Soil charcoal stability over the Holocene across boreal northeastern North America

The analysis of macroscopic wood charcoal fragments extracted from soils is frequently used as a palaeoecological tool for reconstructing stand-scale forest composition and fire history. Here we explored the putative loss of palaeoecological information due to charcoal degradation through time and in different biogeographical settings. We compared the relationship between charcoal mass and abundance for soil samples from five biogeographical regions of boreal northeastern North America spanning most of the Holocene period. We verified whether charcoal (Ø ≥ 2 mm) conservation differed as a consequence of different taphonomical processes between organic and mineral soil types. We also assessed the mass/abundance relationship as a function of charcoal residence time in soil. Overall, the slope of the regression between charcoal particles mass (g) and abundance (number of particles) was 0.0042. The slope was not significantly different in samples from organic and mineral soil, and all biogeographical regions had similar slope values except one (higher charcoal fragmentation, probably due to high colluvial activity). Charcoal conservation also did not vary according to residence time in soil. This study shows that macroscopic soil charcoal particles resist fragmentation over millennia in different biogeographical settings and under the influence of various taphonomical processes.     

Reconstruction of the long-term fire history of an old-growth deciduous forest in Southern Québec, Canada, from charred wood in mineral soils

Charcoal particles are widespread in terrestrial and lake environments of the northern temperate and boreal biomes where they are used to reconstruct past fire events and regimes. In this study, we used botanically identified and radiocarbon-dated charcoal macrofossils in mineral soils as a paleoecological tool to reconstruct past fire activity at the stand scale. Charcoal macrofossils buried in podzolic soils by tree uprooting were analyzed to reconstruct the long-term fire history of an old-growth deciduous forest in southern Québec. Charcoal fragments were sampled from the uppermost mineral soil horizons and identified based on anatomical characters. Spruce (Picea spp.) fragments dominated the charcoal assemblage, along with relatively abundant wood fragments of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and birch (Betula spp.), and rare fragments of pine (Pinus cf. strobus) and white cedar (Thuja canadensis). AMS radiocarbon dates from 16 charcoal fragments indicated that forest fires were widespread during the early Holocene, whereas no fires were recorded from the mid-Holocene to present. The paucity of charcoal data during this period, however, does not preclude that a fire event of lower severity may have occurred. At least eight forest fires occurred at the study site between 10,400 and 6300 cal yr B.P., with a dominance of burned conifer trees between 10,400 and 9000 cal yr B.P. and burned conifer and deciduous trees between 9000 and 6300 cal yr B.P. Based on the charcoal record, the climate at the study site was relatively dry during the early Holocene, and more humid from 6300 cal yr B.P. to present. However, it is also possible that the predominance of conifer trees in the charcoal record between 10,400 and 6300 cal yr B.P. created propitious conditions for fire spreading. The charcoal record supports inferences based on pollen influx data (Labelle, C., Richard, P.J.H. 1981. Végétation tardiglaciaire et postglaciaire au sud-est du Parc des Laurentides, Québec. Géographie Physique et Quaternaire 35, 345-359) of the early arrival of spruce and sugar maple in the study area shortly after deglaciation. We conclude that macroscopic charcoal analysis of mineral soils subjected to disturbance by tree uprooting may be a useful paleoecological tool to reconstruct long-term forest fire history at the stand scale.     

Stability,transformations and stabilizing potential of an amorphous manganese oxide and its surface-modified form in contaminated soils

A surface-modified amorphous manganese oxide (SM-AMO) was prepared to increase the stability of a previously studied promising stabilizing agent and to compare its immobilizing efficiency with respect to contaminating metals with the original material. To synthesize the SM-AMO, the AMO surface was synthetically covered with a coating of MnCO₃ because newly formed rhodochrosite precipitates were previously found to increase the stability of AMO particles in soils. A preliminary experiment evaluating the long-term stability of both materials in pure water suggested higher stability for the SM-AMO particles, showing a smaller release of Mn compared to the original AMO. An adsorption kinetics study focused on As, Cd, Pb and Zn showed lower adsorption rates and adsorption capacity for Zn, probably as a result of partial surface passivation. In comparison to these results for simple controlled systems, different effects were recorded when the two materials were applied to contaminated soils. When incubated in soil, a constantly lower mass loss was recorded in the case of SM-AMO. There were no significant differences in the release of Mn and DOC into the soil solution or in the stabilizing efficiency with regard to contaminating metal(loid)s between the original and surface-modified materials. Concerning the potential solid phase transformations in soil conditions, we observed a gradual equilibration between the surface composition of both materials. While the newly formed rhodochrosite precipitated on the AMO surface, the MnCO₃ coatings on SM-AMO gradually dissolved. Both amendments also effectively supported microbial activity, especially in the more contaminated soil sample. Thus, despite the smaller mass loss, the effectiveness of both materials is comparable in the long term.     

Shifting zonal patterns of the southern boreal forest in eastern Canada associated with changing fire regime during the Holocene

This research aims at uncovering the stand-scale Holocene fire history of balsam fir forest stands from two bioclimatic zones of the boreal forest and assessing the existence of a sub-continental shift in past fire activity that could have triggered a change in the Holocene zonal pattern. In eastern Canada, the extant closed-crown boreal forest corresponds to two ecological regions separated along 49°N, the northern black spruce zone and the southern balsam fir zone. We sampled balsam fir stands from the southern fir zone (n = 7) and among the northernmost patches of fir forest located far beyond the fir zone boundary, into the spruce zone (n = 6). Macrofossil analysis of charcoal in mineral soils was used to reconstruct both the stand-scale and regional Holocene fire histories. Data were interpreted in the context of published palaeoecological evidence. Stands of the balsam fir zone were submitted to recurrent fire disturbances between c. 9000 and 5000 cal. yr B.P. Local fire histories suggested that four sites within the fir zone escaped fire during the Holocene. Such fire protected sites allowed the continuous maintenance of the balsam fir forest in the southern boreal landscape. Stands of the spruce zone have been affected by recurrent fires from 5000 cal. yr B.P. to present. Local fire histories indicated that no site escaped fire in this zone. Published palaeoecological data suggested that balsam fir migrated to its current northern limit sometime between 7300 and 6200 cal. yr B.P. A change of the fire regime 5000 years ago caused the regional decline of an historical northern balsam fir forest and its replacement by black spruce forest. The consequence was a sub-continental reshuffling of the fir and spruce zones within the closed-crown boreal forest. The macrofossil analysis of charcoal in mineral soils was instrumental to the reconstruction of stand-scale Holocene fire history at sites where no other in situ fire proxies were available.     

颗粒运移对蒋家沟土体渗透性影响的试验研究

对蒋家沟流域泥石流源区两种分散性不同的土(G1土具有强分散性,G2土无分散性)进行室内土柱自滤试验,研究了土柱在常水头(水头为5 cm)渗流过程中颗粒运移对土柱不同部位渗透性的影响。入渗液采用了煮沸过的清水与浓度为1 g/L的悬浮液(悬浮颗粒的粒径范围为1.6～104.74μm)。在清水渗流过程中,两种土样的入口处土层渗透性随着时间而增大,出口处土层的渗透性先增大后减少。在悬浮液渗流过程中,两种土的各土层的渗透性都有下降趋势,但在入口处土层最为显著,G1土样下降了一个数量级以上,G2下降了近两个数量级,且G2土所用时间较G1土短,即G2土的渗透性减少速率更加明显;两土柱中渗透流量都有显著减少。研究表明:土体的分散性在颗粒运移过程逐渐占主导地位,即强分散性土自身颗粒的运移明显,能抵消一部分外来颗粒的积聚堵塞作用。从试验结束后土柱的外观图像观察也发现,入渗的悬浮颗粒在土柱的各个位置都有分布,但主要沉积在入口处,这与土柱各层渗透性的变化相吻合。此外,两种土流失的颗粒都只是集中于渗流的开始阶段,流失颗粒粒径范围集中在数微米至数十微米之间。     

Properties and origin of small particles in the atmosphere of Central Asia

The properties and originof small C-bearing and mineral particles are thoroughly studied above the Central Asian Region. It is shown that the Aral Sea soils play a significant role in accumulation of the higher concentrations of the metals of the crustal origin and rare-earth elements in small mineral particles of samples     

Sr and Nd isotope compositions of atmospheric mineral dust at the summit of Mt. Sefuri, north Kyushu, southwest Japan: A marker of the dust provenance and seasonal variability

We analyzed Rb-Sr-Nd isotope ratios of mineral dust in total aerosol load collected with rainwater continuously from 1998 to 2006 at the summit of Mt. Sefuri, northern Kyushu, southwestern Japan. During this period, the total mass of the dust generally increased in late winter, peaked in early spring, and then decreased.⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in atmospheric mineral dust varied from 0.7096 to 0.7180, and εNd(0)_CHUR from −19.9 to −3.5. During heavy deposition periods, the dust had high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope ratios and low to middle εNd(0)_CHUR values, respectively. These compositions are comparable to those of sand and loess in arid areas of Northeast China, Takla Makan and Western Beijing. Such particles were transported by westerlies from those areas to northern Kyushu in winter and spring. In summer and autumn, the isotopic compositions of the dust varied greatly; however, during light deposition periods, the Sr isotope composition was low. In these seasons, the contributions to the dust from Japanese soils and volcanic ash, transported by southern winds, were relatively larger than in winter and spring because of decreased mineral dust particle transport from the continent. Nevertheless, fine sandy desert particles and loess in general accounted for most mineral dust deposition in northern Kyushu year-round, even in summer. Local soils derived from weathered granite and volcanic ash were minor components only.The net mass of water-insoluble inorganic matter in the collected mineral dust fluctuated from year-to-year; deposition on Mt. Sefuri was relatively large before 2001, decreased from 2002 to 2005, and increased greatly in spring 2006. These year-to-year differences probably reflected changes in the strength of the westerlies and in climate conditions in the arid source areas.     

A Palaeoenvironmental Investigation of Two Prehistoric Burnt Mound Sites in Northern Ireland

This paper provides a summary of the palaeoenvironmental evidence from a spread of late Mesolithic burnt material and two late Neolithic to early Bronze Age burnt mounds. The burnt mounds were up to 10 m diameter, had an amorphous shape, and were consistently less than 0.8 m thick. Monoliths were collected from two sites, Ballygawley and Roughan, in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. This provided an opportunity to use a detailed palaeoecological approach for the first time to investigate the use and function of burnt mounds. Pollen, non‐pollen palynomorphs, micro‐ and macroscopic charcoal were used to place these features within their environmental context, and to establish if such an approach could provide further insights into their function. The palynological results shared similar characteristics: high microscopic charcoal values, repetitive fluctuations in tree and shrub taxa, increased Sphagnum, and the presence of non‐pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) HdV‐114 and HdV‐146, all of which could be diagnostic indicators of burnt mounds in palynological records. While the data do not allow us to ascribe a specific function for the burnt mounds, their environmental setting is discussed. A “see‐saw” pattern of arboreal pollen, combined with the macroscopic charcoal data, indicate possible species selection and management of local woodland for fuelwood.     

全风化花岗岩化学及矿物成份在全土和粘粒中的不同表征

对全风化花岗岩化学和矿物成份的测试常用全土和粘粒部分(粒径<2μm)分别进行。业已发现两者由于物质组成和结构特征的差异,对土工程地质性质所起作用不同。本文给出了6个全风化花岗岩样品的全土和粘粒部分筛分法和移液管法测定粒度成份,用X荧光光谱仪做全量化学分析,及XRD矿物学分析的结果。对比这两部分数据发现,属于含砾土的这些样品化学成份的变化同矿物一致,尤其是同粘土矿物成份含量变化很一致。同全岩相比,粘粒化学成份中的SiO₂减少了近50%,K₂O含量也降低,而Al₂O₃、Fe₂O₃和H₂O⁺都明显升高。粘粒中氧化物相对含量升高者居多;全岩矿物成份以石英、粘土矿物和长石为主,粘粒中埃洛石和高岭石占大多数,其次为伊利石;粒度成份、化学成份和矿物含量相关性比较明显的是:石英和角砾正相关,和砂粒负相关,长石和砂粒正相关,粘土矿物含量和Al₂O₃、烧失量(LOI)和埃洛石含量正相关。     

Comparing fire-history interpretations based on area, number and estimated volume of macroscopic charcoal in lake sediments

Sedimentary charcoal particles from lakes are commonly used to investigate fire history. Fire-history reconstructions are based on measuring the surface area or counting the number of charcoal fragments in adjacent samples. Recently, the volume of charcoal particles was advised as a more accurate method for quantifying past charcoal production. Large charcoal datasets, used to synthesize global fire history, include these different types of charcoal measurements and implicitly assume that they provide comparable fire-history information. However, no study has demonstrated that this assumption is valid. Here we compare fire-frequency reconstructions based on measurements of charcoal area and number, and estimates of charcoal volume from two lake sediment records from the eastern Canadian boreal forest. Results indicate that the three proxies provide comparable fire-history interpretations when using a locally defined threshold to identify fire events.     

Detection of fluorescent compounds in the environment using granular activated charcoal detectors

Granular activated charcoal (GAC) acts as a general adsorptive medium for organic molecules, and is widely used to capture fluorescent tracer dyes. To investigate the capability of GAC in contaminant screening and tracer adsorption, a number of detectors were deployed for 2-6 days in a range of urban surface waters, and the adsorbed compounds eluted in an alkaline alcohol solution. Simultaneous water samples showed a diverse range of fluorescence environments, ranging from relatively clean, steady groundwater discharge, to highly concentrated and variable treated municipal sewage. A wide variety of organic compounds and dyes were found in the waters, as chronic and acute contaminants. The relationship between charcoal and water spectra depended on exposure time and loading. Short exposure times emphasized short wavelengths, longer exposure times emphasized longer wavelengths at the expense of shorter wavelengths. The magnitude of the effect depended on loading, being greater in enriched waters. In general, charcoal eluent shows a significant gain in fluorescence intensity over water. However, there may be an apparent loss at shorter wavelengths for samples with long exposure times and high loading. A similar bias was also discovered with the elution time of activated charcoal. Short wavelength fluorescence intensity peaked after a few minutes of elution; longer wavelength fluorescence increased over many days. These results show that charcoal is a reasonably effective material for adsorption of longer wavelength compounds. However, the ubiquity of many fluorescent dyes in the environment, and the complex relationship between the waters and the eluent spectrum, suggest that considerable care is required in the interpretation of eluent spectra.     

Insight into the effects of clay mineralogy on the cyclic behavior of silt–clay mixtures

Results of a systematic testing program showed that the cyclic behavior of silt–clay mixtures is greatly influenced by the dominant clay minerals in the mixture. In particular, it was demonstrated that given the same amount of clay/clay mineral and/or same value of plasticity index, the montmorillonitic soils have the highest cyclic strength, followed by the illitic soils, and then by the kaolinitic soils. Moreover, the rate of increase in cyclic strength with increasing % clay mineral and PI is again the highest in the montmorillonitic soil, lowest in the kaolinitic soil and intermediate in the illitic soil. Therefore, without considering clay mineralogy, the % clay fraction, % clay mineral and plasticity index are unreliable indicators of the liquefaction susceptibility of fine-grained soils. The differing adhesive bond strength each clay mineral develops with the silt particles is deemed to largely explain the observed differences in the response of the three different soil mixtures to cyclic loading.     

Tectonics and Chemical Transport: The Rules of the Resource Game

The most basic solid earth resources for use by man include construction materials, energy resources, metals, ceramics, soils. With the exception of construction materials, the formation of economic mineral deposits and soils involves the thermal or gravity driven flow of various types of geofluids. The search for mineral deposits thus involves the understanding of the exact nature of fluids, their mass and flow patterns. Given the giant thermal disturbances associated with the formation and destruction of Gondwana, it must be no surprise that these regions contain very significant mineral resources on a large scale.     

应用顺磁性液体测量微小矿物比重和磁化系数的初步研究

一、前言 比重是矿物的一个重要物理常数。迄今为止,测量比重已有多种经典方法。但对于测量微小矿物比重及扩大比重测量范围,已有的方法已不能满足要求。为此,笔者利用六十年代后发展起来的磁流体新技术,利用对于仅在垂直方向上有梯度变化的磁场中,顺磁性液体具有“按比重分层的现象”这     

古环境DNA与环境考古

古环境DNA(ancient environmental DNA,简称ancient eDNA)指保存于古环境样品中的生物古DNA(ancient DNA,简称aDNA).与直接从古代生物遗存内获取的单一物种古DNA不同,古环境DNA为多种生物的混合DNA,常常以小片段DNA分子形式吸附在腐殖质和矿物颗粒上,主要从粪化石、牙结石、肠道残留物、冰川、冻土、泥炭、湖泊、海洋、洞穴和遗址沉积物等环境样品中获得.古环境DNA研究自1998年开始兴起,经历了早期的DNA条形码(DNA barcoding)古代物种鉴定,到DNA宏条形码(DNA metabarcoding)古代生物类群恢复,再到近期的鸟枪法宏基因组(shotgun metagenomic)古生态系统重建等发展历程,目前已形成了完善的研究体系,可以完成对古环境样品中大部分动物、植物和微生物物种的检测.相比于传统的动植物化石形态鉴定手段,古环境DNA研究具有样品用量少、方法简单快捷、不依赖于化石、一次实验可以确定大量物种信息等优势.目前,国际上的古环境DNA研究在古生态环境重建、古代农业发展、古代人类食性、人类扩散历史和人类活动对环境影响等环境考古领域的应用都取得了良好的进展并发表了大量成果,但国内相关研究还少有报道.本文综述了古环境DNA技术的发展、研究方法、应用方向及存在的问题等内容,认为随着古环境DNA研究技术的日趋完善,其在环境考古学中的应用前景也将更加广阔.     

Rapid Large Volume 3D Mineral Processing and Liberation Characterization Technique to Sub Micron Resolution

We describe a novel lab based X-ray computed tomography system based on the architecture of X-ray Microscopes (XRM) used in synchrotron radiation facilities to be adapted for mineral processing and mineral liberation analysis. As this is a tomographic technique performed with an XRM, it is non-destructive and does not require complex preparation of polished sections typical of SEM-EDS techniques (such as MLA and QEMSCAN). It complements these existing techniques by providing 3D information and mineral liberation of multi-phase particles with much larger sample volume statistics but at a fraction of the time. In several applications, the technique is superior. These include the characterization of tailing loss in precious minerals; the characterization of porosity, particle size distribution, crack and pore network analysis during comminution, heap leaching and for texture and exposure/lock class analysis for floatation.     

Heavy mineral weathering under acidic soil conditions

The weathering of heavy minerals in acid soil profiles (pH 4–5) has been studied in terms of their relative mineral proportions and by using the surface etching features of apatite and hornblende grains. An increasing stability order of: apatite, titanite, hornblende, garnet, epidote, zircon is found in the 45–63 μm coarse-silt fraction of soils developed on tills in southwestern Sweden. In glaciofluvial deposits, sorting processes during deposition have largely determined the variations in heavy mineral content of soils, and only the dissolution of apatite is significant. Hornblende etching is more extensive in soils with low hornblende content, indicating that the release of cations relative to the amount of hornblende is greater in such soils.     

Cation Exchange Capacity of Phosphoric Acid and Lime Stabilized Montmorillonitic and Kaolinitic Soils

Studies on the chemically stabilized soils have shown that the effectiveness of treatment is largely dependent on soil??s natural environment. In this research, the time-dependent changes induced in permanent cation exchange capacity of lime and phosphoric acid treated soils, comprised mainly of montmorillonite and kaolinite minerals, were investigated. Also, in order to study the relationship between the exchange capacity and acidity/alkalinity of pore water, pH measurements were performed on cured samples. Based on the collected data, it was found that the pH of stabilized soils showed a tendency for reaching soil??s natural pH with increasing curing time. In addition, the increase in number of broken bonds around the edges of soil particles and also the formation of cementitious compounds that acquired negative charges contributed to achieving higher CEC_p values at longer curing periods. Nevertheless, the kaolinite mineral with pH-dependent structural properties, showed a rather limited behavior in the acidic medium. From engineering point of view, the lime treated samples revealed the highest degree of improvement with an approximately ten-fold strength increase in comparison to the natural soil over an 8?months curing period.     

Internal erosion of chemically reinforced granular materials: a mathematical modeling approach

Internal erosion (IE) affects the stability of natural and reinforced materials by causing instability within their granular structure. The dislodgement and transport of eroded particles affect both the particulate concentration of eroding fluid and the pore network of eroded material. In this study, we examined these modifications using a transport model with a finite element code. First, IE tests on chemically reinforced sand columns were performed to obtain information about eroded material loss of mass, particulate concentration of effluent, porosity and permeability modifications, and existing IE stages. Second, based on experimental results, a mathematical one‐dimensional model has been formulated to monitor the evolution and spatial distribution of erodible solids, fluidized particles, porosity, permeability, and seepage stresses. The model consists of a set of coupled nonlinear differential equations solved in sequence. It provides valuable information about the extent and the dynamics of structural changes, which can be used to estimate an IE time for the hydraulic work to reach failure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Environmental changes during the past 2000 years in north-central Wisconsin: Analysis of pollen,charcoal, and seeds from varved lake sediments

A 2000-year accumulation of varved sediments from Hell's Kitchen Lake in north-central Wisconsin was analyzed for pollen, charcoal, and seeds. The varves provided an accurate time scale for the study. The pollen record indicates changes on two different time scales. Short-term changes lasting several decades appear to be superimposed on long-term changes lasting several centuries. The short-term changes are related to individual fires, and the long-term changes result from increases or decreases in the frequency of these perturbations. From 2000 to 1150 years ago the average interval between fires was about 100 years, and from 1150 to 120 years ago the interval increased to about 140 years. Evidence from pollen, seeds, and charcoal at Hell's Kitchen Lake suggests that at least two “moist” intervals occurred during the past 2000 years, one between 2000 and 1700 years ago and the other between 600 and 100 years ago. A third but minor “moist” period occurred about 1150 to 850 years ago. A pollen and seed diagram shows that these intervals are characterized by increased percentages of white pine pollen, hemlock pollen, and yellow birch seeds, and by decreased levels of charcoal. The “dry” interval of 1700 to 1150 years ago is characterized by increased percentages of paper birch seeds, oak pollen, and aspen pollen, along with high levels of charcoal. The times of climatic change indicated at Hell's Kitchen Lake are nearly synchronous with those based on studies of tree rings, soils, glacial activity, and other pollen studies from various regions of North America, but the direction of these inferred changes is not always the same. This result suggests that the long-wave pattern of the general circulation has been variable during the past 2000 years.