Lateral Baroclinic Forcing Enhances Sediment Transport from Shallows to Channel in an Estuary

We investigate the dynamics governing exchange of sediment between estuarine shallows and the channel based on field measurements at eight stations spanning the interface between the channel and the extensive eastern shoals of South San Francisco Bay. The study site is characterized by longitudinally homogeneous bathymetry and a straight channel, with friction more important than the Coriolis forcing. Data were collected for 3 weeks in the winter and 4 weeks in the late summer of 2009, to capture a range of hydrologic and meteorologic conditions. The greatest sediment transport from shallows to channel occurred during a pair of strong, late-summer wind events, with westerly winds exceeding 10 m/s for more than 24 h. A combination of wind-driven barotropic return flow and lateral baroclinic circulation caused the transport. The lateral density gradient was produced by differences in temperature and suspended sediment concentration (SSC). During the wind events, SSC-induced vertical density stratification limited turbulent mixing at slack tides in the shallows, increasing the potential for two-layer exchange. The temperature- and SSC-induced lateral density gradient was comparable in strength to salinity-induced gradients in South Bay produced by seasonal freshwater inflows, but shorter in duration. In the absence of a lateral density gradient, suspended sediment flux at the channel slope was directed towards the shallows, both in winter and during summer sea breeze conditions, indicating the importance of baroclinically driven exchange to supply of sediment from the shallows to the channel in South San Francisco Bay and systems with similar bathymetry.     

Contrasting patterns of precipitation seasonality during the Holocene in the south‐ and north‐central Mediterranean

Pollen‐based quantitative estimates of seasonal precipitation from Lake Pergusa and lake‐level data from Lake Preola in Sicily (southern Italy) allow three successive periods to be distinguished within the Holocene: an early Holocene period before ca. 9800 cal a BP with rather dry climate conditions in winter and summer, a mid‐Holocene period between ca. 9800 and 4500 cal a BP with maximum winter and summer wetness, and a late Holocene period after 4500 cal a BP with declining winter and summer wetness. This evolution observed in the south‐central Mediterranean shows strong similarities to that recognized in the eastern Mediterranean. But, it contrasts with that reconstructed in north‐central Italy, where the mid‐Holocene appears to be characterized by a winter (summer) precipitation maximum (minimum), while the late Holocene coincided with a decrease (increase) in winter (summer) precipitation. Maximum precipitation at ca. 10 000–4500 cal a BP may have resulted from (i) increased local convection in response to a Holocene insolation maximum at 10 000 cal a BP and then (ii) the gradual weakening of the Hadley cell activity, which allowed the winter rainy westerlies to reach the Mediterranean area more frequently. After 4500 cal a BP, changes in precipitation seasonality may reflect non‐linear responses to orbitally driven insolation decrease in addition to seasonal and inter‐hemispheric changes of insolation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

燕山构造带凤山盆地早白垩世的沉积过程

凤山盆地是燕山构造带内的一个早白垩世伸展盆地。盆地内沉积岩相和相组合的详细分析结果显示,盆地内部发育不同的沉积相带,并显示明显的空间变化。盆地北部和西部边缘以冲积扇砾岩和扇三角洲砂岩、砾岩沉积为主,盆地中心为湖泊细粒沉积。古流向和物源恢复结果证明,盆地沉积物主体来自北部和西部变质岩基底。盆地构造沉降和沉积过程主要受北缘和西缘张性断层的控制。断层下盘基底岩石的抬升与盆地边界正断层活动相关,从而成为盆地主要的物源区。凤山盆地的演化可划分为3个阶段,即早期火山喷发阶段、中期强烈断陷阶段和晚期填平阶段。     

Seismic evidence of up to 200 m lake‐level change in Southern Patagonia since Marine Isotope Stage 4

Maar lake Laguna Potrok Aike is located north of the Strait of Magellan (south‐eastern Patagonia). Seismic reflection profiles revealed a highly dynamic palaeoclimate history. Dunes were identified in the eastern part of the lake at approximately 30 to 80 m below the lake floor, overlying older lacustrine strata, and suggest that the region experienced dry conditions probably combined with strong westerly winds. It is quite likely that this can be linked to a major dust event recorded in the Antarctic ice cores during Marine Isotope Stage 4. The dunes are overlain by a series of palaeo‐shorelines indicating a stepwise water‐level evolution of a new lake established after this dry period, and thus a change towards wetter conditions. After the initial, rapid and stepwise lake‐level rise, the basin became deeper and wider, and sediments deposited on the lake shoulder at approximately 33 m below present‐day lake level point towards a long period of lake‐level highstand between roughly 53·5 ka cal. bp and 30 ka cal. bp with a maximum lake level some 200 m higher than the desiccation horizon. This highstand was then followed by a regressional phase of uncertain age, although it must have happened some time between approximately 30 ka cal. bp and 6750 yrs cal. bp . Dryer conditions during the Mid‐Holocene are evidenced by a dropping lake level, resulting in a basin‐wide erosional unconformity on the lake shoulder. A second stepwise transgression between ca 5·8 to 5·4 ka cal. bp and ca 4·7 to 4 ka cal. bp with palaeo‐shorelines deposited on the lake shoulder unconformity again indicates a change towards wetter conditions.     

Sediment dispersal system in the Taiwan–South China Sea collision zone along a convergent margin: A comparison with the Papua New Guinea collision zone of the western Solomon Sea

Through a large-scale examination of the morpho-sedimentary features on sea floors in the Taiwan–Luzon convergent margin, we determined the main sediment dispersal system which stretches from 23°N to 20°N and displays as an aligned linear sediment pathway, consisting of the Penghu Canyon, the deep-sea Penghu Channel and northern Manila Trench. The seafloor of South China Sea north of 21°N are underlain by a triangle-shaped collision marine basin, resulting from oblique collision between the Luzon Arc and Chinese margin, and are mainly occupied by two juxtaposed slopes, the South China Sea and Kaoping Slopes, and a southward tilting basin axis located along the Penghu Canyon. Two major tributary canyons of the Formosa and Kaoping and small channels and gullies on both slopes join into the axial Penghu Canyon and form a dendritic canyon drainage system in this collision marine basin. The canyon drainage system is characteristic of lateral sediment supply from flank slopes and axial sediment transport down-canyon following the tilting basin axis. The significance of the collision marine basin in term of source to sink is that sediments derived from nearby orogen and continental margins are transported to and accumulated in the collision basin, serving as a temporary sediment sink and major marine transport route along the basin axis. The comparison of the Taiwan–South China Sea collision zone with the Papua New Guinea collision zone of the western Solomon Sea reveals remarkable similarities in tectonic settings and sedimentary processes that have resulted in similar sediment dispersal systems consisting of (1) a canyon drainage network mainly in the collision basin and (2) a longitudinal sediment transport system comprising a linear connection of submarine canyon, deep-sea channel and oceanic trench beyond the collision marine basin.     

Simulation for the Controlling Factors of Structural Deformation in the Southern Margin of the Junggar Basin

According to the differences of structural deformation characteristics, the southern margin of the Junggar basin can be divided into two segments from east to west. Arcuate thrust-and-fold belts that protrude to the north are developed in the eastern segment. There are three rows of en echelon thrust-and-fold belts in the western segment. Thrust and fold structures of basement-involved styles are developed in the first row, and décollement fold structures are formed from the second row to the third row. In order to study the factors controlling the deformation of structures, sand-box experiments have been devised to simulate the evolution of plane and profile deformation. The planar simulation results indicate that the orthogonal compression coming from Bogeda Mountain and the oblique compression with an angle of 75° between the stress and the boundary originating from North Tianshan were responsible for the deformation differences between the eastern part and the western part. The Miquan-ürümqi fault in the basement is the pre-existing condition for generating fragments from east to west. The profile simulation results show that the main factors controlling the deformation in the eastern part are related to the décollement of Jurassic coal beds alone, while those controlling the deformation in the western segment are related to both the Jurassic coal beds and the Eogene clay beds. The total amount of shortening from the Yaomoshan anticline to the Gumudi anticline in the eastern part is ~19.57 km as estimated from the simulation results, and the shortening rate is about 36.46%; that from the Qingshuihe anticline to the Anjihai anticline in the western part is ~22.01 km as estimated by the simulation results, with a shortening rate of about 32.48%. These estimated values obtained from the model results are very close to the values calculated by means of the balanced cross section.     

TECTONIC FEATURES AND HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF THE EASTERN QAIDAM BASIN

TECTONIC FEATURES AND HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF THE EASTERN QAIDAM BASIN     

Last glacial–interglacial sea-ice cover in the SW Atlantic and its potential role in global deglaciation

Sea-ice growth and decay in Antarctica is one of the biggest seasonal changes on Earth, expanding ice cover from 4 × 10⁶ km² to a maximum of 19 × 10⁶ km² during the austral winter. Analyses of six marine sediment cores from the Scotia Sea, SW Atlantic, yield records of sea-ice migration across the basin since the Lateglacial. The cores span nearly ten degrees of latitude from the modern seasonal sea-ice zone to the modern Polar Front. Surface sediments in the cores comprise predominantly diatomaceous oozes and muddy diatom oozes that reflect Holocene conditions. The cores exhibit similar down-core stratigraphies with decreasing diatom concentrations and increasing magnetic susceptibility from modern through to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Sediments in all cores contain sea-ice diatoms that preserve a signal of changing sea-ice cover and permit reconstruction of past sea-ice dynamics. The sea-ice records presented here are the first to document the position of both the summer and winter sea-ice cover at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Scotia Sea. Comparison of the LGM and Holocene sea-ice conditions shows that the average winter sea-ice extent was at least 5° further north at the LGM. Average summer sea-ice extent was south of the most southerly core site at the LGM, and suggests that sea-ice expanded from approximately ～61°S to ～52°S each season. Our data also suggest that the average summer sea-ice position at the LGM was not the maximum extent of summer sea-ice during the last glacial. Instead, the sediments contain evidence of a pre-LGM maximum extent of summer sea-ice between ～30 ka and 22 ka that extended to ～59°S, close to the modern average winter sea-ice limit. Based on our reconstruction we propose that the timing of the maximum extent of summer sea-ice and subsequent retreat by 22 ka, could be insolation controlled and that the strong links between sea-ice and bottom water formation provide a potential mechanism by which Southern Hemisphere regional sea-ice dynamics at the LGM could have a global impact and promote deglaciation.     

A sedimentological model for the continental Upper Triassic Tadrart Ouadou Sandstone Member: recording an interplay of climate and tectonics (Argana Valley; South‐west Morocco)

The continental Upper Triassic Tadrart Ouadou Sandstone Member was deposited in an extensional setting on the Pangaean continent, strongly influenced by a low‐latitude climatic regime (10° to 20° north). Complex interaction of basin subsidence and climatically driven processes led to high facies variability and a lack of correlatable units across the Argana Valley exposures. A process‐orientated approach integrating detailed facies with architectural element analysis was undertaken, which resulted in a multistage depositional model for the Tadrart Ouadou Sandstone Member. The basin‐scale model shows that basal alluvial fan and braided river systems are confined to the centre of the Argana Valley exposures. Aeolian deposits occur throughout the sequence, but dominate in the north. After a phase of playa deposition, prominent basin‐wide fluvial incision of up to 8 m marks the onset of perennial fluvial flow. These well‐sorted, internally complex and locally highly amalgamated fluvial sandstones are widespread throughout the basin and are focused in a north to south (south‐west) flowing channel system. After a final stage of aeolian sedimentation, sandstone deposition of the Tadrart Ouadou Sandstone Member in the Argana Valley is terminated rapidly by the onlap of lacustrine mudstones of the Sidi Mansour Member. The study revealed that, except for one pronounced period of perennial conditions, sedimentation is controlled largely by ephemeral fluvial flow, alternating ground water tables, deflation processes and periods with limited periodic local run‐off. The study highlights that facies architecture in the basin is the result of complex interaction of local syn‐sedimentary tectonics and the climatic regime within the basin, but also the climate of the catchment area to the east. The data suggest a proximal to mid‐distal basin setting in the rain‐shadow to the west of a mountain range (Massif Ancien), which exerted a strong control on the depositional environments of Triassic deposits exposed in this part of South‐west Morocco.     

Mechanism of Varve Formation and Paleoenvironmental Research at Lake Bolterskardet, Svalbard, the Arctic

On the basis of observation of thin sections and 137Cs data, laminations in sediment are interpreted to be varves in Bolterskardet Lake (78°06' N, 16°01' E), Svalbard, the Arctic. Varves appear under a petrologic microscope as couplets of dark-silt and light-clay layers. The mechanism of varve formation is surmized as follows: each silt layer is the production of sediment inflow interpreted as mainly derived from snowmelt during summer; each clay layer was deposited in a stillwater environment during an ice-cover period. A light -clay layer provides an important index bed to identify the annual interface. The high accumulation rates, long period of ice cover, and topographically closed basin are probably all critical factors in forming and preserving varves. Varve thickness is known to be controlled mainly by summer temperature. The variation of varve thickness in Lake Bolterskardet can then be used to reconstruct summer temperature. The varve series show that there has been distinct decade-scale variability of summer temperature over the past 150 years. Warm periods occurred in the 1860s, around 1900, the 1930s, 1950s, and 1970s, and in the last 20 years. The varved sediments of Lake Bolterskarde preserve an ideal record for high-resolution paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental research in this data-sparse area.     

Vegetation and climate during the Weichselian Early Glacial and Pleniglacial in the Niederlausitz,eastern Germany — macrofossil and pollen evidence

Cryoturbated organic beds and channel fills, intercalated with sandy and gravelly fluvial units, have been studied in an opencast brown‐coal mine near Nochten (Niederlausitz), eastern Germany. The fluvial–aeolian sequence covers parts of the Early, Pleni‐ and Late‐glacial. The detailed chronology is based on 11 radiocarbon and 12 OSL dates, covering the period between ca. 100 kyr and 11 kyr BP. Basal peat deposits are correlated with an Early Weichselian interstadial. During this period boreal forests were present and minimum mean summer temperatures were > 13°C. Early Pleniglacial deposits are absent. The Middle and Late Pleniglacial environments were treeless and different types of tundra vegetation can be recognised. Minimum mean summer temperatures varied between 10 and 15°C. Vegetation and climate is reconstructed in detail for the periods around 34–38 kyr BP and 24–25 kyr BP. Around 34–38 ka, a mixture between a low shrub tundra and a cottongrass tussock–subshrub tundra was present. The botanical and sedimentological data suggest that from the Middle to the Late Pleniglacial, the climate became more continental, aridity and wind strength increased, and the role of a protecting winter snow cover decreased. A sedge–grass–moss tundra dominated around 24 and 25 kyr BP. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From rifting to spreading in the eastern Gulf of Aden: a geophysical survey of a young oceanic basin from margin to margin

A geophysical survey in the eastern Gulf of Aden, between the Alula–Fartak (52°E) and the Socotra (55°E) transform faults, was carried out during the Encens–Sheba cruise. The conjugate margins of the Gulf are steep, narrow and asymmetric. Asymmetry of the rifting process is highlighted by the conjugate margins (horst and graben in the north and deep basin in the south). Two transfer fault zones separate the margins into three segments, whereas the present‐day Sheba Ridge is divided into two segments by a transform discontinuity. Therefore segmentation of the Sheba Ridge and that of the conjugate margins did coincide during the early stages of oceanic spreading. Extensive magma production is evidenced in the central part of the western segment. Anomaly 5d was identified in the northern and southern parts of the oceanic basin, thus confirming that seafloor spreading in this part of Gulf of Aden started at least 17.6 Ma ago.     

Sorted bedforms off Western Long Island,New York,USA: Asymmetrical morphology and twelve‐year migration record

Sorted bedforms are widely present in sediment‐starved littoral and inner shelf settings; they are indicators for hydrodynamic conditions and a primary contributor for the subsurface structure. This study investigated the morphology and migration of sorted bedforms on the inner shelf of Long Beach Barrier Island, New York, USA , by repeat geophysical and geological surveys in 2001, 2005 and 2013 (following superstorm Sandy) involving swath bathymetry, backscatter, chirp seismic reflection data and grab sampling. Swath data revealed that the western sector, comprising the western 75% of the survey region, is dominated by NNE –SSW ‐oriented, 0·5 to 1·0 km wide sorted bedforms with highly asymmetrical cross‐sections, with steeper slopes and coarser sands on the eastern (stoss) flanks. Many secondary bedforms were also observed (north–south to north‐east/south‐west oriented lineation structures) at the western edges of coarse sand zones. The eastern sector displays an unusual sorted bedform pattern that is dominated by coarse‐grained substrate, with isolated patches of fine‐grained sands oriented north‐east/south‐west which are 0·15 to 1·0 km in length and ca 30 to 200 m in width, similar in scale and orientation to the secondary bedforms in the western sector. Comparison analysis of the swath data sets indicates that the primary transverse sorted bedform morphology within the western sector was largely stable over this time frame, although the swales were deepened following the storms. The coarse/fine sand boundaries did migrate, however, moving ca 1 to 5 m eastward between 2001 and 2005, and ca 5 to 20 m westward between 2005 and 2013; the higher migration rates (up to 2·5 m year⁻¹) in the latter time period may be attributable to large storm forcing (for example, hurricanes Irene and Sandy). Significant north‐westward migration of the secondary bedforms and coarse sand patches in the western sector, as well as fine sand patches in the eastern sector were also observed; these features are far more mobile than the primary sorted bedforms, possibly because they are fine sand drifts that do not erode into the coarse substrate. Seismic reflection data revealed a transgressive ravinement beneath sorted bedforms, merging with the sea floor at the bottom of swales. The authors hypothesize that long‐term topographic migration of transverse sorted bedforms contributes to the formation and evolution of the ravinement.     

Architecture and evolution of the Paine channel complex, Cerro Toro Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Silla Syncline, Magallanes Basin, Chile

The Upper Cretaceous Cerro Toro Formation in the Silla Syncline, Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, Magallanes Basin, Chile, includes over 1100 m of mainly thin‐bedded mud‐rich turbidites containing three thick divisions of coarse conglomerate and sandstone. Facies distributions, stacking patterns and lateral relationships indicate that the coarse‐grained sandstone and conglomerate units represent the fill of a series of large south to south‐east trending deep‐water channels or channel complexes. The middle coarse division, informally named the Paine member, represents the fill of at least three discrete channels or channel complexes, termed Paine A, B and C. The uppermost of these, Paine C, represents a channel belt about 3·5 km wide and its fill displays explicit details of channel geometry, channel margins, and the processes of channel development and evolution. Along its northern margin, Paine C consists of stacked, laterally offset channels, each eroded into fine‐grained mudstone and thin‐bedded sandy turbidites. Along its southern margin, the Paine C complex was bounded by a single, deeply incised but stepped erosional surface. The evolution of the Paine C channel occurred through multiple cycles of activity, each involving: (i) an initial period of channel erosion into underlying fine‐grained sediments; (ii) deposition of coarse‐grained pebble to cobble conglomerate and sandstone within the channel; and (iii) waning of coarse sediment deposition and accumulation of a widespread sheet of fine‐grained, thin‐bedded turbidites inside and outside the channel. The thin‐bedded turbidites deposited within, and adjacent to, the channel along the northern margin of the Paine C complex do not appear to represent levée deposits but, rather, a separate fine‐grained turbidite system that impinged on the Paine C channel from the north. The Cerro Toro channel complex in the Silla Syncline may mark either an early axial zone of the Magallanes Basin or a local slope mini‐basin developed behind a zone of slope faulting and folding now present immediately east of the syncline. If the latter, flows moving downslope toward the basin axis further east were diverted to the south by this developing structural high, deposited part of their coarse sediment loads, and exited the mini‐basin at a point located near the south‐eastern edge of the present Silla Syncline.     

Structure of the Cobar Basin,New South Wales,based on seismic reflection profiling

The Cobar Basin in central western New South Wales is a mineral‐rich Early Devonian basin typical of those that characterize the Siluro‐Devonian history of the Lachlan Orogen of southeastern Australia. One hundred and seventy kilometres of seismic profiling in three lines across the basin have shown it to be asymmetrical in shape with an east‐dipping western margin that is steeper than the moderately west‐dipping eastern margin. Maximum basin thickness is around 6 km, but there are significant thickness changes, especially from south to north, which reflect the effect of synsedimentary faulting. Seismic profiling suggests that the basin deformed by thin‐skinned tectonics; postulated strike‐slip effects were not visible on the sections. The seismic profiling has, for the first time, imaged the western synrift basin margin which is generally not exposed. Strain variations during deformation along this edge were taken up by the formation of a major jog ('dog‐leg') which has propagated into the basin as a tear fault. Intrabasinal tears, as well as thrusts, which link into one or more detachments, provide potential pathways for mineralizing fluids during basin inversion.     

On the date of construction of Lechaion,western harbor of ancient Corinth,Greece

Lechaion, the western harbor of ancient Corinth, was an artificial harbor excavated in a marshy area and connected to the open sea through a channel with revetment walls. It was probably the most important harbor of this type in antiquity, and one of the most important harbors in Greece for more than one millennium. Yet, the date of construction of this harbor is a matter of debate; 600 B.C., ca. 44 B.C., and A.D. 350 are the most probable dates. Geomorphological and biological investigations, in combination with AMS radiocarbon dating of exposed marine shells found in the walls of the channel leading to the inner basin of the harbor indicate that the channel was open to the sea before a seismic land uplift that probably occurred sometime in the fifth to third century B.C. These data indicate that the construction of the harbor began in ca. 600 B.C., the period of Corinthian expansion to the Ionian Sea and southern Italy. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Turbidite system architecture and sedimentary processes along topographically complex slopes: the Makran convergent margin

This study investigates the morphology and Late Quaternary sediment distribution of the Makran turbidite system (Makran subduction zone, north‐west Indian Ocean) from a nearly complete subsurface mapping of the Oman basin, two‐dimensional seismic and a large set of coring data in order to characterize turbidite system architecture across an active (fold and thrust belt) margin. The Makran turbidite system is composed of a dense network of canyons, which cut into high relief accreted ridges and intra‐slope piggyback basins, forming at some locations connected and variably tortuous paths down complex slopes. Turbidite activity and trench filling rates are high even during the Holocene sea‐level highstand conditions. In particular, basin‐wide, sheet‐like thick mud turbidites, probably related to major mass wasting events of low recurrence time, drape the flat and unchannellized Oman abyssal plain. Longitudinal depth profiles show that the Makran canyons are highly disrupted by numerous thrust‐related large‐scale knickpoints (with gradients up to 20° and walls up to 500 m high). At the deformation front, the strong break of slope can lead to the formation of canyon‐mouth ‘plunge pools’ of variable shapes and sizes. The plunge pools observed in the western Makran are considerably larger than those previously described in sub‐surface successions; the first insights into their internal architecture and sedimentary processes are presented here. Large plunge pools in the western Makran are associated with large scoured areas at the slope break and enhanced sediment deposition downstream: high‐amplitude reflectors are observed inside the plunge pools, while their flanks are composed of thin‐bedded, fine‐grained turbidites deposited by the uppermost part of the turbidity flows. Thus, these architectural elements are associated with strong sediment segregation leading to specific trench‐fill mechanisms, as only the finer‐grained component of the flows is transferred to the abyssal plain. However, the Makran accretionary prism is characterized by strong along‐strike variability in tectonics and fluvial input distribution that might directly influence the turbidite system architecture (i.e. canyon entrenchment, plunge pool formation or channel development at canyon mouths), the sedimentary dynamics and the resulting sediment distribution. Channel formation in the abyssal plain and trench‐fill characteristics depend on the theoretical ‘equilibrium’ conditions of the feeder system, which is related closely to the balance between erosion rates and tectonic regime. Thus, the Makran turbidite system constitutes an excellent modern analogue for deep‐water sedimentary systems with structurally complex depocentres, in convergent margin settings.     

Tropical westerlies over Pangaean sand seas

Cross‐equatorial, westerly winds are key features of tropical circulation in monsoonal regions. Although prominent in numerical climate models of Pangaea (the supercontinent straddling earth's equator, Late Palaeozoic to Early Mesozoic), such flow has not been confirmed previously by migration directions of ancient dunes. Wind‐blown sandstones that span 100 million years of earth history are widely exposed in south‐western USA. If recent palaeomagnetic data from the Colorado Plateau are used to correct Mesozoic palaeogeographic maps, the Plateau is placed about 10° further south than previously assumed, and the prevailing north‐westerly surface winds recorded by dune‐deposited sandstones are explicable as cross‐equatorial westerlies – the hallmark of modern monsoon circulation. Permian to Early Jurassic dunes were driven by north‐westerlies produced by a steep pressure gradient spanning the supercontinent during December–January–February. Although winds are light in most modern, near‐equatorial settings, the East African Jet accounts for more than half the cross‐equatorial flow in June–July–August. The thicknesses of annual depositional cycles within the Navajo Sandstone indicate that the near‐equatorial, north‐westerly winds that drove these particular dunes were stronger than the modern East African Jet. The Early Jurassic dunes that deposited the thick cycles were positioned west of the dominant (southern hemisphere) thermal low and against highlands to the west – a setting very similar to the East African Jet. The mountains along the western coast of Pangaea not only enhanced wind strength, but also cast a rain shadow that allowed active dunes to extend very close to the palaeoequator.     

Paleoceanography of surface waters in the Gulf of Mexico during the late Quaternary

Late Quaternary paleotemperatures and paleosalinities of surface waters of the Gulf of Mexico were estimated using a multivariate statistical analysis of census data of planktonic foraminifera. Two climatic extremes were selected for detailed basinwide study, the climatic optimum 125,000 yr ago and the glacial maximum 18,000 yr ago. In addition, patterns of climatic change were examined in seven piston cores from 127,000 yr ago to the present day. During the climatic optimum 125,000 yr ago temperature distributions in surface waters were similar to those of the present. The 22°C winter isotherm trended northeastward across the central basin and paleotemperatures decreased northward. Summer distributions were nearly homogeneous and ranged between 28° and 29°C. Winter salinities were 1‰ fresher than present values in the northmost Gulf and 0.4‰ fresher in the central basin. Summer salinities were similar during both times. In contrast, during the last glacial maximum temperatures were 1° to 2°C cooler in winter and 1°C cooler in summer, and isotherms formed a circular pattern in the Gulf during both seasons. Salinity was 0.3‰ fresher in winter than at present but 0.6‰ saltier in summer. Conditions deteriorated from the climatic optimum to the glacial maximum. In the Mexico Basin, winter temperatures were 2°C cooler from 75,000 to 45,000 yr ago (Y6 to Y3 Subzones), summer temperatures reached a minimum (3°C cooler) 32,000 yr ago (Y2–Y3 boundary), and seasonality reached minimal values (5°C) from 45,000 to 15,000 yr ago. All three parameters became similar in value to those in the Straits of Florida from 45,000 to 15,000 yr ago, suggesting that the exchange of surface waters was enhanced at this time between the two regions. Summer salinities remained similar to present conditions in the Mexico Basin, whereas, winter salinities increased 2‰ by 32,000 yr ago and then fell 0.5‰ until the glacial maximum ended. The Westerlies may have migrated southward over the Mexico Basin in winter from 32,000 to 15,000 yr ago.     

Early Weichselian (MIS 5d and 5c) temperatures and environmental changes in northern Fennoscandia as recorded by chironomids and macroremains at Sokli,northeast Finland

Engels, S., Helmens, K. F., Väliranta, M., Brooks, S. J. & Birks, H. J. B. 2010: Early Weichselian (MIS 5d and 5c) temperatures and environmental changes in northern Fennoscandia as recorded by chironomids and macroremains at Sokli, northeast Finland. Boreas, Vol. 39, pp. 689–704. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00163.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. A 25‐m‐long sediment record spanning the time from the Eemian to the Holocene was recovered from Sokli, northeast Finland. This study focuses on a 6‐m‐long sediment interval that is dated to the Early Weichselian period (MIS 5d and 5c) and consists of lacustrine and fluvial deposits. Using chironomid remains, botanical and zoological macroremains as well as sediment lithology, we were able to reconstruct past changes in the environment, including climate. The results indicate that the site was situated on a flood‐plain during the latter stages of MIS 5d (Herning Stadial) and that summer temperatures might have been ～6 °C lower than at present. Although this value should be treated with caution, as numerical analysis shows that it has a very poor fit‐to‐temperature, this low reconstructed value concurs with several other reconstructions that are available from western Europe. During MIS 5c (Brørup interstadial), the depositional environment changed into a lake system, initially with stratification of the water and subsequently with complete mixing and a strong influence of streams. Both chironomid‐based and macroremain‐based temperature inferences indicate past July air temperatures that were significantly higher than at present. This result is in contrast to other (low‐resolution) reconstructions from northern Fennoscandia that indicate past temperatures 6–7 °C lower than present using fossil coleopteran assemblages. However, several central European sites indicate that there was a phase during the Brørup interstadial that was characterized by high summer temperatures, and a comparison between the high‐resolution reconstructions from western Europe and the results presented in this study suggests that the north–south July air temperature gradient between the mid‐ and high‐latitudes was much weaker during the Brørup interstadial than it is at present. High solar insolation values (particularly the obliquity) during the Brørup interstadial might explain the low summer temperature gradient over the European continent. A return to fluvial conditions occurred in the upper parts of the sediment sequence, and, after a brief interval of gyttja deposition under cooling conditions, the site became glaciated during MIS 5b.