Tracing the inputs and fate of marine and terrigenous organic matter in Arctic Ocean sediments: A multivariate analysis of lipid biomarkers

An understanding of the carbon cycle within arctic sediments requires discrimination between the terrigenous and marine components of organic carbon, insight into the removal mechanisms for labile carbon during burial and appreciation of shelf-to-basin processes. Using a large data set of multiple molecular organic markers (alkanes, alkanols, sterols, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, dicarboxylic acids), we apply (1) principal components analysis (PCA) to obtain a robust comparison of biomarker compositions in Arctic Ocean sediments, (2) geometric mean (GM) linear regression of the PCA variables to estimate the relative contributions of labile/marine and stable/terrigenous sources to each biomarker and (3) the slope of the GM regression of each biomarker with TOC to provide a novel measure of the removal rate of each biomarker relative to phytol. The PCA- and TOC-based indices generally increase together: biomarkers with very high TOC-based removal rates such as the saturated and unsaturated n-alkanoic acids generally have a high labile/marine content from PCA, while the sterols have low removal rates, but exhibit a range of labile/marine content values and the n-alkanes and n-alkanols have low values for both. A dominant feature of all PCA models examined is a progressive decrease in the autochthonous/marine biomarkers with each increase in sediment core depth, which points to a universal diagenetic alteration of organic carbon with depth in the cores. The PCA model also displays a shelf to basin trend that is non-diagenetic and implies the ongoing (centuries or more) delivery of long-chain n-alkanes, n-alcohols and n-alkanoic acids in a matrix that is pre-formed and well-preserved within the sediments. Terrigenous biomarker distributions within the PCA model suggest that atmospheric transport of plant waxes in aerosols and the water borne transport of very fine plant macerals likely have significant roles in the export of these vascular plant biomarkers to the basins. Biomarker ratios and profiles of the PCA-based labile/marine content with core depth indicate that the PCA model is more strongly influenced by the biomarker lability than the marine content, while increases in the marine content are largely responsible for the shifts in composition for near-surface core sections.     

New Development of Eastern Mediterranean Circulation based on Hydrological Observations and Current Measurements

Abstract. A number of recent studies based on hydrographic observations and modelling simulations have dealt with the major climatic shift that occurred in the deep circulation of the Eastern Mediterranean. This work presents hydrographic observations and current measurements conducted from 1997 to 1999, which reveal strong modifications in the dynamics of the upper, intermediate and deep layers, as well as an evolution of the thermohaline characteristics of the deep Aegean outflow since 1995. The reversal of the circulation in the upper layer of the north/central Ionian is worthy of note. The observations indicate a reduction of Atlantic Water in the northern Ionian with an increase on the eastern side of the basin. In the intermediate layer, the dispersal path of the Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) is altered. Highly saline (>39.0) and well-oxygenated intermediate waters were found near the Western Cretan Arc Straits. They flow out from the Aegean, thus interrupting the traditional path of the LIW, and spread prevalently northwards into the Adriatic Sea. In the deep layer, dense waters, exiting from the Adriatic (σ_ø−29.18 kg · m⁻³), flow against the western continental margin in the Ionian Sea at a depth of between 1000–1500 m. Dense waters of Aegean origin (> 29.20 kg · m⁻³), discharged into the central region of the Eastern Mediterranean during the early stages of the transient, propagate prevalently to the east in the Levantine basin and to the west in the northern Ionian Sea. Near-bottom current measurements conducted in the Ionian Sea reveal unforeseen aspects of deep dynamics, suggesting a new configuration of the internal thermohaline conveyor belt of the Eastern Mediterranean.     

A methodological approach to water quality assessment in an ungauged basin,Buenos Aires,Argentina

The Reconquista River is one of the most polluted rivers in Latin America. This paper aims at identifying the dynamics of water quality in an area with low or “background” concentrations of pollutants within the Reconquista River system in order to better define levels of pollution in the main system. In order to describe the dynamics of water quality in the background area, we propose a methodology based on flow estimation with the instantaneous unit hydrograph model and on measurements of physical and chemical water variables under different hydrological conditions. Because of high dissolved oxygen and low ammonium and o-phosphate concentrations, the Arroyo Durazno, a tributary stream of the Reconquista River, is defined as a background area. When a storm event begins, the concentration of nitrates and the electrical conductivity diminish. An increase in dissolved organic carbon suggests an important input of carbon from hillslope runoff. The proportion of fulvic and humic acids also increases. On the receding limb of the hydrograph, nitrate concentration was lower than during maximum flow and organic carbon concentration remained high. This behavior, known as the “flushing effect”, suggests that the soluble material accumulated in the drainage area during dry periods is transported to the stream by leaching or “lixiviation” and surface runoff, thus raising solute concentrations during the first few hours of the storm. Water quality changes rapidly, even in background areas, due to its dependence on the flow. The methodology followed in this paper can also be applied to other basins with similar characteristics. Due to the difficulty in defining baseline areas for surface waters, a knowledge of background water quality and its dynamics is essential for understanding pollution trends and anthropogenic impacts on rivers.     

Enrichment of rare earth elements as environmental tracers of contamination by acid mine drainage in salt marshes: A new perspective

Rare earth elements (REE) were analyzed in surface sediments from the Guadiana Estuary (SW Iberian Pyrite Belt). NASC (North American Shale Composite) normalized REE patterns show clearly convex curvatures in middle-REE (MREE) with respect to light- and heavy-REE, indicating acid-mixing processes between fluvial waters affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) and seawater. However, REE distributions in the mouth (closer to the coastal area) show slightly LREE-enriched and flat patterns, indicating saline-mixing processes typical of the coastal zone. NASC-normalized ratios (La/Gd and La/Yb) do not discriminate between both mixing processes in the estuary. Instead, a new parameter (E(MREE)) has been applied to measure the curvature in the MREE segment. The values of E(MREE)>0 are indicative of acid signatures and their spatial distribution reveal the existence of two decantation zones from flocculation processes related to drought periods and flood events. Studying REE fractionation through the E(MREE) may serve as a good proxy for AMD-pollution in estuarine environments in relation to the traditional methods.