Late Pleistocene and Holocene terrestrial geomorphodynamics and soil formation in northeastern Germany: a review of geochronological data

ABSTRACT

This study is based on 616 geochronological ages from aeolian and colluvial sediments as well as paleosols, representing the largest database of geochronological data from northeastern Germany available to date. Cumulative probability density functions for radiocarbon data and kernel density estimates for luminescence data were created covering the last 15 ka. The data analysis aimed at the identification of changes and their drivers in geomorphodynamics and soil formation. The ages representing aeolian activity cluster in the Late Glacial, the Early Holocene, and the Late Holocene, where the first two clusters are assumed to result mostly from climatic impact with only a minor share of human impact triggering the mobilization of aeolian sediments. The third cluster is considered to result mainly from human impact. The Late Glacial to Early Holocene activity phase is interrupted by a phase of surface stability around 11.5–12.7 ka, which is indicated by the occurrence of initial soil formations of Finow and Usselo types. Colluvial sedimentation predominantly occurred during the last 7 ka and clearly accelerated since the last 1000 a. According to the ages of specific paleosol types, related soil-forming processes started already in the Late Glacial and were completed in the Holocene.     

Relations between denudation,glaciation, and sediment deposition: implications from the Plio‐Pleistocene Central Alps

Despite abundant data on the early evolution of the Central Alps, the latest stage exhumation history, potentially related to relief formation, is still poorly constrained. We aim for a better understanding of the relation between glaciation, erosion and sediment deposition. Addressing both topics, we analysed late Pliocene to recent deposits from the Upper Rhine Graben and two modern river sands by apatite fission‐track and (U‐Th‐Sm)/He thermochronology. From the observed age patterns we extracted the sediment provenance and paleo‐erosion history of the Alpine‐derived detritus. Due to their pollen and fossil record, the Rhine Graben deposits also provide information on climatic evolution, so that the erosion history can be related to glacial evolution during the Plio‐Pleistocene. Our data show that Rhine Graben deposits were derived from Variscan basement, Hegau volcanics, Swiss Molasse Basin, and the Central Alps. The relations between glaciation, Alpine erosion, and thermochronological age signals in sedimentary rocks are more complex than assumed. The first Alpine glaciation during the early Pleistocene did not disturb the long‐term exhumational equilibrium of the Alps. Recent findings indicate that main Alpine glaciation occurred at ca. 1 Ma. If true, then main Alpine glaciation was coeval with an apparent decrease of hinterland erosion rates, contrary to the expected trend. We suggest that glaciers effectively sealed the landscape, thus reducing the surface exposed to erosion and shifting the area of main erosion north toward the Molasse basin, causing sediment recycling. At around 0.4 Ma, erosion rates increased again, which seems to be a delayed response to main glaciation. The present‐day erosion regime seems to be dominated by mass‐wasting processes. Generally, glacial erosion rates did not exceed the pre‐glacial long‐term erosion rates of the Central Alps.     

Quaternary coastline evolution of Lake Ohrid (Macedonia/Albania)

Lake Ohrid (between FYR of Macedonia and Albania), situated in an active tectonic region of the Balkanides, is characterized by N ?? S trending active faults. To reconstruct the Holocene shoreline evolution we investigated the coastline using sediment cores and geophysical methods to image sedimentary and tectonic structures. We revealed areas of differing sedimentation regimes. The plains north and south of the lake are dominated by clastic input related to climate variations and uplift/erosion, whereas the steep western and eastern margins are controlled by recent tectonics. Furthermore, no evidence for a much higher lake-level during the Holocene was found in the plains north and south of the lake, except rare temporary floodings. This is supported by mappings of the limestone cliffs around Lake Ohrid, which yielded no evidence for abrasional platforms or notches as indicators for past highstands.     

A chromate-contaminated site in southern Switzerland – Part 2: Reactive transport modeling to optimize remediation options

A 2D horizontal reactive transport model of a chromate-contaminated site near Rivera, Switzerland, was developed using the computer code CrunchFlow to evaluate site remediation strategies. Transport processes were defined according to the results of an existing hydrological model, and the definition of geochemical (reactive) processes is based on the results of a detailed mineralogical and geochemical site characterization leading to a comprehensive conceptual site model. Kinetics of naturally occurring Cr(VI) reduction by Fe(II) and natural solid organic matter is quantified by fitting measured Cr isotope ratios to a modeled 1D section along the best constrained flow line. The simulation of Cr isotope fractionation was also incorporated into the 2D model. Simulation of the measured present day Cr(VI) plume and δ⁵³Cr value distribution was used for the 2D model calibration and corresponds to a situation where only monitored natural attenuation (MNA) is occurring. Other 2D model runs simulate alternate excavation scenarios. The simulations show that with an excavation of the top 2–4 m the groundwater Cr(VI) plume can be minimized, and that a deeper excavation depth only diminishes the plume if all the contaminants can be removed. A combination of an excavation of the top 2–4 m and monitoring of the ongoing natural Cr(VI) reduction is suggested as the most ecological and economical remediation strategy, even though a remaining time period with ongoing subsoil Cr(VI) contamination in the order of 1 ka is predicted.     

Cone morphologies associated with shallow marine eruptions: east Pico Island, Azores

Eruptions in shallow water typically produce cones of volcaniclastic material. In order to identify any systematic effects of water depth and other environmental parameters on cone morphology, we have measured the heights and widths of cones in multibeam echo-sounder data from a submarine ridge extending southeast from Pico Island, Azores. XRF analyses of dredged samples show that lavas here vary compositionally from alkali basalt to trachybasalt and trachyandesite. Cones in deeper water are generally steep-sided with upper flanks close to 30°, the dip of talus at the angle of repose. However, height/width ratios of cones vary more in shallow water (200?C400-m summit depth) with extreme values below 0.1; while some shallow-water cones are steep-sided as in deep water, others are much flatter. Three such cones lie on a bench at 300-m depth immediately east of Pico Island and have flank slopes of only 10?C20°. We speculate that exceptionally shallow cone slopes here were produced by forced spreading of the erupting columns on reaching the water?Cair density barrier.     

Allochthonous individuals in managed populations of the fire-bellied toad Bombina bombina: Genetic detection and conservation implications

The ongoing global amphibian decline calls for an increase of habitat and population management efforts. Pond restoration and construction is more and more accompanied by breeding and translocation programs. However, the appropriateness of translocations as a tool for conservation has been widely debated, as it can cause biodiversity loss through genetic homogenization and can disrupt local adaptation, eventually leading to outbreeding depression. In this study, we investigated the genetic structure of two translocated populations of the critically endangered fire-bellied toad Bombina bombina at its north western distribution edge using supposedly neutral genetic markers (variation in the mitochondrial control region and microsatellites) as well as a marker under selection (major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes). While one of the newly established populations showed the typical genetic composition of surrounding populations, the other was extremely diverged without clear affinity to its putative source. In this population we detected a profound impact of allochthonous individuals: 100% of the analyzed individuals exhibited a highly divergent mitochondrial haplotype which was otherwise found in Austria. 83% of them were also assigned to Austria by the analysis of microsatellites. Interestingly, for the adaptive marker (MHC) local alleles were predominant in this population, while only very few alleles were shared with the Austrian population. Probably Mendelian inheritance has reshuffled genotypes such that adaptive local alleles are maintained (here, MHC), while presumably neutral allochthonous alleles dominate at other loci. The release of allochthonous individuals generally increased the genetic variability of the affected population without wiping out locally adaptive genotypes. Thus, outbreeding depression might be less apparent than sometimes thought and natural selection appears strong enough to maintain locally adaptive alleles, at least in functionally important immune system genes.     

The diurnal variation of polar mesospheric cloud frequency near 55°N observed by SHIMMER

We present the first measurement of polar mesospheric cloud (PMC) occurrence frequency over the diurnal cycle from a satellite. The observations are made during the 2007 northern hemisphere PMC season by the Spatial Heterodyne IMager for MEsospheric Radicals (SHIMMER), which views the limb near 309 nm typically between 34 and 98 km. The PMC diurnal variation is derived between 50 and 58°N, where local times at the tangent point precess by ～30 min/day allowing for observations between 0330 and 2130 local time during the PMC season. We find that the occurrence frequencies exhibit a strong semidiurnal behavior with peaks near 0600 and 1800 local time and a minimum between 0900 and 1600 during which they are on average an order of magnitude less. The semidiurnal dependence is strongly correlated with concurrent ground-based measurements of meridional winds and temperatures measured at the same latitude. Our results for PMC frequency over the diurnal cycle can be used to help reconcile observations from other satellites that only permit cloud measurements at discrete local times.     

Long-term changes in annual maximum snow depth and snowfall in Switzerland based on extreme value statistics

Mountain snow cover is an important source of water and essential for winter tourism in Alpine countries. However, large amounts of snow can lead to destructive avalanches, floods, traffic interruptions or even the collapse of buildings. We use annual maximum snow depth and snowfall data from 25 stations (between 200 and 2,500?m) collected during the last 80 winters (1930/31 to 2009/2010) to highlight temporal trends of annual maximum snow depth and 3-day snowfall sum. The generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution with time as a covariate is used to assess such trends. It allows us in particular to infer how return levels and return periods have been modified during the last 80?years. All the stations, even the highest one, show a decrease in extreme snow depth, which is mainly significant at low altitudes (below 800?m). A negative trend is also observed for extreme snowfalls at low and high altitudes but the pattern at mid-altitudes (between 800 and 1,500?m) is less clear. The decreasing trend of extreme snow depth and snowfall at low altitudes seems to be mainly caused by a reduction in the magnitude of the extremes rather than the scale (variability) of the extremes. This may be caused by the observed decrease in the snow/rain ratio due to increasing air temperatures. In contrast, the decreasing trend in extreme snow depth above 1,500?m is caused by a reduction in the scale (variability) of the extremes and not by a reduction in the magnitude of the extremes. However, the decreasing trends are significant for only about half of the stations and can only be seen as an indication that climate change may be already impacting extreme snow depth and extreme snowfall.     

The value of technology and of its evolution towards a low carbon economy

This paper assesses the economic value associated with the development of various low-carbon technologies in the context of climate stabilization. We analyze the impact of restrictions on the development of specific mitigation technologies, comparing three integrated assessment models used in the RECIPE comparison exercise. Our results indicate that the diversification of the carbon mitigation portfolio is an important determinant of the feasibility of climate policy. Foregoing specific low carbon technologies raises the cost of achieving the climate policy, though at different rates. CCS and renewables are shown to have the highest value, given their flexibility and wide coverage. The costs associated with technology failure are shown to be related to the role that each technology plays in the stabilization scenario, but also to the expectations about their technological progress. In particular, the costs of restriction of mature technologies can be partly compensated by more innovation and technological advancement.