反射光谱技术:研究南极企鹅古生态演化的一种新方法

为探求快速、廉价、无损和同步的光谱技术在南极生态环境研究中的可能性,本文利用南极阿德雷岛的四根企鹅粪土沉积柱样品的反射光谱,通过逐步多元线性回归和主成分回归两种数学运算方法,建立了反射光谱数据与企鹅粪九种标型元素浓度之间的关系,并探讨了南极企鹅粪土沉积物光谱数据的古生态意义。结果表明:南极粪土沉积样品反射率光谱与企鹅粪九种标型元素(P、Ca、Cu、F、Ba、S、Zn、Sr、Se)含量之间存在良好的相关性,预测值与实测值之间的相关系数R都达到了0.9以上,在深度剖面上预测浓度与实测浓度具有非常一致的变化趋势;南极粪土沉积物光谱数据包含有明确的古生态变化信息,可利用主成分分析快速恢复历史时期企鹅数量演化过程。本研究结果为在偏远的南极地区开展古生态环境研究提供了一种新的快捷方法和技术途径。     

Feasibility of using reflectance spectroscopy for the analysis of bio-element concentrations in Antarctic ornithogenic sediments

Compared with traditional chemical analysis methods, reflectance spectroscopy has the advantages of speed, minimal or no sample preparation, non-destruction, and low cost. The present study explored the application of the reflectance spectroscopy within near ultraviolet-visible-near infrared region to predict bio-element compositions in the ornithogenic sediments from the maritime Antarctic. A total of 106 samples were taken from four ornithogenic sediment cores on the Ardley Island of Antarctica, 68 samples were used for building calibration equation, and 38 for prediction of nine bio-elements including P, Ca, Cu, Zn, Se, Sr, Ba, F and S. Three multivariate statistical analysis techniques, including stepwise multiple linear regression (Stepwise-MLR), principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares regression (PLS) were used to develop mathematical relationships between the spectral data and the chemical reference data. The results showed that the regression models constructed by PCR and PLS models have no significant differences, and obviously supervisor to Stepwise-MLR. The correlations between spectra-predicted and chemically analyzed concentrations of nine bio-elements are statistically significant, and the concentration-versus-depth profiles predicted from reflectance spectra using PLS calibration model are consistent with those from actual chemical analysis. These results demonstrated the feasibility of using reflectance spectroscopy to infer bio-element concentrations in the ornithogenic sediments, and thus it is suggested that the reflectance spectroscopy could provide a rapid and valuable technique to indirectly identify whether the sediments were influenced by penguin droppings in the Antarctic region.