Variations in the discharge and organic matter content of stalagmite drip waters in Lower Cave,Bristol

Six drip waters, which were actively depositing stalagmites in Lower Cave, Bristol, were analysed both for discharge and luminescence properties. Drip discharges were determined for two different years, and show a complex response to surface precipitation variations. Inter annual variability in drip discharge is demonstrated to be significantly higher than intra-annual variability, and discharge was demonstrated both to increase and decrease non-linearly with increased precipitation. Drip waters demonstrate a correlation between their luminescence intensity and drip discharge, with increased luminescence in winter as more organic matter is flushed through the aquifer. The strength of the relationship between luminescence intensity and discharge increases with increased discharge. The results presented here have implications for the palaeoenvironmental interpretation of annual growth laminae and the growth rates of stalagmite samples. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Late Quaternary catastrophic flood in the Lahul Himalayas

Impressive flood deposits are described resulting from a catastrophic lake outburst in the Upper Chandra valley in the Lahul Himalaya, northern India. Reconstructions of the former glacial lake, Glacial Lake Batal, and the discharges were undertaken using landforms and sediment data. The glacial dam burst released 1.496 km³ of water in 0.72 days, with peak discharges of between 21000 and 27000 m³ s⁻¹ at Batal. Dating by OSL suggests the flood occurred ca. 36.9 ± 8.4 to 43.4 ± 10.3 ka ago. This cataclysmic flood was responsible for major resedimentation and landscape modification within the Chandra valley.     

Chlorine partitioning in the stratosphere based on in situ measurements

Balloon‐borne cryogenic air sampler experiments have been conducted from a tropical (Hyderabad, 17.5°N) and a midlatitude (GAP, southern France, 44°N) station since 1987 in the altitude range of about 8‐35 km. Air samples are analysed at the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy (MPAE) and Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) using various gas chromatographic techniques to obtain the vertical distributions of several halogenated source gases and long‐lived dynamical tracers. These observations are used to determine the stratospheric partitioning of the chlorine species into their organic and inorganic forms for the altitude range of 20 to 35 km. Distributions of inorganic chlorine indicate increase in their abundances with altitude, latitude and time. Mixing ratio correlations of organic and inorganic chlorine with N₂O have been obtained which also suggest that the rate of increase in inorganic halogens component in the stratosphere is larger than the increase rate of total organic halogen. This supports previous assessments that halogen‐induced ozone depletion will continue to be observed for a few more years, despite the decrease of halocarbon loading into the stratosphere since 1994.     

The Late Quaternary sedimentary record in Scoresby Sund, East Greenland

Until recently, little was known about the Quaternary marine sedimentary record in East Greenland. Geophysical and geological investigations in Scoresby Sund were undertaken to characterize the nature and chronology of this record. Seismic records show that almost 70% of the outer fjord system is covered by about 10 m of unlithified sediments, making direct correlation with the Quaternary records on land and the adjacent continental margin difficult. These acoustically unstratified sediments are scoured by icebergs above 550 m water depth. Almost 90% of core material is massive diamicton of Holocene age, deposited mainly from iceberg rafting and turbid meltwater. Sedimentation rates are 0.1 -0.3 m 1000 yr-¹. Thicker accumulations of unlithified Quaternary sediments in Scoresby Sund occur as sediment ridges and in two other major depocentres. A low sediment ridge runs across the mouth of Scoresby Sund, and is interpreted as an end moraine of Late Weichselian Flakkerhuk stadial age. The very restricted sediment thickness suggests that grounded ice filled the fjord during the Flakkerhuk and an ice shelf was not present. High inputs of ice rafted debris to the continental margin at about 18 000 BP indicate this as a probable age for the moraine. During the Allerød Interstadial, ice probably retreated from the outer fjord system, since massive diamictons similar to those of Holocene age are present at the base of most cores. A major depocentre of acoustically stratified sediments at the head of Hall Bredning is interpreted to represent ice proximal deposits from a glacier margin extending across the fjord. It is adjacent to dated moraines on land and is inferred to be of Milne Land stadial age (about 10 000 BP). A similar age is interpreted for acoustically laminated sediments and a moraine at the entrance of Vikingebugt, on the south side of Scoresby Sund. Dated kame terraces in the inner fjord system indicate that ice retreated to its present position 6–7000 years ago.     

Anomalous arboreal pollen assemblages in Late Devensian and Early Flandrian deposits at Creich Castle, Fife, Scotland

Pollen analysis of a radiocarbon-dated core from a shallow basin in volcanic hills in eastern Scotland revealed the existence of Late Devensian and Flandrian deposits. Much of the vegetation history of the Flandrian proved to be missing due to a hiatus in the profile. The Late Devensian pollen record included anomalous arboreal taxa of three possible origins: contamination, long-distance wind transport and reworking of interstadial material. Because of lacking information on Late Devensian climates and the location of thermophilous arboreal refugia in Europe a re-examination of supposedly contaminated British Late Devensian pollen records might well be rewarding.