Accretion rates and sediment accumulation in Rhode Island salt marshes

In order to test the assumption that accretion rates of intertidal salt marshes are approximately equal to rates of sea-level rise along the Rhode Island coast,²¹⁰Pb analyses were carried out and accretion rates calculated using constant flux and constant activity models applied to sediment cores collected from lowSpartina alterniflora marshes at four sites from the head to the mouth of Narragansett Bay. A core was also collected from a highSpartina patens marsh at one site. Additional low marsh cores from a tidal river entering the bay and a coastal lagoon on Block Island Sound were also analyzed. Accretion rates for all cores were also calculated from copper concentration data assuming that anthropogenic copper increases began at all sites between 1865 and 1885. Bulk density and weight-loss-on-ignition of the sediments were measured in order to assess the relative importance of inorganic and organic accumulation. During the past 60 yr, accretion rates at the eight low marsh sites averaged 0.43±0.13 cm yr^?1 (0.25 to 0.60 cm yr^?1) based on the constant flux model, 0.40±0.15 cm yr^?1 (0.15 to 0.58 cm yr^?1) based on the constant activity model, and 0.44±0.11 cm yr^?1 (0.30 to 0.59 cm yr^?1) based on copper concentration data, with no apparent trend down-bay. High marsh rates were 0.24±0.02 (constant flux), 0.25±0.01 (constant activity), and 0.47±0.04 (copper concentration data). The cores showing closest agreement between the three methods are those for which the excess²¹⁰Pb inventories are consistent with atmospheric inputs. These rates compare to a tide gauge record from the mouth of the bay that shows an average sea-level rise of 0.26±0.02 cm yr^?1 from 1931 to 1986. Low marshes in this area appear to accrete at rates 1.5–1.7 times greater than local relative sea-level rise, while the high marsh accretion rate is equal to the rise in sea level. The variability among the low marsh sites suggests that marshes may not be poised at mean water level to within better than ±several cm on time scales of decades. Inorganic and organic dry solids each contributed about 9% by volume to low marsh accretion, while organic dry solids contributed 11% and inorganic 4% to high marsh accretion. Water/pore space accounted for the majority of accretion in both low and high marshes. If water associated with the organic component is considered, organic matter accounts for an average of 91% of low marsh and 96% of high marsh accretion. A dramatic increase in the organic content at a depth of 60 to 90 cm in the cores from Narragansett Bay appears to mark the start of marsh development on prograding sand flats.     

Sediment accumulation rates and geochronologies measured in the Saguenay Fjord using the Pb-210 dating method

Sediment accumulation rates were estimated from-the vertical distribution of excess Pb-210 measured in sediment cores collected at seven stations in the Saguenay Fjord, Quebec. These rates decrease with increasing water depth and distance from the mouth of the Saguenay River, ranging from 4.0 g cm^?2 yr^?1 (～- 7 cm yr^?1) near the head of the fjord to 0.07 g cm^?2 yr^?1 (～- 0.1 cm yr^?1) in the deep inner basin of the fjord. In one core from the head of the fjord, layered sediment structures, having different physical characteristics and composition, appear related to recent, pulsed inputs of older raised marine deposits displaced by a landslide in 1971. Synchronous depositional anomalies in several cores provide evidence of other large scale sediment redistribution processes in the fjord. Pb-210 geochronologies are generally in good agreement with time-stratigraphic horizons inferred both from Cs-137 activity profiles and from the analysis of pollen assemblages in one core.     

Signals of tree volume and temperature in a high‐resolution record of pollen accumulation rates in northern Finland

Pollen accumulation rates (PARs) provide a potential proxy for quantitative tree volume (m³ ha^?1) reconstruction with reliable absolute pollen productivity estimates (APPEs). We obtained APPEs for pine, spruce and birch at their range limits in northern Finland under two temperature periods (‘warm’ and ‘cold’) based on long‐term pollen trap and tree volume records within a 14‐km radius of each trap. APPEs (mean ± SE; × 10⁸ grains m^?3 a^?1) tend to be higher for the ‘warm’ periods (pine 123.8 ± 24.4, birch 528.0 ± 398.4, spruce 434.3 ± 113.7) compared with the ‘cold’ periods (pine 95.5 ± 37.3, birch 317.3 ± 282.6, spruce 119.6 ± 37.6), although the difference is only significant for spruce. Using an independent temperature record and the APPEs obtained, we reconstruct a low‐frequency record of pine volume changes over the last 1000 years at Palomaa mire, where a high‐resolution record of Pinus PARs is available. Five phases are distinguished in the reconstruction: moderate pine volume, AD 1080–1170; high volume, AD 1170–1340; low volume, AD 1340–1630; very low volume, AD 1630–1810; and rising pine volume, AD 1810–1950. These phases do not coincide with periods of high or low June–July–August temperatures, and thus appear to reflect regional variations in tree volume, while high‐frequency changes within each time‐period block show variations in PARs in response to temperature. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trace metals and radionuclides reveal sediment sources and accumulation rates in Jordan Cove, Connecticut

Many small estuaries are influenced by flow restrictions resulting from transportation rights-of-way and other causes. The biogeochemical functioning and history of such systems can be evaluated through study of their sediments. Ten long and six short cores were collected from the length of Jordan Cove, Connecticut, a Long Island Sound subestuary, and analyzed for stratigraphy, radionuclides (¹⁴C, ²¹⁰Pb, ²²⁶Ra, ¹³⁷Cs, and ⁶⁰Co), and metals (Ag, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, and Al). For at least 3,800 yr, rising sea level has gradually inundated Jordan Cove, filling it with mud similar to that currently being deposited there. Long-term sediment accumulation in the cove averaged close to 0.1 cm yr⁻¹ over the last three millennia. Recent sediment accumulation rates decrease inland from 0.84 cm yr⁻¹ to 0.40 cm yr⁻¹, and are slightly faster than relative sea-level rise at this site (0.3 cm yr⁻¹). Similarity of depth distributions of trace metals was used to confirm relative sediment accumulation rates. ⁶⁰Co and Ag are derived from sources outside the cove and its watershed, presumably the Millstone nuclear power plant and regional contaminated sediments, respectively. The combined data suggest that Long Island Sound is an important source of sediment to the cove; a minor part of total sediment is supplied from the local watershed. Trace metal levels are strongly correlated with Fe but not with either organic matter or Al. Sediment quality has declined in the cove over the past 60 yr, but only slightly. Cu, Pb, and Zn data correlate strongly with Fe but not with either organic matter or aluminum. Ratios of Ag to Fe and to trace metals suggest that Ag in the cove is derived almost entirely from Long Island Sound. This result supports the notion that Fenormalized Ag can serve as a better tracer of some kinds of contamination than more common and abundant metals, like Cu, Pb, and Zn. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY085 00008     

Determination of 137Cs activities in surface sediments and derived sediment accumulation rates in Thessaloniki Gulf, Greece

Surficial and core samples collected from the eastern Thessaloniki Gulf, located in the NW Aegean Sea, were analyzed for their sedimentation rate and inventories of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb. The study of the spatial radionuclide dispersion in the specific region is essential for the assessment of marine pollution levels. The sedimentation rates were calculated from the vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs and excess ²¹⁰Pb in the sediment cores. The spatial distribution of ¹³⁷Cs was studied with respect to sediment characteristics such as the grain size of the sample and the organic carbon content. The activity concentrations were measured by means of gamma ray spectrometry using HPGe detector for ¹³⁷Cs and gross alpha counting using alpha counter for ²¹⁰Pb. The average sedimentation rate along the sediment cores is characterized by a consistent pattern and varies from 0.18?±?0.02 to 0.22?±?0.03?cm?year^?1. The ¹³⁷Cs inventories varied from 205?±?15 to 602?±?39?Bq?m^?2, while the ²¹⁰Pb inventories of the studied cores exhibited average value of 140?±?9?Bq?m^?2. Elevated ¹³⁷Cs activities were observed compared to certain Mediterranean marine areas; however, they were lower than the reported values in the Black Sea.     

A simulation of continental basin margin sedimentation in response to crustal movements, eustatic sea level change, and sediment accumulation rates

As eustasy, subsidence, and sediment accumulation vary, a 2D computer-based graphical simulation generates on-lapping and off-lapping geometries of both marine and near coastal alluvial deposits, reproducing timelines within sediment-bodies at basin margins. In the simulation, deposition is expressed by creation of new surfaces above previous ones. Thicknesses of layers are reduced by both erosion and compaction while their surfaces move vertically in response to tectonic change and loading. Simulation is divided into a series of equal time steps in which sediment is deposited as an array of en-echelon columns that mark the top of the previous depositional surface. The volume of sediment deposited in each time step is expressed as a 2D cross section and is derived from two right-angle triangles (sand and shale), whose areas are a 2D expression of the quantity of sediment deposited at that time step and whose length matches the width of the offshore sediment wedge seaward of the shoreline. Each column in the array is filled by both marine sediments up to sea level, and alluvial sediments to a surface determined by an alluvial angle that is projected landward from the shore to its intersection with the previous surface. Each time the area representing the sediment column is subtracted from the triangles, the triangle heights are reduced correspondingly. This process is repeated until the triangle heights match the position of sea level above the sediment surface, at which time the remaining area of the sediment triangle is deposited seaward as a single wedge of offshore sediments. This simulation is designed to aid interpretation of stratigraphic sequences. It can be used as a complement to seismic stratigraphy or can be used alone as an inexpensive test of stratigraphic models.     

Comparisons of 210Pb and pollen methods for determining rates of estuarine sediment accumulation

Comparisons of sedimentation rates obtained by ²¹⁰Pb and pollen analyses of 1-m cores collected throughout the Potomac Estuary show good agreement in the majority of cores that can be analyzed by both methods. Most of the discrepancy between the methods can be explained by the analytical precision of the ²¹⁰Pb method and by the exactness with which time horizons can be identified and dated for the pollen method. X-radiographs of the cores and the distinctness of the pollen horizons preclude significant displacement by reworking and/or mixing of sediments. Differences between the methods are greatest where uncertainties exist in assigning a rate by one or both methods (i.e., ²¹⁰Pb trends and/or “possible” horizon assignments). Both methods show the same relative rates, with greater sediment accumulation more common in the upper and middle estuary and less toward the mouth. The results indicate that geochronologic studies of estuarine sediments should be preceded by careful observation of sedimentary structures, preferably by X-radiography, to evaluate the extent of mixing of the sediments. Time horizons, whether paleontologic or isotopic, are generally blurred where mixing has occurred, precluding precise identification. Whenever possible, two methods should be used for dating sediments because a rate, albeit erroneous, can be obtained isotopically in sediments that are mixed; accurate sedimentation rates are also difficult to determine where the time boundary is a zone rather than a horizon, where the historical record does not provide a precise date for the pollen horizon, or where scouring has removed some of the sediment above a dated pollen horizon.     

A 1,800-year record of arsenic concentration in the penguin dropping sediment,Antarctic

Heavy/toxic metals have been widely investigated in the Antarctic. However, there are rare reports on arsenic up to now. Here, we analyzed a 1,800-year record of arsenic concentration in lake sediments affected by penguin droppings. We found that arsenic enriches in the penguin dropping sediments with 12.41 ± 0.45 μg/g (on dry weight), which is about two times higher than the one in the background sediments with absence of penguin. Historical change in arsenic concentration was found to significantly correlate with the fluctuation of penguin number, indicating that penguin activity will result in the enrichment of arsenic somewhere in the maritime Antarctic.     

A 2000-year record of solar forcing on varved lake sediment in eastern Finland

A high-resolution study was performed on varved sediments from Lake Lehmilampi in eastern Finland. Varve data was collected by digital image analysis using standard 1.8 mm thick samples impregnated in epoxy and X-rayed. Climatic variability is imprinted on varve properties (varve thickness and accumulation of mineral and organic matter) during the last 2000 years. The cumulative counting error of the varve record is estimated as 2.3%. Qualitative comparison of varve parameters and residual Δ¹⁴C constructed from tree-rings revealed close correspondence between the two records, suggesting solar forcing on lake sedimentation. Classical climatic periods of the last millennia, Medieval Climate Anomaly (1060–1280 in the varve record) and Little Ice Age (cooler phases culminating in 1340, 1465, 1545, 1680, 1850 and also in 1930 in the varve record) are clearly evident in the varve record. At present the physical link between solar activity levels and lake sedimentation has not been established.     

Spatial and isotopic analysis of watershed soil loss and reservoir sediment accumulation rates in Lake Anna, Virginia, USA

Soil erosion and associated sedimentation are a threat to the sustainable use of surface water resources through the loss of volume storage capacity and conveyance of pollutants to receiving water bodies. The RUSLE2 empirical model and isotopic sediment core analyses were used to evaluate watershed erosion and reservoir sediment accumulation rates for Lake Anna, in Central Virginia. A sediment flux rate of 66,000 Mg/year was estimated from the upper basin and land use was determined to be the primary factor contributing to soil erosion. Barren lands and agricultural activities were estimated to contribute the most sediment (>20 Mg/ha/year), whereas forested and herbaceous landscapes were less likely to erode (<0.3 Mg/ha/year). Eleven separate ²¹⁰Pb-based estimates of sediment accumulation were used to construct reservoir-scale sedimentation rates. Sedimentation rates in the upper reaches of the reservoir were variable, ranging from 2.3 to 100 Mg/ha/year, with a median rate of 8.4 Mg/ha/year. Historical sedimentation showed an increase in annual accumulation from 1972 to present. Based on these data the reservoir has experienced a 2% loss of volume storage capacity since impoundment in 1972. Results from this study indicate that Lake Anna is not currently experiencing excessive sedimentation and erosion problems. However, the predominance of highly erosive soils (soil erodibility factor >0.30) within the watershed makes this system highly vulnerable to future anthropogenic stressors.     

A dated cave sediment record of Pleistocene transgressions on Berry Head,Southwest England

Berry Head, a limestone headland in Torbay, southwest England, exhibits a series of subaerial marine erosion platforms and raised beaches spanning an altitude range of 97 m. Solution caves on the headland show preferred horizontal development at elevations that are correlated with the marine erosion platforms, and developed in a marine/freshwater mixing zone whose position was controlled by high sea-level still-stands. Corbridge Cave in Berry Head Quarry lies below the raised beaches in Torbay, and contains evidence of three marine transgressions in the form of fine-grained marine ponding deposits with a marine microfauna. Uranium-series dating of intercalated speleothems indicates that a transgression during oxygen isotope stage 5e reached an elevation of 5.8 m OD, while an earlier transgression (probably during stage 7) reached at least 7.2 m OD. These findings are used to constrain possible interpretations of the aminostratigraphy of raised beaches in Southwest Britain, and a correlation of the Unnamed Stage of Bowen, Sykes, Reeves, Miller, Andrews, Brew and Hare with oxygen isotope stage 5e is proposed.     

Patterns of sediment accumulation in the tidal marshes of Maine

One year’s measurements of surficial sedimentation rates (1986–1987) for 26 Maine marsh sites were made over marker horizons of brick dust. Observed sediment accumulation rates, from 0 to 13 mm yr^?1, were compared with marsh morphology, local relative sea-level rise rate, mean tidal range, and ice rafting activity. Marshes with four different morphologies (back-barrier, fluvial, bluff-toe, and transitional) showed distinctly different sediment accumulation rates. In general, back-barrier marshes had the highest accumulation rates and blufftoe marshes had the lowest rates, with intermediate values for transitional and fluvial marshes. No causal relationship between modern marsh sediment accumulation rate and relative sea-level rise rate (from tide gauge records) was observed. Marsh accretionary balance (sediment accumulation rate minus relative sea-level rise rate) did not correlate with mean tidal range for this meso- to macro-tidal area. Estimates of ice-rafted debris on marsh sites ranged from 0% to >100% of measured surficial sedimentation rates, indicating that ice transport of sediment may make a significant contribution to surficial sedimentation on Maine salt marshes.     

Cross-shore distribution of longshore sediment transport rates on a barred non-tidal beach

This study was conducted to relate the cross-shore distribution of longshore sediment transport and grain size characteristics to cross-shore and longshore current velocities on a sandy low-energy beach in a non-tidal embayment of the Baltic Sea. Simultaneous measurements of current velocities and amount of sand caught in streamer traps were made on 31 sampling runs on 6 d in April 1999 at three fixed sites including the swash zone on the upper foreshore, the lower foreshore, and the crest of the most landward of four bars. Spilling waves broke frequently on the bar but rarely on the lower foreshore, even during onshore wind speeds up to 11.0 m s⁻¹. Waves always broke as plunging waves at the step at the base of the upper foreshore and were converted directly into swash. The greatest longshore current velocities in the swash occurred when wind speeds and water levels were greatest, but wind direction was nearly directly onshore. Longshore velocities were greater in the swash zone than at other sites except when relatively strong winds blew nearly parallel to the shoreline, causing a pronounced wind-induced current at the other two sites. Calculated longshore shear stress and rate of sediment trapped were highly correlated on the bar (r=0.90), less highly correlated in the swash zone, and least highly correlated (r=0.66) on the lower foreshore. Mean trapping rates in the swash were 14.6 times greater than on the lower foreshore and 7.2 times greater than on the bar. Greater trapping rates in the swash are attributed to the greater turbulence mobilizing sediments in the uprush and backwash. Little of the finer-grained sediment on the offshore sites was reworked under low energy conditions. The study reveals the dominance of swash transport on steep, reflective, low-energy beaches where wave energy dissipation takes place over small distances on the upper foreshore.     

Reconstructing the rate of accumulation of lake sediment: The effect of sediment focusing

Use of accumulation rates of pollen or minerals to infer regional history is complicated by nonuniform deposition of lake sediment. Sediment focusing, direction of sediment to the deepest part of a basin, can introduce a discrepancy between changes in accumulation rates measured directly from sediment cores and actual changes in influx of sediment or pollen to a lake. This difference depends on values and temporal variation of the ratio of mean depth to maximum depth in a basin as it fills. Several models of sediment accumulation show how measurements from a single core can be transformed to yield basinwide influx rates, and how the distortion due to sediment focusing can be assessed. Basins shaped like hyperboloids or frustums may introduce much greater distortions than basins conforming to ellipsoid or sinusoid shapes.     

A new approximation for pore pressure accumulation in marine sediment due to water waves

The residual mechanism of wave‐induced pore water pressure accumulation in marine sediments is re‐examined. An analytical approximation is derived using a linear relation for pore pressure generation in cyclic loading, and mistakes in previous solutions (Int. J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech. 2001; 25 :885–907; J. Offshore Mech. Arctic Eng. (ASME) 1989; 111 (1):1–11) are corrected. A numerical scheme is then employed to solve the case with a non‐linear relation for pore pressure generation. Both analytical and numerical solutions are verified with experimental data (Laboratory and field investigation of wave– sediment interaction. Joseph H. Defrees Hydraulics Laboratory, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1983), and provide a better prediction of pore pressure accumulation than the previous solution (J. Offshore Mech. Arctic Eng. (ASME) 1989; 111 (1):1–11). The parametric study concludes that the pore pressure accumulation and use of full non‐linear relation of pore pressure become more important under the following conditions: (1) large wave amplitude, (2) longer wave period, (3) shallow water, (4) shallow soil and (5) softer soils with a low consolidation coefficient. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Metal accumulation rates in northwest Atlantic pelagic sediments

Measurements of ²³⁰Th, ${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ and twenty-four metals were made on cores from the Nares Abyssal Plain. The sediment is characterized by slowly-accumulating (0.3–0.7 g/cm² 10³ yr) pelagic red clays and rapidly deposited grey clays transported by turbidity currents. Despite their colour differences and the enrichment of Mn, Fe, Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, V and, to a lesser degree, the rare earths in the red clays, Sr isotope evidence demonstrates that the clays have the same terrigenous origin. The excesses of metals in the red clays have been attributed to metal removal from the water column and a comparison with the grey clays has enabled the authigenic fluxes of metals to be estimated. The fluxes obtained are in the ranges 20–50 μmol/cm² 10³ yr for Mn and Fe, 0.1–0.4 μmol/cm² 10³ yr for Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, V, Sr and Ce, 10–20 nmol/cm² 10³ yr for La and Nd, and 0.5-3 nmol/cm² 10³ yr for Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er and Yb. Authigenic fluxes of Y, Nb, Cr, Zr, Rb, U and Th were not resolvable. Fluxes appear to be near constant on the Plain but comparison with other areas shows that they are quite variable both between and within ocean basins. The chief factor controlling authigenic fluxes is the geochemical abundances of the elements but fractionation within both the transition element and rare earth series can be recognized from inter-element comparisons and from differences in fluxes between Atlantic and Pacific red clays corresponding to the oceanic reactivities of the elements.     

A 3000-year palaeoenvironmental record from annually laminated sediment of Lake Korttajarvi, central Finland

High-resolution physical analyses (varve thickness and relative X-ray density) were conducted on a 3000-year varved sediment sequence in Lake Korttajarvi, central Finland. Climate and the local environment strongly influence the properties of the lake sediments, and, through a combination of physical proxies, severe and favourable climate periods and anthropogenic effects on sedimentation with an annual to decadal resolution could be detected. We observed previously identified historical climate periods in the Lake Korttajarvi varve record. The Medieval Climate Anomaly (often termed the Medieval Warm Period) of AD 980–1250, which is characterized by highly organic sediment and a minor minerogenic flux during mild winters, started and terminated abruptly, but also included a short (30-year) colder period lasting between AD 1115 and AD 1145. The Little Ice Age, however, was not clear in our record, although there were two minor cooling periods in AD 1580–1630 and AD 1650–1710. Natural variability in the sediment record was disrupted by increased human impact in the catchment area at AD 1720. There is a distinct positive anomaly in mineral matter accumulation between 907 and 875 BC, which indicates more severe climate conditions. This period exists contemporary with a cold event, recorded worldwide, c. 2800 years ago.     

A geochemical evaluation of perennial spring activity and associated mineral precipitates at Expedition Fjord,Axel Heiberg Island,Canadian High Arctic

Two groups of perennial springs are observed in the Canadian High Arctic at Expedition Fjord on Axel Heiberg Island at Colour Peak and Gypsum Hill. Saline discharge (∼1.3–2.5 molal NaCl) produces a variety of calcite (travertine) and gypsum-rich precipitates. Saturation index calculations of the spring waters at Colour Peak suggest CO₂ degassing from the waters causes calcite precipitation. Gypsum precipitation dominates at Gypsum Hill, where spring waters have lower alkalinity and higher SO₄ concentrations. Mineral accumulations form both channel and rimstone pool morphologies as a result of varying slope conditions. At Colour Peak, confined flow in steep slope areas develop massive structures in contrast to more friable, porous accumulations in areas where waters fan out on shallower slopes; these morphological variations lead to corresponding varying apparent rates of mineral precipitation. Mineral precipitation at Gypsum Hill is far less notable as a result of lower discharge rates and annual degradation by icing formation. Microscopic observations and geochemical analyses of the channel precipitates at Colour Peak reveal alternating light (calcite spar) and dark (anhedral microcrystalline calcite combined with organic matter and non-carbonate minerals) laminae. Rimstone pools forming in lower sections of spring discharge are composed of accumulations of large euhedral calcite crystals interbedded with allochthonous inputs. High concentration of dissolved solids is responsible for slow travertine precipitation rates, which occurs during winter. This precipitation is further retarded during summer months by the introduction of crystal growth inhibitors such as Fe³⁺ and deposition of organic matter and soil sediments.     

A 20‐ka climate record from Central Himalayan loess deposits

The southwest monsoon that dominated Central Himalaya has preserved loessic silt deposits preserved in patches that are proximal to periglacial areas. The occurrence of such silts suggests contemporary prevalence of cold and dry northwesterly winds. Field stratigraphy, geochemistry, mineral magnetism, infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and radiocarbon dating has enabled reconstruction of an event chronology during the past 20 ka. Three events of loess accretion could be identified. The first two events of loess deposition occurred betweem 20 and 9 ka and were separated by a phase of moderate weathering. Pedogenesis at the end of this event gave rise to a well‐developed soil that was bracketed around 9 to > 4 ka. This was followed by the third phase of loess accretion that occurred around 4 to > 1 ka. Episodes of loess deposition and soil formation are interpreted in terms of changes in the strength of the Indian southwest monsoon. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.