Deglaciation, basin formation and post-glacial climate change from a regional network of sediment core sites in Ohio and eastern Indiana

Many paleoclimate and landscape change studies in the American Midwest have focused on the Late Glacial and early Holocene time periods (~ 16–11 ka), but little work has addressed landscape change in this area between the Last Glacial Maximum and the Late Glacial (~ 22–16 ka). Sediment cores were collected from 29 new lake and bog sites in Ohio and Indiana to address this gap. The basal radiocarbon dates from these cores show that initial ice retreat from the maximal last-glacial ice extent occurred by 22 ka, and numerous sites that are ~ 100 km inside this limit were exposed by 18.9 ka. Post-glacial environmental changes were identified as stratigraphic or biologic changes in select cores. The strongest signal occurs between 18.5 and 14.6 ka. These Midwestern events correspond with evidence to the northeast, suggesting that initial deglaciation of the ice sheet, and ensuing environmental changes, were episodic and rapid. Significantly, these changes predate the onset of the Bølling postglacial warming (14.8 ka) as recorded by the Greenland ice cores. Thus, deglaciation and landscape change around the southern margins of the Laurentide Ice Sheet happened ~ 7 ka before postglacial changes were felt in central Greenland.     

Water quality in the inshore Great Barrier Reef lagoon: Implications for long-term monitoring and management

Coastal and inshore areas of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon receive substantial amounts of material from adjacent developed catchments, which can affect the ecological integrity of coral reefs and other inshore ecosystems. A 5-year water quality monitoring dataset provides a 'base range' of water quality conditions for the inshore GBR lagoon and illustrates the considerable temporal and spatial variability in this system. Typical at many sites were high turbidity levels and elevated chlorophyll a and phosphorus concentrations, especially close to river mouths. Water quality variability was mainly driven by seasonal processes such as river floods and sporadic wind-driven resuspension as well as by regional differences such as land use. Extreme events, such as floods, caused large and sustained increases in water quality variables. Given the highly variable climate in the GBR region, long-term monitoring of marine water quality will be essential to detect future changes due to improved catchment management.     

Notes on the origin of inertinite macerals in coals: Observations on the importance of fungi in the origin of macrinite

Macrinite is a, generally, rare inertinite maceral, often incorporating remnants and fragments of other macerals, including vitrinite, liptinite, and other inertinite. The associated inertinites include multiple forms of funginite. Funginite is also commonly found in association with vitrinite of slightly elevated reflectance and with degraded varieties of vitrinite. Together with the highly degraded macrinite, the latter two associations are here inferred to be part of a continuum of fungal and microbial degradation of peat. In any case, the origin of some macrinite is potentially distinct from that of inertinite generated by fire.     

S(IV) Autoxidation in Atmospheric Liquid Water: The Role of Fe(II) and the Effect of Oxalate

The reactivity of dissolved iron compounds towards different pollutants and photooxidants in atmospheric liquid water depends upon the oxidation state and speciation of iron. Our measurements of the oxidation state of dissolved iron eluted from aerosol particles (Dae: 0.4–1.6 m) collected in the urban atmosphere of Ljubljana showed that a large fraction of the iron content is present as Fe(II). The concentration ratio [Fe(II)]/[Fe(III)] varied between 0.9 and 3.1. The kinetics of S(IV) autoxidation catalyzed by Fe(II) under the conditions representative for acidified atmospheric liquid water and the influence of oxalate on this reaction under dark conditions was investigated. The reaction rate is the same if Fe(II) or Fe(III) is used as a catalyst under the condition that Fe(II) can be oxidized in Fe(III), which is the catalytically active species. Oxalate has a strong inhibiting effect on the S(IV) autoxidation in the presence of Fe(II). The reaction is autocatalytic with an induction period, that increases with higher concentrations of oxalate. The inhibiting effect of oxalate differs according to whether iron is initially in the Fe(II) or Fe(III) state. However, in both cases the inhibition by oxalate is a result of the formation of complexes with the catalyst.     

Effects of social and climatic factors on building activity in the Czech lands between 1450 and 1950: a dendrochronological analysis

The development of settlement and building activity is the result of socioeconomic, political and demographic changes in the past. However, accurate information on temporal variation in building activity is rather limited. Dendrochronological databases containing dated historical wooden constructions provide an important resource. We used 6514 tree-felling dates to reconstruct building activity in the Czech lands for the period 1450–1950. Comparing felling dates with historical events demonstrated that building activity was negatively associated with intense wars, particularly during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). After the Peace of Westphalia (1648), socioeconomic renewal and demographic growth were reflected in an upsurge of building activity, especially ecclesiastical buildings. While the construction of ecclesiastical and noble buildings culminated around the 1720s, rural buildings peaked in the 1780s and the 1820s. Although no direct effect of climate was demonstrated, adverse climatic conditions leading to harvest failures and subsequent famines (e.g. the ‘Hunger Years’ 1770–1772) significantly contributed to declines in building activity. In contrast, a higher number of felling dates were detected when strong and/or frequent windstorms occurred. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of building activity in Central Europe and advocates the use of dendrochronological databases for the investigation of human activities in history.     

A Simple Kinetic Model for Autoxidation of S(IV) Oxides Catalyzed by Iron and/or Manganese Ions

The reaction kinetics of S(IV) autoxidation catalyzed by single metal ions of Mn(II) and Fe(II) or Fe(III) and by a mixture of Mn(II) and Fe(II) under the conditions representative for acidified atmospheric liquid water was investigated. A simple power law kinetic model based on the stability constants for metal-sulfito complexes formed during the first step of a radical chain mechanism predicts well the kinetics for the reactions catalyzed by single metal ions. The calculated stability constants for iron (5.7×10³ dm³ mol^–1) and manganese (10×10⁴ dm³ mol^–1) sulfito complexes are close to those reported in the literature. The catalytic synergism between Mn(II) and Fe(II) was confirmed. For this system the following power law rate equation was suggested:r_tot = S_Fe · r_Fe + S_Mn · r_Mn ,where r_Fe and r_Mn are the reaction rates in the presence of Fe(II) and Mn(II), respectively. S_Fe and S_Mn are proportional factors, which account for the synergistic effect. The proposed power law rate equation predicts the reaction kinetics very well. The values of S_Fe (1.35) and S_Mn (15) indicate that the influence of Fe(II)/Fe(III) on Mn(II)/Mn(III) cycling is larger than, vice versa, agreeing with the reaction mechanism proposed for the S(IV) autoxidation catalyzed by mixed metal ions.     

Barium and radium discharged from coal mines in the Upper Silesia, Poland

 Waters discharged from coal mines in the Upper Silesia in Poland cause contamination of rivers and their sediments. Saline waters discharged from coal mines of the southern region contain elevated barium and radium. The discharge of these elements can be reduced by treating these waters with sulphates in mine workings. Sources of sulphate used in treatments include gypsum, anhydrite and industrial wastes such as: fly ash, slags and flotation tailings. Gypsum and anhydrite are used in the coal mine workings as components of the fire protection walls. Industrial wastes from power plants are stored in the mine workings as fire- and methane-protection agents. Sulphates precipitate barium and radium from saline waters inflowing into the mine workings. The waters can be treated by flowing them through old mine workings. In this case, the source of sulphates is the natural oxidation of pyrite. Mining activities and the natural process of desulphurisation of the Carboniferous rocks reduce the amount of barium and radium that is discharged in the southern region of Upper Silesia. The processes for reducing the environmental impact of toxic discharges from the mines should be monitored. Received: 3 July 1997 · Accepted: 27 March 2000     

Chemical and isotopic variations in the Wiśniówka Mała mine pit water,Holy Cross Mountains (south-central Poland)

In 2005 and 2006, hydrogeochemical study was carried out in the bipartite Wiśniówka Mała pit lake of the Holy Cross Mountains (south-central Poland). This is the largest acidic water body in Poland. This report presents the element concentrations in the water and sediment, stable sulfur and oxygen isotope ratios in the soluble sulfates, and stable oxygen isotope ratio in the water. The scope of the investigation also encompassed mineralogical examinations (scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction) of the sediment. The results of this study show that there is a spatial and temporal variability in concentrations of most elements and sulfur isotope ratios in the examined pit lake. The water of the western pond displayed a lower pH with a mean of 3.73 and higher conductivity (390 μS cm⁻¹) as well as higher concentrations of sulfates (156 mg L⁻¹) and most of the cations and anions. The concentrations of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ averaged 0.8 and 0.4 mg·L⁻¹. In contrast, the eastern pond water revealed a higher pH (mean of 4.36), lower conductivity (293 μS cm⁻¹) and lower sulfate (90 mg L⁻¹) and trace metal levels. Similar variations were recorded in the stable sulfur isotope ratios. The δ³⁴S_V-CDT(SO₄ ²⁻) values in the water of the western pit pond were in the range of −6.7 to −4.6‰ (mean of −5.6‰), whereas that in the eastern pit pond ranged from −2.2 to −0.9‰ (−1.6‰). The alkalinity of the entire lake water was below 0.1 mg·L⁻¹ CaCO₃. No distinct difference in the δ¹⁸O_V-SMOW(SO₄ ²⁻) was noted between the western and eastern pit ponds. Compared to the Purple Pond in the Sudetes (Poland) and similar sites throughout the world, the examined pit lake is highlighted by distinctly low concentrations of sulfates, iron and other trace metals. Based on this and other studies performed in the Holy Cross Mountains, a conclusion can be drawn that the SO₄ ²⁻ in the Wiśniówka Mała pit lake water is a mixture of SO₄ ²⁻ derived from the following sources: (1) pyrite oxidation (especially in the western pond water), (2) leaching of soluble sulfates from soils and waste material, as well as (3) subordinate deposition of airborne sulfate precipitation.