Temporal patterns of suspended sediment yield following moderate to extreme hydrological events recorded in varved lacustrine sediments

A 487‐year annually laminated (varved) sediment record from Nicolay Lake, Cornwall Island, in the Canadian High Arctic was evaluated to determine the impact that years with high sediment yields had on sediment yields in subsequent years. All of the 40 largest years showed evidence for increased sediment yield in the subsequent 10–30 years. The positive anomalies in lagging years were approximately scaled according to the size of the initiating year, although many intermediate years (25‐ to 100‐year recurrence) showed weak or variable responses. The smallest events considered (10‐ to 25‐year recurrence) showed a consistent, but low‐amplitude response. Additionally the 10‐year events revealed frequent negative sediment yield anomalies in the preceding decade. This behaviour was interpreted as a frequent sediment activation cycle initiated by the modest year, and leading to sediment yield hysteresis lasting 15–25 years. The largest years (greater than 50‐year recurrence) showed consistently above‐average sediment yields in the preceding decade, in part due to the frequent occurrence of moderate (Q₁₀) years. It is hypothesized that temporary storage of sediment and previous initiation of erosion sites resulted in extraordinary sediment yields during intense summer rainfall events. This study demonstrates the potential use of varved lake sediment records to improve our understanding of long‐term sediment dynamics. These records present an opportunity to further develop and test sediment dynamic and routing models to gain insight into the interaction of time and space in fluvial and sediment delivery processes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constraints on the application of carbon isotope thermometry in high- to ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic terranes

Nine marble horizons from the granulite facies terrane of southern India were examined in detail for stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in calcite and carbon isotopes in graphite. The marbles in Trivandrum Block show coupled lowering of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values in calcite and heterogeneous single crystal δ¹³C values (? 1 to ? 10‰) for graphite indicating varying carbon isotope fractionation between calcite and graphite, despite the granulite facies regional metamorphic conditions. The stable isotope patterns suggest alteration of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values in marbles by infiltration of low δ¹³C–δ¹⁸O‐bearing fluids, the extent of alteration being a direct function of the fluid‐rock ratio. The carbon isotope zonation preserved in graphite suggests that the graphite crystals precipitated/recrystallized in the presence of an externally derived CO₂‐rich fluid, and that the infiltration had occurred under high temperature and low f_O2 conditions during metamorphism. The onset of graphite precipitation resulted in a depletion of the carbon isotope values of the remaining fluid+calcite carbon reservoir, following a Rayleigh‐type distillation process within fluid‐rich pockets/pathways in marbles resulting in the observed zonation. The results suggest that calcite–graphite thermometry cannot be applied in marbles that are affected by external carbonic fluid infiltration. However, marble horizons in the Madurai Block, where the effect of fluid infiltration is not detected, record clear imprints of ultrahigh temperature metamorphism (800–1000 °C), with fractionations reaching <2‰. Zonation studies on graphite show a nominal rimward lowering δ¹³C on the order of 1 to 2‰. The zonation carries the imprint of fluid deficient/absent UHT metamorphism. Commonly, calculated core temperatures are > 1000 °C and would be consistent with UHT metamorphism.     

Late-Glacial and Early Holocene Environmental and Climatic Change at Lake Tambichozero, Southeastern Russian Karelia

High-resolution lithostratigraphy, mineral magnetic, carbon, pollen, and macrofossil analyses, and accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C measurements were performed in the study of a sediment sequence from Lake Tambichozero, southeastern Russian Karelia, to reconstruct late-glacial and early Holocene aquatic and terrestrial environmental changes. The lake formed ca. 14,000 cal yr B.P. and the area around the lake was subsequently colonized by arctic plants, forming patches of pioneer communities surrounded by areas of exposed soil. A minor rise in lake productivity and the immigration of Betula pubescens occurred ca. 11,500 cal yr B.P. The rise in summer temperatures probably led to increased melting of remnant ice and enhanced erosion. The distinct increase in lake productivity and the development of open Betula-Populus forests, which are reconstructed based on plant macrofossil remains, indicate stable soils from 10,600 cal yr B.P. onward. Pinus and Picea probably became established ca. 9900 cal yr B.P.     

Late Quaternary Spring-Fed Deposits of the Grand Canyon and Their Implication for Deep Lava-Dammed Lakes

One of the most intriguing episodes in the Quaternary evolution of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, Arizona, was the development of vast lakes that are thought to have backed up behind lava erupted into the gorge. Stratigraphic evidence for these deep lava-dammed lakes is expectedly sparse. Possible lacustrine deposits at six areas in the eastern canyon yielded no compelling evidence for sediment deposited in a deep lake. At two of the sites the sediment was associated with late Quaternary spring-fed pools and marshes. Water-lain silt and sand at lower Havasu Creek was deposited 3000 cal yr ago. The deposit contains an ostracode assemblage similar to that living in the modern travertine-dammed pools adjacent to the outcrop. The second deposit, at Lees Ferry, formed in a spring-fed marsh 43,000 cal yr ago, as determined by ¹⁴C and amino acid geochronology. It contains abundant ostracode and mollusk fossils, the richest assemblages reported from the Grand Canyon to date. Our interpretation of these sediments as spring-fed deposits, and their relative youth, provides an alternative to the conventional view that deposits like these were formed in deep lava-dammed lakes that filled the Grand Canyon.     

Analyzing CO2 emissions mitigation by technology improvement in Central and Eastern Europe

As a legacy of the centrally planned economy, the economies in transition of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have a unique potential to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions through the improvement in their high energy intensities. Since much of this `low-hanging fruit' in energy-efficiency improvements can be highly cost-effective, many developed countries facing difficulties in meeting their greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets domestically are eager to find such opportunities in the CEE region. Therefore, studies analysing the potentials and costs of carbon dioxide reduction through technology improvement in the region have come into the limelight. While there are a few excellent studies in the region aimed at analysing climate change abatement potentials, they all embark on different assumptions, methodologies and boundary conditions. It is hence difficult, if not impossible, to compare and analyse the results of these studies across different authors, countries or time horizons. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to place four leading studies on GHG mitigation through technology improvement from the CEE region into an internationally comparable framework. Four studies were selected from three countries, Poland, Hungary and Estonia, which are all the results of major national and international efforts to assess costs and potentials of GHG reduction. The paper places their assumptions, methods and final results into a framework which enables policy-makers and project designers to compare these across geographical and technological boundaries. Since other studies from around the globe have been analysed in this framework in the literature, this paper provides a vehicle for the findings of these four studies to be compared to others worldwide. In addition, the paper highlights a few areas where similar studies to be completed in the future in the region may be enhanced by incorporating features used in GHG mitigation research in other parts of the world. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Historic Dead Sea Level Fluctuations Calibrated with Geological and Archaeological Evidence

The Dead Sea, the Holocene terminal lake of the Jordan River catchment, has fluctuated during its history in response to climatic change. Biblical records, calibrated by radiocarbon-dated geological and archaeological evidence, reinforce and add detail to the chronology of the lake-level fluctuations. There are three historically documented phases of the Dead Sea in the Biblical record: low lake levels ca. 2000–1500 B.C.E. (before common era); high lake levels ca. 1500–1200 B.C.E.; and low lake levels between ca. 1000 and 700 B.C.E. The Biblical evidence indicates that during the dry periods the southern basin of the Dead Sea was completely dry, a fact that was not clear from the geological and archaeological data alone.     

云南腾冲地块北部空树河组一个菱铁矿结核中的C、O同位素变化特征

空树河组是滇西腾冲地块北部的石碳－二叠纪冈瓦纳相沉积。菱铁矿结核见于该组顶部的黑色泥岩中。将一个结核通过中心切开，在切面上由中心向边缘用牙钻等间隔提取10个样品。同位素测试结果显示，δ^13C自中心向边缘逐渐由－8．09％减为－16．12％，最外一个样例外（－15．39‰），而δ^18O自中心向边缘逐渐由－10．64‰增加为0‰左右。δ^13C的变化情况表明，菱铁矿结核可能形成于硫酸盐还原带。在解释δ^18o的变化情况时，推测在结核开始生长时可能有δ^18O亏损的大气降水掺入，随着埋藏深度的逐渐加大，孔隙水的O同位素逐渐趋近正常海水的值（0‰）。     

Study on Paleoenvironment since Late Glacial Eooch in Lanzhou Area, China

The Hongzuisi Section in Lanzhou area is used to infer the paleoclimate since the late glacial epoch. Through combined analysis of organic carbon isotope and CaCO3 content, paleoenvironment evolution of Hongzuisi Section since the late glacial epoch is discussed. There were changes in both drymoist and warm-cold. Especially the climate changes can be compared with synchronous sections of other areas, which provides useful information for our future forecast.     

近20年海南岛森林生态系统碳储量变化

热带森林在碳循环研究中有重要作用。根据目前森林碳储量的计算方法和海南森林资源二类调查数据 ,估算了不同时段的碳储量 ,并分析其动态变化特点。结果表明 :海南森林碳储量从 1979年的 30 4 5TgC增加到 1998年的 37 74TgC ,年均增加 0 36 4 5TgC ,增长率为1 19% ,是全国平均增长率的 2 5倍 ;海南森林在碳循环中起不断增强的碳汇作用 ;森林碳密度呈加速减少趋势 ,储碳潜力将很大 ;随着海南全面禁止采伐和封育等林业措施的实施 ,森林面积扩大 ,林龄结构改善 ,储碳能力将进一步提高 ,海南森林在全国或全球碳循环中的作用和社会价值与意义将日渐突出。通过对碳储量计算不确定性的分析和讨论 ,提出应加强对森林群落各层次生物量的实测与实地监测研究 ,统一计算方法 ,以提高碳储量计算的精度     

两个相连湖泊的微生态系统——云南高原湖泊中浅水的星云湖和深水的抚仙湖研究

抚仙湖是中国云南省的一个深水湖，连接着富营养化的浅水湖－－星云湖，星云湖排放含绿藻的水进入抚仙湖。两湖位于省会昆明附近，由于地方文化、集约化农业、以及旅游业的发展，两湖已经富营养化。因为湖泊体积容量的级别差异，深水湖的富营养化几乎没被注意，抚仙湖秋季下层滞水带缺氧已经关注了20年，似乎下层滞水带是深水湖富营养化的指标或趋势。抚仙湖看起来目前情况尚好，可以说寡营养，然而，外界负荷是潜在的，且是以稳定的加速度进行的。在此对浅水湖富营养化的原因进行了讨论，包括在其它云南湖泊观察到富营养化的过程，再者，对两个连相湖的藻和蓝藻碎片的大小构成进行比照。为了与深水的抚仙湖状况进行比较，简略介绍了一个日本的深湖及其径流系统。其中，涡流和它的微生态系统，在两者中相关性很好。对于以涡流生态系统的见解判断微生态系统的深水湖富营养化问题将给予概括。