The Global Stratotype Section and Point （GSSP） for the base of the Holocene Series/Epoch （Quaternary System/Period） in the NGRIP ice core

The Greenland ice core from NorthGRIP （NGRIP） contains a proxy climate record across the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary of unprecedented clarity and resolution. Analysis of an array of physical and chemical parameters within the ice enables the base of the Holocene, as reflected in the first signs of climatic warming at the end of the Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 cold phase, to be located with a high degree of precision.     

Selection of integration time intervals for quartz OSL decay curves

In quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating protocols, an initial integral of the OSL decay curve is used in the calculation of equivalent dose, once a background integral has been subtracted. Because the OSL signal commonly contains a number of exponentially decaying components, the exact choice of time intervals used for the initial-signal and background integrals determines the composition of the net signal. Here we investigate which combination of time intervals will produce the net signal most dominated by the fast OSL component, while keeping an acceptable level of precision. Using a three-component model of OSL decay, we show that for a specified level of precision, the net signal most dominated by the fast component can be obtained when the background integral immediately follows the initial signal and is approximately 2.5 times its length. With this ‘early-background’ approach, the contribution of slow components to the net signal is virtually zero. We apply our methods to four samples from relatively young deposits. Compared to the widely used ‘late-background’ approach, in which the background integral is taken from the last few seconds of OSL, we find less thermal transfer, less recuperation and a higher proportion of aliquots yielding an equivalent dose in agreement with expectations. We find the use of an early background to be a simple and effective way of improving the accuracy of OSL dating, and suggest is should be used in standard protocols.     

Postglacial relative sea-level change and stratigraphy of raised coastal basins on Kola Peninsula, northwest Russia

A relative sea-level curve for the Holocene is constructed for Polyarny on the Kola Peninsula, northwest Russia. The curve is based on 18 radiocarbon dates of isolation contacts, identified from lithological and diatomological criteria, in nine lake basins situated between 12 and 57 m a.s.l. Most of the lakes show a conformable, regressive I–II–III (marine–transitional–freshwater) facies succession, indicating a postglacial history comprising an early (10,000–9000 radiocarbon years BP) phase of rapid, glacio-isostatically induced emergence (5 cm year⁻¹) and a later phase (after 7000 years BP,) having a moderate rate of emergence (<0.5 cm year⁻¹). Three lakes together record a phase of very low rate of emergence or slight sea-level rise at a level of 27 m a.s.l., between 8500 and 7000 years BP, which correlates with the regional Tapes transgression. Pollen stratigraphy in the highest lake shows that the area was deglaciated before the Younger Dryas and that previously reconstructed Younger Dryas glacier margins along the north Kola coast lie too far north.     

Incubation,hatching and survival of eggs of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in spawning redds influenced by groundwater

Many west coastal and northern Norwegian rivers run through deep, confined valleys with permeable layers of glacial and alluvial deposits. Groundwater flows through these permeable layers and enter lakes and rivers as underwater seepage and springs. Groundwater inflow to inland Norwegian rivers may constitute 40–100% of total water discharge during low flow periods in late summer and winter. Juvenile salmonids may take advantage of groundwater upwellings and actively seek out such patches. In regulated rivers groundwater influx may create refuges during low flow or hydropeaking episodes. The importance of groundwater for salmon redd site selection and egg survival is also clear, although less known and documented in regulated rivers.Eggs of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are deposited in redds in river bed gravels lacking fine sediments and with high oxygen levels. Egg development is therefore dependent on the interaction of a number of environmental factors such as groundwater influx, oxygen and temperature. Atlantic salmon in the regulated River Suldalslågen, Western Norway, spawn relatively late compared to other Norwegian rivers, with a peak in early January. Newly emerged fry are found from the end of May to the beginning of June, i.e. “swim up” one month earlier than expected using models for egg and alevin development and river water temperatures. The most plausible explanation is that groundwater has a higher and more stable temperature than surface river water. In field experiments, fertilized salmon eggs were placed in boxes close to natural spawning redds in the river bed at sites influenced and those not influenced by groundwater. A difference of up to 40 days in 50% hatching was found, and “swim up” occurred at the end of May in boxes influenced by groundwater.Preliminary studies have revealed that groundwater also plays an important role in survival of salmon eggs in the River Suldalslågen when dewatered in winter. Eggs placed in boxes in groundwater seepage areas during winter in the dewatered river bed survived even when covered by ice and snow. The survival from fertilization until 30 April, one month before hatching, was 91%, the same survival as found for eggs placed in boxes in the wetted river bed. However, mortality from fertilization to hatching was higher compared to the eggs placed in wetted river bed, 57 and 91% respectively.Groundwater creates a horizontal and vertical mosaic of temperatures in spawning redd areas leading to potentially greater variation in spawning sites, time of hatching and “swim up”. This is likely to increase egg survival during low flow periods in regulated rivers. In conclusion, the interaction between groundwater and surface river water should therefore be considered when managing fish populations in regulated rivers.     

沉积物和悬浮颗粒物在岩溶水系统污染物衰减与运移中的作用

本文讨论了沉积物和悬浮颗粒物/胶体在岩溶水系统污染物衰减与运移中的作用,介绍了关于瑞士某岩溶水系统内颗粒物与微生物污染间关系的实验结果。该实验场包括一个接纳农田排水的落水洞及与其相连的两个泉,其中一个泉是供水水源地。利用便携式粒子计实时监测泉水中颗粒分布的变化情况,同时对浊度、总有机碳和其它参数进行连续监测;并对水中E型大肠菌群进行了分析。在暴雨过后,观测到了浊度的两种不同表现:即泉排泄量增加时,浊度最初表现为脉状水动力条件下岩溶系统内沉积物的二次运移;几天后观测到的浊度则表明水已从落水洞到了泉口,常常具有高的总有机碳、硝酸盐及E型大肠菌群。颗粒分布分析结果差异更大:早期的浊度是不同粒径颗粒物的混合,而后期的浊度更多是由较细颗粒构成,因为大颗粒物已沉积在落水洞到泉口之间的岩溶系统内。E型大肠菌群与0.9～1.5 μm颗粒物之间具有很好的相关性。因而较细颗粒的相对增加可应用于微生物污染 “早期预报系统”。除了水污染,颗粒分还可以帮助我们研究岩溶环境的其它问题,如土壤侵蚀。      

Vergleichende Untersuchung der Diäten vonLymnaea auricularia undL. peregra (Gastropoda: Basommatophora) im Zürichsee

Two very similar species of freshwater snails,Lymnaea auricularia andL. peregra coexist in Lake Zürich. We examined their diets to determine possible differences. Microscopic analysis of stomach and hind gut contents revealed no marked differences between the diets of the two snail species collected from the same substrate. However, in both species we found significant differences between the composition of the substrate and that of the stomach contents, using discriminant analysis. We conclude that both species of snails feed preferentially on patches of favourable food supply and that their diets overlap almost totally. The coexistence of the two species under these conditions suggests that food does not limit their density in the area studied.     

Hydrometeorological thresholds for landslide initiation and forest operation shutdowns on the north coast of British Columbia

Debris flows and debris avalanches are the most widespread and hazardous types of landslides on the British Columbia north coast. Triggered by heavy rain, they pose risks to forestry workers in sparsely developed regions. The scarcity of long-term quality rain gauges and the lack of weather radar information create significant challenge in predicting the timing of landslides, which could be used to warn and, when necessary, evacuate forestry personnel. Traditional methods to relate rainfall antecedents and rainfall intensity to known landslide dates have proven to be unsatisfactory in this study due to extreme spatial variability of rainfall, enhanced by the orographic effect and the scarcity of rain gauges in a very large area. This has led to an integration of meteorological variables in a landslide advisory system that classifies three types of approaching storms by the 850-mbar wind speed and direction, the occurrence of subtropical moisture flow, and the existence of a warm layer characterized by high thickness values of the 500- to 1,000-mbar pressure levels. The storm classification was combined with a 4-week antecedent rainfall and the 24-h rainfall measured near or in the watershed where logging operations are taking place. This system, once implemented, is thought to reduce loss of life, injury, and economic losses associated with forestry works in the study area.