Benthic foraminifera and sediment grain size variability at intermediate water depths in the Northeast Atlantic during the late Pliocene–early Pleistocene

Sedimentological and faunal records from the transitional period marking the onset of widespread northern hemisphere glaciation have been investigated at Ocean Drilling Program Site 984. The late Pliocene interglacial sediments of the northeast Atlantic are carbonate rich and show evidence of vigorous bottom water circulation at intermediate water depths. Contrasting this, the late Pliocene glacial sediments are characterised by carbonate dissolution and slower bottom current velocities. Weak or “leaky” Norwegian Sea overflows, undersaturated with respect to carbonate, influenced this region during the late Pliocene glacials. The early Pleistocene pattern of intermediate water circulation appears to have changed radically in the northeast Atlantic. At this time, interglacial carbonate values and inferred bottom current velocities are low. This suggests slow-flowing, undersaturated Norwegian Sea water bathing the site. The overflow increased during the early Pleistocene interglacials as the exchange between the Atlantic and Norwegian-Greenland Seas improved. The most significant feature of the early Pleistocene glacials is the increase in inferred bottom current velocity. These changes reflect a switch in deep North Atlantic convection to shallower depths during glacial periods, possibly in a manner similar to the increasing contribution of glacial intermediate water to the North Atlantic during the late Pleistocene glacials. Our results suggest that the late Pleistocene climate variability of the North Atlantic is a pervasive feature of the late Pliocene–early Pleistocene record.     

Late Quaternary growth and decay of the Svalbard/Barents Sea ice sheet and paleoceanographic evolution in the adjacent Arctic Ocean

The paleoceanography in the Nordic seas was characterized by apparently repeated switching on and off of Atlantic water advection. In contrast, a continous influx of Atlantic waters probably occurred along the northern Barents Sea margin during the last 150?ka. Temporary ice-free conditions enhanced by subsurface Atlantic water advection and coastal polynyas accelerated the final ice sheet build-up during glacial times. The virtually complete dissolution of biogenic calcite during interglacial intervals was controlled mainly by CO2-rich bottom waters and oxidation of higher levels of marine organic carbon and indicates intensive Atlantic water inflow and a stable ice margin.     

Late Quaternary growth and decay of the Svalbard/Barents Sea ice sheet and paleoceanographic evolution in the adjacent Arctic Ocean

 The paleoceanography in the Nordic seas was characterized by apparently repeated switching on and off of Atlantic water advection. In contrast, a continous influx of Atlantic waters probably occurred along the northern Barents Sea margin during the last 150 ka. Temporary ice-free conditions enhanced by subsurface Atlantic water advection and coastal polynyas accelerated the final ice sheet build-up during glacial times. The virtually complete dissolution of biogenic calcite during interglacial intervals was controlled mainly by CO₂-rich bottom waters and oxidation of higher levels of marine organic carbon and indicates intensive Atlantic water inflow and a stable ice margin. Received: 25 February 1997 / Revision received: 4 March 1998     

Side-Scan Sonar Characteristics and Manganese Nodule Abundance in the Clarion—Clipperton Fracture Zones, NE Equatorial Pacific

The deep ocean floor between the Clarion and Clipperton fracture zones (NE equatorial Pacific) has the highest known manganese nodule abundance in the world oceans. A detailed analysis of MR1 (Mapping Researcher 1, 11-12 kHz) sonar images and free-fall grab data in the Korean manganese nodule field areas reveals a close relationship between side-scan sonar characteristics of the seafloor and manganese nodule abundance. Eight sonar facies are identified based on back-scattering intensity and distribution patterns. These sonar facies can be interpreted as (1) volcanic seamounts (facies I-1), (2) bounding faults of abyssal hills (facies I-2 and II-1), (3) lava flows or volcanoclastic mass-flow deposits around the volcanic seamounts (facies I-3 and II-2), (4) crests of abyssal hills (facies II-1), (5) abyssal troughs between abyssal hills (facies III-1), (6) relatively flat areas (facies II-3 and III-2). In the areas where facies II-1 (abyssal hill crests with thin sediment cover) and II-3 (relatively flat areas draped by thin sediments) are dominant, manganese nodules occur abundantly. In contrast, zones comprising facies III-1 (abyssal troughs with thick sediment cover) and III-2 (relatively flat areas covered by thick sediments) are characterized by low abundance of manganese nodules. This relationship between distribution of sonar facies and manganese nodule abundance implies that (1) the qualitative difference in acoustic reflectivity of long-range side-scan sonar with some ground truth data is useful for regional assessment of manganese nodule occurrence over wide areas in a reasonable time, and (2) seafloor topography and sediment thickness are important controlling factors for regional occurrences of manganese nodules.     

Food webs and physical–biological coupling on pan-Arctic shelves: Unifying concepts and comprehensive perspectives

Perhaps more than in any other ocean, our understanding of the continental shelves of the Arctic Mediterranean is decidedly disciplinary, regional and fractured, and this shortcoming must be addressed if we are to face and prepare for climate change. A fundamental flaw is that while excellent process studies exist, and while recent ship-based expeditions have added greatly to our collective body of knowledge, an integrated and fully pan-Arctic perspective on the structure and function of food webs on Arctic shelves is lacking. Based on the collective overviews given in Progress in Oceanography xx, xx–xx, we attempt to address this issue. To build a perspective that inter-connects the various shelf regions we suggest three unifying typologies affecting food webs that will hopefully allow inter-comparison of regional investigations. The first is for shelf geography, wherein shelves are classified according to their role in the Arctic throughflow. The second is for ice climate, wherein the various ice regimes are examined for their specific impacts on food web dynamics. The third is for stratification where it is argued that the source of buoyancy, thermal or haline, impacts production and the vertical carbon flux. We then address the connection between physical habitat and biota on pan-Arctic (and global climate) scales. This discussion begins with the recognition that the Arctic Ocean is integral to the World Ocean via its thermohaline (“estuarine”) exchanges with the Atlantic and Pacific. As such the Arctic and its shelves act as a double estuary, wherein incoming waters become both lighter (positive estuary), by mixing with freshwater sources, and heavier (negative estuary) by cooling and brine release. Shelves are central to such transformations. This complex interconnectivity coupling of the Arctic Ocean to its sub-Arctic (and more productive) neighbors demands that food webs be considered through a macroecological view that includes an ecology of advection. We argue that the macroecological view is required if we are to understand and model food webs under forcing along climate gradients. To aid this effort we introduce the concept of contiguous domains, wherein physical habitats are joined by common features that will allow inter-comparisons of existing and future food webs over large scales and climatic gradients. Finally, we speculate on the range of possible futures for Arctic shelves based on the palaeo-record.     

Side-Scan Sonar Characteristics and Manganese Nodule Abundance in the Clarion—Clipperton Fracture Zones,NE Equatorial Pacific

The deep ocean floor between the Clarion and Clipperton fracture zones (NE equatorial Pacific) has the highest known manganese nodule abundance in the world oceans. A detailed analysis of MR1 (Mapping Researcher 1, 11–12?kHz) sonar images and free-fall grab data in the Korean manganese nodule field areas reveals a close relationship between side-scan sonar characteristics of the seafloor and manganese nodule abundance. Eight sonar facies are identified based on back-scattering intensity and distribution patterns. These sonar facies can be interpreted as (1) volcanic seamounts (facies I-1), (2) bounding faults of abyssal hills (facies I-2 and II-1), (3) lava flows or volcanoclastic mass-flow deposits around the volcanic seamounts (facies I-3 and II-2), (4) crests of abyssal hills (facies II-1), (5) abyssal troughs between abyssal hills (facies III-1), (6) relatively flat areas (facies II-3 and III-2). In the areas where facies II-1 (abyssal hill crests with thin sediment cover) and II-3 (relatively flat areas draped by thin sediments) are dominant, manganese nodules occur abundantly. In contrast, zones comprising facies III-1 (abyssal troughs with thick sediment cover) and III-2 (relatively flat areas covered by thick sediments) are characterized by low abundance of manganese nodules. This relationship between distribution of sonar facies and manganese nodule abundance implies that (1) the qualitative difference in acoustic reflectivity of long-range side-scan sonar with some ground truth data is useful for regional assessment of manganese nodule occurrence over wide areas in a reasonable time, and (2) seafloor topography and sediment thickness are important controlling factors for regional occurrences of manganese nodules.     

Extremely deep-draft iceberg scouring in the glacial North Atlantic Ocean

Side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiling investigations of the Iceland-Faeroe Ridge have revealed the widespread presence of iceberg plowmarks at water depths between 750 and 860 m. This is well beyond the maximum water depth reported for ice scouring in the adjacent areas of the North Atlantic. An exceptionally deep iceberg plowmark was found at the southern flank of the ridge, which could be traced down to 940 m water depth. Supported by published nearby sediment core data, a Saalian (MIS 6) age of that iceberg plowmark is suggested. Considering a glacial sea level of 120 m below present, the paleo-draft of this iceberg is estimated to have been at least 820 m. The keel depth of such giant icebergs drifting in the glacial northern North Atlantic significantly exceeds the draft dimensions of large icebergs seen today in the Antarctic. The most likely source area for this extreme deep-draft type of iceberg is inferred to be southern Greenland. Plowmark direction, which in our case indicates iceberg entrainment by the North Atlantic Current, is suggested to be a useful indicator of (sub)surface paleo-circulation during late Pleistocene iceberg surging and deglaciation episodes.     

Seismic analyses of Cenozoic contourite drift development in the Northern Norwegian Sea

Four drift accumulations have been identified on the continental margin of northern Norway; the Lofoten Drift, the Vesterålen Drift, the Nyk Drift and the Sklinnadjupet Drift. Based on seismic character these drifts were found to belong to two main groups; (1) mounded, elongated, upslope accretion drifts (Lofoten Drift, Vesterålen Drift and Nyk Drift), and (2) infilling drifts (Sklinnadjupet Drift). The drifts are located on the continental slope. Mainly surface and intermediate water circulation, contrary to many North Atlantic and Antarctic drifts that are related to bottom water circulation, and sediment availability have controlled their growth. Sediments were derived both from winnowing of the shelf and upper slope and from ice sheets when present on the shelf. The main source area was the Vøring margin. This explains the high maximum average sedimentation rate of the nearby Nyk (1.2 m/ka) and Sklinnadjupet (0.5 m/ka) Drifts compared with the distal Lofoten (0.036 m/ka) and Vesterålen (0.060 m/ka) Drifts. The high sedimentation rate of the Nyk Drift, deposited during the period between the late Saalian and the late Weichselian is of the same order of magnitude as previously reported for glacigenic slope sediments deposited during glacial maximum periods only. The Sklinnadjupet Drift is infilling a paleo-slide scar. The development of the infilling drift was possible due to the available accommodation space, a slide scar acting as a sediment trap. Based on the formation of diapirs originating from the Sklinnadjupet Drift sediments we infer these sediments to have a muddy composition with relatively high water content and low density, more easily liquefied and mobilised compared with the glacigenic diamictons.     

A parameterization of ice shelf–ocean interaction for climate models

Model results from a regional model (BRIOS) of the Southern Ocean that includes ice shelf cavities and the interaction between ocean and ice shelves are used to derive a simple parameterization for ice shelf melting and the corresponding fresh water flux in large-scale ocean climate models. The parameterization assumes that the heat loss and fresh water gain due to the ice shelves are proportional to the difference in freezing temperature at the ice shelf edge base and the oceanic temperature on the shelf/slope area of the adjacent ocean as well as an effective area of interaction. This area is proportional to the along-shelf width of ice shelf and an effective cross-shelf distance, which turns out to be rather uniform (5–15 km) for a variety of different ice shelves. The proposed parameterization is easy to implement and valid for a wide range of circumstances. An application of the proposed scheme in a global ice ocean model (CLIO) supports our hypothesis that it can be used successfully and improves both the ocean and sea ice component of the model. This parameterization should also be used in models of the climate system that include a coupling between an ice sheet and an oceanic component.     

Paleoceanographic records in the Chukchi Basin, western Arctic Ocean during the late Quaternary

The late Quaternary paleoceanographic changes in the western Arctic Ocean are revealed by quantitative studies of foraminiferal abundance, ice-rafted detritus (IRD) and its mineralogical and petrological compositions, planktonic Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sin.) (Nps)-δ¹⁸O and -δ¹³C, biogenic and non-biogenic components in Core M03 token from the Chukchi Basin during the Second Chinese National Arctic Expedition cruise. Seven IRD events appeared at MIS 7, 5, 3 and 1. These IRD were carried in massive icebergs, which were exported to the Beaufort Sea through the M'Clure Strait Ice Stream, Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and then transported into the Chukchi Basin by the Beaufort Gyre. Low IRD deposition occurred during the glacial times when more extended ice cover and weakened Beaufort Gyre, while the open water condition and the intensified Beaufort Gyre during interglacial periods favored the IRD deposition. Therefore, the IRD events not only indicate the provenance of coarser detritus and ice export events, but also reflect the evolutionary histories of the Beaufort Gyre and North American ice sheet. Seven light Nps-δ¹⁸O and -δ¹³C excursions could respond to enhanced rates of sea ice formation resulting in the production and sinking of isotopically light brines, but was irrelevant to the warm Atlantic water and freshwater inputs. Whereas, the heavy Nps-δ¹⁸O and -δ¹³C values separately reflect the lessened Arctic freshwater and Pacific water, and well-ventilated surface water from the continental shelf and halocline water. Variations of CaCO₃ content and planktonic foraminiferal abundance during the interglacial and glacial periods can demonstrate the incremental or diminishing input of the Atlantic water, while the total organic carbon (TOC) and opal contents increased and decreased during the glacial and interglacial periods, respectively, which could be related to the TOC degradation, opal dissolution and redox conditions of interface between the bottom water and sediments.     

Mediterranean functioning and sapropel formation: respective influences of climate and hydrological changes in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean

During Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Legs 160 and 161, sapropels were recovered both in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This obliges to a reassessment of the previous studies focused on sapropels from only the eastern Mediterranean, and to consider the changes which occurred in the Mediterranean climate but also in the water characteristics both in the Atlantic and in the western Mediterranean. In the North Atlantic, the position of the polar front which migrated southwards during glacial times and the melting of northern ice caps during interglacial periods, together with the convection in the Labrador and Norwegian Seas, appear essential to control the salinities of the waters facing the Strait of Gibraltar. The salinities of the surface and intermediate layers constitute the first driving force of the Mediterranean dynamics, the second driving force being the Mediterranean climate. The stagnation of deep waters leading to sapropel deposition in the western Mediterranean may be explained by a drastic weakening of the density difference between Mediterranean outflow and Atlantic intermediate waters facing the Strait of Gibraltar. This weakening was induced primarily by the salinity decrease of Atlantic surface water and secondly by a rather high salinity in the Atlantic intermediate layer, rather than by a drastic deterioration of the Mediterranean climate. This scenario probably concerns most of the sapropel events and it may be used for the knowledge of Atlantic and Mediterranean functioning over climatic changes.     

Sediment transport by sea ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas: Increasing importance due to changing ice conditions?

Sediment-laden sea ice is widespread over the shallow, wide Siberian Arctic shelves, with off-shelf export from the Laptev and East Siberian Seas contributing substantially to the Arctic Ocean's sediment budget. By contrast, the North American shelves, owing to their narrow width and greater water depths, have not been deemed as important for basin-wide sediment transport by sea ice. Observations over the Chukchi and Beaufort shelves in 2001/02 revealed the widespread occurrence of sediment-laden ice over an area of more than 100,000 km² between 68 and 74°N and 155 and 170°W. Ice stratigraphic studies indicate that sediment inclusions were associated with entrainment of frazil ice into deformed, multiple layers of rafted nilas, indicative of a flaw-lead environment adjacent to the landfast ice of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. This is corroborated by buoy trajectories and satellite imagery indicating entrainment in a coastal polynya in the eastern Chukchi Sea in February of 2002 as well as formation of sediment-laden ice along the Beaufort Sea coast as far eastward as the Mackenzie shelf. Moored upward-looking sonar on the Mackenzie shelf provides further insight into the ice growth and deformation regime governing sediment entrainment. Analysis of Radarsat Synthetic Aperture (SAR) imagery in conjunction with bathymetric data help constrain the water depth of sediment resuspension and subsequent ice entrainment (>20 m for the Chukchi Sea). Sediment loads averaged at 128 t km^–2, with sediment occurring in layers of roughly 0.5 m thickness, mostly in the lower ice layers. The total amount of sediment transported by sea ice (mostly out of the narrow zone between the landfast ice edge and waters too deep for resuspension and entrainment) is at minimum 4×10⁶ t in the sampling area and is estimated at 5–8×10⁶ t over the entire Chukchi and Beaufort shelves in 2001/02, representing a significant term in the sediment budget of the western Arctic Ocean. Recent changes in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea ice regimes (reduced summer minimum ice extent, ice thinning, reduction in multi-year ice extent, altered drift paths and mid-winter landfast ice break-out events) have likely resulted in an increase of sediment-laden ice in the area. Apart from contributing substantially to along- and across-shelf particulate flow, an increase in the amount of dirty ice significantly impacts (sub-)ice algal production and may enhance the dispersal of pollutants.     

Sediment dynamics in the Eurasian Arctic Ocean during the last deglaciation — The clay mineral group smectite perspective

This study focuses on sedimentological investigations of sediment cores recovered during the international Arctic′91, expeditions with the German research ice breaker RV “Polarstern” to the European sector of the Arctic Ocean. Here, we deduce the last glacial/interglacial changes in transport mechanism and sedimentation from the clay mineral group smectite. We choose the smectites as an example of how sediment mineralogy can be linked with particular source regions (the Kara and Laptev seas), distinct transport mechanism (sea ice and surface currents) and sedimentation processes. Smectite contents in Arctic sediments discussed for two time slices, including the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and the last deglaciation (Termination I), reveal the highest variability subsequent to the retreat of the Eurasian ice sheets. Our results show that smectite anomalies in the Eurasian Basin are associated with distinct meltwater pulses and occurred around 13.5–13.0 ¹⁴C ka B.P. Compelling evidence is provided that these anomalies are deduced from sea-ice entrained sediments from the eastern Kara Sea that entered the Arctic Ocean after ice-sheet break-up and eventually flooding of the Kara Sea. We propose that smectite anomalies in sediments of the eastern Arctic Ocean can be utilized to identify deglacial events and to help decipher configurations of the Eurasian ice sheets. The identification of smectite maxima along the modern sea-ice edge in the Eurasian Basin further indicates biologically enhanced sedimentation from melting sea ice allowing the reconstruction of seasonally open water in the region. Hence, considering the poor preservation conditions of primary paleoceanographic proxies in the Arctic Ocean, the clay mineral contents, particularly the smectite group, may be one alternative tool for paleoclimatic reconstruction in the Eurasian Basin.     

Glacially influenced basin plain sedimentation in the southern Faeroe-Shetland Channel, northwest United Kingdom continental margin

Quaternary sediments at the southwest end of the Faeroe-Shetland Channel are preserved as a basin plain succession of variable fill geometry and lithology. In high-resolution seismic profiles the basin plain succession is characterised by laterally discontinuous and transparent, mounded lensoid bodies interbedded with acoustically well-layered sediments which display drape and onlapping reflection configurations. The lensoid bodies comprise an up to 50 m thick amalgamated package of mass-flow deposits consisting primarily of debris-flow diamictons. They represent resedimented glacigenic deposits derived from the West Shetland Shelf. Accumulation of these packages was episodic and related to specific rapid phases of downslope resedimentation, most probably concomitant with ice-marginal deposition on the West Shetland Slope. The acoustically well-layered sediments include glaciomarine hemipelagites and contourites. These indicate phases of reduced sediment supply from the adjacent shelf and slope areas, and probably represent the more pervasive “background” sedimentation in the basin. Although weak bottom-current activity may have prevailed throughout the glacial episodes, the onset of vigorous bottom-current circulation occurred at the changeover from a glacial to an interglacial regime. The debris flow packages form about 50% of the basin-plain sediments in this part of the Faeroe-Shetland Channel, thereby forming a significant component of the deep-water succession.     

The origin of water‐borne diamictons and their relation to turbidites

The term “diamicton” has recently been proposed as a non‐genetic name for any non‐calcareous terrigenous sediment containing a wide variety of grain sizes; the lithified equivalent is a “diamictite.” The present paper deals with the origin and classification of water‐borne diamictons. The latter have been divided by the writer into three groups: Group I. Diamictons with the coarse and fine fractions deposited simultaneously. Group II. Diamictons with the coarse and fine fractions deposited separately. Group III. Diamictons with the fine fraction derived from the coarse fraction by diagenetic alteration in place.

Group I diamictons have been divided into the following types: (i) P‐diamictons, in which the fine fraction was deposited from true suspension (the coarser material being transported by suspension, saltation, or traction), (ii) M—diamictons, in which the fine (and coarse) fractions were deposited from mudflows. (iii) K‐diamictons, in which the fine fractions were deposited in the form of discrete sand‐size or pebble‐size fragments composed of lutite.

Group II diamictons have been divided into the following types: (i) S‐diamictons, consisting of coarse and fine layers mixed by gravity, (ii) B‐diamictons, consisting of coarse and fine layers mixed by bioturbation.

Group III diamictons, which have not been subdivided, are called D‐diamictons. P‐, M‐, and S‐diamictons have been further subdivided, and the different varieties are discussed The scheme of classification and selected examples of diamictons and diamictites are given in appropriate tables.     

3.4万年以来南极斯科舍海古生产力演变及其环境制约

本文通过对南极斯科舍海东南部DC-11岩芯生物硅、有机氮、TFe₂O₃与有机氮同位素的年代学分析,重建了该海区3.4万年以来古生产力与环境演变历史。研究结果表明,生物硅、有机氮含量与南极温度变化基本一致,暖期高、冷期低;有机氮同位素值与南大洋海冰变化相吻合,暖期小、冷期大,冷期硝酸盐利用率大于暖期。从末次冰期、末次冰消期至全新世,研究区古生产力与环境变化显著,南极冷倒转等千年尺度的变化明显;海冰在气候、营养盐与古生产力之间起着重要的关联作用。冰期或冷期海冰的加强导致表层水层化加强,深层水及其营养盐的上涌减弱,表层海洋硝酸盐等相对匮乏,生产力降低。研究区现代与全新世铁供应充足,在风尘盛行的末次冰期和冰消期呈过剩状态,明显不同于亚南极。     

大西洋经向翻转环流对岁差响应的气候背景依赖性

大西洋经向翻转环流（Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation,AMOC）是气候系统重要的组成部分,其强度变化可直接影响南北半球的热量分配,厘清其变化机理对全球变暖背景下的未来预估至关重要。海洋沉积物记录发现,在晚更新世,AMOC的变化与地球岁差周期有紧密联系,但其物理机理尚不清楚。本文利用海洋−大气耦合气候模型—COSMOS（ECHAM5/JSBACH/MPIOM）模型,通过敏感试验,分析在冰盛期冷期和间冰期暖期气候背景下,AMOC对地球岁差变化的响应机理。结果表明：岁差降低引起的北半球夏季太阳辐射增强,会导致间冰期暖期背景下的AMOC显著减弱,但对冰盛期AMOC的影响并不明显。通过进一步分析发现,在间冰期暖期,夏季太阳辐射增强,造成高低纬大西洋海表的升温,同时促进北大西洋高纬度地区的局地降水,两者导致北大西洋表层海水密度降低,共同削弱大西洋深层水生成。而在冰盛期冷期,大西洋高低纬度地区的响应对AMOC的影响反向—副热带升温触发的海盆尺度低压异常,通过其南侧的西风异常削弱大西洋向太平洋的水汽输送,导致净降水增多,海表盐度下降;同时,高纬度升温造成的海冰减少,促进了海洋热丧失,海表失热变重,有利于大西洋深层水的生成,最终两者的共同作用导致AMOC对岁差变化的响应偏弱。本文系统揭示了不同气候背景下,岁差尺度AMOC变化的控制机理,对理解晚更新世AMOC重建记录中持续存在的岁差周期具有重要启示意义。     

Cenozoic alongslope processes and sedimentation on the NW European Atlantic margin

Based on studies of sediment accumulations deposited from-and erode by-alongslope flowing ocean currents on the European continental margin from Porcupine (Ireland) to Lofoten (Norway), the evolution of the Cenozoic paleocirculation was reconstructed as part of the STRATAGEM project. There is evidence of ocean current-controlled erosion and deposition in the Rockall Trough, in the Faeroe-Shetland Channel and on the Vøring Plateau since the late Eocene, although the circulation pattern remains ambiguous. The late Palaeogene flow in the Rockall Trough was almost probably driven by southerly-derived Tethyan Outflow Water. The extent and strength of any northerly-derived flow is uncertain. From the early Neogene (early-mid-Miocene), there was a massive regional expansion of contourite drift development both in the North Atlantic and in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. This was most probably related to the development of the Faroe Conduit, the opening of the Fram Strait and the general subsidence of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge. These may have combined to cause a considerable acceleration in the exchange and overflow of deep waters between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. An early late Neogene (late early Pliocene) regional erosional event has been ascribed to a vigorous pulse of bottom-current activity, most probably the result of a global reorganisation of ocean currents associated with the closure of the Central American Seaway. During the late Neogene, contourites and sediment drifts developed in deep-water basins, between units of glacigenic sediments as well as infill of several paleo-slide scars. These sediments were derived from areas of bottom-current erosion as well as from the development of Plio-Pleistocene prograding sediment wedges, incorporating the extensive sediment supply derived from shelf-wide ice sheets. Presently a profound winnowing prevails along the shelf and upper slope due to the inflowing currents of Atlantic water. Depocentres of sediments derived from the winnowing are located (locally) in lower slope embayments and in slide scars.     

Future sea-level rise and its early detection by satellite remote sensing

During the past 100 years, sea-level appears to have risen by 10–15cm, probably due to the combined effects of thermal expansion of ocean-surface waters and net melting of glaciers and ice caps, associated with a small increase in global temperatures. This trend will almost certainly continue and accelerate if steadily increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse” gases in the atmosphere cause warming of the magnitude widely predicted by climate modellers. Rising air temperatures will cause increased melting from glaciers and ice caps, and rising sea-water temperatures will cause thermal expansion of the oceans. Moreover, warmer ocean waters could melt and weaken the many floating ice shelves that surround Antarctica, permitting increased ice discharge from glaciers that flow into them. All of these factors would cause sea-level to rise, and this paper presents and estimate of the total sea-level rise that could occur during the next century.If, as predicted by many climate models, global temperatures increase by an average of about 3°C, there is a good probability that sea-level will rise approximately 1m by the year 2100. Ultimately, such a rise would become very apparent to coastal populations, but initial change would be slow. Consequently, it is important to devise and “early warning system” for prompt detection of changes that will precede a detectable rise in sea level. These include: surface temperatures on land, oceans and ice sheets; sea-ice distribution; extent of summer melting on the polar ice sheets; areal extent and surface elevations of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. All of these parameters can be measured from space by satellites that are operating now or are planned for launch during the next few years     

山东中部典型冰川岩溶的发现及气候意义

冰川岩溶为冰川融水对于下伏灰岩地层侵蚀形成的岩溶地貌,具有重要的气候意义,国内少有深入的研究.在山东费县小泉庄一带灰岩面上发现河曲状岩溶槽与冰臼一起构成的岩溶系统.对岩溶通道水流路径进行恢复,发现岩溶通道水流起源于前端的冰臼,根据岩溶通道的叠加关系恢复了通道形成的先后次序,进一步发现了冰臼具有位移特征,位移量的大小显示...