The morphological characteristics of glacial deposits during the Last Glaciation, taking the Parlung Zangbo River Basin as an example

Moraine morphology is a valuable indicator of climate change. The glacial deposits of ten valleys were selected in the Parlung Zangbo River Basin, southeastern Tibetan Plateau, to study the glacial characteristics of the Last Glaciation and the climate change processes as revealed by these moraines. Investigation revealed that a huge moraine ridge was formed by ancient glacier in the Marine Isotope Stage 2 （MIS2）, and this main moraine ridge indicates the longest sustained and stable climate. There are at least two smaller moraine ridges that are external extensions of or located at the bottom of the main moraine ridge, indicating that the climate of the glacial stage before MIS2 was severer but the duration was relatively shorter. This distribution may reflect the climate of MIS4 or MIS3b. The glacial valleys show multi-channel, small-scale moraine ridges between the contemporary glacial tongue and the main moraine ridge. Some of these multi-channel mo- raine ridges might be recessional moraine, indicating the significant glacial advance during the Younger Dryas or the Heinrich event. The moraine ridges of the Neoglaciation and the Little Ice Age are near the ends of the contemporary glaciers. Using high-precision system dating, we can fairly well reconstruct the pattern of climate change by studying the shape, extent, and scale characteristics of glacial deposits in southeastern Tibet. This is valuable research to understand the relationship between regional and global climate change.     

第四纪察尔汗地区石盐沉积中的氯同位素组成

采用基于Ｃｓ２Ｃｌ＋离子的正热电离质谱高精度测定氯同位素方法（在９５％的置信水平时，测定精度为０．０２％），测定了柴达木盆地察尔汗盐湖ＺＫ─８９０４钻孔原生石盐和次生石盐中氯同位素组成．研究表明五万年以来察尔汗地区氯同位素组成δ３７Ｃｌ的变化范围为－１．１５７～－０．３７９‰（ＳＭＯＣ）．根据氯同位素，组成的变化规律并结合ＺＫ─８９０４钻孔中氢氧同位素组成，推断出在此期间察尔汗盐湖至少经历了三次较大规模的淡化，冰后期和增温干旱期的两次湖水淡化对现代盐湖的形成起到了重要的作用，同时也复证了该地区的古气候演化模式。     

Identification of Quaternary subsurface glacial deposits using 3D databases and GIS

To solve the problem of handling numerous data from drillings and geophysical surveys for specific information of subsurface geological formations, the use of databases and geographic information systems (GIS) is demonstrated. Geological formations are in 3D and commercial GIS packages are normally in 2D. This problem is solved here by a 1D database of the layering of the drillings and export of query results from the database to a 2D GIS. The queries will ask for grain size and altitude for the actual sedimentary layers. To include point data from ground penetrating radar (GPR) data survey profiles in a 2D GIS, a stepwise technique of dynamic segmentation has been developed. The points are digitized along sedimentary boundaries from 2D GPR profiles. The concept was applied on a small area of glacial sediments in Telemark, Norway. Results from the processes were clustering of points with properties connected to specific geological formations. The clustering subsurface geological formations were moraine ridges, a diamict layer, gravel and coarse sand above and below the diamict layer, till above bedrock, and glaciomarine deposits of gravel and sand. Information about extension of these geological formations is useful and essential for modelling of sedimentary environments and for aquifer modelling.     

Past and present permafrost as an indicator of climate change

The permafrost history of the high northern latitudes over the last two million years indicates that perennially frozen ground formed and thawed repeatedly, probably in close synchronicity with the climate changes that led to the expansion and subsequent shrinkage of continental ice sheets. The early stages of the Pleistocene are the least known and the changes that occurred in the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene are the best known.
Evidence that permafrost is degrading in response to the current global warming trend is difficult to ascertain. The clearest signals are probably provided by changes in permafrost distribution in the sub-Arctic regions. at the extreme southern fringes of the discontinuous permafrost zone.     

Origin of well-rounded gravels in glacial deposits from Brøggerhalvøya, northwest Spitsbergen: potential problems caused by sediment reworking in the glacial environment

Well-rounded gravels are described from moraine-mound complexes, diamicton forefields and modern englacial thrusts at the margins of four glaciers on the northern side of Brøggerhalvøya, northwest Spitsbergen. Their shape charcteristics are compared with modern and fossil glacigenic, modern beach and Early Weichselian beach gravels from this peninsula. The best discriminators of the well-rounded gravels have been found to be the percentage-frequency roundness histograms, the roundness mid-point and roundness range diagrams and the sphericity-roundness plots. It is concluded that the gravels have been derived by englacial thrusting from Early Weichselian or last interglacial beaches in the inner parts of the fjord and in the low level cirques when sea level reached at least 50m a.s.l. and deposited the beach gravels. The discrimination between gravel in basal diamictons, proglacial outwash and modern beaches is difficult as the reworking has resulted in little particle shape change. The potential major problem caused by reworking in the glacial environment is emphasised. especially when clast shape comparisons from modern environments to older sediments are used.     

北疆黄土的磁化率各向异性揭示末次冰期以来古风向的变化

黄土磁化率各向异性（AMS）被认为是重建古风向变化重要的指标之一,在黄土高原地区得到广泛的应用。然而新疆地区的黄土磁化率各向异性研究相对薄弱。通过对新疆塔城盆地库尔托别剖面磁化率各向异性参数和磁化率分析古风向和风力强度的变化,结果表明：塔城地区末次冰期以来以东南风为主,剖面从下至上,可分为5个阶段：第1阶段（12~14 m）：对应MIS3c时期,磁组构特征受水流作用的影响明显,表现为东南风。第2阶段（6~12 m）：对应MIS3b时期,出现西南风,但主要还是以东南风为主。第3阶段（4~6 m）：对应MIS3a早中期,以东南风为主,西南风逐渐消失,并且风力强度逐渐减弱。第4阶段（0.5~4 m）：对应MIS3a晚期和MIS2早期,表现为东南风,风力强度波动较大。第5阶段（0~0.5 m）：磁组构特征受成壤作用影响强烈。     

Late Quaternary climate and environmental change derived from glacial deposits in the Parlung Zangbo Valley,southeastern Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the late Quaternary climate and environmental characteristics of two tributary valleys (Xingmu and Depu Valleys) in the Parlung Zangbo Valley, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) samples collected from moraines at the mouth of Xingmu Valley produce a wide age range from 13.9 ka to 76 ka. The ages measured from the lenticular sand are consistent with the relative geomorphic sequence of the landforms. Lenticular sand layers below the moraine were dated to 37.9 ka and 44.7 ka, indicating that fluvial processes were likely dominant in the valley during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. The outer moraine ridges at the valley mouth were formed during 13.9 ka and 26.5 ka, corresponding to MIS2. At Depu Valley, OSL samples from two sets of lateral and terminal moraines close to the modern glacier, provide ages from 1.4 ka to 29.2 ka. The paleosol layer widely developed during 2.6 cal ka BP and 8.7 cal ka BP in the study area, reflecting a relatively warm condition during the mid-Holocene.     

黑碳在开封古城黄泛地层沉积旋回划分中的指示意义

多次黄河泛滥使现今开封城市地面以下叠置数座古城,出现"城摞城"奇观。泛滥之后的城市重建等人类活动常常扰动正常的沉积层序,给粒度旋回划分带来巨大困难,因此需要寻找其他代用指标。分别在"城摞城"中心区(ZKsz)和郊区(ZKjm)获取25 m连续岩芯,以10 cm间隔分样;用激光粒度法结合筛分开展沉积物粒度分析,用Lim法(1996)测定黑碳含量,用小波分析划分沉积旋回。结果表明:ZKjm岩芯的粒度旋回界线大多与黑碳旋回一致,表明黑碳含量可以作为划分沉积旋回的代用指标。ZKsz钻芯深度8.8~23.5 m之间的地层,粒度旋回和黑碳旋回的数量及其界限基本相同;北宋以后地层(深度0.3~8.8 m)的粒度旋回只有2个,而黑碳旋回有7个,表明黑碳含量适用于城市扰动地层的沉积旋回划分。     

Driftwood as an indicator of relative changes in the influx of Arctic and Atlantic water into the coastal areas of Svalbard

A total of 276 driftwood samples from Wijdefjorden on the northern coast of Spitsbergen were den-drochronologically analysed and compared with results from a similar study on driftwood from Isfjorden. The composition and origin of the driftwood from the two places differ. Whereas Larix is almost absent in the Isfjorden driftwood, it comprises 25% of the Wijdefjorden collection. The Isfjorden driftwood has its main origin in the White Sea region and the dates of the driftwood concentrate around the period from 1950 to 1979, with only a few dates from the period 1910 to 1950. The Wijdefjorden driftwood has two main origins: Siberia and the White Sea region. The dates of the White Sea components of the Wijdefjorden driftwood are concentrated mainly in the period 1910-1950. The dates of the Siberian (Yenisey) components of the Wijdefjorden driftwood are concentrated in the period 1950–1979. It can be argued that during the time period from ca. 1910 to 1950 the activity of a warm northerly flowing current along the western coast of Spitsbergen was stronger, transporting White Sea driftwood all the way to the Wijdefjorden area. However, after ca. 1950 the input of White Sea driftwood decreased, and the relative importance of the Siberian component increased. These results fit well with the climatic records from Svalbard, showing a warm regime during the first half of this century due to increased activity of the warm West Spitsbergen Current along the western coast of Spitsbergen. After ca. 1950, the influx of Atlantic Water became weaker, the climate became colder and the relative occurrences of Siberian driftwood transported by the Transpolar Current increased on the northern coast of the Svalbard archipelago.     

Potential limitations of biogenic silica as an indicator of abrupt climate change in Lake Baikal, Russia

Biogenic Silica (BSi) has been one of the most important proxies for determining the palaeoclimate from Lake Baikal over glacial-interglacial cycles. Concentrations (calculated through a 1% Na₂CO₃ wet-alkaline digestion) at a site in the north basin, however, reveal consistently low values during MIS 3 compared to greater than tenfold changes in diatom concentrations and biovolumes from c. 53.3–51.5 kyr BP. With similar glacial trends present at other low sedimentation sites, we suggest that significant amounts of BSi are removed from diatoms during glacials due to a relative increase in diatom dissolution at the sediment–water interface. This contrasts with existing results from other, higher sedimentation, sites such as those within the Selenga Delta, which display a strong relationship between diatoms and BSi. Site selection is therefore essential when searching for Heinrich and other glacial millennial-scale events in Lake Baikal, and we recommend that both BSi and diatom concentrations be calculated together in future studies.     

Weathering Pits as Indicators of the Relative Age of Granite Surfaces in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland

Weathering pits 1–140 cm deep occur on granite surfaces in the Cairngorms associated with a range of landforms, including tors, glacially exposed slabs, large erratics and blockfields. Pit depth is positively correlated with cosmogenic exposure age, and both measures show consistent relationships on individual rock landforms. Rates of pit deepening are non‐linear and a best fit is provided by the sigmoidal function D = b1 + exp(b2+b3/t). The deepest pits occur on unmodified tor summits, where ¹⁰Be exposure ages indicate that surfaces have been exposed to weathering for a minimum of 52–297 ka. Glacially exposed surfaces with pits 10–46 cm deep have given ¹⁰Be exposure durations of 21–79 ka, indicating exposure by glacial erosion before the last glacial cycle. The combination of cosmogenic exposure ages with weathering pit depths greatly extends the area over which inferences can be made regarding the ages of granite surfaces in the Cairngorms. Well‐developed weathering pits on glacially exposed surfaces in other granite areas are potential indicators of glacial erosion before the Last Glacial Maximum.     

Isotopic analysis of the snow cover at an alpine glacier as an indicator of local climatic variations and isotopic homogeni zation processes

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Integration of European habitat monitoring based on plant life form composition as an indicator of environmental change and change in biodiversity

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 106(2): 61–74, 2006

During the last 25 years a number of European countries have developed general landscape monitoring systems. In the agricultural landscapes of Denmark the Small Biotope Monitoring Program (SBMP). which focuses on the dynamics of small biotopes and their relation to changes in agricultural technology and structural characteristics, has been developed since 1981. Erom 2007, the SBMP will continue as part of the Danish nature monitoring program, NOVANA.

In Europe, during the last 10 years, several national landscape surveys have cooperated to develop a European platform for consistent landscape related habitat monitoring. This has been through the BioHab Concerted Action Framework Programme of the EU (2002–2005), and the resulting publication of a handbook for recording and monitoring habitats (Bunce et al., 2005). The focus on environmentally conditioned habitat changes at a landscape level has led to the re-introduction of Raunkiaer's plant life form concept. This approach enables the indication of changes in biodiversity based on alterations in general habitat composition and quality.

Although the objectives of the SBMP and the BioHab projects have been somewhat different, the methodologies have much in common. In this paper the background and perspectives of the two approaches are discussed, and a test of the BioHab field methodology in an area previously monitored by the SBMP is presented. It was found not to be difficult to integrate the BioHab field recording methodology with the existing SBMP methods, thus permitting the SBMP to deliver an additional European perspective, with relatively little additional effort.     

Temporal patterns in lacustrine stable isotopes as evidence for climate change during the late glacial in the Southern European Alps

We investigated oxygen and carbon isotopes of bulk carbonate and of benthic freshwater ostracods (Candona candida) in a sediment core of Lago Piccolo di Avigliana that was previously analyzed for pollen and loss-on-ignition, in order to reconstruct environmental changes during the late glacial and early Holocene. The depth–age relationship of the sediment core was established using 14 AMS ¹⁴C dates and the Laacher See Tephra. While stable isotopes of bulk carbonates may have been affected by detrital input and, therefore, only indirectly reflect climatic changes, isotopes measured on ostracod shells provide unambiguous evidence for major environmental changes. Oxygen isotope ratios of ostracod shells (δ¹⁸O_C) increased by ～6‰ at the onset of the Bølling (～14,650 cal BP) and were ～2‰ lower during the Younger Dryas (～12,850 to 11,650 cal BP), indicating a temporal pattern of climate changes similar to the North Atlantic region. However, in contrast to records in that region, δ¹⁸O_C gradually decreased during the early Holocene, suggesting that compared to the Younger Dryas more humid conditions occurred and that the lake received gradually increasing input of ¹⁸O-depleted groundwater or river water.     

地表风化作用对楼兰地区雅丹地貌发育的影响

风蚀是雅丹地貌发育的主要控制因素,但在特定环境中,其他环境因素也可能起重要作用。通过对楼兰地区雅丹地貌野外调查、测试及室内实验分析,探讨风化作用对雅丹发育的影响。结果发现：新疆罗布泊地区广泛发育雅丹地貌,其中楼兰地区雅丹相对较为矮小,主要发育于全新世沉积岩上,地表没有植被或松散沉积物等覆盖,地层裸露。楼兰雅丹体为黏土质粉砂岩,干燥条件下较为坚硬（硬度>20 kg·cm^-2）,抗风蚀能力较强,但是雅丹体表层岩性发生明显软化（硬度<10 kg·cm^-2）。这主要是由于罗布泊地区少量且集中的降水、显著的昼夜温差以及强烈太阳辐射等相互作用造成的。从这些广泛存在的松软层表明,雅丹体表层风化作用速度快于风蚀作用,而表层首先进行的风化作用,对雅丹风蚀作用起很大的促进作用,明显加速了楼兰地区雅丹地貌的发育。因此,受少量降水、昼夜温差和强烈的太阳辐射等影响的风化作用对楼兰地区雅丹地貌发育具有重要的影响。     

Weathering characteristics of arctic islands in northern Norway

The arctic islands of the Lofoten-Vesterålen archipelago in northern Norway have a wide distribution of weathered land surfaces commonly located above 250 m with several apparent similarities. In order to investigate the characteristics of (deep) weathering in this region, northern Langøya and Hadseløya were chosen for in-depth analyses. Eight weathering profiles were excavated from various surfaces, and the stratigraphies were logged in detail. Material was collected throughout the weathering horizons, and all samples were subsequently analysed for clay mineralogy (< 63 μm fraction) and grain size distribution. The sampling strategy was complemented by samples from additional saprolites and other landforms such as moraines and rock glaciers. The XRD results indicate that the presence of secondary minerals, such as gibbsite (Al(OH)₃) and kaolinite (Al₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄), are very common throughout the profiles. Gibbsite is an extreme end product of silicate weathering and usually associated with a warmer and more humid climate, as found in Scandinavia during the Tertiary. The grain size analyses (< 63 μm) show that the finer silt fractions (< 8 μm) tend to be high in the profiles (20–40%), with significant amounts of clay (5–15%) demonstrating that the regolith itself is susceptible to frost sorting mechanisms.¹⁰Be exposure dates from in situ quartz knobs on tors and boulders of local origin suggest > 40,000 years of subaerial conditions. Considering the steady surface erosion, this figure should be viewed as an absolute minimum age estimate. Mapping of the superficial sediments and geomorphological features of the study areas has revealed several common morphological features, which indicate dominance of glacial and periglacial processes in the areas lying below the lower boundary of blockfields (c. 250 m). The weathering mantles are not a periglacial end product, but rather a relict tertiary landform that were modulated by permafrost processes as well as biological processes at later stages. The regolith cover constrain the vertical extension of warm-based Quaternary ice sheets challenging the notion of a parabolic ice mass consuming every mountain top of Lofoten and Vesterålen.     

The impact of the Parangana Dam on the River Mersey,Tasmania

By diverting the waters of the River Mersey into a neighbouring basin, the Parangana Dam has changed the hydrological character of the downstream river. The flow records of three gauging stations, located at distances of 10, 67 and 88 km below the dam, provide the basis for identifying the changes. Intermediate discharges have decreased the most and even the furthest downstream station are 50% lower than before. The flow extremes, at both ends of the scale, have been less affected, and particularly the less frequent flood discharges which are augmented by overspill. Indeed the highest flood on record, with a recurrence interval of over 500 years, occurred in the post-dam period. The entry of unregulated tributaries in the middle section separates a much changed upstream hydrology from a downstream one able to mitigate the worst effects of the dam except at intermediate discharges.Field survey, air and ground photograph analysis are used to assess the impact of impoundment on the downstream channel. The main changes involve the expansion of existing lateral bars and the growth of new ones, but such deposition and the consequent narrowing of the channel are rather localized. The invasion of bar surfaces by vegetation could accelerate the process, but the general coarseness of the channel bed and the lack of fine material for bank building will severely delay adjustment of the Mersey channel. The chemical and biological character of the river could be adversely affected by the altered flow regime, particularly in those reaches immediately below the dam.     

A model for underpressure development in a glacial valley,an example from Adventdalen,Svalbard

The underpressure observed in the glacial valley Adventdalen at Svalbard is studied numerically with a basin model and analytically with a compartment model. The pressure equation used in the basin model, which accounts for underpressure generation, is derived from mass conservation of pore fluid and solid, in addition to constitutive equations. The compartment model is derived as a similar pressure equation, which is based on a simplified representation of the basin geometry. It is used to derive analytical expressions for the underpressure (overpressure) from a series of unloading (loading) intervals. The compartment model gives a characteristic time for underpressure generation of each interval, which tells when the pressure state is transient or stationary. The transient pressure is linear in time for short‐time spans compared to the characteristic time, and then it is proportional to the weight removed from the surface. We compare different contributions to the underpressure generation and find that porosity rebound from unloading is more important than the decompression of the pore fluid during unloading and the thermal contraction of the pore fluid during cooling of the subsurface. Our modelling shows that the unloading from the last deglaciation can explain the present day underpressure. The basin model simulates the subsurface pressure resulting from erosion and unloading in addition to the fluid flow driven by the topography. Basin modelling indicates that the mountains surrounding the valley are more important for the topographic‐driven flow in the aquifer than the recharging in the neighbour valley. The compartment model turns out to be useful to estimate the orders of magnitude for system properties like seal and aquifer permeabilities and decompaction coefficients, despite its geometric simplicity. We estimate that the DeGeerdalen aquifer cannot have a permeability that is higher than 1 · 10^?18 m², as otherwise, the fluid flow in the aquifer becomes dominated by topographic‐driven flow. The upper value for the seal permeability is estimated to be 1 · 10^?20 m², as higher values preclude the generation and preservation of underpressure. The porosity rebound is estimated to be <0.1% during the last deglaciation using a decompaction coefficient α_r = 1 · 10^?9 Pa^?1.