Factors involved in growth plasticity of cockles Cerastoderma edule (L.), identified by field survey and transplant experiments

In Arcachon Bay, a macrotidal coastal lagoon in southwest France, growth rates of cockles Cerastoderma edule (L.) differ greatly between locations. Sampling of populations at different tidal levels showed that the mean shell length was significantly and positively correlated with immersion time, whereas no correlation was found with population density and microphytobenthos biomass. Transplants of cockles between two intertidal sites were used to examine the relative importance of habitat and site of origin for growth rate and condition index. Artifacts due to manipulation were assessed, i.e. the impact of enclosures on growth, conditon index and mortality. During a 5-mo reciprocal transplant experiment, growth rates of the transplanted cockles and the cockles already present were similar, whereas the sites of origin did not affect growth rate. Condition index, however, displayed significant differences in relation to both transplant and origin sites. During a further 6-mo experiment in which cockles were transplanted from one site to four new sites, growth was mainly influenced by tidal level. These results indicate that net growth started when cockles were immersed 30% of the time. It is concluded that, on the scale of Arcachon Bay (156 km²), differences in growth and condition between cockle populations are largely phenotypic. Tidal level (i.e. food supply and emersion stress) accounts for most of these differences, but the existence of genetically or physiologically different populations cannot be excluded.     

The Influence of the Cockle, Cerastoderma edule, on the Macrozoobenthic Community of Tidal Flats in the Wadden Sea

Abstract. The cockle Cerastoderma edule is one of the large and important species of the tidal flats of the Wadden Sea. C. edule disturbs the upper sediment layer due to its crawling and “shaking” behaviour. About 7% of a cockle population move within one week. The mean distance of movement is -4 cm per week, which, in the case of a 2-year-old cockle with a length of ?3 cm, means that ?20 cm² of sediment is disturbed to a depth of ?3 cm. Besides these measurable movements, cockles also regularly “shake” themselves, thereby disturbing the sediment around them to at least ?0.5 cm. At a density of 500 cockles per m² of a mean length of 3 cm, ?16% of the sediment surface is occupied by cockles and another ?29% is disturbed by cockles within one week. To study the effects of cockles on recruitment of other benthic species, densities of 0, 125, 250, 375 and 500 cockles (mean length 3 or 3.5 cm) were added to 1-m² plots within large depopulated squares in April. Subsequently, sediment samples were sieved once a month (from June to September) and the densities of all macrozoobenthic species were estimated. The presence of cockles significantly reduced the densities of juveniles of the bivalve species C. edule, Macoma balthica, Mya arenaria, Tellina (Angulus) tenuis, and Ensis directus and of the worm species Pygospio elegans, Lanice conchilega, Eteone longa, Anaitides spec., Nephtys hombergii, Heteromastus filiformis, Scoloplos armiger, and Tharyx marioni and of the amphipods Corophium volutator and C. arenarium. Non-significant effects were found only in Capitella capitata and Nereis diversicolor. For all species mentioned above a negative effect was already observed at the lower cockle densities of 125 - 250 per m². Reductions of about 50% or more were found at densities of 500 per m², which was more than could be expected based on the area occupied by the cockles (?16%), but close to the area occupied plus disturbed (?45%). It is concluded that (dense) assemblages of adult cockles can have a strong influence on the macrozoobenthic community.     

Metazoan parasites in intertidal cockles Cerastoderma edule from the northern Wadden Sea

At four intertidal sites near the island of Sylt (eastern North Sea), 13 metazoan parasite taxa were found in 1400 cockles investigated, with digenean trematodes being dominant. Almost all cockles were infected by parasites and most individuals harboured more than one parasite species. We observed four conspicuous patterns: (1) Adult cockles harboured a two times higher species richness (2003: 6.1 ± 0.7 species/host; 2004: 7.1 ± 0.7) than juveniles (2003: 2.9 ± 0.8; 2004: 3.4 ± 0.8) and total parasite community composition significantly differed between age groups. (2) Infection levels were 2–52 times higher in adult cockles than in juveniles both in trematode species and in non-trematode species. In the dominant trematodes, species utilising cockles as first intermediate host (Gymnophallus choledochus, Labratrema minimus, Monorchis parvus) only occurred in adult cockles, and prevalences were low (2–12%). Prevalences of up to 100% were reached by trematodes using cockles as second intermediate host (Himasthla elongata, H. continua, H. interrupta, Renicola roscovita, Psilostomum brevicolle, Meiogymnophallus minutus, Gymnophallus gibberosus). Metacercariae of these species were segregated between body parts within cockles. (3) High spatial heterogeneity in parasite community composition and infection levels occurred between sampling sites. However, communities in juveniles were more similar than communities in adults. (4) Temporal variation in parasite community composition was low between two consecutive years, especially for adult cockles. The omnipresence of parasites in this dominant bivalve species has important implications for sampling designs and as a potentially confounding variable in e.g. physiological studies. It suggests strong and cumulative negative effects on the cockle hosts.     

Reduced survivorship of Himasthla (Trematoda, Digenea)-infected cockles (Cerastoderma edule) exposed to oxygen depletion

Bivalve populations from inshore waters often accommodate a diverse trematode fauna that may have a variety of effects on host specimens. In particular, larval trematodes that grow or reproduce within their host are known to be severe pathogens, whereas trematodes utilising bivalves only for encystment are thought to be relatively benign. Yet this may depend on the environmental conditions, and it can be expected that such trematodes in concert with other stress agents can be detrimental to host organisms. To examine the impact of such larval trematodes on hosts subjected to stress, we studied the digenetic trematode Himasthla elongata and one of its second intermediate hosts, the bivalve Cerastoderma edule. Experimentally infected cockles and non-infected cockles were exposed to oxygen depletion, whereupon we measured their burrowing ability and survivorship. After 30 h of hypoxia, the survival of infected cockles was significantly reduced compared to non-infected cockles, whereas no effect of parasites on cockles under normoxic conditions was found. In addition, parasites tended to reduce the burrowing ability of cockles exposed to hypoxia but the effect was not clear. The effect of parasites and possible ecological consequences are discussed and it is suggested that the combined effects of parasites and oxygen deficiency may explain some hitherto unexplained cases of mass mortalities in bivalve populations.     

Sediment remobilisation from decomposing cordgrass (Spartina anglica) patches on a wave‐exposed intertidal flat

Abstract

Concerns about the potential adverse effects of Spartina invasion on New Zealand estuaries, such as habitat loss and degradation, have led to herbicide use to control its spread. An experiment was conducted in the Manukau Harbour (New Zealand) to determine sediment remobilisation rates (?E) from herbicide‐treated S. anglica patches. Paired treatment and control patches (≤25 m diam.) were monitored at two sites 500 m apart with different wave exposures. Above‐ (AGB) and below‐ground (BGB) biomass decomposition and AE were determined from repeat surveys over c. 2.5 years. Work done by waves (W), which integrates wave‐energy dissipation at the bed over time, was used as a surrogate measure of sediment transport potential. Complete AGB loss occurred in both treated patches within 3 months of initial herbicide application, whereas BGB (a matrix of roots and rhizomes) persisted much longer. An exponential decay model (r ² = 0.6) fitted to the site‐two treatment data predicted an c. 85% reduction in BGB after 5 years, whereas the BGB changes for the larger and more heterogeneous site‐one treatment were more complex. BGB was a better predictor of average bed elevation than AGB in multiple regression models and, although bed elevation decreased through time and with waves, BGB was positively related to bed elevation at both sites. AE was similar for both treatment patches (c. 0.05 and c. 0.06 m yr^‐1, P < 0.001, r² ≥ 0.97) and complete sediment loss was predicted to occur within 6–10 years. The site‐one control patch accumulated sediment (0.01 m yr^‐1 , P < 0.001, r ² = 0.81) whereas the more wave‐exposed site‐two control eroded (0.01 m yr^‐1, P = 0.0017, r ² = 0.61). The potential for adverse sediment effects resulting from Spartina control at wave‐exposed sites will be minimal if the treated areas are small relative to the size of the estuary.     

The interactive roles of predation and tidal elevation in structuring populations of the edible cockle,Cerastoderma edule

The size and age structure of the Cerastoderma edule population at Traeth Melynog, North Wales, varies dramatically with tidal level. In areas low on the shore up to 96% of cockle spat fail to survive their first summer, but mortality rate subsequently declines and remains at a low level. By contrast cockles high on the shore suffer moderate mortality during their first year (47%), but increasing rates thereafter. High-shore populations consequently consist mainly of smaller (younger) individuals and low-shore ones of a transient spatfall, plus a few larger and older individuals. The potential role of shore crabs, Carcinus maenas, and oystercatchers, Haematopus ostralegus in the determination of these patterns is assessed. Shore crabs move up into the intertidal to feed with each flood tide from about April to December. They selectively consume cockles < 15 mm in length, taking an estimated 236 × 10³ cockles, or 2432 g dry flesh year⁻¹ per linear meter of shoreline, mostly from lower shore levels. Oystercatchers are present only during winter and preferentially select large cockles of at least 20 mm length. They are estimated to remove 9 × 10³ cockles, or 1204 g dry flesh year⁻¹ per linear meter of shoreline, most of this from mid- and high-shore levels. These results indicate that shore crabs are far more important predators than previously suspected, taking 25 × the numbers and 2 × the biomass cosumed by oystercatchers. Predation also appears to be the key factor controlling the structure of the C. edule population. Crabs consume almost all the cockles settling low on the shore during their first summer, but avoid older individuals, which subsequently survive and grow well under low levels of oystercatcher predation. On the high shore, crabs are unimportant and the cockles survive well as they slowly grow into the size range attractive to oystercatchers. Thereafter they suffer increasingly severe winter mortality and are soon eliminated.     

Effects of suction-dredging for cockles on non-target fauna in the Wadden Sea

Suction dredging for cockles removes large cockles from tidal flats and may also cause mortality of non-target fauna and make the habitat less suitable for some species. This study examines whether suction dredging for cockles on tidal flats of the Dutch Wadden Sea had affected densities of non-target fauna, directly after fishing and one year later. Densities of non-target fauna in two randomly chosen undredged locations were compared to densities at the surrounding heavily commercially dredged area. A significant negative effect of cockle dredging on densities of 0-group Macoma balthica was observed and this effect persisted one year after dredging. The dredged area appeared to be less suitable for settlement of mussels Mytilus edulis. No significant effects of dredging on the mudsnail Hydrobia ulvae and on 0 and 1-group C. edule were found. For the mobile young Macoma balthica it seems unlikely that the effect found after one year was still due to the mortality caused by dredging and this suggests that the habitat was less suitable as a consequence of dredging. Thus, even in the highly dynamic ecosystem of the Wadden Sea, effects of bottom disturbance by cockle dredging may persist after one year.     

Changes of coastal sedimentation in the Gulf of Tehuantepec,South Pacific Mexico,over the last 100 years from short-lived radionuclide measurements

Short-lived radionuclides (²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs) were used to document sedimentation regime changes over the last ～100 years, from analysis of a single sedimentary sequence collected in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, South Pacific of Mexico. Sedimentation rates found in the core Tehua II-21 varied from 0.03 to 0.21 cm yr^?1, whereas mass accumulation rates ranged from 0.05 to 0.29 g cm^?2 yr^?1. ¹³⁷Cs data validate results obtained from ²¹⁰Pb measurements and confirm significant changes in the sedimentation regime between 1950 and 1970. We associate these alterations to land use changes, including deforestation for agriculture development and industrialization, as well as the regimentation of the Tehuantepec River from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. This interval has been marked by a major demographic expansion that followed the industrial development of the area.     

Effects of sediment deposition on the New Zealand cockle,Austrovenus stutchburyi

New Zealand estuaries and harbours are subjected to increasing sediment deposition that can smother and bury infaunal communities, yet how coastal species respond to sediment deposition is not well understood. Here, we experimentally examined the effects of native marine sediment deposition on the NZ cockle (Austrovenus stutchburyi). Cockles were found to be highly mobile and capable burrowers, able to resurface within days from beneath 2–25?cm of sediment where no physical disturbance to their natural orientation occurred. Cockles were also resilient to daily (2?cm) reburials. However, following disturbance to their natural orientation, inverted cockles were significantly impeded when buried under 5–10?cm of sediment, with fewer adults resurfacing than sub-adults. Cockle populations are likely to be resilient to native sediment deposition, unless physically disturbed. When disturbed from their natural orientation in the sediment, higher mortality of larger adult-sized cockles would be predicted, with mortality increasing under thicker sediment deposits.     

Dividing the algal soup: is there niche separation between native bivalves (Echyridella menziesii) and non-native Daphnia pulex in New Zealand?

ABSTRACT

New Zealand's native freshwater mussels (kākahi, kāeo) are considered to be in decline, yet the mechanisms driving this are unclear. The widespread establishment of highly efficient filter-feeding, non-native Daphnia in New Zealand lakes may have led to competition for algae with kākahi. We conducted a controlled laboratory experiment to determine whether differences exist in algal resources utilised by kākahi and North American Daphnia pulex. Echyridella menziesii (adults and juveniles) and D. pulex were exposed to mixed algal samples for three hours to determine whether similar algal resources were removed by the grazers. Relative to controls, both adult and juvenile E. menziesii removed a broad range of algal taxa including diatoms, green algae and filamentous species, ranging in size from 33.6 to 348.0?μm. High densities of D. pulex were unable to cause depletion of these same algae species. Our results suggest niche overlap is limited between the two grazers; E. menziesii utilises larger particles than D. pulex.     

Study of the sedimentation and self-weight consolidation behavior of seafloor sediments using a radioisotope densitometer

ABSTRACT

In this study, settling tests were conducted to investigate the sedimentation and self-weight consolidation behavior of seafloor sediments from Isahaya Bay, Ariake Sea, Japan. During the tests, the density variations with depth and time were measured by a gamma-ray transmission radioisotope densitometer. The test results show that the settling process of the seafloor sediments can be classified into the flocculation stage, settling stage, and consolidation stage. The settling rate of the seafloor sediments in the settling stage is dependent on the temperature and initial water content, while the settling rate in the consolidation stage is independent of the temperature and initial water content. The density profile changes from a constant density profile to a linear density profile when the sedimentation process transitions to the self-weight consolidation process. The relations between the void ratio (e) and effective vertical stress (p’) at very low pressures can be calculated from the measured density values, and this can be used for the analysis of the self-weight consolidation of seafloor sediments. For the seafloor sediments tested in this study, the undrained shear strength (s_u) values are almost the same when the density values are less than 1.14?g/cm³, and the s_u values increase linearly with an increase in density when the density values are in the range of 1.14–1.2?g/cm^3.     

Spatial heterogeneity and long-term changes in bivalveAnadara broughtoni population: influence of river run-off and fishery

A comparison was made of population of the economically important cockleAnadara (=Scapharca)broughtoni (Bivalvia, Arcidae) inhabiting different areas of the Razdolnaya River estuary at the head of Amurskii Bay (Peter the Great Gulf, East Sea). Also, changes in cockle population density and structure, as well as in cockle growth rates during the last 20 years were studied. In all years of investigation, the morphometrical parameters and growth rates of cockles were smaller at the sites located close to the River mouth than farther down-estuary. The differences can be attributed to higher concentration of suspended particulate matter, decreased salinity and water temperature, as well as a longer exposure to these unfavorable environmental factors at sites located close to the River mouth, compared to farther sites. For two decades, cockle population density had decreased by almost 30 times at some sites in the River estuary. The main reason for this population decline is commercial over-fishing of the cockle. Besides, for the last 20 years, linear parameters of the cockles in the population decreased approximately by 30% and weight parameters, almost two times. Cockle growth rates also decreased for this period. Evidently, these facts are due to the damaging effect of dredging.     

Preservation conditions and the use of sediment pigments as a tool for recent ecological reconstruction in four Northern European estuaries

Down-core sediment pigment concentrations from four Northern European estuaries were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to investigate phytoplankton community structure and preservation conditions over the last ca. 100 years where all sites have experienced different levels of eutrophication. Phytoplankton pigments have been shown to be useful biomarkers for phytoplankton community structure and abundance due to their taxonomic specificity. The pigment concentrations and sediment pigment inventory showed large variation between the four sites. Concentrations ranged from more than 6000 nmol/g OC to less than 100 nmol/g OC and the inventory integrated over the top 10 cm from more than 300 nmol/cm² to less than 30 nmol/cm² for total identified pigments. Good pigment preservation in Mariager Fjord (Denmark) reflected the almost permanently anoxic conditions. Pigments in Laajalahti (Finland) showed peak concentrations around the time of highest nitrogen loading events known from historical and modelled records over the past 100 years. In contrast, poor down-core preservation of pigments (especially carotenoids) was observed in the Ems-Dollard (The Netherlands) and Himmerfjärden (Sweden) estuaries. The Ems-Dollard site is an intertidal mudflat that experiences daily exposure to light and air, which enhances pigment degradation. In Himmerfjärden, resuspension is an important process affecting both the sedimentation rate and degradation properties. The different preservation conditions at the four sites were supported by the differences in two degradation indicators; the ratio of pheopigment-a to chlorophyll-a and total carotenoids to total pigments. Class-specific carotenoid pigments represented the dominant algal groups reported from each site, however, no distinct down-core changes in the pigment composition were observed at any of the four sites. This indicated that changes in plankton community structure on the group level have been limited over this time period or masked by low preservation of pigments.     

Effects of substrate and sedimentation on the abundance of upland bullies (Gobiomorphus breviceps)

Most indigenous New Zealand freshwater fish are benthic, and use substrate elements for shelter, cover, and nesting sites. Sedimentation can reduce the amount of interstitial space provided by the substrate, thus reducing the amount of available cover and potentially influencing fish abundance. To test the effects of sedimentation on fish density, upland bullies (Gobiomorphus breviceps Stokell) were introduced into experimental channels with different substrate treatments. After an acclimatisation period, they were allowed to emigrate. The maximum fish density and relative habitat suitability was then determined by the number of fish remaining after 6 days. Bully numbers declined by over 50% after 6 days in the trials with no cover, whereas with 20 cobbles providing cover for 40 bullies, numbers reduced by only 10%. When sufficient fine sediment was added to fill the spaces under the cobbles, bully numbers reduced by more than 60%, regardless of the number of cobbles. However, when cobbles were raised above the fine sediment, the number of bullies remaining in the channels was similar to the number remaining with cobbles and no sediment. The overall effect of high levels of sedimentation on bully density was similar to that of providing no cover, with the effect diminishing as the level of sedimentation decreased.     

Radiocarbon-derived sedimentation rates in the Gulf of Mexico

Sedimentation rates were determined for the northern Gulf of Mexico margin sediments at water depths ranging from 770 to 3560 m, using radiocarbon determinations of organic matter. Resulting sedimentation rates ranged from 3 to 15 cm/kyr, decreasing with increasing water depth. These rates agree with long-term sedimentation rates estimated previously using stratigraphic methods, and with estimates of sediment delivery rates by the Mississippi River to the northern Gulf of Mexico, but are generally higher by 1–2 orders of magnitude than those estimated by ²¹⁰Pb_xs methods. Near-surface slope sediments from 2737 m water depth in the Mississippi River fan were much older than the rest. They had minimum ¹⁴C ages of 16–27 kyr and δ¹³C values ranging from −24‰ to −26.5‰, indicating a terrestrial origin of organic matter. The sediments from this site were thus likely deposited by episodic mass wasting of slope sediment through the canyon, delineating the previously suggested main pathway of sediment and clay movement to abyssal Gulf sediments.     

Early diagenesis of chloropigment biomarkers in the lower Mississippi River and Louisiana shelf: implications for carbon cycling in a river-dominated margin

Sediment core samples were collected from two sites in the lower Mississippi River, an oxic shelf site and a hypoxic shelf site (in September 1998 and July 1999), and from a cross-shelf transect (in April 2000), to examine the differential effects of redox and sedimentation rate on carbon decay dynamics in a river-dominated margin. Downcore distribution of pigments, bulk organic carbon and nitrogen, and radioactive isotopes (²¹⁰Pb, ⁷Be) were used to evaluate the decomposition and preservation of pigments and bulk organic carbon. The distinctly different sedimentary regimes and dynamic nature of the LA shelf limit the application of diagenetic models. Sedimentation processes in the lower Mississippi River and oxic shelf sites were significantly impacted by the river discharge. In areas with low sedimentation, the depth of the surface mixed layer fluctuated with seasonal variation of weather forcing. It was observed that pigment decay rate constants in the mixed layer (7.52 year⁻¹ for chlorophyll-a) were greater than those in the accumulation layer (0.14–0.22 year⁻¹ for chlorophyll-a) by 1–2 orders of magnitude. This suggests that enhanced decomposition of reactive organic carbon occurred in the mixed layer at locations with low sedimentation rates—due to higher decay rates. Conversely, at locations with high sedimentation rates (>10 cm year⁻¹), the reactive carbon pool was rapidly buried below the mixed layer. The surface mixed layer likely worked as a biogeochemical reactor receiving high inputs of phytodetritus, supported by an active microbial community. We propose that despite the frequency of occurrence of bottom water hypoxia on the Louisiana shelf, sedimentation rate and lability of organic matter are more important in controlling the preservation of organic carbon.     

Burial and degradation of Rena oil within coastal sediments of the Bay of Plenty

ABSTRACT

During the Rena oil spill, no data existed for New Zealand conditions on the likely depth of burial and the expected degradation of oil deposited on sandy beaches. Sediment cores were taken from 12 locations along the Bay of Plenty coastline c. 1 year after the Rena oil spill. No visible oil was detected in cores and trenches dug within the beaches. Chemical extraction was performed on 20?cm slices from the upper 40?cm of 26 cores, and the elutriates were analysed for the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results were compared with known PAH fingerprints of Rena oil and its degradation products. Only seven samples contained some marker PAHs, and none had a complete Rena profile, indicating stormwater contamination. Despite extensive deposition of Rena oil on beaches, no evidence of ongoing contamination could be located, indicating that the clean-up and degradation were effective at removing the oil.     

Effects of macroalgal mats and hypoxia on burrowing depth of the New Zealand cockle (Austrovenus stutchburyi)

Macroalgal mats commonly occur in estuaries and sheltered embayments where they are thought to affect the oxygen conditions in the sediment, influence the geochemical process and influence the burrowing activity of bivalves. Laboratory experiments evaluated the effects of sediment hypoxia and algal mats on the burrowing ability and survival of the New Zealand cockle Austrovenus stutchburyi at 15 °C. Both dissolved oxygen concentration and time affected the burial depth of the cockles over the 12 days of the experiment. In hypoxic conditions (<2 mg L^?1), cockles migrated to the sediment surface after 3.5 days and mortality occurred after 11 days. Bivalves exposed to oxygen concentrations of 2–3 mg L^?1 buried closer to the sediment surface than those in the other treatments. Using a simulated tidal regime, in a mesocosm, burrowing behaviour of the cockle and pore-water oxygen conditions in the sediment were measured on exposure to experimental mats of Gracilaria chilensis and Ulva spp. for over 6 days. Algal mats on the surface of the sediment significantly lowered the dissolved oxygen concentration of the sediment pore-water and this effect was greater for the Ulva spp. treatment than the G. chilensis treatment. Cockles were buried more deeply in the control treatment without algae than in either of the two algal treatments. It is concluded that reduced oxygen conditions (<3.5 mg L^?1) develop under macroalgal mats and that this reduces the burial depth of cockles. The potential harmful effects of the mats can depend on the species forming the mat and these effects are likely to be greater in the field than they are in controlled laboratory conditions.     

210Pb测年的“延年”与“折寿”

放射性同位素²¹⁰Pb适于百年尺度的定年和沉积速率计算,已经在冰芯、土壤、湖泊、水库、河口、潮滩、潟湖、海湾和浅海陆架等多种环境得到广泛应用。目前,²¹⁰Pb测年方法的应用有两种现象值得注意：一种是“延年”,即根据测算的沉积速率回溯定年的时间,有时回溯的时间跨度可达二、三百年;另一种是“折寿”,即根据测算的表观沉积速率计算得到的²¹⁰Pb本底层位之上的时间跨度不足百年。根据²¹⁰Pb测年的原理和有关仪器的检出限来分析,本文作者认为,²¹⁰Pb直接定年的上限以110 yr~155 yr为宜。因此,“延年”的运用有一定的前提条件,即研究区的沉积环境在回溯的数百年尺度内应该保持稳定,同时回溯的定年结果最好有其他独立的定年方法（如历史文献记录或生物标志物等）来印证、以增加其可靠性。对于²¹⁰Pb测年的“折寿”现象,可能的原因有四种。第一,沉积及取样的压实效应没有在分析和计算过程中得到校正。第二,²¹⁰Pb活度测量的精度和不确定度影响了对本底的判断;为稳妥起见,研究者选定的本底层位一般会比真实的本底年龄要年轻一些,导致定年结果的时间跨度缩小。第三,²¹⁰Pb定年计算模式决定了本底活度值的微小差异将带来计算出来的时间跨度产生显著差异。第四,沉积过程事实上发生了后期的侵蚀和迁移,导致保存在柱样中的沉积记录不完整。为了有效地减少²¹⁰Pb测年法的结果误差,可以采取减小²¹⁰Pb活度测量子样的间距、并同步测量²²⁶Ra活度等技术手段;另外,在计算时应该使用沉积通量而不是表观沉积速率。我们相信,²¹⁰Pb测年方法的正确运用和解译将对物源判断、沉降后的侵蚀和扰动等问题提供一些有益的信息。     

Nitrogen sources in the South China Sea, as discerned from stable nitrogen isotopic ratios in rivers, sinking particles, and sediments

Stable nitrogen isotopic ratios were measured in sinking particles and surface sediments from the South China Sea (SCS) in order to study recent nitrogen sources and degradation. Average δ¹⁵N values of 16 sediment traps deployed at seven locations in the northern, central and southern SCS were uniformly low, ranging between 2.7 and 4.5‰ with a winter minimum in the northern and central SCS. Enhanced nitrogen contents and δ¹⁵N values were noted in samples affected by swimmers, comprising between 5 and 20% of total nitrogen fluxes. Nitrate sources were subsurface waters from the western Pacific, which were isotopically depleted due to the remineralization of nitrogen from nitrogen fixation in surface waters. Nitrogen fixation in the SCS contributed up to 20% to the settling particles. In the southern SCS, resuspended matter close to the shelf added to the sinking particulates. The long-term trap record from the central SCS revealed decreasing δ¹⁵N values during the 1990s, which correspond with findings from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and may be attributable to increased nitrogen fixation due to global warming-related stratification. This trend may be restricted to the 1990s but could also persist due to the projection of more frequent occurrence of El Niño conditions.The δ¹⁵N increase from swimmer-free trap averages of 2.7–3.6‰ to values of 5–6‰ in underlying deep-sea sediments was in the same range as in other deep ocean areas. Similar to results from the northern Indian Ocean, this increase could be related to isotopic enrichment during amino acid degradation. The lowest sedimentary δ¹⁵N values characterize the Pinatubo ash layer deposited off Luzon in an event of mass sedimentation in 1991. The fast deposition of organic matter drawn from the surface waters with the ash in the form of vertical density currents evidently preserved the planktonic δ¹⁵N signal.