Eccentricity cycles shown by early Pleistocene planktonic foraminifers of the Omma Formation, Sea of Japan

There is a continuous record of planktonic foraminifers for oxygen isotope stages 50 to 26 (ca. 1.5–1.0 Ma) in the early Pleistocene Omma Formation near Kanazawa City, Central Japan, on the Sea of Japan coast. The warm-water species Globigerinoides ruber entered the Sea of Japan with the Tsushima Current during all interglacial periods and went locally extinct in the succeeding glacial periods. This implies that the marine climate of the Sea of Japan varied predominantly with the 41,000-year period of Earth's orbital obliquity. However, the relative abundances of G. ruber in marine isotope stages 47, 43 and 31 are significantly higher than those in other interglacial stages. These stages correspond to periods when eccentricity-modulated precession extremes were aligned with obliquity maxima. The Tsushima Current is a branch of the warm Kuroshio Current which is the strong northwestern component of the subtropical North Pacific Ocean gyre. Our data imply that the early Pleistocene climate in the northwestern Pacific was influenced not only by obliquity cycles but also by eccentricity cycles. This study also supports the climate model regarding eccentricity's role in the origin of low-frequency climate changes before the late Pleistocene ice ages.     

Vegetation and climate variability during the Last Interglacial evidenced in the pollen record from Lake Baikal

A pollen record from the core sediments collected in the northern part of Lake Baikal represents the latest stage of the Taz (Saale) Glaciation, Kazantsevo (Eemian) Interglacial (namely the Last Interglacial), and the earliest stage of the Zyryanka (Weichselian) Glaciation. According to the palaeomagnetic-based age model applied to the core, the Last Interglacial in the Lake Baikal record lasted about 10.6 ky from 128 to 117.4 ky BP, being more or less synchronous with the Marine Isotope Stage 5e. The reconstructed changes in the south Siberian vegetation and climate are summarised as follows: a major spread of shrub alder (Alnus fruticosa) and shrub birches (Betula sect. Nanae/Fruticosae) in the study area was a characteristic feature during the late glacial phase of the Taz Glaciation. Boreal trees e.g. spruce (Picea obovata) and birch (Betula sect. Albae) started to play an important role in the regional vegetation with the onset of the interglacial conditions. Optimal conditions for Abies sibirica–P. obovata taiga development occurred ca. 126.3 ky BP. The maximum spread of birch forest-steppe communities took place at the low altitudes ca. 126.5–125.5 ky BP and Pinus sylvestris started to form forests in the northern Baikal area after ca. 124.4 ky BP. Re-expansion of the steppe communities, as well as shrubby alder and willow communities and the disappearance of forest vegetation occurred at about 117.4 ky BP, suggesting the end of the interglacial succession. The changes in the pollen assemblages recorded in the sediments from northern Baikal point to a certain instability of the interglacial climate. Three phases of climate deterioration have been distinguished: 126–125.5, 121.5–120, and 119.5–119 ky BP. The penultimate cooling signal may be correlated with the cool oscillation recorded in European pollen records. However, such far distant correlation requires more careful investigation.     

The Pleistocene evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Prydz bay region: stable isotopic evidence from ODP Site 1167

Ocean Drilling Program Leg 188, Prydz Bay, East Antarctica is part of a larger initiative to explore the Cenozoic history of the Antarctic Ice Sheet through direct drilling and sampling of the continental margins. In this paper, we present stable isotopic results from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1167 located on the Prydz Channel Trough Mouth Fan (TMF), the first Antarctic TMF to be drilled. The foraminifer-based δ¹⁸O record is interpreted along with sedimentary and downhole logging evidence to reconstruct the Quaternary glacial history of Prydz Bay and the adjacent Lambert Glacier Amery Ice Shelf System (LGAISS). We report an electron spin resonance age date of 36.9±3.3 ka at 0.45 m below sea floor and correlate suspected glacial–interglacial cycles with the global isotopic stratigraphy to improve the chronology for Site 1167. The δ¹⁸O record based on planktonic (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s.)) and limited benthic results (Globocassidulina crassa), indicates a trend of ice sheet expansion that was interrupted by a period of reduced ice volume and possibly warmer conditions during the early–mid-Pleistocene (0.9–1.38 Ma). An increase in δ¹⁸O values after 900 ka appears to coincide with the mid-Pleistocene climate transition and the expansion of the northern hemisphere ice sheet. The δ¹⁸O record in the upper 50 m of the stratigraphic section indicates as few as three glacial–interglacial cycles, tentatively assigned as marine isotopic stages (MIS) 16–21, are preserved since the Brunhes/Matuyama paleomagnetic reversal (780 ka). This suggests that there is a large unconformity near the top of the section and/or that there may have been few extreme advances of the ice sheet since the mid-Pleistocene climate transition resulting in lowered sedimentation rates on the Prydz Channel TMF. The stable isotopic record from Site 1167 is one of the few available from the area south of the Antarctic Polar Front that has been linked with the global isotopic stratigraphy. Our results suggest the potential for the recovery of useful stable isotopic records in other TMFs.     

Phytolith indices as proxies of grass subfamilies on East African tropical mountains

The main objective of this paper is to provide researchers that investigate fossil phytolith assemblages and model/data comparisons a new tool for estimating C₃/C₄ grass composition over time. We tested the reliability of modern soil phytolith assemblages and phytolith indices for tracing the dominance of different grass subfamilies and tree cover density. We analyzed modern soil phytolith assemblages from sites over elevation gradients on Mount Kenya (Kenya), Mount Rungwe and around Lake Masoko (southern Tanzania). These data were compared with available botanical data. A phytolith index named Ic, proved to be an effective proxy of the proportions of Pooideae, Arundinoideae and Bambusoideae grasses (mainly C₃ grasses) versus Panicoideae grasses (mainly C₄ grasses), increasing with elevation in East-Africa. When tropical mountains are covered by open habitats (e.g. grasses and shrublands), Ic should be a reliable proxy of the C₃/C₄ grass composition. These results highlight the value of the phytolith index Ic, when interpreting paleo-environmental records from tropical mountains, to: 1) better understand past local and regional C₃/C₄ grass distributions and associated climatic changes and 2) increase the set of C₃/C₄ data available for model/data comparisons.     

The effect of submerged plateaux on Pleistocene gyral circulation and sea-surface temperatures in the Southwest Pacific

Uniquely in the Southern Hemisphere the New Zealand micro-continent spans the interface between a subtropical gyre and the Subantarctic Circumpolar Current. Its 20° latitudinal extent includes a complex of submerged plateaux, ridges, saddles and basins which, in the present interglacial, are partial barriers to circulation and steer the Subtropical (STF) and Subantarctic (SAF) fronts. This configuration offers a singular opportunity to assess the influence of bottom topography on oceanic circulation through Pleistocene glacial – interglacial (G/I) cycles, its effect on the location and strength of the fronts, and its ability to generate significant differences in mixed layer thermal history over short distances.For this study we use new planktic foraminiferal based sea-surface temperature (SST) estimates spanning the past 1 million years from a latitudinal transect of four deep ocean drilling sites. We conclude that: 1. the effect of the New Zealand landmass was to deflect the water masses south around the bathymetric impediments; 2. the effect of a shallow submerged ridge on the down-current side (Chatham Rise), was to dynamically trap the STF along its crest, in stark contrast to the usual glacial–interglacial (G–I) meridional migration that occurs in the open ocean; 3. the effect of more deeply submerged, downstream plateaux (Campbell, Bounty) was to dynamically trap the SAF along its steep southeastern margin; 4. the effects of saddles across the submarine plateaux was to facilitate the development of jets of subtropical and subantarctic surface water through the fronts, forming localized downstream gyres or eddies during different phases in the G–I climate cycles; 5. the deep Pukaki Saddle across the Campbell-Bounty Plateaux guided a branch of the SAF to flow northwards during each glacial, to form a strong gyre of circumpolar surface water in the Bounty Trough, especially during the mid-Pleistocene Climate Transition (MIS 22-16) when exceptionally high SST gradients existed across the STF; 6. the shallower Mernoo Saddle, at the western end of the Chatham Rise, provided a conduit for subtropical water to jet southwards across the STF in the warmest interglacial peaks (MIS 11, 5.5) and for subantarctic water to flow northwards during glacials; 7. although subtropical or subantarctic drivers can prevail at a particular phase of a G–I cycles, it appears that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the main influence on the regional hydrography.Thus complex submarine topography can affect distinct differences in the climate records over short distances with implications for using such records in interpreting global or regional trends. Conversely, the local topography can amplify the paleoclimate record in different ways in different places, thus enhancing its value for the study of more minor paleoceanographic influences that elsewhere are more difficult to detect. Such sites include DSDP 594, which like some other Southern Ocean sites, has the typical late Pleistocene asymmetrical saw-tooth G–I climate pattern transformed to a gap-tooth pattern of quasi-symmetrical interglacial spikes that interrupt extended periods of minimum glacial temperatures.     

Tree-ring record of hillslope erosion and valley floor dynamics: Landscape responses to climate variation during the last 400 yr in the Colorado Plateau, northeastern Arizona

Dendrogeomorphologic approaches were used to study hillslope erosion and valley floor dynamics in a small drainage basin in the Colorado Plateau of northeastern Arizona, U.S.A. Root exposure in pinyon pines indicated hillslope erosion averaged 1.9 mm/yr over the last 400 yr, but erosion has been highly episodic. Negative increment growth anomalies in hillslope trees are interpreted as the consequence of rapid aerial exposure of roots by erosion. During the last 300 yr, two of three major episodes of these growth anomalies occurred after abrupt transitions from prolonged, multi-year droughts to sustained, lengthy periods of above-average precipitation. The most recent episode of these growth anomalies began within a few years after 1905 and was associated with the largest precipitation shift (drought to wet interval) in the last 400 yr. In contrast to trees on eroding hillslopes, increment growth of trees in more geomorphically stable landscape positions closely tracked the regional precipitation signal. Two major alluvial fills on the adjacent valley floor are also linked to the abrupt changes in precipitation regimes and the associated increases in delivery of runoff and sediments from slopes. The clay-cemented sandstones weather rapidly; rapid weathering and sediment production make slopes highly responsive to decadal precipitation changes. Significant vegetation declines on slopes during extreme drought make hillslope soils more prone to erosion if heavy precipitation follows soon thereafter.     

Geochemical composition of inner shelf Quaternary sediments in the northern South China Sea with implications for provenance discrimination and paleoenvironmental reconstruction

Sediment samples were collected from a borehole in the northern South China Sea with the depositional age back to 400 ka BP, for grain size and geochemical analyses to constrain the sediment provenance and paleoenvironmental variability. Geochemical indices of Th/Sc, Ti/Nb and Th/Nb ratios suggest that the Zhujiang (Pearl River) was the main provenance of the inner shelf sediments of Hong Kong deposited during interglacial periods, whereas the locally-derived granitoids contributed significantly to the exposed inner shelf through the incision of local streams during glacial periods. Furthermore, the influence of the Zhujiang-derived sediments on the inner shelf of Hong Kong varied spatially and temporally with different sea-level changes during the past 400 kyr. Chemical weathering indices suggest hot and wet climate conditions were dominant in South China during interglacial periods of marine isotope stages (MIS) 7, 9 and 11 whereas a dry and cold paleoclimate prevailed during glacial periods of MIS 6 which accounts for weak chemical weathering and coarse-grained deposition on the inner shelf. The Holocene and last interglacial period did not see more intense chemical weathering in the Zhujiang drainage basin than other interglacial periods. Although the high resolution paleoenvironmental changes can not be easily reconstructed due to ubiquitous unconformity in the sedimentary strata and weak age controls compared to the deep sea sedimentation, the present study sheds new lights on the understanding of the transport process of the Zhujiang sediment in the deep ocean and provides a teleconnection of East Asian palaeomonsoon activity between South China, the inland and open sea areas.     

Thermokarst sediments and sedimentary structures, Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, western Arctic Canada

Abrupt climate warming during glacial–interglacial transitions promotes regional thermokarst activity in areas of ice-rich permafrost. The ensuing thaw-related processes of melt-out, soft-sediment deformation and resedimentation may produce widespread thermokarst sediments and sedimentary structures. Examples of the most distinctive thermokarst sediments and sedimentary structures from the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, western Arctic Canada, comprise: (1) soft-sediment deformation structures (thermokarst involutions) in a palaeoactive layer; (2) ice-wedge casts and composite-wedge casts; (3) peaty to sandy diamicton deposited mainly by debris flows in retrogressive thaw slumps; and (4) a basal unit of diamicton and/or impure sand in some thermokarst-basin sequences, deposited by progradation of resedimented materials in thermokarst lakes. Many of the thermokarst sediments and sedimentary structures in the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands formed as a result of rapid climate warming during the last glacial–interglacial transition, although some continue to form at present due to local (non-climatic) factors.Identification of thermokarst sediments and sedimentary structures in the geological record requires evidence for the thaw of excess ice. Direct evidence for the former occurrence of excess ice includes: (1) ice-wedge casts; (2) composite-wedge casts; (3) lenticular platy microstructures in frost-susceptible sediment; (4) certain near-surface brecciation of frost-susceptible bedrock; and (5) ramparted depressions attributed to the decay of frost mounds. Indirect evidence for former excess ice results where thaw consolidation initiates soft-sediment deformation or gelifluction.     

Integration and Comparison of Clementine and Lunar Prospector Data: Global Scale Multielement Analysis1 (Fe,Ti, and Th) of the Lunar Surface

In this paper, we present (1) a statistical analysis, based on a systematic clustering method, of a dataset integrating the global abundance maps of the three elements iron, titanium, and thorium derived from Clementine and Lunar Prospector and (2) a comparison of iron abundances between Clementine and Lunar Prospector. Homogeneous geologic units are compositionally characterized and spatially defined in relation to the major rock types sampled on the Moon. With the lowest abundances of Fe, Ti, and Th found on the Moon, the lunar highland terrains are quite homogeneous with two major large feldspathic units, one being slightly more mafic than the other. Two distinct regions with unique compositions are unambiguously identified: the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT) and the South Pole–Aitken (SPA). The PKT, which includes all the units with Th abundances higher than 3.5 ppm (KREEP-rich materials), is delimited by an almost continuous ringlike unit. In particular, it includes the western nearside maria, except for Mare Humorum. With concentrations in Fe, Ti, and Th enhanced relative to the surrounding highlands, the South Pole–Aitken basin floor represents a large mafic anomaly on the far side, suggesting wide deposits of lower crust and possible mantle materials. However, due to indirect residual latitude effects in the CSR (Clementine spectral reflectance) measurements, iron abundances might have been overestimated in SPA, thus implying that crustal materials, rather than mantle materials, might represent the dominant contributor to the mafic component exposed on the basin floor.     

A phytolith index as a proxy of tree cover density in tropical areas: calibration with Leaf Area Index along a forest–savanna transect in southeastern Cameroon

The aim of the study is to calibrate the phytolith index of tree cover density, D/P (the ratio of ligneous dicotyledons phytoliths (D) over Poaceae phytoliths (P)) with Leaf Area Index (LAI) measurements. LAI is the vertically integrated surface of leaves per unit of ground area (m² leaves/m² ground). Modern soil samples from southeastern Cameroon, collected along a continuous forest–savanna transect, have been analyzed for phytoliths. Phytolith assemblages and D/P index clearly record the physiognomy of the forest and savanna communities and of the transition between both of them. A highly significant relationship was obtained between D/P and LAI. The relationship between phytolith data and the vegetation transect is also discussed and compared with existing palynological results obtained along the same transect.     

Quaternary vegetation and climate changes on Banks Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand

Late Quaternary terrestrial and marine pollen records from the Canterbury Plains and Banks Peninsula suggest that climates during the peak of Marine Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7) were similar to those prevailing during stage 5e and the Holocene. Podocarp forest (notably Prumnopitys taxifolia—matai) characterises each interglaciation. In contrast, marine records from DSDP 594 cores, off the east coast of Canterbury, indicate that stage 7 was dominated by montane forest (Libocedrus sp. and Phyllocladus). This suggests temperatures as much as 3 °C colder than indicated by the Banks Peninsula assemblage. Age control from both sites appears to be robust. Some of the differences may be related to the taphonomy of the pollen at both sites. DSDP 594 may reflect a more southerly catchment of fluvially and aeolian-derived pollen than does the Banks Peninsula site.Banks Peninsula was alternately separated from, and joined to, the mainland as Quaternary sea levels fell and rose. Assuming modern ocean current patterns, during interglacials the south–north Southland Current would have swept through the seaway separating the island from the mainland, diverting the flow of rivers embouching on the Canterbury coast, and moving sediments and fluvially transported pollen northwards. Little of this material would have reached DSDP 594, nor, if wind patterns were similar to those of today, would wind-borne pollen from Banks Peninsula have reached the site. It is probable that vegetation on the Peninsula was consistently distinct from that recorded at DSDP 594, which has a more southerly derivation.In contrast to the high mountain areas of the South Island, the low levels of grass pollen in the available record suggest that the Peninsula retained a woody vegetation over much of its area during glacial periods. This was favoured by the physiography of the area, with a variety of micro-climates, and by the extensive areas available for colonisation at times of low sea level. The podocarp forest of MIS 7 was replaced by an open shrubby vegetation in which Leptospermum and Kunzea (Leptospermum-type pollen) was locally dominant, and in which Plagianthus, Phyllocladus, Coprosma and Myrsine were prominent. Charcoal is associated with this change. Most of the recorded taxa, with the exception of Phyllocladus, are present on the Peninsula today. A gap in the pollen record coincides with the Last Interglacial and Last Glaciation, but a return of forest vegetation is documented in the later Holocene.The reconstructions do not exclude the possibility of a cooler stage 7. They do highlight the importance of excluding local/regional non-climatic effects before interpreting climate change from data sets, and reinforce the necessity of testing marine records against compatible terrestrial ones.     

A Holocene and latest Pleistocene pollen record from Lake Poukawa, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Lake Poukawa is a small, shallow lake lying in the middle of extensive peatland in the Poukawa depression, central Hawke's Bay. Holocene peats (10 m at deepest point) overlie more than 200 m of sand, silt, clastic debris and infrequent thin peats and lacustrine sediments deposited during the late Pleistocene. Pollen analyses are presented for: a peat possibly dating to a late stage of the last interglacial or a warm interstadial of the last glacial; cool climate last glacial sediments; and a Holocene peat. The last interglacial or interstadial peat records a cool climate Nothofagus podocarp forest. During the last glacial, sparse shrubland and grassland grew within the depression under much drier and colder conditions than now. There is no pollen record for the Late Glacial and early Holocene period as conditions remained too dry for peat formation. Avian fossils indicate scrub and grassland persisted through until at least 10,600 years BP, and scrub or open forest may have prevailed until c. 6500 years BP. Closed podocarp broadleaved forest (Prumnopitys taxifolia dominant) occupied the depression from at least 6500 years BP until its destruction by Polynesian settlers after 800 years BP. Water levels rose from 6500 to 4500 years BP, culminating in the establishment of the present fluctuating lake-peatland system. Dry conditions in the Late Glacial and early Holocene may reflect a predominant northwesterly air flow, and a change to more easterly and southerly air flow in the mid- to late Holocene resulted in increased rainfall.     

Vegetation changes and their climatic implication for the late Pleistocene at Lake Poukawa, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

A detailed vegetation history extending back to the Last Interglacial (Marine Isotope Substage 5e) is presented for Lake Poukawa, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. This history is based on palynological analyses of a 198-m core record, age secured by uranium/thorium (U/Th) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates as well as tephrochronology. Vegetation of the penultimate glacial (Isotope Stage 6) probably consisted of a very sparse shrubby herbland of stunted podocarps (Phyllocladus sp.), daisies, grasses and sedges. Similar floras existed in each of the succeeding cool periods. Four interglacial/interstadial floras are preserved. The peak of the Last Interglacial (Substage 5e) was dominated by extensive lowland forest of tall forest podocarps (Podocarpus/Prumnopitys), most probably matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia) with red beech (Nothofagus fusca), secondary forest trees (Coprosma spp., Myrsine spp.) and tree ferns (Cyathea spp.). In the Poukawa basin itself, a swamp forest of the podocarp (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) with the true palm (Rhopalostylis sapida) expanded. Substage 5e was significantly warmer and/or moister than the present day. Substage 5c/5a was marked by montane forest of red and silver beeches (N. fusca and N. menziesii), Phyllocladus spp. and secondary trees. A reduced representation of Podocarpus/Prumnopitys possibly consists of montane podocarp (Podocarpus hallii). We infer the temperature of Substage 5c/5a to have been 3.5–5 °C lower than the present day. Although Stage 3 flora are superficially similar to those of Substage 5c/5a, the beeches are relatively less dominant. The regional flora during Stage 1 is very similar to those of Substage 5e, but the density is lower with no swamp forest during the present interglaciation. This may represent a change in evapotranspiration balance around Poukawa, but may also be controlled by hydrological conditions within the basin.     

Glacial-interglacial mean sea level pressure change due to sea level, ice sheet and atmospheric mass changes

The change in the global mean atmospheric pressure between glacial and interglacial periods is evaluated at sea level. This change originates in a modification of topography and in a possible variation in the atmospheric mass. In this calculation the atmosphere is at hydrostatic equilibrium, and the parameters describing the glacial period are varied in a plausible range. The result, with constant atmospheric mass, is a mean sea level pressure decrease of 9–15 hPa linked with the deglaciation. The corresponding pressure change at the reference level corresponding to the present day sea level does not exceed one hPa. When considering only the change in the atmospheric mass, an increase which does not exceed 2 hPa is found, linked with the deglaciation.     

Detection of rapid climate change in Last Glacial fluvial successions in The Netherlands

Climate change during the Last Glacial is considered as a major forcing factor of fluvial system changes. A continuous succession of fluvial sediments, reflecting adaptations to climate change from the Weichselian Middle Pleniglacial (oxygen isotope stage 3) onwards, occurs in lowland river basins in the Netherlands.A comparison of the Pleniglacial and Late Glacial fluvial record in the Netherlands shows that climatic oscillations of similar magnitude did not produce changes in the fluvial sedimentary system of equal magnitude. The Late Glacial fluvial system proves to be highly sensitive to climate change. By contrast, many of the rapid climate changes that have occurred during oxygen isotope stage 3, according to the Greenland ice core record, are not detectable in the fluvial sediments. This can be explained by differences in the impact of the climate variations on drainage basin vegetation. During the Late Glacial, the tree line repeatedly shifted through the Netherlands, whereas the area remained within the tundra zone during the Middle Pleniglacial. Precipitation variations and permafrost aggradation and degradation have played a secondary role.The Weichselian fluvial succession in the Netherlands demonstrates that detection of a change in the fluvial sedimentary system and relating this change to climate change is subject to methodological limitations. The climatic significance of changes in the fluvial record should be carefully evaluated, as well as their chronology. The possibility that climate did not influence the fluvial system should always be considered as a null hypothesis in studies on fluvial successions.     

Impact crater formation in icy layered terrains on Mars

Abstract— We present numerical simulations of crater formation under Martian conditions with a single near‐surface icy layer to investigate changes in crater morphology between glacial and interglacial periods. The ice fraction, thickness, and depth to the icy layer are varied to understand the systematic effects on observable crater features. To accurately model impact cratering into ice, a new equation of state table and strength model parameters for H₂O are fitted to laboratory data. The presence of an icy layer significantly modifies the cratering mechanics. Observable features demonstrated by the modeling include variations in crater morphometry (depth and rim height) and icy infill of the crater floor during the late stages of crater formation. In addition, an icy layer modifies the velocities, angles, and volumes of ejecta, leading to deviations of ejecta blanket thickness from the predicted power law. The dramatic changes in crater excavation are a result of both the shock impedance and the strength mismatch between layers of icy and rocky materials. Our simulations suggest that many of the unusual features of Martian craters may be explained by the presence of icy layers, including shallow craters with well‐preserved ejecta blankets, icy flow related features, some layered ejecta structures, and crater lakes. Therefore, the cratering record implies that near‐surface icy layers are widespread on Mars.     

1000 years of climate variability in central Asia: assessing the evidence using Lake Baikal (Russia) diatom assemblages and the application of a diatom-inferred model of snow cover on the lake

The mainly endemic phytoplankton record of Lake Baikal has been used in this study to help interpret climate variability during the last 1000 years in central Asia. The diatom record was derived from a short core taken from the south basin and has been shown to be free from any sedimentary heterogeneities. We employ here a diatom-based inference model of snow accumulation on the frozen lake for the first time (r²_boot=0.709; RMSEP=0.120 log cm). However, palaeoenvironmental reconstructions have been improved by the use of correction factors, specifically developed for the dominant phytoplankton (Aulacoseira baicalensis, Aulacoseira skvortzowii, Cyclotella minuta, Stephanodiscus meyerii and Synedra acus) in the south basin of Lake Baikal. Cluster analysis identifies three significant zones in the core, zone 1 (c. 880 AD–c. 1180 AD), zone 2 (c. 1180–1840 AD) and zone 3 (c. 1840–1994 AD), coincident with the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), the Little Ice Age (LIA) and the period of recent warming, respectively. Our results indicate that S. acus dominated the diatom phytoplankton within zone 1 coincident with the MWP. S. acus is an opportunistic species that is able to increase its net growth when A. baicalensis does not. During this period, conditions are likely to have been unfavourable for the net increases in A. baicalensis growth due to the persistence of warm water in the lake, together with an increased length of summer stratification and delay in timing of the autumnal overturn. In zone 2, spring diatom crops blooming under the ice declined in abundances due in part to increased winter severity and snow cover on the lake. Accumulating snow on the lake is likely to have arisen from increased anticyclonic activity, resulting in prolonged winters expressed during the LIA. Thick, accumulating snow cover inhibits light penetration through the ice, thereby having negative effects on cell division rate and extent of turbulence underneath the ice. Consequently, only taxa whose net growth occurs during autumn overturn (C. minuta) predominate in the lake at this time. Diatom census data and reconstructions of snow accumulation suggest that warming in the Lake Baikal region started as early as c. 1750 AD, with a shift from taxa that bloom during autumn overturn to assemblages that begin to grow underneath the frozen lake in spring. Very recent increases and subsequent decline of S. acus in the surface sediments of the lake mirror monitoring records of this species over the last 50 years. Our study confirms that, over the last 1000 years, physical processes are important in determining planktonic diatom populations in the lake and highlights the value of integrated plankton, trap, and sediment studies for improving quantitative palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from fossil material.     

Denudation and uplift history of the Jameson Land basin, East Greenland—constrained from maturity and apatite fission track data

The Jameson Land basin in East Greenland comprises a well exposed succession of Upper Paleozoic–Mesozoic sediments. During Middle Devonian–Early Permian rifting, 13 km of continental clastics were deposited. In latest Paleozoic to Mesozoic times, 4 km of sediments accumulated during regional subsidence. In the Early Paleocene, during North Atlantic break-up, the basin was covered by a thick volcanic pile. Subsequently, uplift and erosion took place over the whole region. The volcanic cover was completely removed from Jameson Land and erosion cut deeply into the underlying sediments. To assess the exploration potential of Jameson Land, a basin modelling study with 21 1D pseudo-wells was carried out based on all seismic and surface data available. In addition to the calculation of hydrocarbon generation in space and time, the basin modelling provided an opportunity to study the magnitude and timing of uplift and erosion. Basin modelling constrained by apatite fission track data has made it possible to determine a consistent uplift and erosion history of the area. Tectonic backstripping based on a simple Airy type isostatic model has been used to separate the tectonic uplift from the actual uplift. The combined basin modelling and backstripping study has led to the following conclusions: (1) the thickness of the Cretaceous succession varied from 1.3 km in the south to 0.3 km in the north; (2) the volcanic rocks formed a wedge with a thickness of >2 km in the south thinning to <0.1 km in the north; (3) the subsequent erosion of 2–3 km is in response to tectonic uplift with a magnitude of 1 km, and the calculated tectonic uplift shows increasing values to the north. The erosion rate generally accelerated from Late Paleocene up to the present time.     

Decadal to millennial cyclicity in varves and turbidites from the Arabian Sea: hypothesis of tidal origin

We have analyzed a Late Holocene record, almost 5000 years long, consisting of varved sediments deposited in the oxygen-minimum zone (OMZ) off Pakistan. We searched for cyclicity in the series of varve thickness (“varve” cycles), of unusually large excursions in varve thickness (“agitation” cycles), and of abundance of turbidites (“turbidite” cycles). We found the following high-frequency cycles (periods between 10 and 100 years) in one or several of the three types of series as follows: near 12.4, 14–15, 16.8, 18.6 (strong, agitation), 25–26 (strong, turbidite), 29–31 (strong, agitation), 39 (varve), 44 (strong, turbidite), 51–54 (strong, agitation), 56 (strong, varve), 64 (strong, turbidite), 69, 77 (strong, turbidite), 82 (very strong, agitation), and 95 years (strong, varve). Low-frequency cycles center around 99–115, 125 (very strong, varve), 164, 177, 202, 242–255 (strong, agitation and turbidite), 280 (strong, varve; doubled, turbidite), 340–370 and 460–490 years.Some cycles of varve thickness match the cyclicity of turbidite frequency (12.3, 14–15, 25–26, 245–255 years) but similarities between spectra are not striking. Taken as a whole, however, the sequence of cycles detected (by autocorrelation and standard Fourier analysis) seems to contain a large proportion of multiples of the basic tidal cycles 4.425 (lunar perigee cycle) and 9.3 years (lunar half-nodal cycle). This impression is supported by testing the three binned spectra for whole-number multiples and fractions as well as whole-number beat structure. We therefore propose that a large proportion of the cyclicity detected can be ascribed to tidal action. Our record also contains evidence for the presence of the 1470-year cycle previously reported from the glacial-age Greenland ice record. The main harmonics of this Greenland cycle can be tied to the pattern of periods seen in the varved sediments. We hypothesize that tidal action produces the cycle, and that the reason for its great length is the requirement that maximum tidal activity has to fall into a narrow seasonal window to be geologically effective.