Palyno- and chronostratigraphy of a long sequence from Lac d'Annecy (northern outer Alps, France)

Pollen analysis (absolute and relative frequencies) of a 44 m sedimentary sequence from Lac d'Annecy provides a record of vegetation history since deglaciation in the northern part of the French alpine foreland. Sixteen pollen zones are described and compared with those obtained from sites in adjacent areas, and 17 AMS radiocarbon dates provide a chronology which enables a minimum age for the termination of the last glaciation to be inferred. The pollen assemblages reflect the influence of a number of depositional processes, including selective sorting and sediment reworking, and thus illustrate some of the limitations inherent in the AMS radiocarbon dating of macroscopic plant remains. For instance, the basal Picea pollen assemblage zone corresponds to a lithological unit that contains reworked material, attributed to deposits older than St Germain II, which makes the ¹⁴C AMS radiocarbon date of 25 Ka BP obtained for this zone rather questionable. The existence of two climatic events prior to the Younger Dryas is confirmed. An influx of pollen from the nearby river inlet may explain why these events are well expressed in the pollen stratigraphy.     

Human impact and soil erosion during the last 5000 yrs as recorded in lacustrine sedimentary organic matter at Lac d'Annecy, the French Alps

Sedimentary organic matter has been systematically studied in an eight-metre long core from the centre of the Petit Lac (Annecy, French Alps). The palynofacies composition identifies different terrestrial organic sources including forest floors, soil-horizons and geological substratum. The amount of recycled organic matter derived from the geological substratum is estimated and subtracted from the other contributions from the catchment area. The palynological record indicates that the relative variations in organic sources are directly dependent on human land-use. From ca. 5000 to 1700 BP, the human impact on soil cohesion is very low and organic matter is mainly exported from the surficial forest floor. The Roman invasion (ca. 1700 BP) marks the most important ecological and hydrological change. From 1700 to 900 BP, the clearing of forests released deeper-soil components. This trend is increased after 900 BP with agriculture intensification, which resulted in a higher sedimentation rate. In all the periods, extreme events such as flood or intensive run-off are characterised by notable increases of organic matter from surface (5000 to 1700 BP) and deep (1700 BP to now) soils.     

Evolution of clay mineral assemblages and organic matter in the late glacial-Holocene sedimentary infill of Lake Annecy, (northwestern Alps): paleoenvironmental implications

The basin fill of Lake Annecy was investigated from a 44 m core which reached down to glacial sediments of the last glaciation (called Würm in the alpine areas). We analyzed three main parameters: sediment texture (optical microscopy and laser microgranulometry), clay mineral assemblages (CMA by XRD), and organic matter (OM by Rock-Eval pyrolysis). Settling of suspended load, under variable hydrodynamic conditions is the main depositional process. Both CMA and OM provenances can be recognized for the different sedimentary and igneous-metamorphic formations (Carboniferous to Quaternary, and older crystalline basement) and corresponding areas, in the surrounding region of Lake Annecy. Oligocene-Miocene molasses, Early Cretaceous marls, and Early-Middle Jurassic marls and shales are the main sedimentary sources. Two distinct processes were operating: destruction of glacial sediments (till sensu largo) and reworking, or direct erosion and run-off from ice-free catchment areas. Clay minerals related to pedogenesis, and non-reworked terrestrial and lacustrine OM, were progessively added to these primary sources during the Late Würmian/Holocene transition to warmer climatic conditions. Rapid modifications of CMA and OM sources during the earlier phase of sedimentary infilling (Unit 2) suggest that valley glaciers connected to the lake basin almost completely disappeared within a few centuries.     

Holocene sediments of Sägistalsee, a small lake at the present-day tree-line in the Swiss Alps

Sägistalsee is a small lake located at the modern tree-line in the Swiss Alps. A 13.5 m long core taken in the central part of the 9.5 m deep basin consists of clayey silts and sands and dates back to about 9000 cal. BP. These sediments have a low organic content that steadily increases from 4–8% loss-on-ignition at 550 °C towards the top of the core, whereas the carbonate content decreases from 20 to about 10% loss-on-ignition at 950 %C. We outline the aims of an interdisciplinary research project centred on the Holocene sediments of Sägistalsee. We also present information about the lake, its sediments, and its catchment that forms the basis for different biotic and abiotic multi-proxy studies carried out on the sediments of Sägistalsee.     

Impacts of reforestation and gravel mining on the Malnant River, Haute-Savoie, French Alps

The Malnant River is a rapidly incising river with a French name that translates as “bad creek,” reflecting local opinion of the hazards from dramatic channel changes that have occurred in the last few centuries. Downcutting in the last three decades has created severe problems for farmers in this small watershed (16 km²) as bridges are undermined, streamside roads are threatened, and irrigation diversion structures are rendered unusable. The purpose of our study was to determine the extent and causes of downcutting. A detailed landcover map dated 1732 revealed that forest cover had been reduced by that time to 10% of the present-day cover. The Malnant was strongly affected by floods and debris torrents during the 18th and 19th centuries that delivered massive amounts of sediment. During the 20th century, reforestation reduced the sediment delivery from hillslopes. In addition, gravel extraction in the Malnant and in the Fier River (of which the Malnant is a tributary) has lowered the base level for the river. This initiated a knickpoint that moved upstream. Weirs placed in the Malnant in 1968 were used to measure rates of bed incision in the field. With a mean width of 4.0 m and degradation up to 36 cubic meters per meter channel length, the lower 4.5 km of the Malnant has experienced a net loss of approximately 163,000 m³ of bed material. Above the 4.5-km point on the Malnant, bedrock controls exist that have arrested the upstream-progressing degradation.     

A 2500 year sediment record from Fayetteville Green Lake, New York: evidence for anthropogenic impacts and historic isotope shift

A series (N = 12) of short (< 1 m) sediment cores were collected from meromictic Green Lake in Fayetteville, New York to investigate potential anthropogenic impacts on the watershed during historic time and environmental change over the past ~ 2,500 years. Stratigraphic data document an abrupt basinwide change during the early 1800's A.D. from brown laminated sediments to grey varved sediments separated by a transition zone rich in aquatic moss. Deforestation of the region by European settlers during the early 1800's A.D. resulted in a flux of nutrients and increased biological productivity followed by a 7fold increase in sediment accumulation rates. Elemental geochemical data document the anthropogenic loading of lead to the to the lake basin via atmospheric fallout. Stable oxygen isotope (¹⁸O calcite) data also provide evidence for an abrupt shift in the isotopic composition of lake water ~ 150–200 years ago. This isotopic shift could have been a local phenomenon related to an increased supply of summer enriched precipitation following removal of forest vegetation, or it might have reflected broader scale climatic changes. We hypothesize that the ¹⁸O calcite shift was the result of the polar front jet stream migrating from a more southerly prehistoric position to a contracted, northerly configuration ~ 150–200 years ago. Such a shift could have been natural, associated with the end of the Little Ice Age or it may have been anthropogenically forced.     

Depositional processes and particle characteristics on fans in the Southern Alps, New Zealand

Characteristics of surface particles on four fans dominated by different depositional processes are investigated in the sedimentary ranges of the Aoraki–Mount Cook area, Southern Alps, New Zealand. Statistical testing shows that on three of the fans all indices of particle size and roundness differ significantly according to the depositional process: snow avalanches produce the largest and most angular particles, streamflows the smallest and most rounded, with debris flows in between. On the fourth fan affected by all of these depositional processes, particle size and roundness indicate that snow avalanches are presently dominant with streamflow playing a secondary role. The results also show that all indices of particle size are strongly correlated with each other and suggest that the principal (a-) or intermediate (b-) axis length may provide a satisfactory substitute for more complex indices of size. Indices of particle shape generally do not differ significantly between the fans, reflecting both the strong control exerted on particle shape by source area lithology and structure and the geologic similarity of the four basins. Changes in particle size and roundness occur with down-fan distance on the snow avalanche, debris flow, and hybrid fans but not on the streamflow fan.     

A geochronological approach to understanding the role of solar activity on Holocene glacier length variability in the Swiss Alps

We present a radiocarbon data set of 71 samples of wood and peat material that melted out or sheared out from underneath eight presentday mid‐latitude glaciers in the Central Swiss Alps. Results indicated that in the past several glaciers have been repeatedly less extensive than they were in the 1990s. The periods when glaciers had a smaller volume and shorter length persisted between 320 and 2500 years. This data set provides greater insight into glacier variability than previously possible, especially for the early and middle Holocene. The radiocarbon‐dated periods defined with less extensive glaciers coincide with periods of reduced radio‐production, pointing to a connection between solar activity and glacier melting processes. Measured long‐term series of glacier length variations show significant correlation with the total solar irradiance. Incoming solar irradiance and changing albedo can account for a direct forcing of the glacier mass balances. Long‐term investigations of atmospheric processes that are in interaction with changing solar activity are needed in order to understand the feedback mechanisms with glacier mass balances.     

Unusual carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios of ostracodal calcite from last interglacial (Sangamon episode) lacustrine sediment in Raymond Basin, Illinois, USA

The stable isotopic records of ostracode valves deposited during the last interglaciation in Raymond Basin, Illinois, have ¹³C and ¹⁸O values as high as +16.5 and +9.2 respectively, the highest values yet reported from continental ostracodal calcite. Located in south-central Illinois, Raymond, Pittsburg, Bald Knob, and Hopwood Farm basins collectively have yielded important long pollen and ostracode records that date from about 130000 years ago to the present. Although fossils from the present-day interglaciation are not well preserved, these records constitute the only described, conformable, fossiliferous successions of this age from the interior of glaciated North America.The high ¹³C values from Raymond Basin are attributed to the residual effects of methane loss either by ebullition or by emission through the stems of senescent emergent aquatic vegetation. A mass balance model suggests that an increase in ¹³C of dissolved inorganic carbon on the order of +15 is possible within a few hours given modest rates of methanogenesis of about 0.02 mol m^-2 d^-1. The ¹³C records from other studies of ostracode valves have values approaching, but not exceeding about +14 suggesting a limiting value to ¹³C enrichment due to simultaneous inputs and outputs of dissolved inorganic carbon.Values of ¹⁸O in ostracodal calcite are quite variable (–4 to +9) in sediment from the late Sangamon subepisode. A model of isotopic enrichment in a desiccating water body implies that a reduction in reservoir volume of 20% could produce this range of isotopic values. High humidity and evaporation probably account for most of the ¹⁸O variability.     

树轮长年表在全球变化相关领域中的应用研究进展-以14C曲线校正、环境考古和地质灾害事件定年为例

近几十年树轮年代学得到了迅速发展,现已成功建立了大量长度逾千年的树轮长年表。本文评述树轮长年表在全球变化相关研究领域中的应用。树轮长年表可为¹⁴C定年提供校准曲线,从而将样本的¹⁴C年龄转化为日历年龄,提高了¹⁴C测年的精度;也可为环境考古如古木建筑及墓葬等提供定年服务,确定古木构建筑的建造年代;树轮长年表在地质灾害事件定年方面也发挥了重要作用。然而,树轮长年表在上述研究领域的应用也存在不足,最新的国际¹⁴C会议公布的¹⁴C校正曲线中能够准确定年的树轮校正部分仅为过去12 410年,目前尚无法提供更长时间尺度的树轮校正曲线。在对木构建筑进行定年时受到古木样本量不足的限制等。因此,为了更好地发挥树轮长年表的应用潜力,应不断发掘与延长现有树轮宽度长年表,同时建立长年表的C、O同位素序列,以期为长年表的应用不断做出贡献。     

A late Holocene palaeolimnological record from central Mexico, based on faunal and stable-isotope analysis of ostracod shells

A late Holocene palaeolimnological record for central Mexico has been obtained from Lake Pátzcuaro, using recent and fossil ostracods. Lake Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, is a closed-basin lake which responds rapidly to changes in the ratio of precipitation/evaporation in the region. The record from a single lake-sediment core, dated by AMS radiocarbon method, covers the last ~3,530 yrs, and is based on ostracod faunal palaeoecology coupled with analysis of the stable-isotope (¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ¹³C/¹²C) composition of ostracod valves. The faunal distribution is determined by the presence or absence of aquatic vegetation and, to a lesser extent, salinity. The ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ¹³C/¹²C ratios in ostracod calcite show good agreement with palaeolimnological inferences from the faunal assemblages, principally recording changing precipitation/evaporation and primary-productivity levels, respectively. Wetter conditions existed in central Mexico between approximately ~3,600 and ~2,390 yr BP, between ~1,330 to ~1,120 yr BP, and from ~220 yr BP to present, characterised by fluctuating lake levels. A dilution of the sediment load in the lake reduced turbidity levels allowing for a marked increase in productivity. During these phases, the combination of a deeper lake and increased macrophyte cover reduced the degree of mixing of the waterbody. In the earliest of these phases there was sufficient stratification of the waterbody for methanogenesis to occur in the sediment interstices. The wet phases were separated by prolonged dry periods, during which time the climatic conditions were relatively stable. Good agreement was found between the findings of this study and others from the central Mexican/Caribbean region suggesting that abrupt climate changes occurred at least at a regional scale.     

The environmental significance of magnetic measurements of Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments from the Grand Lac d'Annecy, eastern France

The results of a series of magnetic measurements on sediment samples are illustrated by means of examples selected from a more specialized parallel publication (Hu & Oldfield, submitted). They are interpreted in terms of magnetic components, notably, 'magnetite' of varying grain size/domain state, haematite, goethite and greigite. Wherever possible, some indication is given of changes in the relative importance of the various magnetic grain size and mineral phases through time. The main components of the magnetic assemblage are described for each of the main lithological units identified in the long core which is considered elsewhere in this volume. These assemblages are related to source areas and to depositional processes, especially in the pre-Holocene parts of the core. In the Holocene sediments, the magnetic properties cannot be interpreted solely in terms of shifts in detrital mineral sources. Evidence is presented for the presence of both biogenic magnetite and authigenic greigite. The most recent sediments point to renewed catchment erosion, probably as a result of human activity during historical times.     

Hydrologic and climatic implications of a multidisciplinary study of late Holocene sediment from Kenosee Lake, southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

Sediment lithology and mineralogy, as well as ostracode, plant macrofossil and stable isotope stratigraphies of lake sediment cores, are used to reconstruct late Holocene hydrologic changes at Kenosee Lake, a relatively large, hyposaline lake in southeastern Saskatchewan. Chronological control is provided by AMS radiocarbon ages of upland and shoreline plant macrofossils. All indicators outline an early, low-water, saline phase of lake history (4100–3000 BP), when the basin was occupied by a series of small, interconnected, sulfate-rich brine pools, as opposed to the single, topographically-closed lake that exists today. A rapid rise in lake-level (3000–2300 BP) led to the establishment of carbonate-rich, hyposaline lake conditions like those today. Lithostratigraphic data and ostracode assemblages indicate peak salinities were attained early in this period of lake infilling, suggesting that the lake-level rise was initially driven by an influx of saline groundwater. Lake-level and water chemistry have remained relatively stable over the last 2000 years, compared to earlier events. Because of a lack of datable organic material in sediments deposited during the last 2000 years, the chronology of recent events is not well resolved. Plant macrofossil, lithostratigraphic and ostracode evidence suggests that lake draw-down, accompanied by slightly higher than present salinites, occurred sometime prior to 600 BP, followed by peak lake-level and freshwater conditions. This most recent high lake stand, indicative of a high water table on the surrounding upland, may also have led to the establishment of an extensive cover of Betula in the watershed, possibly in response to paludification. Ostracode assemblages indicate that peak freshwater conditions occurred within the last 100 years. Since historically documented lake-level fluctuations correlate with decadal scale climatic fluctuations in the meteorological record, and late-Holocene hydrologic dynamics correspond to well documented climatic excursions of the Neoglacial and Little Ice Age, Kenosee Lake dynamics offer insight into the susceptibility of the region's water resources to climate change.     

Cosmogenic Be dating of a sackung and its faulted rock glaciers, in the Alps of Savoy (France)

Sackungs are the largest gravitational deformation observed in mountains. They are characterized by the long-term slowness of the movements, but their mechanism is still not well understood. Nowadays cosmic ray exposure (CRE) dating methods allow dating the morphologic structures involved in sackung and can contribute at the understanding of their origin. In the Alps, the 5.3 km long Arcs sackung initiated during the activity of rock glaciers. Three samples from these faulted rock glaciers provide their first CRE ages and show that at 2000 m elevation these block accumulations moved during the Younger Dryas and stopped in early Holocene. Six ¹⁰Be ages of fault scarps show that the Arcs sackung lasted only a few thousand years and stopped at about 8462 ± 432 ¹⁰Be yr. They also reveal that deformation migrated upslope in agreement with a mechanism of flexural toppling of vertical layers. This unique and long gravitational event, characterized by migration of the deformation, does not support earthquake shaking as triggering mechanism for individual faults. It shows that, in the upper Isère valley, slope deformation was delayed of several thousand years after glacial debuttressing, and is not anymore active despite its fresh morphology.     

Spatial distribution of sediment storage types and quantification of valley fill deposits in an alpine basin, Reintal, Bavarian Alps, Germany

Spatial patterns of sediment storage types and associated volumes using a novel approach for quantifying valley fill deposits are presented for a small alpine catchment (17 km²) in the Bavarian Alps. The different sediment storage types were analysed with respect to geomorphic coupling and sediment flux activity. The most landforms in the valley in terms of surface area were found to be talus slopes (sheets and cones) followed by rockfall deposits and alluvial fans and plains. More than two-thirds of the talus slopes are relict landforms, completely decoupled from the geomorphic system. Notable sediment transport is limited to avalanche tracks, debris flows, and along floodplains. Sediment volumes were calculated using a combination of polynomial functions of cross sections, seismic refraction, and GIS modelling. A total of, 66 seismic refraction profiles were carried out throughout the valley for a more precise determination of sediment thicknesses and to check the bedrock data generated from geomorphometric analysis. We calculated the overall sediment volume of the valley fill deposits to be 0.07 km³. This corresponds to a mean sediment thickness of 23.3 m. The seismic refraction data showed that large floodplains and sedimentation areas, which have been developed through damming effects from large rockfalls, are in general characterised by shallow sediment thicknesses (<20 m). By contrast, the thickness of several talus slopes is more than twice as much. For some locations (e.g., narrow sections of valley), the polynomial-generated cross sections resulted in overestimations of up to one order of magnitude; whereas in sections with a moderate valley shape, the modelled cross sections are in good accordance with the obtained seismic data. For the quantification of valley fill deposits, a combined application of bedrock data derived from polynomials and geophysical prospecting is highly recommended.     

Geochemical assessment of an annually laminated lake sediment record from northern Sweden: a multi-core,multi-element approach

We used seven annually laminated (varved) sediment cores from Nylandssjön, a lake in northern Sweden, to assess between-core variation and diagenetic changes at annual resolution. By using several cores, multiple elements and employing principal components analysis (PCA), we also studied how the geochemical composition changed over time, and assessed to what extent these changes were related to variations in the weather. There are between-core differences for aluminum, silica, lead, titanium, zirconium and dry-mass accumulation rate. Diagenesis causes a decrease in bromine, as well as carbon, nitrogen and varve thickness, as reported in previous publications. In spite of anoxic bottom waters phosphorus is not lost from the sediment. In fact, there is an increase in phosphorus concentrations with time. The PCA identified four principal components (PCs). PC-1 accounts for the relative content of mineral and organic material; PC-2 represents mineral-particle grain size; PC-3 reflects phosphorus loading and PC-4 reflects atmospheric pollution. Variations in the weather partly explain the temporal patterns in PC-1 and PC-2: cold winters, i.e. more accumulation of snow, resulted in more mineral than organic matter (i.e. higher PC-1 scores), and increased the relative amount of coarse-grained mineral particles in the sediment (i.e. lower PC-2 scores). Increased spring precipitation had a weak positive effect on the PC-2 scores by promoting the transport of fine-grained material. However, the influence of weather is weak, explaining at most 30 % of the variance, and hence, other factors, e.g. land use and its effect on soil erosion, seem to be more important for the sediment geochemical composition. The importance of land use is also exemplified by an increase in PC-3 scores in the late 1970s, which can be attributed to a shift in agricultural practices that resulted in increased phosphorus loading to the lake. In summary, our findings show that down-core trends are reproducible between cores, but between-core variability and diagenesis need to be considered when interpreting some elements. We also conclude that there is a need to constrain temporal changes in land use before using lake sediments to study changes in weather or climate.     

Morphometric Analysis on the Size, Shape and Areal Distribution of Glacial Cirques in the Maritime Alps (Western French-Italian Alps)

The morphometry of 432 glacial cirques in the Maritime Alps (Western French‐Italian Alps), studied over several years of fieldwork, was analysed with the use of a geographical information system. Some of the parameters automatically evaluated from digital elevation models required an objective and relatively new definition. In particular, cirque length was measured along a line that, from the threshold midpoint, splits the cirque into two equivalent surfaces; cirque width was automatically drawn as the longest line inscribed in the cirque and perpendicular to the length line. Significant correlations were found among the different factors and parameters analysed. In particular, cirque shape analysis showed that cirques develop allometrically in the three dimensions, i.e. more in length and width than in altitudinal range. Nevertheless cirques of the Maritime Alps have a regular, almost circular shape (mean L/W value = 1.07). The correlations among length, width and area are all very high (r²= 0.8–0.9). In terms of size, cirques show a wide range in area from 0.06 to 5.2 km² with a mean value of 0.4 km². The largest cirques are found on SSW‐facing slopes and at high elevations. Small cirques can be found at all altitudes but all those at high elevation are part of compound cirques at the main head valleys. Most cirques (37%) are characterized by a northern aspect; NE and SW are also frequent directions.