Thermal structure of the lakes of the North-West of Russia during the freeze-up period

On the basis of analyzing long-term field data, we investigated the vertical thermal structure of 66 lakes of the North-West of Russia during the freeze-up period. The largest variability in thermal structure is characteristic for low-drainage shallow water bodies. Detailed data were obtained at self-contained buoy stations located in a small Lake Vendyurskoe (southern Karelia) were used to identify water temperature changes at the depths for a winter season as well as making assessments of het flows at the water–bottom and water–ice interfaces. The interannual water temperature variability at the depths reaches 2°C. The main geographical factors influencing the formation of thermal stratifications in the 66 lakes used in the study during the winter period are their mean depth, area, water residence time and geographical latitude. The largest vertical water temperature gradients are characteristic for the group of the smallest and shallow lakes, in the bottom layers of which the water temperature exceeds the temperature of maximum density, whereas in the deep lakes (more than 15 m) the water temperature is below 4°C. The lowest values of water temperature are observed in large lakes. The water temperature in the upper layer (up to 10 m) of drainage water bodies also decreases to 0–1°C as the result of the removal of heat with the river discharge. According to the thermal stratifications, the lakes are categorized as small (shallow, deep and drainage lakes), medium-sized and large shallow and large deep lakes. The suggested regression model permits a typical water temperature to be assessed at standard depths at the end of a winter season for any water body in the study region using available geographical information. The verification of the model is done from independent data for eight lakes of Finland.     

The Barents Sea ice sheet - a sedimentological discussion

Sediment sampling and shallow seismic profiling in the western and northern Barents Sea show that the bedrock in regions with less than 300 m water depth is unconformably overlain by only a thin veneer (<10 m) of sediments. Bedrock exposures are probably common in these areas. The sediments consist of a Holocene top unit, 0.1–1.5 m in thickness, grading into Late Weichselian glaciomarine sediments. Based on average sedimentation rates (¹⁴C-dating) of the Holocene sediments, the transition between the two units is estimated to 10,000–12,000 B.P. The glaciomarine sediments are commonly 1–3 m in thickness and underlain by stiff pebbly mud, interpreted as till and/or glaciomarine sediments overrun by a glacier. In regions where the water depth is over 300 m the sediment thickness increases, exceeding 500 m near the shelf edge at the mouth of Bjørnøyrenna. In Bjømøyrenna itself the uppermost 15–20 m seem to consist of soft glaciomarine sediments underlain by a well-defined reflector, probably the surface of the stiff pebbly mud. Local sediment accumulations in the form of moraine ridges and extensive glaciomarine deposits (20–60m in thickness) are found at 250–300m water depth, mainly in association with submarine valleys. Topographic highs, probably moraine ridges, are also present at the shelf edge. Based on the submarine morphology and sediment distribution, an ice sheet is believed to have extended to the shelf edge at least once during the Pleistocene. Spitsbergenbanken and the northern Barents Sea have also probably been covered by an ice sheet in the Late Weichselian. Lack of suitable organic material in the glacigenic deposits has prevented precise dating. Based on the regional geology of eastern Svalbard, a correlation of this younger stage with the Late Weichselian is indicated.     

黄土高原多沙粗沙区侵蚀模型探讨

国内外曾研究出不同类型的坡面侵蚀计算模型,但还没有一个成熟的流域侵蚀计算模型,至今流域侵蚀量仍以输沙量替代。本文充分利用黄河中游不同区域具有大量淤地坝的条件,再通过侵蚀影响因素机理的分析、在侵蚀形态类型区的划分等基础上探讨侵蚀变权模型的建设。首先选择了155个“闷葫芦”淤地坝,采集每个坝的年均淤积量,以及相应流域的侵蚀影响因素：植被盖度、降雨量、沟谷密度、切割深度、地表组成物质、>15°的坡耕地面积比等资料,采用变权形式,建立侵蚀强度宏观估算模型。最后用年降水量与年输沙量的关系对模型进行改进。     

One-dimensional models of groundwater flow, sediment thermal history and petroleum generation within continental rift basins

We investigate the effects of convective heat transfer on the thermal history of sediments and petroleum formation within continental rift basins using one-dimensional mathematical modelling. The transport equations used in this study to describe vertical groundwater flow and conductive/convective heat transfer are solved by the finite element method. Sediment thermal history is quantitatively represented using first-order rate kinetic expressions for kerogen degradation and an empirical fanning Arrhenius model for apatite fission track annealing. Petroleum generation is also represented in the model by a suite of first-order rate kinetic expressions. The analysis provides insights into how pore fluid circulation patterns are preserved in the rock record as anomalies in palaeogeothermometric data within continental rifts. Parameters varied in the numerical experiments include the ratio of conductive to convective heat transfer (thermal Peclet number; Pe) and the composition of the disseminated organic matter in the sediment (type II and III kerogen). Quantitative results indicate that vertical groundwater flow rates on the order of a mm/yr cause a change in computed vitrinite reflectance of the rocks and a shift in the depth to oil generation by as much as 3000 m. Differences in thermal gradients between recharge and discharge areas (Pe= 0.6) also change the width of the zone of oil generation by a factor of two. Even more dramatic, however, are the large changes in predicted apatite fission track length distributions and model ages between recharge and discharge areas. For example, a sediment package buried to a depth of 2400 m over 200 Myr within the groundwater recharge column had a fission track length distribution with a computed mean and standard deviation of 12.83 μm and 0.77 μm, respectively. The fission track model age for this sediment package was 209 Ma. The same sediment package in the discharge area has a distribution with a mean track length of 5.68 μm, a standard deviation of 3.37 μm, and a fission track model age of 2.6 Ma. Transient groundwater flow simulations, in which fluid circulation ceases after a period of time within the rift basin, are also presented to illustrate how disturbances in palaeogeothermometric parameters are preserved on geological time-scales. Vitrinite reflectance profiles require about 10 Myr to return to conductive conditions within groundwater recharge areas while the convective disturbances are preserved indefinitely along the discharge column, as long as further subsidence does not occur. Ancient groundwater flow systems are preserved as anomalies in computed apatite fission track model ages and distributions much longer after groundwater flow stops, relative to organic-based geothermometers. Significant differences exist in model ages between recharge (145 Ma) and discharge (90 Ma) areas 200 Myr after flow has ceased. However, calculated fission track histogram distributions are virtually identical in recharge and discharge areas after about 50 Myr. Our study suggests that ancient groundwater flow systems can be detected by comparing thermochronometric data between suspected recharge and discharge areas within continental rifts. Vitrinite reflectance profiles, observed offsets in the depth to the onset of petroleum generation, and apatite fission track annealing studies are all well suited for detecting groundwater flow systems which have been relatively long lived (10⁷ years). Apatite fission track age data are probably best suited for identifying ancient groundwater flow systems within rifts long (>200 Myr) after flow ceases.     

南极洲纳尔逊冰帽浅层粒雪／冰的晶体组构特征

对纳尔逊冰帽３个地点浅层粒雪／冰芯的晶体组构测量表明，冰晶ｃ轴在冰帽表面具有优势方位，２０ｍ深度内普遍出现双扇形组构，在２０－３０ｍ深度具有向单极大型变化的趋势。这与所报道的中低纬度山地温冰川上的晶体组构特征有明显不同。估计大量融水渗浸和再冻结作用对冰晶组构有重要影响，但详细机制尚不清楚     

Glacial and palaeoenvironmental history of the Cape Chelyuskin area, Arctic Russia

Quaternary glacial stratigraphy and relative sea-level changes reveal at least two glacial expansions over the Chelyuskin Peninsula, bordering the Kara Sea at about 77°N in the Russian Arctic, as indicated from tills interbedded with marine sediments, exposed in stratigraphic superposition, and from raised-beach sequences mapped to altitudes of at least up to ca. 80 m a.s.l. Chronological control is provided by accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dating, electron-spin resonance and optically stimulated luminescence geochronology. Major glaciations, followed by deglaciation and marine inundation, occurred during marine oxygen isotope stages 6–5e (MIS 6–5e) and stages MIS 5d–5c. These glacial sediments overlie marine sediments of Pliocene age, which are draped by fluvial sediment of a pre-Saalian age, thereby forming palaeovalley/basin fills in the post-Cretaceous topography. Till fabrics and glacial tectonics record expansions of local ice caps exclusively, suggesting wet-based ice cap advance, followed by cold-based regional ice-sheet expansion. Local ice caps over highland sites along the perimeter of the shallow Kara Sea, including the Byrranga Mountains and the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, appear to have repeatedly fostered initiation of a large Kara Sea ice sheet, with the exception of the Last Glacial Maximum (MIS 2), when Kara Sea ice neither impacted the Chelyuskin Peninsula nor Severnaya Zemlya, and barely touched the northern coastal areas of the Taymyr Peninsula.     

Environmental History of Lago di Tovel,Trento, Italy,Revealed by Sediment Cores and 3.5 kHz Seismic Mapping

Proxy data from a total of 30 sediment cores and information from a seismic survey show that the sedimentological and limnological history of Lago di Tovel (1178 m a.s.l.) has been significantly influenced by slope dynamics of its mountainous catchment. The lake represents a dead-ice lake with pro-glacial deposits at the base of its sedimentary record. A prominent lake level rise in 1597/1598 that increased maximum water depth from ∼20 to 39 m caused slope instabilities, leading to the deposition of mass-flow sediments with a maximum thickness of 2.5 m in the northern part of the lake and less than 50 cm in the southern part, resulting in a total volume of more than 113,000 m³. Consequently, a rough lake bottom morphology was produced, which led to distinct differences in sedimentation rates of 0.07 cm yr⁻¹ on sills and 0.18 cm yr⁻¹ within depressions. The age of the top of the mass-flow deposits was used to validate the ages of the younger, laminated sediments, which were dated by ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs. Lithological investigations showed that the sediments below the mass-flow deposits are also laminated and that they were not bioturbated. The long-term meromixis of Lago di Tovel is therefore mainly due to a combination of its topographic setting and the 5-month period of ice cover. Both prevent effective mixing of the lake by strong winds during spring and autumn. Distinct spatial differences in sediment distribution within the lake show that it is risky to interpret proxy data from only one coring site, even if the lake is very small. This is especially true in mountainous areas, where rock falls, mass movements, and slope instabilities of a significant size may have considerable effects on lakes.     

Palaeohydrology of the Quaternary saline Lake Ballivian (southern Bolivian Altiplano) based on diatom studies

Diatoms are usually used for reconstructing variations in past lacustrine depth. In a small endorheic basin located in the southern Bolivian Altiplano, we used a comparative method based on basin morphology, stratigraphy, sediment samples, altitude and diatom ecology to infer depth variations more precisely in both marginal and central parts of the basin. Beforeca. 22,000 yr BP, the general tendency was a progressive increase in water-level from 4,135 to 4,155 m altitude, but Lake Ballivian rose to 4,160 m twice, and dropped below 4,135m twice. After ca. 22,000 yr BP, a long dry period occurred, as indicated by a sedimentation hiatus. Atca. 13,000 yr BP, the water-level slightly increased again but the lake stayed very shallow, at less than 4,125 m altitude. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A02GG003 00005     

近10年来可可西里地区主要湖泊冰情时空变化

基于2000-2011年可可西里地区湖泊边界矢量数据、MODIS和Landsat TM/ETM+遥感影像和气象数据等资料,利用RS和GIS技术综合分析该地区主要湖泊冰情变化特征及其影响因素。结果表明：① 可可西里地区湖泊开始结冰和完全结冰出现在每年的10月下旬至11月上旬和11月中旬至12月上旬,湖泊由开始冻结至完全冻结持续时间约半个月;湖冰开始消融和完全消融时间较为分散,主要出现在每年的4月下旬至6月初和5月初至6月上旬,湖泊完全封冻期和封冻期为181 d和196 d。② 2000-2011年间,可可西里地区湖冰物候特征发生了显著变化,湖泊开始冻结和完全冻结时间推迟,湖冰开始消融和完全消融时间提前,湖泊完全封冻期和封冻期持续时间普遍缩短,平均变化速率分别为-2.21 d/a和-1.91 d/a。③ 湖冰物候特征及湖泊冰情演变是区域气候变化和湖泊自身条件共同作用的结果,其中气温、湖泊面积、湖水矿化度和湖泊形态是影响湖冰物候特征的主要因素,而湖泊热储量、地质构造等因素对湖冰演化的作用亦不可忽视。④ 可可西里地区湖泊冻结空间模式与消融过程相反,以湖冰由湖泊一岸扩展到另一岸的湖泊数量居多。     

三峡水库下游弯曲河型演变规律调整及其驱动机制

大型水库的兴建深刻改变了下游水沙输移特点,进而导致河床演变规律显著调整,水库下游弯曲河型对水沙过程改变响应敏感,是水库下游河床演变、航道整治、河势控制等方面研究的关键区域。本文基于1996-2016年的实测水文、地形资料,对长江三峡水库下游弯曲河型的演变规律及其驱动机制开展研究,结果表明：① 三峡水库蓄水前,下荆江存在“凸淤凹冲”、“凸冲凹淤”两类弯曲河型,而三峡水库蓄水后均表现为“凸冲凹淤”的一致性规律;② 在水库拦沙作用的影响下,下荆江河段平滩河槽存在累积性冲刷现象,冲刷部位集中于枯水河槽与基本河槽之间的低滩,冲淤部位调整主要由变化的流量过程所驱动,上游河势、河道边界以及支流入汇等因素均有一定驱动作用;③ 在三峡水库蓄水后缺乏大洪水的情况下,凸岸水流挟沙力随流量增加逐渐增强,水流对凸岸冲蚀力度在平滩流量级附近（20000~25000 m3/s）达到最强,平滩流量附近流量级的持续时间超过20天时,弯曲河道发生凸冲凹淤现象。而悬沙中造床粗沙的减少,增强了水流冲刷强度,加剧了凸岸的冲蚀程度。     

Glaciomarine sedimentation in a modern fjord environment, Spitsbergen

By means of high resolution acoustic profiling and correlation of echo character and sediment lithology, fjords in western and northern Spitsbergen are shown to be blanketed by a 5-20 m layer of acoustically transparent sediments consisting mainly of soft homogeneous mud with ice rafted clasts. Acoustically semi-transparent material is found on slopes and sills reflecting their coarser composition. The areal average depositional rate in the outer fjord is in the range of from 0.1 to 1.0 mm/year, increasing towards the glaciers. In Kongsfjorden, 50-100 mm/year of muddy sediments is deposited at a distance of 10 km from the calving Kongsvegen glacier. Close to the ice front (<0.5 km) coarser grained, interbedded (sand/mud) sediments are deposited. The main sediment sources are from settlement out of the turbid surface sediment plume, combined with various types of gravity flow (sediment creep, minor slides, and slumping). Material deposited from turbidity current is probably of minor importance. On shallow sills the sediments are remobilized by icebergs. The sediment adjacent to the ice front is reworked and compacted during surges, a common form of glacial advance for Spitsbergen glaciers. During the surge considerable amounts of coarse-grained sediment are deposited by meltwater in front of the ice margin.     

南极特拉诺瓦湾下降风特征

南极罗斯海特拉诺瓦湾(Terra Nova Bay)是强下降风汇集区之一。采用高分辨率南极中尺度预报系统(Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System,AMPS)资料和特拉诺瓦湾难言岛Manuela自动气象站实测数据,分析了特拉诺瓦湾及其附近地区的下降风特征。AMPS对难言岛地区风速和气温有较好的模拟能力,但风向比实测值偏西约30°。难言岛地区风速从1月开始迅速增大,4—9月风力平均为8级以上。难言岛夏季1月份的风速变化滞后气温变化约3 h;冬季7月份风向稳定为西至西南。特拉诺瓦湾及其附近地区下降风来自西岸海拔较高的冰盖,其风向的空间分布特征基本几乎不随季节而变化。下降风风速有显著的季节演变特征,11月至次年1月较小,3—9月风速较大。特拉诺瓦湾西岸等几处冰川地带在冬季是强风汇集区,难言岛处于Reeves冰川下降风汇集区中。该汇集区上边界和南北两侧均有清晰的分界线,风速较强区从地面延伸至650—800 m高处,风速最大值距离地面高度约为50—200 m。强下降风气流受难言岛地形阻挡,风速有所减弱,气流越过难言岛之后,风速再次加强。特拉诺瓦湾地区下降风流动过程中近地面气团位势温度变化幅度很小,表明下降风在从内陆高原到沿岸地区的流动是干绝热过程。     

Spatial-temporal variations of lake ice phenology in the Hoh Xil region from 2000 to 2011

Lake ice phenology, i.e. the timing of freeze-up and break-up and the duration of the ice cover, is regarded as an important indicator of changes in regional climate. Based on the boundary data of lakes, some moderate-high resolution remote sensing datasets including MODIS and Landsat TM/ETM+ images and the meteorological data, the spatial-temporal variations of lake ice phenology in the Hoh Xil region during the period 2000–2011 were analyzed by using RS and GIS technology. And the factors affecting the lake ice phenology were also identified. Some conclusions can be drawn as follows. (1) The time of freeze-up start (FUS) and freeze-up end (FUE) of lake ice appeared in the late October–early November, mid-November–early December, respectively. The duration of lake ice freeze-up was about half a month. The time of break-up start (BUS) and break-up end (BUE) of lake ice were relatively dispersed, and appeared in the early February–early June, early May–early June, respectively. The average ice duration (ID) and the complete ice duration (CID) of lakes were 196 days and 181 days, respectively. (2) The phenology of lake ice in the Hoh Xil region changed dramatically in the last 10 years. Specifically, the FUS and FUE time of lake ice showed an increasingly delaying trend. In contrast, the BUS and BUE time of lake ice presented an advance. This led to the reduction of the ID and CID of lake. The average rates of ID and CID were–2.21 d/a and–1.91 d/a, respectively. (3) The variations of phenology and evolution of lake ice were a result of local and climatic factors. The temperature, lake area, salinity and shape of the shoreline were the main factors affecting the phenology of lake ice. However, the other factors such as the thermal capacity and the geological structure of lake should not be ignored as well. (4) The spatial process of lake ice freeze-up was contrary to its break-up process. The type of lake ice extending from one side of lakeshore to the opposite side was the most in the Hoh Xil region.     

Proximity to ice fields and lake depth as modulators of paleoclimate records: a regional study from southwest Yukon,Canada

Pronounced climate warming during the past century has been well documented in high-latitude regions. Nonetheless, considerable heterogeneity exists in northern climate trends. We examined the roles of cryospheric landscape and lake depth in modulating the rate and magnitude of local climate responses through a paleolimnological study of lakes from southwest Yukon, Canada. By sampling lakes at varying distances from the Wrangell-St. Elias ice fields, we hypothesized that, for lakes of similar maximum depth, sites closest to the ice fields would be relatively complacent in terms of their chironomid and diatom assemblage changes over the past ~200 years. This hypothesis is based on the moderating effect of the glaciers on local climate, which would be most pronounced in the lakes nearest to the ice fields. However, given the known ecological differences between deep and shallow lakes, we further predicted that, for a given distance from the ice fields, a sediment record from a shallower lake would show the greatest change in stratigraphic subfossil assemblages. Because of the complicated shape of the ice fields, we applied the longitude for each site (which decreases from west to east) to approximate the proximity of our study lakes to the ice fields. Consistent with our predictions, we observed a space-transgressive pattern in the chironomid assemblage turnover that was associated with their proximity to the ice fields (r = ?0.75, P = 0.034, n = 8) across lakes of similar depth (mean maximum depth ± 1, SE = 18.1 ± 2.6 m). Considering a broader network of lakes that represented a greater range in maximum depth (4.9–29 m), we found that differences in subfossil chironomid assemblages between the modern and ca. AD 1800 sediment layers were strongly related to lake depth (r = ?0.77, P < 0.001, n = 15), but failed to detect a significant relationship with latitude or longitude (i.e. our proxy for proximity to the ice fields). Similarly, our comparative high-resolution analyses of two lakes with distinct lake morphometries, but similar proximities to the ice fields, demonstrated the predicted contrasting pattern: we observed pronounced post-1880 changes in the biotic assemblages in the shallow lake and a muted and delayed response (i.e. ~1970s) in the deeper lake. Our findings confirm that cryospheric landscape features can strongly modulate regional climate. Furthermore, our work shows that investigators need to be conscious of how climate change affects the structure and functioning of lakes of different typologies, which influences the way in which paleoclimate signals are recorded and interpreted.     

Sedimentary pellets as an ice-cover proxy in a High Arctic ice-covered lake

Sediment aggregates (“sedimentary pellets”) within the sedimentary record of Lake A (83°00′ N, 75°30′ W), Ellesmere Island, Canada, are used to construct a 1000 year proxy record of ice-cover extent and dynamics on this perennially ice-covered, High Arctic lake. These pellets are interpreted to form during fall or early winter when littoral sediment adheres to ice forming around the lake’s periphery or during summer through the development of anchor ice. The sediment likely collects in ice interstices and is concentrated in the upper ice layers through summer surface ice melt and winter basal ice growth. The pellets remain frozen in the ice until a summer or series of summers with reduced ice cover allows for their deposition across the lake basin. Sedimentary pellet frequency within multiple sediment cores is used to develop a chronology of ice-cover fluctuations. This proxy ice-cover record is largely corroborated by a record of unusual sedimentation in Lake A involving iron-rich, dark-orange to red laminae overlying more diffuse laminae with a lighter hue. This sediment sequence is hypothesized to represent years with reduced ice cover through increased chemocline ventilation and iron deposition. During the past millennium, the most notable period of inferred reduced ice cover is ca. 1891 AD to present. Another period of ice cover mobility is suggested ca. 1582–1774 AD, while persistent ice cover is inferred during the 1800s and prior to 1582 AD. The proxy ice-cover record corresponds well with most regional melt-season proxy temperature and paleoecological records, especially during the 1800s and 1900s.

基于DEM的分布式水文模型在大尺度流域应用研究

本文选取空间大尺度黄河河源区流域为研究对象,利用分布式水文模型进行径流量模拟,采用1976～1985年唐乃亥水文站逐年、月实测径流资料进行参数率定,确定模型的基本参数,得到了较好的模拟效果。模拟结果表明气候变化是引起黄河河源区径流变化的主要原因。在80～90年代的20年间,黄河河源区由气候变化引起径流减少62.11亿m3,占径流变化总量的108.72%,由土地覆被变化引起径流增加5.73亿m3,增加量占径流变化总量的10.03%。     

The Quaternary record of eastern Svalbard - an overview

The eastern part Svalbard archipelago and the adjacent areas of the Barents Sea were subject to extensive erosion during the Late Weichselian glaciation. Small remnants of older sediment successions have been preserved on Edgeeya, whereas a more complete succession on Kongsøya contains sediments from two different ice-free periods, both probably older than the Early Weichselian. Ice movement indicators in the region suggest that the Late Weichselian ice radiated from a centre east of Kong Karls Land. On Bjørnøya, on the edge of the Barents Shelf, the lack of raised shorelines or glacial striae from the east indicates that the western parts of the ice sheet were thin during the Late Weichselian. The deglaciation of Edgeøya and Barentsøya occurred ca 10,300 bp as a response to calving of the marine-based portion of the ice sheet. Atlantic water, which does not much influence the coasts of eastern Svalbard today, penetrated the northwestern Barents Sea shortly after the deglaciation. At that time, the coastal environment was characterised by extensive longshore sediment transport and deposition of spits at the mouths of shallow palaeo-fjords.     

The thermal structure of Hansbreen, a tidewater glacier in southern Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Ice temperature measurements were taken from three shallow and five deep (to bedrock) boreholes on Hansbreen, Svalbard, in selected years between 1988 and 1994. In general, results show a subpolar, polythermal structure. The glacier accumulation zone is of warm ice within the entire vertical profile except the uppermost layer of seasonal temperature fluctuations where there is an upper cold ice layer in the ablation zone which varies in thickness and may even be absent in the western lateral part. The upper layer of cold ice thins along the glacier centre-line from the equilibrium line altitude down to the glacier front. The depth of the pressure melting, indicating the base of the cold ice layer, was defined at the borehole measurement sites but was not manifested as an internal reflection horizon using multi-frequency radar methods. The isotherm lies about 20 m above a radar internal reflecting horizon near the equilibrium line altitude and about 40 m above it in the frontal part of the glacier. The internal reflection horizon almost certainly reflects the high water content within temperate ice and not the cold/temperate ice interface. At 10 m depth, the temperatures are 2–3°C higher than the calculated mean annual air temperatures, demonstrating the importance of meltwater refreezing on the release of latent heat.     

Evidence for short-lived oscillations in the biological records from the sediments of Lago Albano (Central Italy) spanning the period ca. 28 to 17 k yr BP

We report the results of analyses of pigments (derived from algae and photosynthetic bacteria), diatoms and invertebrate fossil remains (ostracods, cladocerans, chironomids) in two late Pleistocene sediment cores from Lago Albano, a crater lake in Central Italy. The record contains evidence for oscillations in lake biota throughout the period ca. 28 to 17 k yr BP. The earliest of these are contained in the basal 3.5 m of light olive-gray and yellowish-gray spotted muds sampled in core PALB 94-1E from 70 m water depth. The later oscillations are best represented in the more extended sediment sequence recovered from a second core site, PALB 94-6B, in 30 m water depth. The sediments at site 1E, containing the earlier oscillations (ca. 28-24 k yr BP), predate any sedimentation at the shallower site, from which we infer an initially low lake level rising to permit sediment accumulation at site 6B from ca. 24 k yr onwards. At site 6B, massive silts rich in moss remains are interbedded with laminated silts and carbonates. These sediments span the period ca. 24 to 17 k yr and are interpreted as representing, respectively, times of shallow water alternating with higher lake stands, when the lake was stratified and bottom water was stagnant. A range of mutually independent chronological constraints on the frequency and duration of the oscillations recorded in the lake biota indicate that they were aperiodic and occurred on millennial to century timescales. We interpret them as responses to climate forcing through its impact on lake levels and changing aquatic productivity. The time span they occupy, their frequency and their duration suggest that at least some of these changes may parallel both the Dansgaard-Oeschger events recorded in Greenland Ice Cores and the contemporary oscillations in North Atlantic circulation documented in marine sediment cores.     

Observations of sea ice influence on the littoral sediment exchange,North Zealand,Denmark

Nielsen, Niels: Observations of sea ice influence on the littoral sediment exchange, North Zealand, Denmark. Geografisk Tidsskrift 88:61–67. Copenhagen. 1988.

In 1985 and 1986 monthly surveys of sediment volumes were carried out on a sandy beach and its nearshore platform at the north coast of Zealand. Both winters in the research period had temperatures below average, and consequently abundant sea ice formations. ‘Ice winters’ in open Danish waters occur statistically about 1/3 of the winters. The appearance of sea ice resulted in marked loss of sediment from the whole littoral zone, but by far the largest net erosion could be detected on the nearshore plane. An important factor is assumed to be the interaction of waves with the icefoot and ice pile-ups. For the beach itself, ice-glazing of the beach surface and interstitial frost in the foreshore sediments caused wave erosion within and just off the swash zone due to variations of the percolation parameter. This dynamic was observed during both the freeze-up and thaw-up periods. On the backshore, wind-derived forms characterized the winter beach, but here the net sediment budget was less affected.