Peridinioid dinoflagellate cysts in a Holocene high-mountain lake deposit in Italy

This paper documents the discovery of peridinioid organic walled dinoflagellate cysts in Holocene sediments of the freshwater, low-alkalinity, high mountain Lake Nero di Cornisello (Adamello mountain range, Trentino, Italy). Among the three main cyst morphotypes found in the samples, the dominant one is acavate, with a smooth and light brown colored wall, with a clear conical shape, elongated with a pointy to rounded end in the antapical-ventral part, with the epicyst broader than the hypocyst and displays a typical peridinioid archeopyle. Comparison with data available in literature, besides pointing out the general scarcity of observations on dinocysts in lakes sediments, suggested a strong morphological similarity with the marine genus Brigantedinium. This finding pinpoints the need for more detailed studies on cysts in freshwater environments offering a new tool for paleoenvironmental interpretations.     

Automated matching of multiple terrestrial laser scans for stem mapping without the use of artificial references

Terrestrial laser scanning has been widely used to analyze the 3D structure of a forest in detail and to generate data at the level of a reference plot for forest inventories without destructive measurements. Multi-scan terrestrial laser scanning is more commonly applied to collect plot-level data so that all of the stems can be detected and analyzed. However, it is necessary to match the point clouds of multiple scans to yield a point cloud with automated processing. Mismatches between datasets will lead to errors during the processing of multi-scan data. Classic registration methods based on flat surfaces cannot be directly applied in forest environments; therefore, artificial reference objects have conventionally been used to assist with scan matching. The use of artificial references requires additional labor and expertise, as well as greatly increasing the cost. In this study, we present an automated processing method for plot-level stem mapping that matches multiple scans without artificial references. In contrast to previous studies, the registration method developed in this study exploits the natural geometric characteristics among a set of tree stems in a plot and combines the point clouds of multiple scans into a unified coordinate system. Integrating multiple scans improves the overall performance of stem mapping in terms of the correctness of tree detection, as well as the bias and the root-mean-square errors of forest attributes such as diameter at breast height and tree height. In addition, the automated processing method makes stem mapping more reliable and consistent among plots, reduces the costs associated with plot-based stem mapping, and enhances the efficiency.     

Reflectance variation in boreal landscape during the snow melting period using airborne imaging spectroscopy

We aim a better understanding of the effect of spring-time snow melt on the remotely sensed scene reflectance by using an extensive amount of optical spectral data obtained from an airborne hyperspectral campaign in Northern Finland. We investigate the behaviour of thin snow reflectance for different land cover types, such as open areas, boreal forests and treeless fells. Our results not only confirm the generally known fact that the reflectance of a melting thin snow layer is considerably lower than that of a thick snow layer, but we also present analyses of the reflectance variation over different land covers and in boreal forests as a function of canopy coverage. According to common knowledge, the highly variating reflectance spectra of partially transparent, most likely also contaminated thin snow pack weakens the performance of snow detection algorithms, in particular in the mapping of Fractional Snow Cover (FSC) during the end of the melting period. The obtained results directly support further development of the SCAmod algorithm for FSC retrieval, and can be likewise applied to develop other algorithms for optical satellite data (e.g. spectral unmixing methods), and to perform accuracy assessments for snow detection algorithms.A useful part of this work is the investigation of the competence of Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) in snow detection in late spring, since it is widely used in snow mapping. We conclude, based on the spectral data analysis, that the NDSI -based snow mapping is more accurate in open areas than in forests. However, at the very end of the snow melting period the behavior of the NDSI becomes more unstable and unpredictable in non-forests with shallow snow, increasing the inaccuracy also in non-forested areas. For instance in peatbogs covered by melting snow layer (snow depth < 30 cm) the mean NDSI -0.6 was observed, having coefficient of variation as high as 70%, whereas for deeper snow packs the mean NDSI shows positive values.     

A forestry GIS-based study on evaluating the potential of imaging spectroscopy in mapping forest land fertility

Fertility, or the availability of nutrients and water, controls forest productivity. It affects its carbon sequestration, and thus the forest's effect on climate, as well as its commercial value. Although the availability of nutrients cannot be measured directly using remote sensing methods, fertility alters several vegetation traits detectable from the reflectance spectra of the forest stand, including its pigment content and water stress. However, forest reflectance is also influenced by other factors, such as species composition and stand age. Here, we present a case study demonstrating how data obtained using imaging spectroscopy is correlated with site fertility. The study was carried out in Hyytiälä, Finland, in the southern boreal forest zone. We used a database of state-owned forest stands including basic forestry variables and a site fertility index. To test the suitability of imaging spectroscopy with different spatial and spectral resolutions for site fertility mapping, we performed two airborne acquisitions using different sensor configurations. First, the sensor was flown at a high altitude with high spectral resolution resulting in a pixel size in the order of a tree crown. Next, the same area was flown to provide reflectance data with sub-meter spatial resolution. However, to maintain usable signal-to-noise ratios, several spectral channels inside the sensor were combined, thus reducing spectral resolution. We correlated a number of narrowband vegetation indices (describing canopy biochemical composition, structure, and photosynthetic activity) on site fertility. Overall, site fertility had a significant influence on the vegetation indices but the strength of the correlation depended on dominant species. We found that high spatial resolution data calculated from the spectra of sunlit parts of tree crowns had the strongest correlation with site fertility.     

Total and pyrogenic carbon stocks in black spruce forest floors from eastern Canada

Pyrogenic carbon (PyC), a by-product of recurrent boreal wildfires, is an important component of the global soil C pool, although precise assessment of boreal PyC stock is scarce. The overall objective of this study was to estimate total C stock and PyC stock in forest floors of Eastern Canada boreal forests. We also investigated the environmental conditions controlling the stocks and characterized the composition of the forest floor layers. Forest floor samples were collected from mesic black spruce sites recently affected by fire (3–5 yr) and analyzed using elemental analysis and solid state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. PyC content was further estimated using a molecular mixing model. Total C stock in forest floors averaged 5.7 ± 2.9 kg C/m² and PyC stock 0.6 ± 0.3 kg C/m². Total stock varied with position in the landscape, with a greater accumulation of organic material on northern aspects and lower slope positions. In addition, total stock was significantly higher in spruce-dominated forest floors than stands where jack pine was present. The PyC stock was significantly related to the atomic H/C ratio (R² 0.84) of the different organic layers. ¹³C NMR spectroscopy revealed a large increase in aromatic carbon in the deepest forest floor layer (humified H horizon) at the organic-mineral soil interface. The majority of the PyC stock was located in this horizon and had been formed during past high severity fires rather than during the most recent fire event.     

Heavy metal concentrations (Cd,Cu and Pb) in five aquatic plant species in Tasik Chini,Malaysia

The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of heavy metals namely cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) in the five aquatic plants. For this purpose, the concentration of heavy metals were measured in water and in the five aquatic plant species, Lepironia articulata, Pandanus helicopus, Scirpus grossus, Cabomba furcata and Nelumbo nucifera, in 15 sites from Tasik Chini. The concentrations were different among the plant species as well as among the parts of plants. The highest concentration of heavy metals among the aquatic plants and plant parts was found in the roots of S. grossus. The concentrations of Cd in the leaves and stems of submerged aquatic plant, C. furcata, were higher than concentration of Cd in the leaves and stems of emergent aquatic plant and floating leaf plant. The concentration of Cu in the stem of C. furcata was greater than that in the leaf, while the concentration of Cd was more in the leaf than in the stem. The heavy metal contents of the aquatic plants were in descending order of Pb > Cu > Cd. The metal concentration quotient of leaves/roots and stems/roots (ML/MR and MS/MR) were calculated. The highest internal translocation was found in P. helicopus, while the lowest internal translocation was found in S. grossus.     

Atlantic surface water inflow to the Nordic seas during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition (mid–late Younger Dryas and Pre‐Boreal periods, 12 450–10 000 a BP)

The inflow of Atlantic Water to the Nordic seas from mid–late Younger Dryas to earliest Holocene (12 450–10 000 a BP) is reconstructed on the basis of a high‐resolution core (LINK14) from 346 m water depth on the east Faroe shelf. We have analysed the distribution of planktic and benthic foraminifera, stable isotopes and ice‐rafted debris (IRD), and calculated absolute temperatures and salinities by transfer functions. During the investigated time period there was almost continuous inflow of Atlantic Water to the Nordic seas. Deposition of IRD during the mid–late Younger Dryas and Pre‐Boreal coolings indicates the presence of melting icebergs and that summer sea surface temperatures were low. The east–west temperature gradient across the Faroe–Shetland Channel was much steeper than today. The cold conditions around the Faroe Islands are attributed to stronger East Greenland and East Icelandic currents than at present. The near‐continuous inflow of Atlantic Water is consistent with published evidence suggesting that deep convection took place in the Nordic seas, although the convection sites probably had shifted to a more easterly position than at present. Around the time of deposition of the Saksunarvatn Tephra c. 10 350 a BP, sea surface temperatures increased to the present level. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence for 17th-century tsunamis generated on the Kuril–Kamchatka subduction zone, Lake Tokotan, Hokkaido, Japan

In the seventeenth century, two tsunamis that were generated by earthquakes on the Kuril–Kamchatka subduction zone inundated the eastern coast of Hokkaido, northern Japan. Stratigraphic evidence for these two tsunamis and related land-level change in coastal Hokkaido consists of two landward-thinning sand layers in the sediments of Lake Tokotan, a coastal lagoon on the Hokkaido coast. The marine origin of these sand layers is indicated by the presence of brackish–marine diatoms. The rarity and high degree of fragmentation of diatom valves suggests that the sands were transported in a short time over a considerable distance. Tsunamis at this site were probably generated by great earthquakes along the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench. Volcanic ash deposits lying just above the sands suggest that tsunamis occurred in the late 17th century. Tsunamis during the historic period are not recorded in Lake Tokotan, which suggests that the sand layers were deposited by tsunamis substantially larger than historic tsunamis.     

Paleoenvironmental significance of a new species of freshwater sponge from the Late Miocene Quillagua Formation (N Chile)

This paper reports the first fossil (Tertiary) occurrence of freshwater sponges of the genus Ephydatia in the southern hemisphere. The sponges appear in diatomite lacustrine sediments of Late Miocene Quillagua Formation (Chile, Atacama region). The investigated specimens represent a new species, Ephydatia chileana sp. nov., which is close to the Recent cosmopolitan E. fluviatilis. On the basis of sedimentological and diatom assemblage data, sponge-bearing diatomites have been interpreted as deposited in open offshore shallow lacustrine conditions with slightly alkaline waters. The sponges show malformations, similar to some diatoms and probably caused by high heavy metal concentrations in a lake water. These concentrations are related to hydrothermal activity, which favored the leaching of volcanic rocks that outcrop extensively in the catchment.