Artificial radionuclides in the sediments of the Rhne river: a snapshot of the situation during winter 1994/95

Artificial radionuclides (⁶⁰Co, ¹⁰⁶Ru, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs) produced in the nuclear power plants along the Rhne valley have been detected in most of the 35 sediment samples collected from the shores of the Rhne river in southern France. In one sample traces of ²⁴¹Am were found, suggesting the presence of transuranic elements. The wide use of river water for irrigation and the occasional big inundations of the Rhne have spread the artificial radionuclides over huge areas, quite far behind the river shores. Although artificial radionuclides are present in fields where food crops are collected, their activity is currently considerably lower than the activity of the natural radionuclides present in the river sediment.     

New insights on late Quaternary palaeogeographic setting in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Italy)

Sedimentological, geochemical and micropalaeontological data from sediment cores in the northwestern Adriatic Sea were obtained to reconstruct the stratigraphic framework and palaeogeographic setting during the last post‐glacial sea‐level rise (14000–6000 yr BP). Four lithostratigraphic units were identified: (a) distal plain deposits (>14000 yr BP), submerged during the first phases of marine ingression; (b) coastal lagoon system; (c) barrier‐lagoon system, which is dated back to between 10019 ± 61 and 10228 ± 174 cal. yr BP from ¹⁴C dating on peat and shell remains; (d) marine prodelta deposits (<5500 yr BP). Geochemical data allow the identification of three distinct sediment sources: River Po, River Adige and Eastern Alpine rivers characterised by decreasing Ni/Mg ratios (50–70, 8–15 and 5–10, respectively) and Ba/Al ratios of 45–55, 55–65 and 35–45, respectively. The three sources display different relative abundances in time. During the Lateglacial, the Po is the main sediment source for the southern cores, whereas the Eastern Alps and the River Adige are the main sediment sources for the northern cores. This suggests a northern position of the Po River bed compared to previous studies. Coastal drowning led to a homogenization of the provenance signal within the sediments. Only after the marine transgression does a River Po signal appear in the northern cores. At the same time, in the southern cores the signal of Eastern Alpine rivers becomes stronger. Transgressive barrier‐lagoon and recent sediments do not display a predominant signal for provenance indicators. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mineral magnetic properties of Late Weichselian-Holocene sediments from the northwestern Baltic Proper

Mineral magnetic measurements were carried out on twelve sediment cores from the northwestern part of the Baltic Proper. The purpose was to use magnetic properties to correlate sediment sequences and to investigate changes in depositional conditions (e.g. rate of sedimentation and redox conditions). A general lithostratigraphy consisting of five units was established based mainly on mineral magnetic properties. Sediment has been deposited from the time of the Baltic Ice Lake (before 10 300 ¹⁴C years BP) to the present, i.e. since the Late Weichselian deglaciation. Five of the cores were also investigated by means of biostratigraphical methods and three by ¹⁴C dates. Based on the general stratigraphy and hiatuses, variations in sedimentation rate were identified. The occurrence of authigenically formed ferrimagnetic greigite (Fe₃S₄), mainly in sediments deposited during the brackish Yoldia Sea and Litorina Sea stages, is implied. These sequences are characterized by low S-ratios and high SIRM/z ratios. Glacial clay, deposited in freshwater during the Baltic Ice Lake stage and the early freshwater phase of the Yoldia Sea stage, seems to be unaffected by diagenetic processes. Gyttja clay, deposited in the Litorina Sea, has significantly lower susceptibility and SIRM than in the underlying clay. Dissolution of magnetic iron oxides (e.g. magnetite and hematite) in an anoxic environment was suggested as an explanation.     

Lateglacial and Holocene terrestrial and marine proxies reflecting climate changes in the Malangen fjord area, Norway, northeast North Atlantic

A high-resolution Younger Dryas–late Holocene record of climate and environment from the Malangen fjord has been established on the basis of two marine sediment cores. Five pollen-spore assemblage zones have been defined covering the period c . 11 500 cal. yr BP (10 200 ¹⁴C yr BP) to c . 1600 cal. yr BP (1600 ¹⁴C yr BP) with a hiatus of c . 2000 cal. years between c . 10 200 and 8100 cal. yr BP (9000 and 7300 ¹⁴C yr BP). The Holocene vegetation development from pioneer vegetation to forest development, identified in the marine pollen record, correlates well with pollen records from terrestrial sections of northern Norway. The marine pollen record was also correlated directly with marine proxy records of the bottom water temperature investigated in the same sediment cores. Correlation between the marine and terrestrial proxies suggests that changes in the influx of warm Atlantic Water to the fjord led to an instant change in the vegetation of the surrounding land area. The results thus support a strong link between marine and atmospheric mean climatic states in the North Atlantic region throughout the Holocene.     

Deglaciation and palaeoclimate of the Andfjord-Vågsfjord area, North Norway

This paper reviews the deglaciation history and palaeoclimate from 22 to 9.5 ¹⁴Cka BP in the Andfjord-Vagsfjord area. Eight main glacial events are recorded: The Egga-I (>22 ¹⁴Cka BP), the Bjerka, the Egga-II (>14.6 ¹⁴Cka BP), the Flesen (14.5 ¹⁴Cka BP), the D (13.8–13.2 ¹⁴Cka BP), the Skarpnes (12.2 ¹⁴Cka BP), the Tromsø–Lyngen (10.7–10.3 ¹⁴C ka BP) and the Stordal (10.0–9.5 ¹⁴Cka BP). Onset of the final deglaciation occurred about 14.6 ¹⁴Cka BP. Most of the western part of the Fennoscandian and Barents Sea Ice Sheets receded from the outer continental shelf 15–14 ¹⁴Cka BP. The delivery and melting of icebergs at this time to the Norwegian-Greenland Sea resulted in a low oxygen isotope event recorded in a number of cores in the region. Atlantic water intruded the area 13.2 ¹⁴Cka BP, and an atmospheric warming commenced 12.9/12.8 ¹⁴Cka BP. A marked glacial recession occurred before the Skarpnes event. During Allerød time, the glaciers retreated to the fjord heads or even farther inland. The Fennoscandian outlet glaciers readvanced (locally more than 40 km), reached their Younger Dryas outer limit after 10.7 ¹⁴Cka BP and retreated from this position before about 10.3 ¹⁴Cka BP.     

The last deglaciation of the Franz Victoria Trough, northern Barents Sea

A study of two piston cores and a 3.5 kHz seismic profile from the Franz Victoria Trough provides new stratigraphic, stable isotopic and foraminiferal AMS ¹⁴C data that help constrain the timing of ice-sheet retreat in the northern Barents Sea and the nature of the deglacial marine environment. Silty diamicton at the base of each core, interpreted as till or ice-marginal debris flow, suggests that the Barents ice sheet was grounded at the core sites (470 m water depth). Eight AMS ¹⁴C dates on sediment overlying the diamicton indicate that the ice sheet retreated from both core sites by 12.9 ka and that postglacial sedimentation began 10 ka ago. These dates, combined with a recently published ¹⁴C date from a nearby core, suggest that the Franz Victoria Trough may not have been deglaciated until c . 13 ka, 2000 years later than modeled ice-sheet reconstructions indicate. In the trough, oxygen isotopic ratios in planktonic foraminifera ^N. pachyderma (sinistral) were 0.5–0.750, lower during deglaciation than after, probably as a result of ice-sheet and/or iceberg melting. Foraminiferal assemblages suggest that Atlantic-derived intermediate water may have begun to penetrate the trough c . 13 ka ago.     

Depositional environment of the Laptev Sea (Arctic Siberia) during the Holocene

The Holocene depositional setting of the Laptev Sea was studied using three marine sediment cores from water depths between 77 and 46 m. Based on sedimentary parameters (TOC content, δ¹³C_org, sedimentation rates) controlled by radiocarbon age models the palaeoenvironment of a strongly coupled river-shelf system was reconstructed since ˜11 ka BP. Caused by a transgressing sea after the last glaciation, all cores reveal progressive decreases in sedimentation rates. Using the sedimentary records of a core from the Khatanga-Anabar river channel in the western Laptev Sea, several phases of change are recognized: (1) an early period lasted until ˜10 ka BP characterized by an increased deposition of plant debris due to shelf erosion and fluvial runoff; (2) a transitional phase with consistently increasing marine conditions until 6 ka BP, which was marked at its beginning near 10 ka BP by the first occurrence of marine bivalves, high TOC content and an increase in δ¹³C_org; (3) a time of extremely slow deposition of sediments, commencing at ˜6 ka BP and interpreted as Holocene sea-level highstand, which caused a southward retreat of the depositional centres within the now submerged river channels on the shelf; (4) a final phase with the establishment of modern conditions after ˜2 ka BP.     

Distinguishing between seafloor alteration and fluid flow during subduction using stable isotope geochemistry: examples from Tethyan ophiolites in the Western Alps

Large amounts of fluid, bound up in the hydrated upper layers of the ocean crust, are consumed at convergent margins and released in subduction zones through devolatilization. The liberated fluids may play an integral role in subduction zone processes, including the generation of arc-magmas. However, exhumed subduction zone rocks often record little evidence of large-scale fluid flow, especially at deeper levels within the subduction zone. Basaltic pillows from the high-pressure Corsican and Zermatt-Saas ophiolites show a range of δ¹⁸O values that overall reflect seafloor alteration prior to subduction. However, comparison between the δ¹⁸O values of the cores and rims of the pillows suggests that the δ¹⁸O values of the pillow rims at least have been modified during subduction and high-pressure metamorphism. Pillows that have not undergone high-pressure metamorphism generally have rims with higher δ¹⁸O values than their cores, whereas the converse is the case in pillows that have undergone high-pressure metamorphism. This reversal in the core to rim oxygen isotope relationship between unmetamorphosed and metamorphosed pillows is strong evidence for fluid–rock interaction occurring during subduction and high-pressure metamorphism. However, the preservation of different δ¹⁸O values in the cores and rims of individual pillows and within and between different pillows suggests that fluid flow within the subduction zone was strongly channelled. Resetting of the δ¹⁸O values in the pillow rims was probably due to fluid-hosted diffusion that occurred over relatively short time-scales (<1 Myr).     

辽宁省海岸带主要河口区近百年沉积速率变化规律

基于¹³⁷Cs法和²¹⁰Pb法的相互校验,利用13孔岩心663个样品,定量分析了辽宁省海岸带主要河口区近百年沉积速率变化规律.研究表明,辽宁海岸带不同地区、不同时间段沉积速率是不同的.辽河河口区沉积最快,为23.66 mm/a,属于中高速沉积区;辽西海岸带沉积最慢,且总的趋势是沉积速率逐渐减小.随深度增加,辽西海岸带沉积速率逐渐加大,辽东湾大辽河、大凌河入海口沉积速率出现多个峰值,辽东半岛黄海西北岸沉积速率则逐渐减少.     

A mineral magnetic study of Holocene sedimentation in Lough Catherine, Northern Ireland

A suite of 6 m long Mackereth cores collected from Lough Catherine, Northern Ireland, form the basis of a study of sediment accumulation rates throughout the Holocene. A data set produced by measuring the magnetic susceptibility, artificially induced remanent magnetisations and density of the sediment was used to correlate the cores by means of a sequence slotting algorithm. The resulting sediment accumulation pattern was dated by reference to previous¹⁴C and palynological studies. The interpretation of the magnetic logs was complicated by the authigenic formation of the magnetic mineral greigite (Fe₃S₄) and by magnetite dissolution discovered during a period of low sediment accumulation between the end of the Lateglacial period (10,100¹⁴C years B.P.) and the elm decline (5,200 B.P.). More traditional methods of core analysis based on sediment density and also new palynological studies were used to correlate sections of the cores where the magnetic results were least amenable to core matching on account of low downcore variability and low accumulation rate. The accumulation rate, a direct indication of catchment denudation, has accelerated fivefold during the Holocene. The sediment accumulation rate has increased most dramatically since the elm decline at 5,200 B.P., reflecting the increasing degree of human disturbance.     

A distinct δ13C decline in organic lake sediments at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in southern Sweden

Values of δ¹³C obtained from conventional bulk sediment radiocarbon dates encompassing the Pleistocene Holocene boundary have been compiled and plotted against ¹⁴C age. In all. 286 lake sediment dates from southern Sweden in the range 8.000 to 13.000 BP have been evaluated. A significant decrease in δ¹³C values, initiated shortly before 10.000 RP and amounting to 5%, is distinguished. This change is accompanied by increased limnic productivity. decreased erosive input and increased organic carbon content of the sediments. A probable explanation for the δ¹³C decline in organic material is decreased importance of dissolution of silicates at the transition to the Holocene. During the Late Weichselian. extensive weathering of exposed minerogenic material with subsequent input of bicarbonate to the lake water may have caused a relative enrichment of ¹³C in dissolved inorganic carbon. Furthermore, the early Holocene increase in terrestrial vegetation cover probably led to an increased supply of ¹³C depleted carbon dioxide to the lake water by root respiration. Altered limnic vegetation, presumably towards increased production of phytoplankton. could also have contributed to the observed decreasing δ¹³C trend. The importance of these processes compared to other possible influencing factors. mainly endogenic carbonate production and changes in the global carbon cycle. is discussed.     

Dating of the near-surface layer of a peatland in northwestern Ontario, Canada

The near-surface layer of the dominant microhabitat types on a peatland in the Rainy River area, northwestern Ontario, Canada was dated using a number of previously published methods. No single method was found to be appropriate in all microhabitat types, and discrepancies of up to 15 yr over a time-scale of 80 yr were encountered. The results suggested that the post-depositional mobility of ²¹⁰Pb, and possibly its atmospheric supply, are affected by microhabitat type. ²¹⁰Pb dates consistently underestimated independently derived dates in the uppermost sections of the cores. Ages derived by measuring the length of annual increments on moss stems were in general agreement with the ²¹⁰Pb dates, but were subject to bias where the moss remains were poorly preserved. ¹⁴C analyses on material from the base to the near-surface horizon confirmed the modern (post-AD 1950) origin suggested by the ²¹⁰Pb and moss increment dates. Increased ash content at the base of the near-surface layer was correlated with the dustbowl of the 1930s, but assignment of dates to other stratigraphic markers (charcoal, Ambrosia pollen, and Larix needles) was less certain. The ash peak (55 yr before AD 1990) was used as datum for relative dating methods based on assumptions of a constant rate of peat accumulation (constant bulk density method) and constant rate of pollen accumulation (pollen density method). The constant bulk density method provided quick, inexpensive estimates of maximum age, but could not be extrapolated beyond datum, nor applied to cores showing marked stratigraphic changes. The pollen density method was a valuable but time-consuming alternative for dating peatland depressions, which lack annual moss increments and are subject to ²¹⁰Pb leaching.     

Inventories and sorption-desorption trends of radiocesium and radiocobalt in James River estuary sediments

Anthropogenic radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs,¹³⁴Cs,⁶⁰Co) have been introduced to the James River estuary as a result of low-level releases from the Surry Reactor site since 1973 and worldwide atmospheric fallout from nuclear weapons tests since the early 1950s The total radionuclide burden in the estuary sediments has been estimated by integrating radionuclide activities in 29 box cores and extrapolating these integrated values over surface areas subdivided on the basis of sediment type, rates of accumulation, and proximity to the reactor release site. Our results indicate that 30% of the⁶⁰Co, but only 15% of the¹³⁴Cs released from the reactor site, has been retained in the estuary sediments, and about 40% of the¹³⁴Cs and⁶⁰Co sediment inventory is in areas that represent less than 5% of the total estuarine surface area. Depletion of the¹³⁴Cs in downstream sediments forms a noticeable trend in the James River estuary, and we postulate that seawater cation competition and exchange is primarily responsible.     

Palynological and oxygen isotope investigations on Late-Glacial sediment cores from Swiss lakes

Results from detailed pollen and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O studies on two sediment profiles from small Swiss lakes are reported. ¹⁸O/¹⁶O records in lacustrine carbonate contain paleoclimatic information because they reflect mainly the isotope ratio in rain and snow which is correlated to temperature. Several transitions between different climatic periods determined palyno-logically are also indicated by marked changes in the isotope ratios in both profiles, namely the transitions Oldest Dryas - Bøiling and Allerød - Younger Dryas - Preboreal. ¹⁸o/¹⁶O was 2 to 3 %0 lower during Younger Dryas than during the adjacent periods, corresponding to a temperature drop of a few degrees Centigrade according to a tentative estimate.     

Historical records and the sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the East China Sea

The coastal cities are the most advanced regions in China. In the past few decades, the environment changed very significantly due to large scale human activities in the coastal regions. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in three dated sediment cores from the west coast of the Yellow Sea (core A01), the Yangtze River estuary (YRE; core A02) and the Oujiang River estuary (ORE; core A03) were analyzed to reconstruct the environmental evolutionary process of the east China coastal region over the past century. In the three cores, PAHs concentrations were increased rapidly. Lower concentrations of PAHs were measured in core A02 than in cores A01 and A03. The vertical variation of PAHs in the YRE was dominated by the petrogenic sources. Historical records of PAHs in the ORE were controlled by pyrolytic sources. PAHs on the west coast of the Yellow Sea were contributed by the two sources.     

Source of coesite inclusions within inherited magmatic zircon from Sulu UHP rocks, eastern China, and their bearing for fluid–rock interaction and SHRIMP dating

The 5-km deep Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Main Hole penetrated a sequence of ultrahigh pressure (UHP)-metamorphic rocks consisting mainly of eclogite, gneiss and garnet-peridotite with minor schist and quartzite. Zircon separates taken from thin layers of schist and gneiss within eclogite were investigated. Cathodoluminescence images of zircon grains show that they have oscillatory zoned magmatic cores and unzoned to patchy zoned metamorphic rims. Zircon rims contain rare coesite and calcite inclusions whereas cores contain inclusions of both low- P minerals (e.g. feldspar, biotite and quartz) and coesite and other eclogite-facies minerals such as phengite and jadeite. The zircon cores give highly variable ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages ranging from 760 to 431 Ma for schist and from 698 to 285 Ma for gneiss, and relatively high but variable Th/U ratios (0.16–1.91). We suggest that the coesite and other eclogite facies mineral inclusions in zircon cores were not magmatic but formed through metasomatic processes caused by fluids during UHP metamorphism, and that the fluids contain components of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, K₂O, FeO, MgO, Na₂O and H₂O. Metasomatism of the Sulu UHP rocks during continental subduction to mantle depths has partly altered magmatic zircon cores and reset isotopic systems. This study provides key evidence that mineral inclusions within magmatic zircon domains are not unequivocal indicators of the formation conditions of the respective domain. This finding leads us to conclude that the routine procedure for dating of metamorphic events solely based on the occurrence of mineral inclusions in zoned zircon could be misleading and the data should be treated with caution.     

Spatial and temporal variation of organic carbon in the northern South China Sea revealed by sedimentary records

Three sediment cores were taken from the Pearl River estuary and adjacent northern South China Sea (SCS). These sediment cores span the time interval 1900–2000 AD. The stratigraphy of the concentration, the ratio of total organic carbon (TOC) to total nitrogen (TN) and stable isotope (δ¹³C_org) of organic carbon (OC) from three high-resolution sediment cores were analyzed. The stratigraphic profiles of OC concentration, TOC/TN ratios and δ¹³C_org for the near past 100 yrs indicate that terrestrial organic matter decreases from 68.3% to 27.4% of the TOC in the Pearl River estuary, while Dapeng Bay (offshore east of Hong Kong) apparently had throughout little terrestrial organic matter input. The highest deposited OC occurs at the Humen River mouth and the OC concentrations are higher in the outer estuary than in the inner shelf of the northern SCS. The deposited OC at the River mouth increased with time, which could be caused by the high precipitation of land-derived organic matter and the high input of terrestrial organic matter, which is likely related to the rapid urbanization and industrial development in the Pearl River Delta since the 1970s. The OC concentrations did not exhibit an obvious increase with time in most areas of the Pear River estuary and adjacent inner shelf of the SCS, but the algal-derived OC concentration inferred from the δ¹³C_org values increased with time especially from 1980 to 2000 in the outer Pearl River estuary and Dapeng Bay. This increase is presumably caused by enhanced primary marine productivity supported by higher anthropogenic nutrient inputs.     

Quantitative study of the distributary braidplain of the Preboreal ice-contact Gardermoen delta complex, southeastern Norway

This raised delta structure is an ice-contact deltaic complex with a volume of c. 4.4.10⁹ m³, deposited c . 9500 yr BP in a shallow wide 'fjord' during the retreat of the Scandinavian ice cap. The delta plain lies at an altitude of 200–223 m. It aggraded c . 20 m above the contemporaneous sea level during a regional marine regression. The braidplain palaeochannel characteristics indicate a peak meltwater discharge of 7–9 10³ m³/s. Calculations based on a glacial ablation model indicate a mid-summer discharge of c . 5.5 10³ m³/s. However, the fluvial topset of the delta has an erosive base whose altitude decreases upstream and indicates stream incision by more the 6 m below the contemporaneous sea level. The deep scour is ascribed to episodic floods over the relatively short delta plain, which exceeded direct ablation-associated discharges. The depositional time-span of the delta is assessed to have been 70 years, calculated from coastal gradient and shoreline displacement curves. The average sedimentation rate of the delta is thereby inferred to have been extremely high, c . 6. 10⁷ m³/yr. The sedimentation is thought to reflect 'extreme' ice-margin conditions, where the sediment and water discharge was maximized by full-scale ablation, with simultaneous subglacial, englacial and supraglacial sediment and water supply. These conditions might further coincide with an abundant rainfall in the catchment area or the drainage of dammed waters, initiating episodic floods which eroded deep beneath sea level. As a whole, the study illustrates the hydrological conditions of proglacial sedimentation at the front of the rapidly retreating last Scandinavian ice cap.     

Assessment of USGS BCR-2 as a Reference Material for Silicate Rock U-Pa Disequilibrium Measurements

The accuracy of ²³¹Pa-²³⁵U measurements can be readily assessed using a secular equilibrium reference material (RM), but a secular equilibrium RM is also required to calibrate the ²³³Pa spike used in ²³¹Pa determinations. The only silicate RM commonly accepted to be in secular equilibrium is Table Mountain Latite (TML) and so an additional reference is required. Our measurements on the widely available USGS BCR-2 (Basalt Columbia River) rock powder yielded (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) = 0.997 ± 0.013 2s (n = 10), indicating its value as a secondary reference to test the fidelity of U-Pa determinations. Such a reference material additionally provides a useful check on data reduction, which our literature survey highlights can lead to discrepancies of up to 53% between reported (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) activity ratios and corresponding U and Pa concentration data.     

Seasonal and interannual variability of Siberian river discharge in the Laptev Sea inferred from stable isotopes in modern bivalves

Stable oxygen and carbon isotope profiles from modern bivalve shells were investigated in order to reconstruct short-term hydrographical changes in the river-shelf system of the Laptev Sea. Oxygen isotopic profiles obtained from the aragonitic species Astarte borealis exhibit amplitude cycles interpreted as annual hydrographical cycles. These records reflect the strong contrast between summer and winter bottom water conditions in the Laptev Sea. The seasonal variations in δ¹⁸O are mainly controlled by the riverine freshwater discharge during summer with 0.5‰ per salinity unit. Corrected for a defined species-dependent fractionation offset of -0.37‰, time-dependent salinity records were reconstructed from these δ¹⁸O profiles. They indicate a good correspondence to seasonal hydrographic changes and synoptical data. Persistent trends with shell growth towards more negative δ¹³C values are observed in all specimens and appear to be related to metabolic changes of the bivalves during ontogeny. In contrast, short-term fluctuations are likely linked to seasonal variabilities of the river water outflow patterns and enhanced phytoplankton productivity during summer. This is corroborated by a clear watermass-related distinction of the various δ¹³C records made on the basis of water depth and distance from the riverine source.