Integrated micro- and macro-scale analyses of Last Glacial Maximum Irish Sea Diamicts from Abermawr and Traeth y Mwnt, Wales, UK

This study is part of a basin-wide re-evaluation of Irish Sea glacigenic deposits which aims to test whether diamicts, collectively known as Irish Sea Tills, represent in situ glacimarine sediments or sediments that have been reworked or deformed by the Last Glacial Maximum Irish Sea Glacier. New results are presented for two key localities at Abermawr and Traeth y Mwnt in Wales. Unlike previous studies in the Irish Sea region that have focused on macro-scale sedimentology and structural analyses, this study combines macro-scale and micro-scale sedimentary analyses. This approach reveals that the dominant diamict facies at Abermawr are subglacially deformed primary (glaci)marine deposits, emplaced by the Irish Sea Glacier. An inland glacial source is unlikely. The Traeth y Mwnt diamicts are likely to be subaqueous in origin, possibly formed in an ice-dammed lake in the Mwnt embayment. There are no indications of subglacial deformation or shearing at Mwnt; deformation structures are related to gravity-driven or density-driven mechanisms.     

Detection of Lateglacial distal tephra layers in the Netherlands

Three distal tephra layers or cryptotephras have been detected within a sedimentary sequence from the Netherlands that spans the last glacial-interglacial transition. Geochemical analyses identify one as the Vedde Ash, which represents the southernmost discovery of this mid-Younger Dryas tephra so far. This tephra was found as a distinct horizon in three different cores sampled within the basin. The remaining two tephras have not been geochemically 'fingerprinted', partly due to low concentrations and uneven distributions of shards within the sequences sampled. Nevertheless, there is the potential for tracing these tephra layers throughout the Netherlands and into other parts of continental Europe. Accordingly, the possibilities for precise correlation of Dutch palaeoenvironmental records with other continental, marine and ice-core records from the North Atlantic region are highlighted.     

Laboratory sustained turbidity currents form elongate ridges at channel mouths

The turbulent flow structure, suspended sediment dynamics and deposits of experimental sustained turbidity currents exiting a channel across a break in slope into a wide tank are documented. The data shed light on the flow evolution and deposit geometry of analogous natural channel‐fed submarine fans. Flows generated in a 0·3 m wide, sloping (0°, 6°, 9° or 20°) channel crossed an angular slope break and spread onto a horizontal tank floor. Flow development comprised: (i) channelized phase (unsteady channel flow developing into steady channel flow); (ii) initial lateral expansion phase (unsteady‐spreading wall jet phase); (iii) constant lateral expansion phase (steady‐spreading wall jet phase); and (iv) rapid waning phase. Phases (i) and (iv) are similar to laterally constrained turbidity currents, but phases (ii) and (iii) are considerably different from such two‐dimensional currents. Steeper channel slopes produced greater flow velocities and turbulence intensities, but these effects diminished markedly with distance from the channel mouth. Flow velocity vectors in the tank had similar patterns for all channel slopes, with a central core of faster velocity and narrow vector dispersion and slower flow with larger dispersion at the jet margins. Suspended sediment concentrations were higher within flow heads and dense basal layers in flow bodies. Time‐averaged acoustic backscatter data showed vertical concentration gradients, confirmed by siphon samples. The deposits comprised a thick central ridge, of similar order width to the channel mouth, with abrupt margins and a surrounding, very thin, fan‐like sheet. The ridge was coarser grained and better sorted than the original sediment, with grain‐size fining downstream, particularly over the fan‐like sheet. The formation of a central ridge suggests that, in the tank, vertical turbulent momentum exchange is more significant for sediment dynamics than spanwise momentum exchange due to lateral expansion. The streamwise elongate geometry of the ridge contrasts with conventional fan‐like geometry found with surge‐type turbidity flows, a result that has widespread stratigraphic and economic implications.     

RESPONSE OF A TEMPERATE ALPINE VALLEY GLACIER TO CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE DECADAL SCALE

Glacier advance and recession are considered key indicators of climate change. Understanding the relationship between climatic variations and glacial responses is crucial. Here, we apply archival digital photogrammetry to reconstruct the decadal scale glacial history of an unmonitored Alpine valley glacier, the Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland, and we use the data generated to explore the linkages between glacier recession and climate forcing. High precision digital elevation models were derived. They show continual recession of the glacier since 1967, associated with long‐term climatic amelioration but only a weak reaction to shorter‐term climatic deterioration. Glacier surface velocity estimates obtained using surface particle tracking showed that, unlike for most Swiss glaciers during the late 1970s and early 1980s, ice mass flux from the accumulation zone was too low to compensate for the effects of glacier thinning and subsequent snout recession, especially during the rapid warming that occurred through the 1980s. The results emphasise the dangers of inferring glacier response to climate forcing from measurements of the terminus position only and the importance of using remote sensing methods as an alternative, especially where historical imagery is available.     

Retrieval of aerosol optical thickness for desert conditions using MERIS observations during the SAMUM campaign

Approximately 30% of the land surface is arid, having desert or semi-desert conditions. Aerosol originating from these regions plays a significant role in climate and atmospheric chemistry of the atmosphere. Retrieving aerosol properties from space-borne platforms above desert conditions, where the surface reflectance is usually very bright, is a challenging task. The proportion of the surface to top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance can reach values over 90%, especially for wavelength above 500 nm. For these reasons detailed knowledge of aerosol and surface optical properties from these regions is required to separate atmosphere from intrinsically bright surfaces.
An approach to retrieve aerosol properties over arid and semi-arid regions based on the Bremen Aerosol Retrieval (BAER) has been developed and validated within the Dust Aerosol Retrievals from Space-Born Instruments (DREAMS) Project, which is part of the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment ( SAMUM, 2006 ). Combining measurements of the backscattered radiation from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument aboard Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT) and ground-based measurements in Morocco in radiation closure experiments yields the aerosol optical properties of mineral dust at selected locations.     

Insights into subglacial processes inferred from the micromorphological analyses of complex diamicton stratigraphy near Illmensee‐Lichtenegg,Höchsten,Germany

Menzies, J. & Ellwanger, D. 2010: Insights into subglacial processes inferred from the micromorphological analyses of complex diamicton stratigraphy near Illmensee‐Lichtenegg, Höchsten, Germany. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00194.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Investigations of a 30‐m‐high section of Pleistocene sediments at Illmensee‐Lichtenegg, Höchsten in Baden‐Württemberg provide detailed information on subglacial conditions beneath the Rhine Glacier outlet of the Alpine ice sheet in southern Germany. The sediment exposure extends from an upper cemented sand and gravel (Deckenschotter) into diamictic units that extend down to weathered Molasse bedrock. The exposure reveals sediments symptomatic of active syndepositional stress/strain processes ongoing beneath the ice sheet. Macrosedimentology reveals diamicton subfacies units and a strong uni‐direction of ice motion based on clast fabric analyses. At the microscale level, thin‐section analyses provide a substantially clearer picture of the dynamics of subglacial sediment deformation and till emplacement. Evidence based on detailed micromorphological analyses reveals microstructural strain and depositional markers that indicate a subglacial environment of ongoing soft bed deformation in which the diamictons can be readily identified as subglacial tills. Within this subglacial environment, distinct changes in pore‐water pressure and sediment rheology can be detected. These changes reveal fluctuating conditions of progressive, non‐pervasive deformation associated with rapid changes in effective stress and shear strain leading to till emplacement. This site, through the application of micromorphology, increases our understanding of localized subglacial conditions and till formation.     

Formation of a stratified subglacial ‘till’ assemblage by ice‐marginal thrusting and glacier overriding

Ó Cofaigh, C., Evans, D. J. A. & Hiemstra, J. F. 2010: Formation of a stratified subglacial ‘till’ assemblage by ice‐marginal thrusting and glacier overriding. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00177.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. A thick sequence of glaciotectonically stacked till and outwash is preserved in a coastal embayment at Feohanagh, southwest Ireland. The sequence contains a variety of diamicton lithofacies, including laminated, stratified and massive components, but stratified diamictons dominate. Stratification/lamination is imparted by the presence of numerous closely spaced subhorizontal and anastomosing partings, which give a fissile appearance to the diamictons. Many partings are the result of sandy or thin gravelly layers within the diamictons. Some diamictons contain interbeds and lenses of sand, mud and gravel, which still preserve the original stratification. The sequence at Feohanagh is the product of a two‐stage depositional process in which initial glaciolacustrine sedimentation in an ice‐dammed lake was followed by glaciotectonic thrusting and overriding, during which the lake sediments were reworked and variably deformed. Similar late Quaternary sequences of glaciotectonically stacked stratified sediments and till have been described from around the coastal margins of Ireland and Britain, where they constitute glaciotectonite–subglacial traction till continuums rather than true lodgement tills as traditionally implied. Thick stratified diamicton assemblages are likely to occur in areas where steep topography provides pinning points for the glacier margin to stabilize and deliver large volumes of sediment into a glaciolacustrine or glaciomarine setting before proglacial and subglacial reworking of the sediment pile. The resulting geological–climatic unit, often defined as ‘till’, will contain a large amount of stratified and variably deformed material (laminated and stratified diamictons will be common), including intact sediment rafts, reflecting low strain rates and short sediment transport distances.     

Assessment of the Jason-1 and TOPEX/Poseidon Microwave Radiometer Performance Using GPS from Offshore Sites in the North Sea

The accuracy and drift of atmospheric path delay due to water vapor as derived from satellite microwave radiometers (MWR) is vital to altimetric measures of sea-level change. In this study a continuous time series of dual frequency GPS data from a number of offshore sites is used to examine the long term stability of the TOPEX/Poseidon radiometer and investigate initial performance of that of Jason-1. The location offshore eliminates the problems associated with land based/coastal locations where extrapolation of the GPS tropospheric correction to subsatellite points offshore are required to avoid background surface heat emissions contaminating the MWR delay measurement.