The climatic signal in varved sediments from Lake C2, northern Ellesmere Island, Canada

Annually-laminated clastic sediments preserve a high resolution proxy record of paleoclimate, provided that allochthonous sedimentation represents a response to meteorological forcing of watershed sediment transfer. Here, we demonstrate this linkage, and illustrate a calibration process using the most recent 40 years of a varve record from Lake C2 (82°50 N; 78°00 W), three years of field measurements, and meteorological data for 1951–92 from nearby AES weather station Alert. Field measurements were used to correlate proxies of the energy available for snowmelt (e.g. air temperature) and daily suspended sediment discharge (SSQ). Our calibration was extended through use of weather data from Alert. Both mean daily air temperature at Echo, and daily SSQ, were well correlated with air temperature at 600 m above Alert, as obtained from the 1200 Z (0800 LST) rawinsonde sounding. Accordingly, we used pooled 1990 and 1992 Alert 600 m data to predict the lagged daily sediment discharge into Lake C2 (adj. r ²=0.43). Daily values were summed each year in order to produce an annual series of predicted sediment transfer to the lake. The original varve chronology was based on eight sediment cores recovered from the deep basin of the lake (>80 m). Although low-frequency fluctuations of the varve and predicted SSQ series agree, slight tuning of the varve record optimizes the correlation between them. Adjustments were based on examination of weather data for specific years, reexamination of sediment core thin sections, and by aligning fluctuations in the two series which closely matched. Although the original chronology is reasonably well correlated with 600 m temperatures at Alert (for JJA mean, r=0.41, significant at 0.01), the adjusted chronology is both better correlated and contains a more precise climate signal (r=0.54 for July mean, significant at 0.01). This is the first calibrated varve record produced from Arctic lake sediments, and demonstrates that varves from Lake C2 contain a paleoclimatic record. We believe the post-facto manipulations required to produce the adjusted varve chronology are reasonable given the uncertainties inherent in varve counting, and the lack of any independent corroborating chronostratigraphic markers.This is the ninth in a series of papers published in this issue on the Taconite Inlet Lakes Project. These papers were collected by Dr R. S. Bradley.     

Palynological study of Holocene sediments from Lake Doirani in northern Greece

A palynological investigation was conducted on two cores with Holocene sediments collected from the northeastern littoral part of the border Lake Doirani in northern Greece. The radiocarbon dates indicated that the analyzed sediments accumulated during the last 5000 yrs. The pollen-stratigraphic record revealed the environmental changes in the catchment area, starting from a natural undisturbed landscape to one modified by increasing anthropogenic influences. The tree vegetation dominated by Quercus woods in the lowlands and byPinus, Abies, and Fagus at higher altitudes, lasted for the period 2900 - 830 cal. B.C. Subsequently it was replaced by xerothermic herb and tree vegetation as a result of intensive human activity - and farming and stock-breeding. The accumulation of sediments with more sand and gravel in historical time was the result of increased erosion.     

Spatial uniformity of sediment accumulation in varved lake sediments in northern Sweden

As part of an investigation aimed at assessing the potential of northern Swedish varved lake sediments for fine-resolution reconstruction of past climatic conditions, the following questions were addressed; how representative is a single core, does the appearance of varves change as the sediment ages, and how can varve thickness and within-varve structures be digitized? Analyses of replicate cores from Kassjön, using sample sequences of seasonal, annual and centennial time resolution, show that spatial variability of sediment accumulation in the varved sediment is very low. Comparisons of intensity curves from image analysis of freeze cores of recent sediments from Lake Nylandssjön, sampled in 1980 and 1985, indicate that the varves acquire their appearance at the sediment-water interface during sedimentation and that the varve structures are preserved during diagenetic processes. Measurement of varve thicknesses with a tree-ring microscope and with image analysis gave similar results. However, with image analysis, within-varve structures such as colour variations and thicknesses of seasonal layers, can also be recorded, increasing the possibilities for palaeolimnological and palaeoclimatic inferences.     

Bedding characteristics of Holocene sediments from salt lakes of the northern Great Plains, Western Canada

The northern Great Plains region of western Canada contains many saline and hypersaline lakes. These lakes exhibit great diversity in geochemical and sedimentological characteristics which results in a wide range of bedding features and lamination types. Because of the high brine salinities and supersaturation with respect to many carbonate and sulfate evaporitic minerals, chemical laminae and beds are the most common stratification types observed. Simple monomineralic carbonate or sulfate layers as well as beds composed of complex mixtures of aragonite, magnesite, hydromagnesite, mirabilite, gypsum, epsomite,and/or bloedite occur frequently in Holocene sequences from these saline lakes. In addition, biolaminae, including microbialite bedding and accretionary tufa and travertine deposits, are present. Due to the dominance of chemical sedimentary processes operating in these lakes, physical laminae are uncommon. Other observed bedding features and sedimentary structures consist of distinctive pedogenic-cryogenic dry zones, salt karst structures, and clastic dykes and diapirs. Although paleoenvironmental investigations of these well-bedded sequences have just recently begun, several basins provide examples of the nature of paleolimnological information that can be derived from the salt lakes of the northern Great Plains. The chemical and biological laminae preserved in the Holocene sequence of Waldsea Lake provide evidence for significant fluctuations in brine chemistry and chemocline depth in this meromictic basin. Freefight Lake, another hypersaline meromictic lake, contains a relatively thick sequence of rapidly deposited, deep-water salts underlain by finely laminated carbonates, sulfates, and microbial mat sediments. These very thin, undisturbed laminae, combined with exceedingly high rates of offshore evaporite mineral accumulation, provide an excellent opportunity for high resolution geochemical and hydrologic reconstructions in a part of the region distinguished by a paucity of other sources of paleoenvironmental information. Chappice Lake, a shallow, hypersaline brine pool, contains a wealth of paleoenvironmental information. Although the basin probably never experienced the deep-water conditions that earmark Waldsea and Freefight lakes, nonetheless, finely laminated and well-bedded sequences abound in the Holocene record of Chappice Lake. The endogenic magnesium and calcium carbonates and sulfates comprising these laminae can be used to interpret the history of brine chemistry fluctuations which may then help to understand past changes in the hydrologic budget and groundwater inflow.     

六盘山地区寺口子剖面早白垩世晚期的孢粉组合及其环境意义

 研究白垩纪植物演替与气候变化对认识现今生态环境形成过程与演变具有重要意义。基于在我国六盘山地区下白垩统六盘山群中发现的45 属孢粉化石,探讨了孢粉组合、古生态与古气候变化特征。孢粉组合以裸子植物为主,蕨类植物次之,前者以松柏纲松杉目占优势,以掌鳞杉(Cheirolepidiaceae)科最为繁盛,尼藤目麻黄科(Ephedraceae)和苏铁目或银杏目占有很大比例;后者以真蕨目包括海金沙科(Lygodiaceae)、莎草蕨科(Schizaeaceae)为主。表明当时植物具有比较明显的多样性,既有生长于远处高山的松杉类高大植物,又有近湖低山及湖岸一带的掌鳞杉科及蕨类植物,湖泊水体中生长着淡水藻类。孢粉植物群的这种特征揭示出该地区在早白垩世晚期气候炎热干燥,并且可以划分为116~112 Ma的气温相对较低和112~103 Ma的气温波动升高两个阶段,这种变化与全球古气候的变化趋势一致,说明寺口子剖面孢粉记录的气候变化与对全球气候变化是响应的。     

Magnetic measurements of recent sediments from Big Moose Lake,Adirondack Mountains,N.Y., USA

Measurements of anhysteretic (ARM) and isothermal (IRM) remanences in cores 6 and 8 from Big Moose Lake reveal evidence for changes in magnetic mineralogy and grain size within and between the two cores. It is proposed that changes in the strength and demagnetization characterizations of the IRM reflect the accumulation of atmospherically deposited magnetic minerals resulting from industrial processes. The record of magnetite deposition especially in Core 6 parallels that for coal soot at the site. In both cores, the record of haematite deposition parallels that for several anthropogenic indicators.This is the fourth of a series of papers to be published by this journal which is a contribution of the Paleoecological Investigation of Recent Lake Acidification (PIRLA) project. Drs. D. F. Charles and D. R. Whitehead are guest editors for this series.     

A multi-proxy holocene record of environmental change fromthe sediments of Skinny Lake, Iskut region, northern British Columbia,Canada

A stratigraphic record from a lake in the Central Plateau Regionof northern British Columbia reveals changes in environment and inferredclimate during the Holocene. Upon deglaciation (ca. 11500 BP), Skinny Lakebecame an embayment of an ice-dammed lake. High clastic sedimentationrates, an unstable landscape, and cool, possibly wet conditions likelypersisted until the early Holocene (ca. 9000 BP). From ca. 9000–8300 BPdeclining lake levels coupled with warm and dry conditions resulted in theformation of a prominent marl bed. A colonizing shrub and herb assemblagepersisted from 9000 BP until about 8300 BP when it was replaced by a spruce(Picea) and subalpine fir (Abieslasiocarpa) forest under slightly cooler and moister conditions. Themiddle Holocene was warmer-than-present, however, decreasingtemperature and increasing precipitation trends characterize the period fromca. 6000 BP–3000 BP. The transition to modern climate at 3000 BP isevident primarily in the lithostratigraphic record and corresponds with theinitiation of the Tiedemann glacial advance (ca. 3300 BP) in thesouth-coastal mountains of British Columbia. A significant change infossil pollen occurs at ca. 2400 BP and is characterised by an increase in pinepollen accompanied by decreases in alder (Alnus), spruceand fir. This also coincides with an increase in west-sourced exoticwestern hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and cedar type(Cupressaceae) pollen possibly transported by regional changes in air masscirculation patterns associated with Aleutian Low dynamics. This studydemonstrates that both lithostratigraphic and biotic proxies are helpful inreconstructing the timing and nature of climate change and that each may havevarying sensitivities to a particular type of change.     

Variability in soil redistribution in the northern Chihuahuan Desert based on Cesium measurements

A hypothesis for understanding the stability of northern Chihuahuan Desert landscapes is that the distribution of soil resources changes from spatially homogeneous in arid grasslands to spatially heterogeneous in invading shrublands. Since radioactive fallout ¹³⁷Cesium (¹³⁷Cs) was deposited uniformly across the landscape during the 1950s and 1960s and was quickly adsorbed to soil particles, any redistribution of ¹³⁷Cs across the landscape would be due to soil redistribution or instability at either plant-interspaces or on a landscape scale. The concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in soils collected from different vegetation communities (black grama grass, tarbush, tobosa grass, and mesquite) at the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico was determined. At the black grama grass and tobosa grass sites, ¹³⁷Cs was uniformly distributed at the plant interspace scale. At the mesquite sites, ¹³⁷Cs was concentrated in the dune area under mesquite shrubs with little to no ¹³⁷Cs in the interdune areas. ¹³⁷Cs data support the hypothesis that significant soil redistribution has occurred at dune sites created by invading mesquite. In the arid grassland-shrub sites with black grama grass, tobosa grass, and tarbush the ¹³⁷Cs data support the hypothesis of spatially homogeneous distribution of soil resources. High concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in the biological soil crusts (0–5 mm) at the tarbush sites indicate that biological soil crusts can contribute to the stability of these sites.     

Evidence of the North Atlantic Oscillation in varve composition and diatom assemblages from recent, annually laminated sediments of Lake Belau, northern Germany

The recent sediment record of Lake Belau (Schleswig–Holstein, Germany), deposited in the period 1945–2002, was compared with instrumental meteorological and limnological data. The sediments deposited during this period are annually laminated. A varve chronology was established and supported by ¹³⁷Cs measurements. Micro-facies and diatom assemblage composition analyses were confirmed in thin sections and compared statistically with limnological and meteorological data. Comparison of phytoplankton data with diatom assemblage data from the sediment for the time interval from 1988 to 1999 proved that the sediments reflect limnological processes in the lake and record seasonal changes in the primary producer communities. Among the climatological data, the number of contiguous ice days (days with maximal temperatures ≤0 °C) and the state of the winter NAO are strong predictors for micro-facies development and diatom assemblage composition. Furthermore, solar and local (nutrient input) influences are visible in the diatom assemblage compositions. Our study illustrates the high potential for using analyses of micro-facies and diatom assemblages to reconstruct past weather conditions in varved sediments of Lake Belau.     

Recent environmental changes inferred from the sediments of small lakes in Yellowstone's northern range

Recent sediments of eight small lakes in the northern winter range of Yellowstone National Park were cored to examine stratigraphic records of past changes in limnology and local environment that might be attributed to grazing and other activities of elk, bison, and other large ungulates. Cores of undisturbed sediment were analyzed at close intervals to depths covering the last 100–150 years according to chronologies established by lead-210 dating. Pollen analyses were made to show change in regional vegetation, and diatom and geochemical analyses were made to reveal possible limnological changes resulting from soil erosion and nutrient input from the lake catchments.Variations in sedimentary components prior to establishment of the Park in 1872 indicate some natural variability in environmental factors e.g., erosional inputs in landslide areas west of Gardiner. All lakes had abundant nutrient inputs.After the Park was founded, fire suppression may have been responsible for small increases in pollen percentages of various conifers and Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) at different times in different lakes. Perceptible decreases in pollen of willow, aspen, alder, and birch at different times may reflect local ungulate browsing, although drier climatic conditions may have been a factor as well.The most striking manifestation of accelerated erosion in a catchment was found at a lake located beside a road constructed in the 1930s. In contrast to changes at this site, the record of erosion at other lakes is hardly perceptible. Changes in sediment-accumulation rates seen at most sites result from redistribution of sediment within the lake after initial deposition.In the century following Park establishment, the abundance of planktonic diatoms relative to benthic taxa varies among lakes and may reflect differential nutrient inputs or changes in lake level. Four of the five lakes analyzed for diatoms show in the last few decades an increase in planktonic relative to benthic species, implying elevated nutrient inputs. The recent flora, however, is similar to that in pre-Park levels which suggests that these lakes have not been perturbed outside their normal range. Increased nutrient supply in recent decades for at least two of the lakes is supported by the geochemical data, which show an increase in biogenic silica and in organic matter.As a whole, our investigation of the sedimentary record does not support the hypothesis that ungulate grazing has had a strong direct or indirect effect on the vegetation and soil stability in the lake catchments or on the water quality of the lakes.     

A concise overview on historical black carbon in ice cores and remote lake sediments in the northern hemisphere

Black Carbon(BC),as a driver of environmental change,could significantly impact the snow by accelerating melting and decreasing albedo.Systematic documentation ...     

察尔汗盐湖区线形沙丘下伏湖相地层的释光年代及其环境意义

本研究尝试使用钾长石多步升温红外后红外法(MET-pIRIR)对察尔汗盐湖北侧线形沙丘下伏古湖相沉积物进行年代测定,并初步探讨其古环境意义.结果表明:钾长石MET-pIRIR250法能够得到等效剂量坪区,说明长石信号能够充分晒退并且异常衰减对测年结果的影响可以忽略,从而保证了测年结果的可靠性;古湖相沉积顶部200-18...     

Lithological and geochemical record of anthropogenic changes in recent sediments of a small and shallow lake (Lake Pusty Staw,northern Poland)

The article presents the results of lithological and geochemical investigations of recent sediments of Lake Pusty Staw. The analysed sediments document about 300 years of the history of this lake. Historical materials indicate that significant changes in the catchment of the lake took place from the beginning of the 18th century (deforestation and afforestation) followed by 19th century tourist development, and 20th century industrialisation. The sediments were dated using the ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs method and core lithology. These made it possible to establish a reliable chronology to the year 1730. The calculated sedimentation rates ranged between 0.17 and 0.83 cm year^–1. There was a period of intensified erosion caused by land clearance between 1734 and 1810, which resulted in an acceleration in sedimentation rate (0.36 cm year^–1) and a change of lithological type of sediment from detritus gyttja to clayey gyttja. On the basis of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb content in the sediments, it was determined that the beginning of pollution of the lake dates back to the 19th century and was caused probably by the existence of a health resort. A systematic increase in pollution occurred in the 20th century as a result of industrial plants. Normalised with respect to Al, the content of heavy metals in polluted sediments was from several to twenty times higher than in sediments of the preindustrial period, and a comparison of historical materials with changes of sediments in most cases made it possible to identify the direct causes of the increase in pollution.     

Two hundred years of environmental change in Picos de Europa National Park inferred from sediments of Lago Enol, northern Iberia

We present a study of two short sediment cores recovered from Lago Enol, in the Picos de Europa National Park, Cantabrian Mountains, northern Iberia. We inferred past climate conditions and anthropogenic impacts using geochemical and biological (pollen and diatoms) variables in the dated sequences, in conjunction with temperature and precipitation data collected since 1871 at meteorological stations in the region. The record provides evidence of environmental changes during the last 200 years. At the end of the Little Ice Age (~1800?C1875 AD) the region was characterized by an open landscape. Long-term use of the area for mixed livestock grazing in the mountains, and cultivation of rye during the nineteenth century, contributed to the expansion of grassland at the expense of forest. Warmer temperatures since the end of the nineteenth century are inferred from a change in diatom assemblages and development of the local forest. Socioeconomic transformation during the twentieth century, such as livestock changes related to dairy specialization, planting of non-native trees, mining activities, and management of the national park since its creation in 1918, caused profound changes in the catchment and in the lake ecology. The last several decades (~1970?C2007 AD) of the Lago Enol sediment record are strikingly different from previous periods, indicating lower runoff and increasing lake productivity, particularly since AD 2000. Today, the large number of tourists who visit the area cause substantial impacts on this ecosystem.     

The environmental significance of magnetic measurements of Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments from the Grand Lac d'Annecy, eastern France

The results of a series of magnetic measurements on sediment samples are illustrated by means of examples selected from a more specialized parallel publication (Hu & Oldfield, submitted). They are interpreted in terms of magnetic components, notably, 'magnetite' of varying grain size/domain state, haematite, goethite and greigite. Wherever possible, some indication is given of changes in the relative importance of the various magnetic grain size and mineral phases through time. The main components of the magnetic assemblage are described for each of the main lithological units identified in the long core which is considered elsewhere in this volume. These assemblages are related to source areas and to depositional processes, especially in the pre-Holocene parts of the core. In the Holocene sediments, the magnetic properties cannot be interpreted solely in terms of shifts in detrital mineral sources. Evidence is presented for the presence of both biogenic magnetite and authigenic greigite. The most recent sediments point to renewed catchment erosion, probably as a result of human activity during historical times.     

Towards an integration of process measurements, archive analysis and modelling in geomorphology — the Kärkevagge experimental site, Abisko area, northern Sweden

The analysis of Holocene geomorphic process activity demands long–term data sets, which are available for the Kärkevagge catchment due to 50 years of intensive geomorphologic field studies. This data set is used in combination with additional field measurements, remote sensing and digital elevation model (DEM) analysis to provide input data for modelling Holocene valley development. On the basis of this information, geomorphic process units (GPUs) are defined by means of GIS modelling. These units represent areas of homogeneous process composition that transfer sediments. Since the data base enables the quantification of single processes, the interaction of processes within the units can also be quantified. Applying this concept permits calculation of recent sediment transfer rates and hence leads to a better understanding of actual geomorphic landscape development activity. To extrapolate these data in time and space the process–related sediments in the valley are analysed for depth and total volume, primarily using geophysical methods. In this fashion the validity of measured process rates is evaluated for the Holocene time scale. Results from this analysis are exemplified in a cross–profile showing some of the principal sediment units in the valley. For example, the measured modern rates on a slush torrent debris fan seem to represent the Holocene mean rate. This approach should also be suitable for revealing Holocene geomorphic landscape development in terms of climate change.