Millennial/centennial-scale thermocline ventilation changes in the Indian Ocean as reflected by aragonite preservation and geochemical variations in Arabian Sea sediments

The formation and temporal variability of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) of the Arabian Sea is a subject of intense research. We contribute to the discussion by studying modern seawater profiles of the Indian Ocean (salinity, O₂, pH, aragonite saturation, nitrate deficit, nutrients), which show that Subantarctic Mode and Antarctic Intermediate Waters (SAMW-AAIW) have a strong influence on the OMZ characteristics of the Arabian Sea. To obtain a better grasp of the range of possible OMZ variations, we studied a 50-kyr record in the NE Arabian Sea (core MD042876) from a site at 828 m water depth within the thermocline. In this core, aragonite is preserved during North Atlantic Heinrich events (HEs) and Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) stadials, while it is absent during DO interstadials and most of the Holocene. Considering the excellent correlation between aragonite content and Sr/Ca ratio, as well as the presence of fine-grained aragonitic needles and the isotopic composition (δ¹³C) of carbonates in the fine fraction, we infer that essentially all aragonite originates as fine Sr-rich debris from shallow water. A comparison with other records from the NE Arabian Sea (Sr/Ca, δ¹⁵N) indicates that aragonite variability in the cores is rather controlled by OMZ intensity variations as forcing mechanism while changes in aragonite supply seem to play a minor role. The strong correlation of aragonite content with changes in millennial-scale ventilation of the Indian Ocean, as well as a comparison with modern oceanographic conditions, supports the theory that OMZ intensity variations are controlled by changes in the formation of SAMW-AAIW, and are not only due to monsoonal changes. Thus, during HEs and DO stadials, the thermocline Arabian Sea experienced a strengthened influx of O₂-rich SAMW-AAIW. On the other hand, OMZ conditions during DO interstadials and the Holocene seem best explained by analogy with the present-day situation: low supply of O₂ combined with elevated O₂ demand controlled by monsoon-related productivity.     

Monsoonal changes inferred from the Middle to Late Holocene sediments off Landfall Island,North Andaman

In this paper, sediment texture, clay mineral composition, and δ ¹⁸O data on Globigerinoides ruber of a sediment core collected from a water depth of 250 m near Landfall Island, Bay of Bengal, is presented to understand paleoenvironmental shifts during the Mid–Late Holocene period. From the sediment core, five organic carbon-rich samples were radiocarbon dated and the reservoir-corrected ages range from 6,078 to 1,658 years BP. The marine sediment core is represented dominantly by clayey silt with incursions of coarser components that occur around 6,000, 5,400, and 3,400 years BP. The sedimentation of the coarser detritus is due to strengthened southwest monsoon (SWM) since 6,500 to 5,400 years BP. Clay minerals are represented by smectite, illite, kaolinite, and chlorite in varying amounts. High kaolinite content and K/C ratio indicate intense SWM and strong bedrock weathering from the hinterland (~6,500–5,400 years BP). Incidence of smectite (48.82 to 25.09 %) and chlorite/illite (C/I) ratio (0.56 to 0.28) indicate an overall weakened southwest monsoon since 6,000 to 2,000 years BP with a brief incursion of extremely reduced SWM around 4,400 to 4,200 years BP. This is corroborated with the oxygen isotope on G. ruber that reveals a significant shift in the isotopic values ~4,300 years BP (?3.39?‰), indicating weakening in SWM. Subsequently, fluctuations in the intensity of SWM are observed since 2,000 years to present.     

Reconstruction of the variability of the southwest monsoon during the past 3 ka,from the continental margin of the southeastern Arabian Sea

From temporal variation in δ¹⁸O in Globigerinoides ruber and G. sacculifer and geochemical indices of weathering/erosion (chemical index of alteration, Al and Ti), we infer rapid southwest monsoon (SWM) deterioration with dwindling fluvial and detrital fluxes at ca. 450–650, 1000 and 1800–2200 cal. a BP during the late Holocene. We have evaluated the role of solar influx (reconstructed) and high‐latitude climate variability (archived in GRIP and GISP‐2 cores) on SWM precipitation. Broadly, our δ¹⁸O climate reconstruction is concordant with GRIP and GISP‐2, and supports a teleconnection through atmospheric connection between the SWM and the North Atlantic climate – albeit temporal extents of the Little Ice Age and Medieval Warm Period from high latitude are not entirely coeval. Moreover, there is a humid climate and enhanced precipitation during the terminal stages of the Little Ice Age. The medieval warming (ca. AD 800–1300) is not synchronous either, and is punctuated by an arid event centred at 1000 a BP. Although the delineation of the specific influence of solar influx on SWM precipitation is elusive, we surmise that SWM precipitation is a complex phenomenon and local orography along southwestern India may have a role on the entrapment of moisture from the southwest trade winds, when these hit land. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Neotectonics at the Arabian plate margins

Opening of the Red Sea is accompanied by convergence between the Arabian plate and Eurasia. Regional topography and structure favour gravity glide as the main driving force of plate translation. At the leading edge of the plate, the Zagros Mountains undergo coseismic serial folding which is equivalent to Holocene shortening by ∼20 mm/year and which has led to major episodes of coastal uplift of which the last was ∼1700 years BP. At the Jordan Rift transform, which bounds the Arabian plate on the west, a recurrence interval of ∼1600 years is reported for events of M_L≥5.5. The palaeomagnetic record for the last 3.2 Ma indicates an average spreading rate for the Red Sea of ∼20 mm/year; there is some evidence that hydrothermal activity in the Red Sea is pulsatory, with a period of ∼2000 year, and that it reflects discontinuous spreading. The Holocene neotectonic records of the Zagros, the Jordan Rift and the Red Sea are the product of complex plate interactions and of the accumulation and release of strain in the crust along the plate margins. But they also reflect elastic strain energy storage and release within the Arabian plate, whence parallels in the period of major deformation episodes in the three deforming zones and the apparent discrepancy between the seismic moment predicted by plate kinematics and that recorded in the Zagros. Any associated intraplate deformation, if detected geodetically, would thus help the assessment of seismic hazard.     

A ∼25 ka Indian Ocean monsoon variability record from the Andaman Sea

Recent paleoclimatic work on terrestrial and marine deposits from Asia and the Indian Ocean has indicated abrupt changes in the strength of the Asian monsoon during the last deglaciation. Comparison of marine paleoclimate records that track salinity changes from Asian rivers can help evaluate the coherence of the Indian Ocean monsoon (IOM) with the larger Asian monsoon. Here we present paired Mg/Ca and δ¹⁸O data on the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber (white) from Andaman Sea core RC12-344 that provide records of sea-surface temperature (SST) and δ¹⁸O of seawater (δ¹⁸O_sw) over the past 25,000 years (ka) before present (BP). Age control is based on nine accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates on mixed planktic foraminifera. Mg/Ca-SST data indicate that SST was ∼3 °C cooler during the last glacial maximum (LGM) than the late Holocene. Andaman Sea δ¹⁸O_sw exhibited higher than present values during the Lateglacial interval ca 19–15 ka BP and briefly during the Younger Dryas ca 12 ka BP. Lower than present δ¹⁸O_sw values during the BØlling/AllerØd ca 14.5–12.6 ka BP and during the early Holocene ca 10.8–5.5 ka BP are interpreted to indicate lower salinity, reflect some combination of decreased evaporation–precipitation (E–P) over the Andaman Sea and increased Irrawaddy River outflow. Our results are consistent with the suggestion that IOM intensity was stronger than present during the BØlling/AllerØd and early Holocene, and weaker during the late glaciation, Younger Dryas, and the late Holocene. These findings support the hypothesis that rapid climate change during the last deglaciation and Holocene included substantial hydrologic changes in the IOM system that were coherent with the larger Asian monsoon.     

北极冰盖形成对东西太平洋及边缘海古海洋学演化的影响*

上新世最重要的古气候事件就是北极冰盖的形成和扩张（3.2—2.5Ma）。根据北极冰盖的形成过程,文中将上新世—早更新世（4.5—1.6Ma）西太平洋暖池核心区ODP807A孔2个浮游有孔虫属种Globigerinoides ruber和Pulleniatina obliquiloculata的δ¹⁸O（氧同位素）、δ¹³C（碳同位素）记录数据细分为3个阶段：形成前（4.5—3.2Ma）、形成中（3.2—2.5Ma）和形成后（2.5—1.6Ma）。研究结果表明,北极冰盖形成以来,G.ruber和P.obliquiloculata的 δ¹⁸O值均呈增大趋势;北极冰盖形成中,G.ruber 的δ¹⁸O值基本不变,P.obliquiloculata的 δ¹⁸O值略增大,反映出西太平洋暖池次表层海水受北极冰盖形成的影响更甚;Δδ¹⁸O_（P-G）（G.ruber和P.obliquiloculata的 δ¹⁸O 的差值）反映出温跃层无明显变化,受北极冰盖形成影响微弱。根据用Ma/Ca值得到的ODP806站SST值（Wara et al.,2005）以及用U^K′₃₇得到的东太平洋ODP847站SST值数据（Herbert and Laura,2010）,对北极冰盖形成以来东西太平洋古海洋学演化进行比较发现：冰盖形成以来东西赤道太平洋海水表层温度均有所下降,且东太平洋降温幅度更大;对比同时期的西太平洋ODP807A孔Δδ¹⁸O_（P-G）与东太平洋ODP847站Δδ¹⁸O_（T-S）的变化趋势,发现东太平洋温跃层变浅,表明受北极冰盖形成和扩张的影响,东西太平洋温跃层深度梯度增大。对比ODP807A孔与南海南部1143站、南海北部1148站G.ruber的 δ¹⁸O 和δ¹³C记录,揭示西太平洋边缘海如南海北部和南部受北极冰盖形成的影响有所不同,北部的表层海水温度和生产力水平受冰盖形成的影响更加明显。     

Terrigenous plant wax inputs to the Arabian Sea: Implications for the reconstruction of winds associated with the Indian Monsoon

We have determined the accumulation rates and carbon isotopic compositions (δ¹³C) of long-chain (C₂₄-C₃₂) terrigenous plant wax fatty acids in 19 surface sediment samples geographically distributed throughout the Arabian Sea in order to assess the relationship between plant wax inputs and the surrounding monsoon wind systems. Both the accumulation rate data and the δ¹³C data show that there are three primary eolian sources of plant waxes to the Arabian Sea: Africa, Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula. These sources correspond to the three major wind systems in this region: the summer (Southwest) monsoon, the winter (Northeast) monsoon, and the summer northwesterlies that blow over the Arabian Peninsula. In addition, plant waxes are fluvially supplied to the Gulf of Oman and the Eastern African margin by nearby rivers. Plant wax δ¹³C values reflect the vegetation types of the continental source regions. Greater than 75% of the waxes from Africa and Asia are derived from C₄ plants. Waxes delivered by northwesterly winds reflect a greater influence (25-40%) of C₃ vegetation, likely derived from the Mesopotamian region. These data agree well with previously published studies of eolian dust deposition, particularly of dolomite derived from the Arabian Peninsula and the Mesopotamian region, in surface sediments of the Arabian Sea. The west-to-east gradient of plant wax δ¹³C and dolomite accumulation rates are separately useful indicators of the relationship between the northwesterly winds and the winds of the Southwest monsoon. Combined, however, these two proxies could provide a powerful tool for the reconstruction of both southwest monsoon strength as well as Mesopotamian aridity.     

Monsoon control on trace metal fluxes in the deep Arabian Sea

Particulate fluxes of aluminium, iron, magnesium and titanium were measured using six time-series sediment traps deployed in the eastern, central and western Arabian Sea. Annual Al fluxes at shallow and deep trap depths were 0.47 and 0.46 g m^-2 in the western Arabian Sea, and 0.33 and 0.47 g m^-2 in the eastern Arabian Sea. There is a difference of about 0.9–1.8 g m^-2y^-1 in the lithogenic fluxes determined analytically (residue remaining after leaching out all biogenic particles) and estimated from the Al fluxes in the western Arabian Sea. This arises due to higher fluxes of Mg (as dolomite) in the western Arabian Sea (6–11 times higher than the eastern Arabian Sea). The estimated dolomite fluxes at the western Arabian Sea site range from 0.9 to 1.35gm^-2y^-1. Fe fluxes in the Arabian Sea were less than that of the reported atmospheric fluxes without any evidence for the presence of labile fraction/excess of Fe in the settling particles. More than 75% of Al, Fe, Ti and Mg fluxes occurred during the southwest (SW) monsoon in the western Arabian Sea. In the eastern Arabian Sea, peak Al, Fe, Mg and Ti fluxes were recorded during both the northeast (NE) and SW monsoons. During the SW monsoon, there exists a time lag of around one month between the increases in lithogenic and dolomite fluxes. Total lithogenic fluxes increase when the southern branch of dust bearing northwesterlies is dragged by the SW monsoon winds to the trap locations. However, the dolomite fluxes increase only when the northern branch of the northwesterlies (which carries a huge amount of dolomite accounting 60% of the total dust load) is dragged, from further north, by SW monsoon winds. The potential for the use of Mg/Fe ratio as a paleo-monsoonal proxy is examined.     

Cold climate during the closest Stage 11 analog to recent Millennia

The early part of marine isotopic Stage 11 near 400,000 years ago provides the closest analog to Holocene insolation levels of any interglaciation during the era of strong 100,000-year climatic cycles. The CH₄ concentration measured in Vostok ice fell to ∼450 ppb, and CO₂ values to ∼250 ppm. These natural decreases contrast with the increases in recent millennia and support the early anthropogenic hypothesis of major gas emissions from late-Holocene farming. During the same interval, δD values fell from typical interglacial to nearly glacial values, indicating a major cooling in Antarctica early in Stage 11. Other evidence suggests that new ice was accumulating during the closest insolation analog to the present day: a major increase in δ¹⁸O_atm at Vostok, a similar increase in marine δ¹⁸O values, and re-initiation of ice rafting in the Nordic Sea. The evidence permits extended (>20,000 year) intervals of Stage 11 interglacial warmth in the Antarctic and North Atlantic, yet it also requires that this warmth ended and a new glacial era began when insolation was most similar to recent millennia. The Holocene CO₂ anomaly was produced only in part by direct anthropogenic emissions; over half of the anomaly resulted from the failure of CO₂ values to fall as they had during previous interglaciations because of natural responses, including a sea-ice advance in the Antarctic and ice-sheet growth in the northern hemisphere.     

Coral δO records as an indicator of winter monsoon intensity in the South China Sea

We have used correlative analysis between mean December-January-February winter wind velocities, measured at the Xisha Meteorological Observatory (16°50′N, 112°20′E) in the middle of the South China Sea, and mean δ¹⁸O data for the corresponding month from Porites lutea coral, collected in Longwan waters (19°20′N, 110°39′E), to obtain a linear equation relating the two datasets. This winter wind velocity for the South China Sea (WMII_scs) can then be correlated to the coral δ¹⁸O by the equation WMII_scs = −1.213-1.351 δ¹⁸O (‰ PDB), r = −0.60, n = 40, P = 0.01. From this, the calculated WMII_scs-δ18O series from 1944 to 1997 tends to decrease during the 1940s to the 1960s; it increases slightly during the 1970s and then decreases again in the 1980s and 1990s. The calculated decadal mean WMII_scs-δ18O series had a obvious decrease from 5.92 to 4.63 m/s during the period of 1944-1997. The calculated yearly mean WMII_scs-δ18O value is 5.58 m/s from 1944 to 1976 and this decreases to 4.85 m/s from 1977 to 1998. That is the opposite trend to the observed yearly mean SST variation. The yearly mean SST anomaly is −0.27° from 1943 to 1976 and this increases to +0.16° from 1977 to 1998. Spectral analysis used on a 54-year-long calculated WMII_scs-δ18O series produces spectral peaks at 2.4-7 yr, which can be closely correlated with the quasibiennial oscillation band (QBO band, 2-2.4 yr) and the El Ñino southern oscillation band (ENSO band, 3-8 yr). Hence most of the variability of the winter monsoon intensity in the middle of the South China Sea is mainly constrained by changes in the thermal difference between the land and the adjoining sea area, perhaps due to global warming.     

Fluid–rock interaction during subsolidus microtextural development of alkali granite as exemplified by the Saertielieke pluton,Ulungur of the northern Xinjiang,China

Three lithological Groups I (medium-grained, with magmatogenic arfvedsonite), II (medium-grained, with secondary arfvedsonite) and III (fine-grained, with magmatogenic arfvedsonite) are identified in the Saertielieke alkali granite pluton, Ulungur of the northern Xinjiang, China. A weak negative correlation between the δ¹⁸O values of alkali feldspar and quartz separates from each group, and the distinctly lower δ¹⁸O values of alkali feldspar separates from Groups I and II than those from Group III are interpreted in terms of superimposed closed-system and open-system isotope exchange. A small amount of locally exsolved magmatic fluid is involved in the development of the perthitic texture in alkali feldspar at ∼400 °C that results in a volume increase and, hence, causes quartz deformation. The microtextural changes promote the closed-system oxygen isotope exchange between quartz and alkali feldspar that causes a dispersion in the quartz δ¹⁸O values. However, the distinctly lower δ¹⁸O values of alkali feldspar and secondary arfvedsonite coupled with their microtextural characteristics indicate that meteoric-derived water plays an important role in the further development of alkali feldspar exsolution texture at T<400 °C and directly causes secondary arfvedsonite formation. The estimated relative exchange rates k_Quartz/k_Feldspar/k_Arfvedsonite of ∼10/100/1 for Groups I and III, and ∼10/100/100 for Group II suggest that alkali feldspar, quartz, and secondary arfvedsonite have exchanged with meteoric-derived water mainly via dissolution–reprecipitation, whereas magmatogenic arfvedsonite has exchanged via diffusion.     

Air-sea exchange of CO2 in the Gulf of Kutch,northern Arabian Sea based on bomb-carbon in corals and tree rings

Radiocarbon analyses were carried out in the annual bands of a 40 year old coral collected from the Gulf of Kutch (22.6°N, 70°E) in the northern Arabian Sea and in the annual rings of a teak tree from Thane (19°14′N, 73°24′E) near Bombay. These measurements were made in order to obtain the rates of air-sea exchange of CO₂ and the advective mixing of water in the Gulf of Kutch. The Δ¹⁴C peak in the Thane tree occurs in the year 1964, with a value of ∼630‰, significantly lower than that of the mean atmospheric Δ¹⁴C of the northern hemisphere (∼ 1000‰). The radiocarbon time series of the coral was modelled considering the supply of carbon and radiocarbon to the gulf through air-sea exchange and advective water transport from the open Arabian Sea. A reasonable fit for the coral data was obtained with an air-sea CO₂ exchange rate of 11–12 mol m⁻² yr⁻¹, and an advective velocity of 28 m yr⁻¹ between the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Kutch; this was based on a model generated time series for radiocarbon in the Arabian Sea. The deduced velocity (∼ 28 m yr⁻¹) of the advective transport of water between the gulf and the Arabian Sea is much lower than the surface tidal current velocity in this region, but can be understood in terms of net fluxes of carbon and radiocarbon to the gulf to match the observed coral Δ¹⁴C time series.     

The variations of stable carbon isotope ratio of land plant-derived n-alkanes in deep-sea sediments from the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean during the last 250,000 years

Two piston cores, one located far from the continents (The North Pacific Ocean: ES core), and another located comparatively closer to the continents (The Bering Sea: BOW-8a core) were investigated to reconstruct environmental changes on source land areas. The results show significant contribution of terrestrial organic matter to sediments in both cores. The δ¹³C values of n-C₂₇, n-C₂₉, and n-C₃₁ alkanes in sediments from the North Pacific ES core show significant glacial to interglacial variation whereas those from the Bering Sea core do not. Variations of δ¹³C values of land plant n-alkanes are related to the environmental or vegetational changes in the source land areas. Environmental changes, especially, aridity, rainfall, and pCO₂ during glacial/interglacial transitional periods can affect vegetation, and therefore C₃ / C₄ plant ratios, resulting in δ¹³C changes in the preserved land plant biomarkers. Maximum values of δ¹³C as well as maximum average chain length values of long chain n-alkanes in the ES core occur mostly at the interglacial to glacial transition zones reflecting a time lag related to incorporation of living organic matter into soil and transportation into ocean basins via wind and/or ability of C₄ plants to adapt for a longer period before being replaced by C₃ plants when subjected to gradual climatic changes. Irregular variations with no clear glacial to interglacial trends in the BOW-8a core may result from complex mixture of aerosols from westerly winds and riverine organic matter from the Bering Sea catchments. In addition, terrestrial organic matter entering the Bering Sea could originate from multiple pathways including eolian, riverine, and ice rafted debris, and possibly be disturbed by turbidity and other local currents which can induce re-suspension and re-sedimentation causing an obliterated time relation in the Bering Sea biomarker records.     

Late Quaternary changes in surface productivity and oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the northwestern Arabian Sea: Micropaleontologic and sedimentary record at ODP site 728A

Changes in the abundance of selected planktic foraminiferal species and some sedimentological parameters at ODP site 728A were examined to understand the fluctuations in the surface productivity and deep sea oxygenation in the NW Arabian Sea during last ∼540 kyr. The increased relative abundances of high fertility taxa, i.e., Globigerinita glutinata and Globigerina bulloides mainly during interglacial intervals indicate intense upwelling. Strong SW summer monsoon probably increased the upwelling in the western Arabian Sea during interglacial intervals and caused high surface productivities due to the lateral transport of eutrophic waters. Most of the glacial periods (i.e., MIS 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12) are characterized by higher relative abundances of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei associated with Globigerinoides ruber. The more stratified condition and deep mixed layer due to increased NE winter monsoon are mainly responsible for the higher relative abundances of N. pachyderma during glacial periods. Some of the glacial intervals (i.e., MIS 6 and 8) are also characterized by pteropod spikes reflecting deepening of aragonite compensation depth (ACD) and relatively less intense oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in this region due to deep sea mixing and thermocline ventilation, and relatively less intense surface productivity during winter monsoon. The interglacial periods are largely devoid of pteropod shells indicating more aragonite dissolution due to increased intensity of OMZ in the northwestern Arabian Sea.     

Aerosol mass loading over the marine environment of Arabian Sea during ICARB: Sea-salt and non-sea-salt components

Mass loading and chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols over the Arabian Sea during the pre-monsoon months of April and May have been studied as a part of the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB). These investigations show large spatial variabilities in total aerosol mass loading as well as that of individual chemical species. The mass loading is found to vary between 3.5 and 69.2 μg m^?3, with higher loadings near the eastern and northern parts of Arabian Sea, which decreases steadily to reach its minimum value in the mid Arabian Sea. The decrease in mass loading from the coast of India towards west is estimated to have a linear gradient of 1.53 μg m^?3/° longitude and an e^?1 scale distance of ～2300 km. SO ₄ ^2? , Cl^? and Na⁺ are found to be the major ionic species present. Apart from these, other dominating watersoluble components of aerosols are NO ₃ ^? (17%) and Ca²⁺ (6%). Over the marine environment of Arabian Sea, the non-sea-salt component dominates accounting to ～76% of the total aerosol mass. The spatial variations of the various ions are examined in the light of prevailing meteorological conditions and airmass back trajectories.     

Environmental changes and carbon cycle perturbations at the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in northern Switzerland

The Triassic–Jurassic boundary is characterized by strong perturbations of the global carbon cycle, triggered by massive volcanic eruptions related to the onset of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. These perturbations are recorded by negative carbon isotope excursions (CIEs) which have been reported worldwide. In this study, Triassic–Jurassic boundary sections from the southern margin of the Central European Basin (CEB) located in northern Switzerland are analyzed for organic carbon and nitrogen isotopes in combination with particulate organic matter (POM) analyses. We reconstruct the evolution of the depositional environment from Late Triassic to Early Jurassic in northern Switzerland and show that observed negative shifts in δ¹³C of the total organic carbon (δ¹³C_TOC) in the sediment are only subordinately influenced by varying organic matter (OM) composition and primarily reflect global changes in the carbon cycle. Based on palynology and the stratigraphic positions of isotopic shifts, the δ¹³C_TOC record of the studied sections is correlated with the GSSP section at Kuhjoch (Tethyan realm) in Austria and with the St. Audrie’s Bay section (CEB realm) in southwest England. We also show that in contrast to POM analyses the applicability of organic carbon/total nitrogen (OC/TN) atomic ratios and stable isotopes of total nitrogen (δ¹⁵N_TN) for detecting changes in source of OM is limited in marginal depositional environments with frequent changes in lithology and OM contents.     

Influencing factors and significance of organic and inorganic nitrogen isotopic compositions in lacustrine sedimentary rocks

Comprehensive nitrogen biogeochemical cycle has been reconstructed for representative lacustrine organic-rich sedimentary rock in China, namely the Triassic Yanchang Formation (YF, 199–230 Ma) in Ordos and the Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation (QF, 86–92 Ma) in Songliao basins, by evaluating the organic and inorganic nitrogen isotopic compositions rather than only organic or bulk nitrogen isotopic compositions. The results indicate that the nitrogen isotope values of bulk rock (δ¹⁵N_bulk) in the non-metamorphic stage are significantly different from that of kerogen, which challenge the conceptual framework of sedimentary nitrogen isotope interpretation. The δ¹⁵N_bulk from the YF and QF were lower than their respective the nitrogen isotope values of kerogen (δ¹⁵N_ker), with offsets up to ～5.1‰, which have the inverse relationship for the metamorphosed rock. Thermal evolution did not significantly modify the δ¹⁵N of bulk rock and kerogen. The δ¹⁵N of sediments from the YF (δ¹⁵N_bulk, 1.6‰–5.6‰) were lower than that of rock from the QF (δ¹⁵N_bulk, 10.2‰–15.3‰). The nitrogen isotope values of silicate incorporated nitrogen (δ¹⁵N_sil) were slightly lower than those of the δ¹⁵N_ker in the YF and obviously lower for the QF. The fact that different nitrogen cycles occur in the YF and QF due to the different depositional redox conditions leads to different isotopic results. The YF water environment dominated by oxic conditions is not conducive to the occurrence of denitrification and anammox, and no abundant N₂ loss leads to the relatively light δ¹⁵N_bulk. In the stratified water for the QF, redox transition zone promotes denitrification and anammox, resulting in the heavy δ¹⁵N_bulk of rock and promotes the DNRA, resulting in heavy δ¹⁵N_ker and low δ¹⁵N_sil.     

Coccolithophores from the central Arabian Sea: Sediment trap results

Sediment trap samples collected from a depth of 1018 m in the Central Arabian Sea Trap (CAST) at 14°28.2′N, 64°35.8′E were analyzed for temporal variation of coccolithophore fluxes from October 1993 to August 1994. Out of the twenty species of coccolithophores encountered,Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Emiliania huxleyi, Umbilicosphaera sibogae andUmbellosphaera irregularis were the most abundant. The total coccolithophore fluxes ranged from 28.5 × 10⁶m^-2d^-1 to 50.3 × 10⁶m^-2d^-1 showing seasonality with higher fluxes during the northeast (NE) monsoon and lower fluxes during the spring intermonsoon. The higher fluxes were attributed to the enhancement of primary production in the central Arabian Sea due to southward extent of nutrients from the northeast Arabian Sea by the prevailing surface currents. Similarly, the occurrences of relatively lower coccolithophore fluxes during the spring intermonsoon and southwest (SW) monsoon were attributed to the low nutrients in the warm, shallow surface mixed layer and downwelling to the south of Findlater Jet respectively in the central Arabian Sea. Some of the coccolithophore species such asE. huxleyi, G. oceanica, Calcidiscus leptoporus andUmbellosphaera tenuis showed signs of dissolution.     

Carbonate recrystallisation and organic matter maturation in heat-affected sediments from the Shaban Deep,Red Sea

Parasound profiles across the Shaban Deep in the Red Sea indicate turbiditic transport of surface sediments from the topographic height (basalt ridge) into the interior of the deep. This is supported by petrographical and (isotope-) geochemical evidence in the East Basin of the Shaban Deep where the presence of variable mixtures of authochtonous and allochthonous sediment compounds had been found.The uppermost 170 cm of both sediment cores 17008-1 and 17009-3 reveal “normal” stable oxygen isotope values for the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber near ?1‰ which is indicative for carbonate formation in Red Sea surface water around 27 °C. However, below 182 cm in core 17008-1 highly variable δ ¹⁸O values for G. ruber between 0.26 and ?10.68‰ occur which are not the result of temperature-controlled oxygen isotope fractionation between foraminiferal carbonate and Red Sea surface water. The lowest δ¹⁸O values of ?10.68‰ measured for highly-altered foraminifera shells suggests carbonate precipitation higher than 90 °C.Organic petrographical observations show a great diversity of marine-derived macerals and terrigenous organic particles. Based on petrographical investigations sediment core 17008-1 can be subdivided in intervals predominantly of authochtonous character (i.e. 1, 3, 5 corresponding to core depths 0–170 cm, 370–415 cm, 69–136 cm), and allochthonous/thermally altered character (e.g. 2 and 4 corresponding to core depths 189–353 cm and 515–671 cm). Allochthonous/thermally altered material displays a wide to an extremely wide range of maturities (0.38–1.42% R_r) and also natural coke particles were found.Similarly, the organic geochemical and pyrolysis data indicate the predominance of well-preserved, immature algal and bacterial remains with a minor contribution of land plant material. Sediments below 170 cm (core 17008-1) contain contributions of re-sedimented pre-heated material most likely from the area of the basaltic ridge. This is documented by individual coke particles reduced hydrogen indices and elevated T_max values up to 440 °C.An “oil-type” contribution (evidenced by mature biomarkers, hopene/hopane ratios, elevated background fluorescence, n-alkane distribution) is also present in the sediments which most likely originated at greater depth and impregnated the surface sediments.The heat source responsible for recrystallisation of foraminiferal carbonate and maturation of organic particles in Shaban Deep sediments most likely is attributed to modern basalt extrusions which now separate the Shaban Deep subbasins.     

First carbon isotope chemostratigraphy of the Ouled Abdoun phosphate Basin,Morocco; implications for dating and evolution of earliest African placental mammals

The well-known Maastrichtian–Ypresian vertebrate-bearing phosphate series, in the Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco, is classically dated using regional selachian biostratigraphic zonation. These marine sediments yielded Paleocene and Eocene mammals comprising the earliest known placentals from Africa. This study provides the first insight into the organic carbon isotope chemostratigraphy (δ¹³C_org) of the Moroccan phosphate series and a refined dating of its vertebrate-bearing levels. Four Paleocene–Eocene sections in the NE Ouled Abdoun quarries show consistent δ¹³C_org long term evolutions, from the base to the top: 1) positive trend in phosphorite Bed IIa, beginning with the lower Bone Bed yielding mammals such as Eritherium, Ocepeia, Abdounodus, Lahimia, of early Thanetian and Selandian age; 2) transitional negative trend in the Intercalary phosphorite Beds II/I that includes the Otodus obliquus and Phosphatherium escuilliei Bone Bed of earliest Ypresian age; 3) negative trend to the lowermost δ¹³C_org values that are correlative to the early–middle Ypresian interval including ETM 2 and ETM 3 hyperthermal events in the global record; 4) positive trend in chert-enriched facies containing the middle Ypresian EECO global climatic event. Our chemostratigraphic study of the Ouled Abdoun phosphate series provides a new chronostratigraphic framework for calibrating the beginning of the evolution of placental mammals in Africa. The lower Bone Bed level from the Paleocene phosphorite Bed IIa yielding Eritherium is not younger than early Thanetian, and is most likely Selandian. The Phosphatherium Bone Bed in the Intercalary Beds II/I is earliest Ypresian. The phosphorite Bed 0, from which Daouitherium probably came, is early–middle Ypresian, just below the EECO. This suggests that the first large proboscideans evolved after the PETM, during mid-Ypresian warming events. The δ¹³C_org study does not support the presence of Lutetian in the NE Ouled Abdoun phosphate series and suggests that a noticeable part of the upper Thanetian is absent.