghe Basin,northeastern Tibet-Qinghai Plateau,clay mineral composition proxies,grain-size and carbonate contents have been employed for high-resolution study in order to reconstruct East Asian Summer Monsoon （EASM） over the northeastern Tibet-Qinghai Plateau during the lastdeglacial.The study also extended to establish a relationship between vegetation cover changes and erosion during the last 14.5 ka with pollen record and clay mineral proxies.Smectite/kaolinite and smectite/（illite＋chlorite） ratios allow us to assess hydrolysis conditions in lowlands and/or physical erosion process in highlands of the Gonghe Basin.Before 12.9 Cal ka BP,both mineralogical ratios show low values indicative of strong physical erosion in the basin with a dominant cold and dry phase.After 12.9 Cal ka BP,an increase in both mineralogical ratios indicates enhanced chemical weathering in the basin associated with a warm and humid climate.The beginning of Holocene is characterized by high smectite/（illite＋chlorite） and smectite/kaolinite ratios that is synchronous as with deposition of many peat laminae,implying the best warm and humid conditions specifically between 8.0 to 5.5 Cal ka BP.The time interval after 5.0 Cai ka BP is characterized by a return to high physical erosion and low chemical weathering with dry climate conditions in the basin.Comparing variations of clay mineral assemblages with previous pollen results,we observe a rapid response in terms of chemical weathering and physical erosion intensity to a modification of the vegetation cover in the basin.     

Identification of arid phases during the last 50 cal. ka BP from the Fuentillejo maar‐lacustrine record (Campo de Calatrava Volcanic Field,Spain)

Geochemical (element analysis, molecular analysis of organic compounds), physical, palynological, mineralogical and sedimentary facies analysis were performed to characterise the sedimentary record in Fuentillejo maar‐lake in the Central Spanish Volcanic Field of Campo de Calatrava, in order to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic processes which controlled vegetation patterns and deposition of different sedimentary facies. The upper 20 m of core FUENT‐1 show variations in clastic input, water chemistry, vegetation and organic fraction sources in the lake throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The temporal framework provided by ¹⁴C accelerator mass spectrometry dating allows assigning the sequence to the last 50 cal. ka BP. Arid phases identified in the FUENT‐1 sequence are correlated to Heinrich events (HE) and to stadials of the Dansgaard/Oeschger (D/O) cycles. Siliciclastic facies with high magnetic susceptibility values, high Juniperus pollen content, a low Paq index (aquatic macrophysics proxy index), a decrease in the relative percentage of the n‐C₂₇ and an increase in the n‐C₃₁ alkanes are indicative of arid and colder climatic events related to HE 2, HE 1 and the Younger Dryas (YD). Similar short cold and arid phases during the Holocene were identified at 9.2–8.6, 7.5–7 and 5.5–5 cal. ka BP. In dolomite–mud facies, the pollen data show an increase in the herbs component, mainly – Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia and Ephedra – steppe taxa; a low Paq index, a decrease in the relative percentage of the n‐C₂₇ alkane and an increase in the n‐C₃₁ alkane are also observed. This facies was probably the result of lower lake levels and more saline–alkaline conditions, which can be interpreted as linked to arid–warm periods. These warm and arid phases were more frequent during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and the interstadials of MIS 2. HE 4, HE 2, HE 1 and the YD in core FUENT‐1 were immediately followed by increases of warm steppe pollen assemblages that document rapid warming similar to the D/O cycles but do not imply increasing humidity in the area. Fuentillejo hydrology is controlled by changes in the atmospheric and oceanic systems that operated on the North Atlantic region at millennial scale during the last 50 cal. ka BP. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Paleoenvironment of geomorphic surfaces of an alluvial fan in the eastern Isfahan,Iran, in the light of micromorphology and clay mineralogy

Alluvial fans are one of the most important landforms in geomorphological and paloenvironmental studies. The objective of this study was the application of clay mineral assemblages and micromorphological properties of the studied paleosols in the geomorphic surfaces of an alluvial fan in the eastern Isfahan as proxies for paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes. Micromorphology, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy approaches were used to study the representative pedons. The results indicated that the illuviation process in the calcareous soils of the arid regions of the eastern Isfahan was probably in response to Quaternary moist conditions. There was no significant difference between clay coating properties of the studied relict and buried paleosols. Clay mineralogical study suggested that kaolinite and illite were inherited from the parent materials, while smectite and palygorskite were formed in the soil environment. Paleoargillic horizon was characterized by smectite and calcic (especially the calcrete) horizons were dominated by palygorskite. Palygorskite was accumulated by both neoformation and illuviation processes. High clay content, high intensity of smectite peak, and activity of the illuviation process in paleoargillic horizon demonstrated the seasonality of climate (rainfall) even in the moist periods of Quaternary in Central Iran. Clay mineralogical assemblages suggested a trend of increasing environmental aridity in the study area. This study, therefore, highlighted the role of clay mineralogical investigations in arid lands’ geomorphological and paleoenvironmental researches.     

Role of strike-slip faults in the Betic-Rifian orogeny

A new model for the Betic-Rifian orogeny of the Western Mediterranean (Spain and North Africa) is proposed in which four strike-slip faults play an important role; the faults are not of the same age. Two faults, the left-lateral Jebha fault to the south (in Morocco and principally in the Mediterranean Sea) and the right-lateral North Betic fault (southern Spain) to the north, define the boundaries of the Alboran block (Betic and Rifian internal zones). Final movement along these faults was during the Burdigalian time. Two other faults, the left-lateral Nekor fault (North Africa) to the south of the Jebha fault and the right-lateral Crevillente fault, somewhat to the north of the North Betic fault, define a larger Alboran block (including part of the Betic and Rifian external zones) that was present during the Tortonian.The following sequence of events is proposed:

1. (a) During the Eocene and Oligocene, the African and European plates converged in a N-S sense causing the breakup and overthrusting of the Betic, Rifian and Kabyle internal zones and then the movement towards the WSW of the Alboran block by slip along the Jebha and North Betic faults.

2. (b) By the end of Burdigalian time, movement along the Jebha and North Betic faults ceased.

3. (c) With continued N-S convergence, the Nekor and Crevillente faults, which bound a larger Alboran block, were formed during the mid- and late Miocene. The Arc of Gibraltar (the zone lying between the four major faults) seems to be a result of WSW motion of a crustal block being thrust over external zones.

The model proposed adds to the earlier idea that tectogenesis proceeds from the interior to the exterior of an erogenic belt. In the Betic-Rifian orogeny major strike-slip fracture zones shifted to the exterior of the orogenic belt as the orogeny progressed in order to relieve the stress caused by locking of the more internal faults.     

Reconstructing pathways of aeolian pollen transport to the marine sediments along the coastline of SW Africa

The distribution of pollen in marine sediments is used to reconstruct pathways of terrigenous input to the oceans and provides a record of vegetation change on adjacent continents. The wind transport routes of aeolian pollen is comprehensively illustrated by clusters of trajectories. Isobaric, 4-day backward trajectories are calculated using the modelled wind-field of ECHAM3, and are clustered on a seasonal basis to estimate the main pathways of aeolian particles to sites of marine cores in the south-eastern Atlantic. Trajectories and clusters based on the modelled wind-field of the Last Glacial Maximum hardly differ from those of the present-day. Trajectory clusters show three regional, and two seasonal patterns, determining the pathways of aeolian pollen transport into the south-eastern Atlantic ocean. Mainly, transport out of the continent occurs during austral fall and winter, when easterly and south-easterly winds prevail. South of 25°S, winds blow mostly from the west and southwest, and aeolian terrestrial input is very low. Generally, a good latitudinal correspondence exists between the distribution patterns of pollen in marine surface sediments and the occurrence of the source plants on the adjacent continent. The northern Angola Basin receives pollen and spores from the Congolian and Zambezian forests mainly through river discharge. The Zambezian vegetation zone is the main source area for wind-blown pollen in sediments of the Angola Basin, while the semi-desert and desert areas are the main sources for pollen in sediments of the Walvis Basin and on the Walvis Ridge. A transect of six marine pollen records along the south-western African coast indicates considerable changes in the vegetation of southern Africa between glacial and interglacial periods. Important changes in the vegetation are the decline of forests in equatorial Africa and the north of southern Africa and a northward shift of winter rain vegetation along the western escarpment.     

Blueprints for Medieval hydroclimate

According to tree ring and other records, a series of severe droughts that lasted for decades afflicted western North America during the Medieval period resulting in a more arid climate than in subsequent centuries. A review of proxy evidence from around the world indicates that North American megadroughts were part of a global pattern of Medieval hydroclimate that was distinct from that of today. In particular, the Medieval hydroclimate was wet in northern South America, dry in mid-latitude South America, dry in eastern Africa but with strong Nile River floods and a strong Indian monsoon. This pattern is similar to that accompanying persistent North American droughts in the instrumental era. This pattern is compared to that associated with familiar climate phenomena. The best fit comes from a persistently La Niña-like tropical Pacific and the warm phase of the so-called Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. A positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) also helps to explain the Medieval hydroclimate pattern. Limited sea surface temperature reconstructions support the contention that the tropical Pacific was cold and the subtropical North Atlantic was warm, ideal conditions for North American drought. Tentative modeling results indicate that a multi-century La Niña-like state could have arisen as a coupled atmosphere–ocean response to high irradiance and weak volcanism during the Medieval period and that this could in turn have induced a persistently positive NAO state. A La Niña-like state could also induce a strengthening of the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, and hence warming of the North Atlantic Ocean, by (i) the ocean response to the positive NAO and by shifting the southern mid-latitude westerlies poleward which (ii) will increase the salt flux from the Indian Ocean into the South Atlantic and (iii) drive stronger Southern Ocean upwelling.     

Saharan Dust Transport and High-Latitude Glacial Climatic Variability: The Alboran Sea Record

Millennial to submillennial marine oscillations that are linked with the North Atlantic's Heinrich events and Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles have been reported recently from the Alboran Sea, revealing a close ocean-atmosphere coupling in the Mediterranean region. We present a high-resolution record of lithogenic fraction variability along IMAGES Core MD 95-2043 from the Alboran Sea that we use to infer fluctuations of fluvial and eolian inputs to the core site during periods of rapid climate change, between 28,000 and 48,000 cal yr B.P. Comparison with geochemical and pollen records from the same core enables end-member compositions to be determined and to document fluctuations of fluvial and eolian inputs on millennial and faster timescales. Our data document increases in northward Saharan dust transports during periods of strengthened atmospheric circulation in high northern latitudes. From this we derive two atmospheric scenarios which are linked with the intensity of meridional atmospheric pressure gradients in the North Atlantic region.     

Composition and origin of North Atlantic deep sea cherts

Rocks described as chert from the North Atlantic, recovered during the Deep Sea Drilling Project, consist of quartz or disordered cristobalite. They occur in a wide variety of sediment types; only a few are associated with radiolarian oozes. Some of the cristobalitic cherts contain abundant clinoptilolite or palygorskite and sepiolite.The cherts have a variety of origins. They are most probably replacement cherts at sites 5, 6, and 7; direct alteration products of radiolarian ooze at site 8; and either alteration products of volanic glass or direct precipitates from hydrothermal solutions at sites 9 and 12. Evidence for these diverse origins is preserved as unusual mineral assemblages in these geologically young rocks.     

Synchronization of late-glacial vegetation changes at Crystal Lake, Illinois, USA with the North Atlantic Event Stratigraphy

Late-glacial (17–11 cal ka BP) pollen records from midwestern North America show similar vegetation trends; however, poor dating resolution, wide-interval pollen counts, and variable sedimentation rates have prevented the direct correlation with the North Atlantic Event Stratigraphy as represented in the Greenland ice-core records, thus preventing the understanding of the teleconnections and mechanisms of late-Quaternary events in the Northern Hemisphere. The widespread occurrence of late-glacial vegetation and climates with no modern analogs also hinders late-glacial climate reconstructions. A high-resolution pollen record with a well-controlled age model from Crystal Lake in northeastern Illinois reveals vegetation and climate conditions during the late-glacial and early Holocene intervals. Late-glacial Crystal Lake pollen assemblages, dominated by Picea mariana and Fraxinus nigra with lesser amounts of Abies and Larix, suggest relatively wet climate despite fluctuations between colder and warmer temperatures. Vegetation changes at Crystal Lake are coeval with millennial-scale trends in the NGRIP ice-core record, but major shifts in vegetation at Crystal Lake lag the NGRIP record by 300–400 yr. This lag may be due to the proximity of the Laurentide ice sheet, the ice sheet's inherent slowness in response to rapid climate changes, and its effect on frontal boundary conditions and lake-effect temperatures.     

Younger Dryas cold stage vegetation patterns of central Europe – climate,soil and relief controls

In the north Atlantic region the final period of the last ice age saw abrupt shifts between near present‐day warm and near ice age cold conditions, ending with the cold Younger Dryas. The effects of the cold periods may have been more severe in the vicinity of the Atlantic Ocean than in continental Europe. We use pollen percentage and influx data combined with data on substrate and relief to reconstruct spatially explicit vegetation composition, patterns and development during the Younger Dryas, with special focus on to the forest/non‐forest transition across NE Germany. Opposing trends, such as birch pollen percentages sharply increasing but accumulation rates sharply decreasing northwards, underline pitfalls in the interpretation of pollen percentage data in tree‐line situations. The combined approach reveals a sharp ecotone. Pine declined on northern sites, possibly because of permafrost formation, but was hardly affected in the south. Birch also declined in the south, possibly because of the severe winter cold. Cold‐adapted trees did not enter forest gaps. The cooling had little impact on herbal vegetation. Steppe elements (grasses, Artemisia) were largely restricted to south‐exposed slopes and did not benefit from the cooling – patches of steppe vegetation were even less abundant than during the preceding warm periods. The approach of combining fossil pollen data, including accumulation rates, with data on the contemporary distribution of substrate and relief allowed unprecedented spatial resolution to be reached in the reconstruction of Younger Dryas vegetation patterns.     

Provenance of Clay Minerals in the Amami Sankaku Basin and Their Paleoclimate Implications Since Late Pleistocene

We analyzed the clay mineral assemblages, content and mineralogical characteristics of Hole U1438A sediment recovered from Amami Sankaku Basin during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) expedition 351. The results show that the clay minerals are mainly composed of illite (average 57%), smectite (average 26%), chlorite (average 14%) and minor kaolinite(average 3%). The crystallinity of illite in all samples are good (<0.4 Δ° 2θ), and the chemical indexes of illite in all samples are low (<0.4). Both indicate that illite in Hole U1438A formed in cold and dry climate. By comparing clay mineral assemblages of hole U1438A and the potential sediment sources, we suggest that smectite be mainly derived from the volcanic materials around Amami Sankaku Basin. Illite, chlorite and kaolinite are mainly derived from the Asian dust. The ratios of (illite+chlorite)/smectite show a phased increase over the last 350 ka, which is consistent with the cold and drying trend of the Asian continent since late Pleistocene. The high ratios of (illite+chlorite)/smectite and (illite+chlorite)/kaolinite during glacial period indicate that much more Asian dust was input into the Amami Sankaku Basin, which are responded to the aridity of Asian continent and strengthened east Asian Monsoon during glacial period.     

Simulation of the climate of 18,000 years BP: Results for the North American/North Atlantic/European sector and comparison with the geologic record of North America

The large ice sheets in North America and Europe and the extensive sea-ice cover in the North Atlantic at the time of the last glacial maximum must have greatly modified the surface temperature patterns and, in turn, the location and intensity of the surface winds and jet streams. A general circulation model was used to simulate the January and July patterns of temperature, precipitation, and wind for 18 ka BP. Boundary conditions for the model, consisting of ice-sheet location and height, sea-ice location, and sea-surface temperature were prescribed from CLIMAP (1981). The model results are illustrated and described for the North American/North Atlantic/European sector. The jet stream splits around the North American ice-sheet, and the southern branch strengthens considerably (compared to present) over the southern portion of the United States, the sea-ice margin of the North Atlantic, and the southern edge of the European ice-sheet. Geologic evidence, principally from North America, of wind, temperature and moisture conditions is assessed from sand dune and loess records, estimates of snowline depression, pollen records and lake-level studies. The geologic evidence is generally compatible with the model simulation.     

Environmental and climatic conditions at a potential Glacial refugial site of tree species near the Southern Alpine glaciers. New insights from multiproxy sedimentary studies at Lago della Costa (Euganean Hills, Northeastern Italy)

It has been hypothesized that refugia of thermophilous tree species were located in Northern Italy very close to the Alps, though, this hypothesis has yet to be tested thoroughly. In contrast to Central and Southern Italy with its relative wealth of data, only a few fragmentary records are currently available from Northern Italy for the last Glacial (Würm, Weichselian). Our new study site Lago della Costa lies adjacent to the catchment of the megafans of the Alpine forelands and the braided rivers of the Northeastern Po Plain that have so far inhibited the recovery of continuous Glacial and Late-Glacial records. We analyze pollen, plant macrofossils, charcoal and ostracods to reconstruct the vegetation, fire and lake history for the period 33,000–16,000 cal. BP. We compare our data with Glacial records from Southern Europe to discuss similarities and dissimilarities between these potential refugial areas. A comparison with independent paleoclimatic proxies allows to assess potential linkages between environmental and climatic variability. New macrofossil and pollen data at Lago della Costa unambiguously document the local persistence of boreal tree taxa such as Larix decidua and Betula tree species around the study site during the last Glacial. The regular occurrence of pollen of temperate trees in the organic lake sediments (fine-detritus calcareous gyttja) suggests that temperate taxa such as Corylus avellana, Quercus deciduous, Tilia, Ulmus, Fraxinus excelsior, Carpinus, Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica, most likely survived the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) at favorable sites in the Euganean Hills. The percentage values of temperate trees are comparable with those from Southern Europe (e.g. Monticchio in Southern Italy). We conclude that the Euganean Hills were one of the northernmost refugial areas of temperate taxa in Europe. However, the relative and absolute abundances of pollen of temperate trees are highly variable. Pollen-inferred declines of temperate tree communities (e.g. Quercetum mixtum) and low ostracod-inferred water levels at Lago della Costa correspond to the cold Heinrich events H-2 (LGM; 23,000–19,000 cal. BP) and H-3 (around 28,000 cal. BP), as recorded in the marine sediments of the North Atlantic. Similar patterns of significant temperate tree population collapses during cold Heinrich events are recorded at southern Mediterranean sites (e.g. Monticchio and the Alboran Sea). These findings suggest close linkages between Northern Atlantic and South-Central European climates during the past Glacial.     

晋冀低山丘陵区人工扰动植被花粉组合特征

54个晋冀低山丘陵区人工和人工扰动植被表土花粉样品分析表明:花粉组合以草本植物花粉(74.5％)为主,乔木花粉含量低于20％。人类活动较强的农田以谷物禾本科、蒿属和藜科花粉为主,人类活动较弱的荒地以蒿属、藜科和杂草禾本科花粉为主。人类活动强度不同,指示种不同,孢粉浓度亦不同;农田指示种为谷物禾本科、葡萄科和胡桃科,孢粉浓度约4380粒/g;而蒿属、蓼科和蔷薇科则为荒地指示种,孢粉浓度约10983粒/g。农作物种植方式不同,谷物禾本科花粉含量不同,单一禾本科作物种植区谷物禾本科花粉含量(40.2％)高于多种作物混作区(18.8％)和荒地(3.8％)的含量。谷物禾本科含量的变化可以为利用化石花粉提取和检测人类活动信息提供依据,也可为利用地层中谷物禾本科花粉判断古代农业活动提供依据。     

On the black cotton soils of North Cameroon

During detailed geotechnical prospecting in North Cameroon, extensive black cotton soil deposits were encountered. Based on classification tests, three samples were selected for mineralogical analysis. The results indicated that the predominant clay mineral was the halloysite governing the geotechnical properties and behaviour of the cotton soils. New correlations were established between clay mineral content and Atterberg limits of the investigated materials.     

7000 years of paleostorm activity in the NW Mediterranean Sea in response to Holocene climate events

A high-resolution record of paleostorm events along the French Mediterranean coast over the past 7000 years was established from a lagoonal sediment core in the Gulf of Lions. Integrating grain size, faunal analysis, clay mineralogy and geochemistry data with a chronology derived from radiocarbon dating, we recorded seven periods of increased storm activity at 6300–6100, 5650–5400, 4400–4050, 3650–3200, 2800–2600, 1950–1400 and 400–50 cal yr BP (in the Little Ice Age). In contrast, our results show that the Medieval Climate Anomaly (1150–650 cal yr BP) was characterised by low storm activity.The evidence for high storm activity in the NW Mediterranean Sea is in agreement with the changes in coastal hydrodynamics observed over the Eastern North Atlantic and seems to correspond to Holocene cooling in the North Atlantic. Periods of low SSTs there may have led to a stronger meridional temperature gradient and a southward migration of the westerlies. We hypothesise that the increase in storm activity during Holocene cold events over the North Atlantic and Mediterranean regions was probably due to an increase in the thermal gradient that led to an enhanced lower tropospheric baroclinicity over a large Central Atlantic–European domain.     

Palaeoclimate indicators (clay minerals,calcareous nannofossils,stable isotopes) compared from two successions in the late Jurassic of the Volga Basin (SE Russia)

A study of clay mineral and calcareous nannofossil abundances in late Jurassic–early Cretaceous sediments from the Volga Basin, SE Russia, is presented. From these results, we are able to compare some general patterns of mineralogical and palaeontological change for the Volga Basin to the palaeoclimate models developed for northern Europe and beyond. The two successions examined comprise calcareous mudstones with black organic‐rich shale horizons, overlain by a series of phosphatic silty sands. Clay mineralogical results show a progressive decrease in kaolinite and the concomitant increase of smectite and illite through the middle Volgian, followed by an abrupt increase in kaolinite in the late Volgian. The clay mineral evidence suggests increasing aridity at the end of the Jurassic, similar, in part, to many western European successions. Because of differential settling of clay minerals, superimposed upon this possible climatic signature is likely to be the effect of relative sea‐level change. Calcareous nannofossil analysis from a single section reveals a shift through the middle Volgian from low nutrient, warm water assemblages dominated by Watznaueria to cooler surface water and high nutrient assemblages dominated by Biscutum constans. These observations suggest that increased aridity is also associated with climatic cooling. Black shales are associated with increased productivity, higher sea levels and increases in smectite content. Hence, periods of low (chemical) hinterland weathering during semi‐arid conditions are paradoxically associated with relatively nutrient‐rich waters, and organic‐rich shales. Comparison of published carbon and oxygen stable isotope results from this and other sections to the clay mineral and nannofossil data confirms the palaeoclimatic interpretation. This study significantly improves the published biostratigraphically constrained clay mineral database for this time period, because other European and North American successions are either non‐marine (and thus poorly dated), absent (through penecontemporaneous erosion) or condensed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.