Anthropogenic influence on the degradation of an urban lake - The Pampulha reservoir in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The artificial reservoir Lagoa da Pampulha in central Brazil has been increasingly affected by sediment deposition and pollution from urban and industrial sources. This study investigates water chemistry and heavy metal concentrations and their fractionation in the lake sediment using ICP-OES, ICP-MS, and XRD analyses. Fractionation analysis was done by sequential extraction under inert gas as well as after oxidation. The lake exhibits a permanent stratification with an oxygen-free hypolimnion below 2 m depth. Nutrient concentrations are enriched for phosphorous components (SRP, PO₄). In the sediment it was not possible to detect oxygen. Carbon, sulfur, and most of the analyzed heavy metals are enriched in the top sediment layer with a pronounced downward decrease, indicating the presence of an anthropogenic influence. Statistical analysis, including correlations and a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of depth-related total concentration data, helps to distinguish presumably anthropogenic heavy metals from geogenic components. Some samples with high element concentrations in the sediment also show elevated concentrations in their pore water. Analyses of element distribution between sediment and pore water suggest a strong bonding of heavy metals to the anoxic sediment. The trend towards elevated solubility in the pore water of oxidized samples is clear for most of the analyzed elements. Fractionation analysis reveals characteristic associations of selected elements to specific mineral bonding forms. In addition, it indicates that the behavior of heavy metals in the sediment is strongly influenced by organic substances. These substances provide buffering against oxidation, acidification, and metal release. The high nutrient loading causes reducing conditions in the lake sediment. These conditions trigger the accumulation of sediments rich in S²⁻, which stabilizes the fixation of heavy elements. In the future, care must be taken to reduce the supply of contaminants and to prevent the release of heavy metals from sediments dredged for remediation purposes.     

Sudden enhancement of sedimentation flux of <Superscript>210</Superscript>Pb<Subscript>ex</Subscript> as an indicator of lake productivity as exemplified by Lake Chenghai

The fundamental assumption of ²¹⁰Pb sediment dating is the stable flux of ²¹⁰Pb_ex, which was derived from atmosphere and then transferred into sediments via lake water. When the sedimentation rate is relatively constant, the ²¹⁰Pb_ex activity in sediments will be exponentially reduced with sedimentation age. ²¹⁰Pb_ex in lake water is incorporated into sediments mainly via organic particulates. If the sedimentation flux of organic matter in lake water is suddenly increased, ²¹⁰Pb_ex will be significantly deposited and then transferred into sediments. On the one hand such sudden purification effect is obviously unfit for the fundamental assumption of ²¹⁰Pb dating; on the other hand, the sudden enhancement of ²¹⁰Pb_ex flux would be indicative of the conspicuous variation of primary productivity of lake water. This problem will be discussed in accordance with the variation trend of ²¹⁰Pb_ex in the vertical profile of recent sediments of Lake Chenghai, Yunnan Province. The sediment core was collected from the deep-water area of Lake Chenghai in June 1997. The vertical profile of ¹³⁷Cs activity is characterized by a tree-peak pattern. This profile gave reliable ages, and also showed the stability of sediment accumulation in the recent ten years. The vertical profile of ²¹⁰Pb_ex activity displays a specific distribution of peaks, and is similar to the vertical profile of C_org. This phenomenon seems to be related to the mechanism of constraining the transfer of ²¹⁰Pb_ex into lake sediments. The average atomic ratios of H_org/C_org and C_org/N_org in Lake Chenghai sediments are 5.51 and 7.04, respectively, indicating that the organic matter was predominantly derived from the remains of endogenic algae. In terms of the three-stage evolutionary characteristics of organic matter in sediments, i.e., “deposition-de-composition-accumulation”, the sedimentation fluxes (F(C_org)) of organic carbon (C_org) since 1970 were calculated by modeling. The sedimentation fluxes of ²¹⁰Pb_ex (F(²¹⁰Pb_ex)) in different years display good synchronous relations with the sedimentation flux of organic carbon (F(C_org)), especially in the years of 1972–1974 and 1986–1989. The variation of F(C_org) led to the variation of F(²¹⁰Pb_ex); the variation of F(²¹⁰Pb_ex) reflects, to some extent, the historical variation of lake productivity.     

Early diagenesis in sediments from the eastern equatorial Pacific,I. Pore water nutrient and carbonate results

Interstitial waters were extracted from cores at three locations in the eastern equatorial Pacific and analyzed for nutrients, dissolved carbonate species, Mn and Fe. From the depth variation in pore water chemistry, we infer that organic matter oxidation reactions occur with depth in the following sequence: O₂ reduction, NO₃^? and MnO₂ reduction, and then ferric iron reduction. From NO₃^? results we infer that O₂ is largely or totally consumed within the top few centimeters of sediment. NO₃^? is completely reduced at a sediment depth of 20 cm at a site near the crest of the East Pacific Rise, but is preserved at levels of 20–30 μmol/kg at 40 cm depth at a Guatemala Basin site.We have calculated the alkalinity for pore water samples assuming ions diffuse according to relative ionic diffusion coefficients, that the stoichiometry of organic matter oxidation reactions is that of “Redfield” organic matter, and that the pore waters are saturated throughout with respect to CaCO₃. The measured alkalinity increase is only about half of the predicted value. The difference is probably a result of either enhanced mixing of the pore water in the top few centimeters of sediments by biological or physical processes, or the occurrence of an inorganic reaction which consumes alkalinity.At depths of oxygen and nitrate reduction in the sediments, the ion concentration product of CaCO₃ is the same, within the analytical error, as the solubility product of Ingle et al. [34] at 1 atm and 4°C. This result indicates CaCO₃ resaturation on pressure change during coring. Where pore water Mn concentrations become measurable, the ion concentration product increases, indicating either supersaturation with respect to calcite or that another phase is controlling the carbonate solubility.     

Trace metal dynamics in the water column and pore waters in a temperate tidal system: response to the fate of algae-derived organic matter

Tidal and seasonal behaviour of the redox-sensitive trace metals Mn, Fe, Mo, U, and V have been investigated in the open-water column and shallow pore waters of the backbarrier tidal flats of the island of Spiekeroog (Southern North Sea) in 2002 and 2007. The purpose was to study the response of trace metal cycles on algae blooms, which are assumed to cause significant changes in the redox state of the entire ecosystem. Trace metal data were complemented by measurements of nutrients and enumeration of algae cells in 2007. Generally, Mn and V show a tidal cyclicity in the water column with maximum values during low tide which is most pronounced in summer due to elevated microbial activity in the sediments. Mo and U behave almost conservatively throughout the year with slightly increasing levels towards high tide. Exceptions are observed for both metals after summer algae blooms. Thus, the seasonal behaviour of the trace metals appear to be significantly influenced by productivity in the water column as the occurrence of algae blooms is associated with an intense release of organic matter (e.g. transparent exopolymer particles, TEP) thereby forming larger organic-rich aggregates. Along with elevated temperatures in summer, the deposition of such aggregates favours microbial activity within the surface sediments and release of DOC, nutrients and trace metals (Mn, Mo and V) during the degradation of the aggregates. Additionally, pronounced reducing conditions lead to the reduction of Mn(IV)-oxides and Fe(III)-(oxihydr)oxides, thereby releasing formerly scavenged compounds as V and phosphate. Therefore, pore-water profiles show significant enrichments in trace metals especially from July to September. Finally, the trace metals are released to the open water column via draining pore waters (esp. Mo, Mn, and V) and/or fixed in the sediment as sulphides (Fe, Mo) and bound to organic matter (U). Non-conservative behaviour of Mo in oxygenated seawater, first observed in the investigation area by Dellwig et al. (Geochim Cosmochim Acta 71:2745–2761, 2007a), was shown to be a recurrent phenomenon which is closely coupled to bacterial activity after the breakdown of algae blooms. In addition to the postulated fixation of Mo in oxygen-depleted micro-zones of the aggregates or by freshly formed organic matter, a direct removal of Mo from the water column by reduced sediment surfaces may also play an important role.     

Sudden enhancement of sedimentation flux of~(210)Pb_(ex) as anindicator of lake productivity as exemplified by Lake Chenghai

Recent sediments in lakes and gulfs are a sensi-tive recorder of the information about environmentalchanges in the catchment areas during recent geologi-cal history. Precise determination of the ages of sedi-ments is the key to deciphering the environmental re-cords. The 210Pb dating technique and the markertechnique based on fallout radionuclide 137Cs havefound wide applications in sedimentation rate on atime scale of several tens to one hundred years, as wellas the varve chron…     

Influence of macroinvertebrates on physico‐chemical and microbial processes in hyporheic sediments

The objective of this study was to measure the effects of invertebrates on the physical characteristics and microbial processes in hyporheic sediments. We investigated the impacts of an assemblage of three taxa (asellids, chironomid larvae, and tubificid worms) on sediment distribution, water fluxes, sediment organic carbon, biofilm (attached bacteria) characteristics, and O₂, dissolved organic carbon NO₃^?, NO₂^?, and NH₄⁺ concentrations in slow filtration sand–gravel columns. The results showed that invertebrates clearly modified the distribution of particles in the sediment column, probably because of the structures (tubes, macropores, and faecal pellets) produced by the three taxa in the sediment. Our assessment of water fluxes indicated that invertebrate activities led to an increase in the porosity of the sediment columns. In addition, aerobic (O₂ consumption) and anaerobic (denitrification and fermentative decomposition of organic matter) microbial processes occurring in the sediment were stimulated in the presence of invertebrates. Finally, the present study demonstrates that invertebrates can act as ecosystem engineers in heterogeneous sediments that are under the influence of an advective flux of water. The solute residence time increased in columns containing the faunal assemblage. Micro‐organisms used more dissolved organic matter and nutrients in the presence of invertebrates because invertebrate activities increased the contact between the biofilm and water. We conclude that engineering by invertebrates in natural conditions modifies characteristics of the hyporheic zone and thereby enhances both the porosity of the sediment and the solute transport across the benthic interface. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

太湖草源性"湖泛"水域沉积物营养盐释放估算

于太湖草源性"湖泛"暴发期,采集柱状沉积物并应用peeper被动采样装置获得"湖泛"区原位沉积物间隙水.泥水样品分析表明:"湖泛"发生水域表层(0~7 cm)沉积物的含水率、孔隙度和有机质含量均明显高于对照区,其中有机质含量更是对照区样品的4倍左右,沉水植物残体促使表层沉积物物化性质改变的作用明显;"湖泛"发生水域表层沉积物间隙水中铵态氮(NH+4-N)、溶解性反应磷(SRP)及Fe2+含量远高于未发生区,植物残体降解对沉积物厌氧环境的营造显著.运用分子扩散模型对沉积物释放通量估算:"湖泛"发生区沉积物NH+4-N、SRP和Fe2+的释放速率分别是对照区的49.8、15.3和123.1倍.研究认为,草源性"湖泛"水体氮、磷等营养物含量升高的主要原因是沉积物的释放,而"湖泛"所营造的厌氧环境是氮、磷释放急剧增加的主要驱动因素.     

137Cs湖泊沉积年代学方法应用的局限——以Crawford湖为例

＾１３７Ｃｓ湖泊沉积年代学方法是测定现代湖泊沉积物沉积年代和沉积速率的重要同位素年代学方法之一。对加拿大Ｃｒａｗｆｏｒｄ湖采集的沉积孔柱内＾１３７Ｃｓ垂直分布的研究发现,该方法给出时的标有明显偏差。比较＾２１０Ｐｂ和纹层等年代方法的结果,其１９６３年时标蓄积峰值所在位置明显移向表层,而作为１９５４年时标的该核素出现蓄积的层位则远早于该年沉积物蓄积层位。研究还表明,孔柱中较高的间隙水含量、缺少足以吸     

Human‐induced sedimentation patterns of a channelized lowland river

Channelization of the severely polluted Odra and Vistula Rivers in Poland induced intensive accumulation of fine‐grained deposits rich in organic matter and heavy metals. These sediments have been identified in vertical profiles in a narrow zone along river banks both in groyne‐created basins and on the floodplain. Grain size, organic matter, zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) content and cesium‐137 (¹³⁷Cs) was used for sediment dating and, stratigraphy and chemistry have been diagnostic features for these deposits, named industrial alluvium. In the most polluted river reaches stabilized by bank reinforcements and groynes, 2‐m‐thick slack water groyne deposits are composed of uniform strata of polluted silts with organic matter content over 10%, Zn content over 1000 mg/kg and average Cu and Pb over 100 mg/kg. The average rate of sediment accretion in groynes is higher than on the floodplain and reaches 5 cm/yr. Stratification which appears at higher levels in the groyne fields and on the levees reflects a change from in‐channel to overbank deposition and is typified by dark layers separated by bright, sandy, and less polluted strata. Stratified, 4‐m‐thick, sediment sequences have been found in groyne fields of incised river reaches. The average rate of sediment accretion in these reaches is of the order of 5 cm/yr. In stable and relatively less polluted river reaches, vertical‐accretion organic deposits are finely laminated and the average rate of deposition amounts to a few millimeters per year. Investigations indicate that groyne construction favors conditions for long‐term storage of sediments at channel banks. For this reason, groynes should be considered as structures that efficiently limit sudden release of sediment‐associated heavy metals stored in channels and in floodplains of the historically polluted rivers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vertical changes of POC flux and indicators of early degradation of organic matter in the South China Sea

Tie-series sediment trap materials at different water depths and surface sediments in northern and central South China Sea (SCS) were analyzed for organic carbon, amino acids, amino sugars and carbohydrates. Results show that particulate organic carbon (POC) is mainly derived from marine plankton, only 1.4%–1.6% of primary production sinks into deep SCS water column and less than 0.22 % of primary production ultimately reaches the sediments. The ranineralization and dissolution of organic matter as well as the compositional alterations of organic matter mixtures may mainly take place in the upper few hundred meters of water column, deep carbonate (opal) lysocline zones, and interface layers between sediments and water column, rather than in mid-waters. The organic geochemical parameters such as (T ^aa +T ^sug )OC%, AA/AS, Gluam/Galam, Arom. AA/non-prot. AA, ASP/b-ALA, Glu/g-ABA decrease from living marine plankton (or planktonic shells), to settling particulate matter and to sediments suggesting that they appear to be gad early degraded indicators of organic matter. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49776297). Cruises financially supported by State Oceanic Administration and German Federal Ministry of Research and Technology.     

Spatiotemporal variations of deep-sea sediment components and their fluxes since the last glaciation in the northern South China Sea

Sediment components and their fluxes of Cores MD12-3428(water depth: 903 m), MD12-3433(water depth: 2125 m),and MD12-3434(water depth: 2995 m), obtained along a transect on the continental slope of the northern South China Sea, have been conducted to reveal the spatiotemporal variations and the controlling factors of the sediment components and of their fluxes.Results show that deep-sea sediments in the northern South China Sea are composed mainly of terrigenous(59–89%) and carbonate(6–38%) particles, with minor components of opal(1.6–9.4%) and organic matter(0.7–1.9%). Fluxes of terrigenous and carbonate particles reach up to 2.4–21.8 and 0.4–6.5 g cm–2 kyr–1, respectively, values that are one to two orders of magnitude higher than the fluxes of opal and organic matter. Temporal variations of the percentages and fluxes of deep-sea sediment components have displayed clear glacial-interglacial cyclicity since the last glaciation. Terrigenous, opal, and organic matter percentages and their fluxes increas clearly during marine isotope stage 2, while carbonate percentages and fluxes show an opposite variation pattern or are characterized by an unremarkable increase. This implies that deep-sea carbonate in the South China Sea is affected by the dilution of terrigenous inputs during the sea-level lowstand. With increasing water depth along the transect, the terrigenous percentage increases but with largely decreased fluxes. Both the percentage and flux of carbonate decrease, while the percentages and fluxes of opal and organic matter display much more complicated variational features. The spatiotemporal variations of deep-sea sediment components and of their fluxes since the last glaciation in the northern South China Sea are strongly controlled by sea-level fluctuations. Simultaneously, terrigenous supply associated with monsoonal rainfall, marine primary productivity,and the dilution effect between terrigenous and biogenic particles, also play interconnected roles in the sediment accumulation processes.     

Sulphate reduction in the sediment of the Venice canals (Italy)

The sulphur cycle in the sediment of the Venice canal network was investigated by considering the sulphate reduction rate (SRR) and the distribution of sulphur compounds, in both pore water and sediment. Sulphate reduction (SR) is the main process in the metabolism of the organic matter supplied to the network by untreated urban effluents. Although it might account for the decomposition of only a limited percentage of the total organic-C inputs, the estimated rates are among the highest observed in coastal sediments. Measured rates range from 0.26 to 0.99 μmol cm⁻³ d⁻¹, while mean annual values, estimated by a diagenetic model, vary from 0.16 to 0.43 μmol cm⁻³ d⁻¹. The speciation of S in the sediment reveals that pyrite-S is the most abundant component of the total reduced S pool, whereas acid volatile sulphides and elemental sulphur together account for less than 45%. A preliminary budget indicates that the rate of burial of solid-phase S is small compared to the S produced by SR (from 10 to 25%). A large amount of reduced S is then lost from the canal deposits to be re-oxidised at the sediment-water interface or in the overlying water column.     

曝气充氧对城市污染河道内源铵态氮释放的控制

以城市污染河道沉积物和上覆水为研究对象,利用模拟实验方法,探讨不同曝气充氧方式(水曝气EW、底泥曝气ES)对污染河道內源铵态氮(NH4+-N)释放的影响.研究结果发现:从间隙水和沉积物中NH4+-N的削减效果来看,底泥曝气均要优于水曝气;实验结束后,底泥曝气组沉积物与间隙水中NH4+-N含量分别减少63.39%和43.33%,水曝气组分别减少了7.54%和13.98%;从沉积物-水界面NH4+-N的扩散通量变化来看,水曝气组界面通量高于对照组,其变化规律与对照组相似;底泥曝气组沉积物-水界面NH4+-N扩散通量变化过程完全不同于其它两组,在整个试验周期内(除第5 d以外),底泥曝气组的通量低于水曝气组,在第15 d最低,为13.73 mg/(m2.d),仅为水曝气组和对照组的14.68%和19.93%,表明底泥曝气组沉积物NH4+-N的释放潜力低于水曝气组沉积物.     

Rare earth elements in the pore waters of reducing nearshore sediments

The REE are mobile during early diagenesis in reducing nearshore sediments of Buzzards Bay leading to greatly enhanced concentrations in pore waters, e.g. 815 pmol kg⁻¹ Nd and 1910 pmol kg⁻¹ Ce within 30 cm of the sediment-seawater interface, about 10–50 times local seawater values. Two principal diagenetic reactions have been identified. Preferential Ce enrichment (positive Ce anomalies) and preferential heavy REE enrichment (light REE removal) in the pore waters is associated with redox cycling of Fe and Mn within the upper few centimeters of the sediment. Release of REE, without fractionation, from sediments and addition to pore waters occurs deeper within the sediment column. The impact on the bulk sediment chemistry is undetectable but the porewater gradients imply that there are significant dissolved REE fluxes, both internal to the sediment system and across the sediment-seawater interface.     

The effects of sewage organic matter on biogeochemical processes within mid-shelf sediments offshore Sydney, Australia

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted using replicate cores collected from a muddy-sand sediment facies offshore Sydney, Australia to determine what components and processes would be affected by the addition of sewage organic matter. Sewage effluent has a solid phase composition of 40% carbon (35% organic carbon), 5% nitrogen, 1% phosphorus and 5% silicate. The molecular C:N:P ratio is 92:10:1, compared to the Redfield ratio of 106:16:1 in marine phytoplankton. Sediment cores were incubated at in situ temperature in a darkened room for periods up to 95 days. Sewage organic matter was added to the cores at three different loads equivalent to 0 (T0), 65 (T1) and 130 (T2) g m⁻² of sediment. Following the addition of sewage organic matter, fluxes of oxygen (into the sediments), ammonia and phosphate (from the sediments) increased, reflecting an enhanced organic carbon supply to the sediments. Oxygen penetrated to a depth of 6 mm in the ambient cores, but the sediment oxygen content was severely depleted following the addition of the sewage-derived organic matter. Sediment porewater data, together with nutrient flux data indicate that oxygen reduction, nitrate reduction and sulphate reduction occurs within these sediments. Following the addition of sewage organic matter, increases in total nitrogen, total phosphate and total organic carbon were measured to depths of 5 cm in the sediments, suggesting that bioturbation influences nutrient and organic carbon distributions. Additionally, irrigation of the surficial sediments may play an important role in the metabolism of organic matter. These results indicate that oxygen penetration, oxygen fluxes, nitrate concentrations within porewaters, ammonia flux rates, and solid phase concentrations of total organic carbon and nutrients may be useful indicators of sediments affected by high rates of organic matter deposition onto Sydney's offshore sediments. The EPA has recently predicted maximum deposition rates of sewage particulate matter to be approximately 1 g m⁻² day⁻¹. Because of the similarities in CNP ratios of sewage organic matter and marine organic matter, the effects of sewage organic matter and marine organic matter inputs to coastal sediments may not be easily distinguishable.     

Organic Matter Diagenesis in Acidic Mine Lakes

The significance of organic matter origin for carbon oxidation via sulfate and iron reduction in the sediments of three acid mine lakes is analyzed. Carbon reactivity was estimated by fitting first‐order expressions to measured rates. Carbon oxidation rates via sulfate and ferric iron reduction ranged from 3.4 to 4.7 mmol m^–2 d^–1 and resembled those reported for freshwater lakes. The estimated reaction constants increased from about 10^–3 a^–1 at the interface to the former mine grounds to 0.05 to 0.2 a^–1 at the current sediment‐water interface. Aquatic organic matter accounted for an estimated 45...75% of total carbon oxidation rates while it amounted only to about 5...14% of the total organic matter that had been deposited. The results of this study suggest that in highly acidic mine lakes the reactivity of the deposited organic matter can rapidly increase after flooding, enhancing carbon oxidation and internal neutralization rates in the sediments.     

Trace metal remobilization in the interstitial waters of red clay and hemipelagic marine sediments

Interstitial water samples from the Guatemala Basin and the coast of Baja California have been analyzed for manganese, iron, copper, nickel and nitrate. The data provide a systematic look at changes in trace metal diagenesis proceeding from red clay to highly reducing nearshore sediments.In red clay sediments, the nitrate concentrations suggest that only aerobic respiration is occurring. Manganese and iron are below detection. Nickel concentrations remain the same as in bottom seawater but copper shows a pronounced maximum just at the sediment/water interface. Proceeding to hemipelagic sediments, denitrification becomes increasingly important and manganese and iron remobilization occur in the sediments.The linear manganese and nitrate profiles suggest regions of production or consumption separated by zones of diffusion. This differs from the conventional picture of a continuous series of reactions within the sediments. Manganese reduction always occurs before iron reduction. The pore water nickel correlates well with manganese in these sediments, suggesting that nickel is associated with MnO₂ in the solid phase. The pore water flux ratio of manganese and nickel agrees well with the ratio in solid phase authigenic oxides. Copper still displays a core top concentration maximum as well as a second maximum associated with the remobilized manganese. The calculated ratio of the Cu/C flux ratios support the argument for copper remobilization during organic carbon oxidation. Comparison of the upward and downward diffusive fluxes with the rate of copper buried by sedimentation shows that at least half of the copper buried must be of diagenetic origin and less than 25% of the copper reaching the sediments is buried.     

Sequestration of metals through association with pyrite in subtidal sediments of the Nanpaishui Estuary on the Western Bank of the Bohai Sea, China

Measurements were made of the degree of trace metal pyritization (DTMP) and ancillary characteristics of four undisturbed sediment cores collected from the subtidal zone of the Nanpaishui Estuary on the Western Bank of the Bohai Sea, a seriously polluted inland sea in northeastern China. The remarkably low concentrations of organic carbon (<0.72%) in these sediments likely constrained sulfate reduction rates, and the low concentrations of acid volatile sulfide (AVS) (<12.5 μmol g⁻¹) limited the sequestration of metals through association with pyrite. The most consistent cause of inter-station differences and depth variations in the degree of pyritization was differences in pyrite metal concentrations rather than reactive metal concentrations. Reactive metal concentrations were in several cases negatively correlated with pore water concentrations, consistent with a dissolution/precipitation mechanism. The relationship between pore water metal concentrations and DTMPs was evidenced by a qualitative similarity of the inter-station variability of these same parameters.     

Estimating groundwater discharge to surface waters using heat as a tracer in low flux environments: the role of thermal conductivity

Analytical modelling of heat transport was used to address effects of uncertainty in thermal conductivity on groundwater–surface water exchange. In situ thermal conductivities and temperature profiles were measured in a coastal lagoon bed where groundwater is known to discharge. The field site could be divided into three sediment zones where significant spatial changes in thermal conductivity on metre to centimetre scale show that spatial variability connected to the sediment properties must be considered. The application of a literature‐based bulk thermal conductivity of 1.84 Wm^?1 °C^?1, instead of field data that ranged from 0.62 to 2.19 W m^?1 °C^?1, produced a mean overestimation of 2.33 cm d^?1 that, considering the low fluxes of the study area, represents an 89% increase and up to a factor of 3 in the most extreme cases. Incorporating the uncertainty due to sediment heterogeneities leads to an irregular trend of the flux distribution from the shore towards the lagoon. The natural variability of the thermal conductivity associated with changes in the sediment composition resulted in a mean variation of ±0.66 cm d^?1 in fluxes corresponding to a change of ±25.4%. The presence of organic matter in the sediments, a common situation in the near‐shore areas of surface water bodies, is responsible for the decrease of thermal conductivity. The results show that the natural variability of sediment thermal conductivity is a parameter to be considered for low flux environments, and it contributes to a better understanding of groundwater–surface water interactions in natural environments. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A 400-year record of black carbon flux in the Xisha archipelago, South China Sea and its implication

We reconstructed the first long-term (∼400 years) records of black carbon (BC) deposition flux from three ornithogenic sediment profiles, which were collected from three remote, isolated islets of the Xisha archipelago, South China Sea. The significant correlations between black carbon, organic matter and excess ²¹⁰Pb suggested that black carbon was mainly derived from atmospheric deposition, and further enriched by plant-derived organic matter in sediments. During the past 400 years, the BC flux remained relatively low before the onset of 20th century; it started to increase from approximately 1900 AD, and peaked around the 1970s. In the recent 30 years, the BC flux seemed to display decreasing trend, very likely due to the change of energy structure and development of pollution control techniques. In comparison with marginal sea regions that are greatly impacted by anthropogenic activities, these pristine Xisha islands were not significantly influenced by black carbon of anthropogenic origin.