Stable isotopes and soil-geomorphology as indicators of Holocene climate change, northern Chihuahuan Desert

Coeval δ¹³C shifts recorded in buried soils at both piedmont slope and basin floor sites in the northern Chihuahuan Desert indicate a major shift from C₄grasses to C₃desert-scrub between 7 and 9 ka. The age assignments are based on stratigraphic correlations to charcoal dates and carbon-14 dates of carbonate. This shift is synchronous with a period of cooling in the North Atlantic that may have triggered a period of drought in the south-western United States. Coinciding with this vegetation change, geomorphic evidence in Rio Grande, piedmont, and basin floor eolian environments indicates a major period of erosion. Subsequent gradual enrichment of pedogenic carbonateδ¹³ C values in younger deposits suggests that C₄grasses rebounded in the late Holocene (approximately 4 ka), which is consistent with other evidence of increased moisture regionally. A period of less severe aridity at approximately 2·2 ka is indicated by erosion and subsequent deposition along the alluvial fans and within the basin, and correlates with depleted pedogenic carbonate δ¹³C values suggesting a decrease in C₄grasses. Isotope and packrat midden records should be used together to infer past environmental conditions at different elevations.     

Diatom-derived palaeoconductivity estimates for Lake Awassa, Ethiopia: evidence for pulsed inflows of saline groundwater

A 6,500-year diatom stratigraphy has been used to infer hydrochemical changes in Lake Awassa, a topographically closed oligosaline lake in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Conductivity was high from ~6400-6200 BP, and from 5200-4000 BP, with two brief episodes of lower conductivity during the latter period. Although the timing of the conductivity changes is similar to the timing of lake-level change in the nearby Zwai-Shalla basin, their directions are the reverse of that expected from a climatic cause. Dissolution of the tephras which precede both phases of high conductivity cannot explain the increases in salinity, because rhyolitic tephras are only sparingly soluble. Instead, the pulsed input of groundwater made saline by the reaction of silicate minerals and volcanic glass with carbonic acid, formed from the solution of carbon dioxide degassed from magma under the Awassa Caldera, is suggested as a plausible mechanism for the observed change in lake chemistry. Diatom-inferred hydrochemistry cannot therefore be used to reconstruct climate change in Lake Awassa.     

A late Holocene palaeolimnological record from central Mexico, based on faunal and stable-isotope analysis of ostracod shells

A late Holocene palaeolimnological record for central Mexico has been obtained from Lake Pátzcuaro, using recent and fossil ostracods. Lake Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, is a closed-basin lake which responds rapidly to changes in the ratio of precipitation/evaporation in the region. The record from a single lake-sediment core, dated by AMS radiocarbon method, covers the last ~3,530 yrs, and is based on ostracod faunal palaeoecology coupled with analysis of the stable-isotope (¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ¹³C/¹²C) composition of ostracod valves. The faunal distribution is determined by the presence or absence of aquatic vegetation and, to a lesser extent, salinity. The ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ¹³C/¹²C ratios in ostracod calcite show good agreement with palaeolimnological inferences from the faunal assemblages, principally recording changing precipitation/evaporation and primary-productivity levels, respectively. Wetter conditions existed in central Mexico between approximately ~3,600 and ~2,390 yr BP, between ~1,330 to ~1,120 yr BP, and from ~220 yr BP to present, characterised by fluctuating lake levels. A dilution of the sediment load in the lake reduced turbidity levels allowing for a marked increase in productivity. During these phases, the combination of a deeper lake and increased macrophyte cover reduced the degree of mixing of the waterbody. In the earliest of these phases there was sufficient stratification of the waterbody for methanogenesis to occur in the sediment interstices. The wet phases were separated by prolonged dry periods, during which time the climatic conditions were relatively stable. Good agreement was found between the findings of this study and others from the central Mexican/Caribbean region suggesting that abrupt climate changes occurred at least at a regional scale.     

Lake evolution in a semi-arid montane environment: response to catchment change and hydroclimatic variation

Pollen, geochemical and sedimentological data from Sidi Ali, a montane Moroccan lake, provide a 7000 yr record of changes in climate, catchment vegetation and soil erosion intensity. Diatoms, non-silicious algae, macrophyte fossils and ostracods from the same core record the dynamics of the lake ecosystem. Oxygen isotope and trace-element ratios of benthic ostracods appear to be relatively insensitive to climatic variation in this open lake with low water-residence time, but diatom plankton / periphyton (P/L) ratios show lake-level variations that are probably climate controlled. At least two superimposed processes are recorded, but at different timescales: catchment vegetation and soils show long-term changes due to climate and human impact, whereas P/L ratios suggest century-scale oscillations in lake depth. The timing of changes in algal and macrophyte productivity and carbon cycling within the lake broadly corresponds to changes in terrestrial vegetation, suggesting either that lake nutrient status is linked to catchment vegetation and soils, or that both were influenced by climate. The lack of a sensitive and independent (non-biological) climate proxy makes it more difficult to assess the lake's ecological response to short-term climate variation. Overall, the lake's evolution has been influenced both by catchment-mediated nutrient flux and by changes in water balance, thus having characteristics in common with both temperate and arid zone lakes.     

Holocene palaeomagnetic secular variation at Lake Biwa, central Japan

We have conducted a palaeomagnetic study on three sediment cores obtained from a single site in Lake Biwa, central Japan. A total of 1430 discrete samples from three cores show strong and stable remanence, which is carried by pseudo-single-domain magnetite. Palaeomagnetic records from individual cores show little scatter of directions, and there is excellent correlation among the records from the site. A composite palaeomagnetic secular variation (PSV) record for the Holocene was constructed after fine-scale adjustment and stacking of the three records. The age model is based on two wide-spread tephra layers: Kawagodaira (3150 yr BP, calendar years) and Kikai-Akahoya (7250 yr BP). Our results show that the declinations and inclinations are strikingly similar to archaeomagnetic data from southwest Japan for the last 2000 years. The PSV record from Lake Biwa shows good correlation in directions with that of Beppu Bay, located about 500 km west of Lake Biwa, although the Beppu Bay record shows relatively smaller amplitudes of both inclination and declination, probably due to heavy smoothing of the initial results. When the Lake Biwa record is compared with the proposed type curve for southwest Japan, there is considerable disagreement throughout the Holocene. A re-analysis of the data sets and other information used to construct the type curve revealed that the discrepancy in the results was due to inadequate age determination for the cores used in previous studies. We conclude that the stacked PSV record from Lake Biwa meets the criteria required for a reliable curve. Moreover, our results resolve the complications found in the correlation of PSV records in southwest Japan and thereby contribute to a better understanding of Holocene PSV.     

梵净山九龙池沉积物氮同位素组成与全新世气候演变过程

湖泊沉积物氮同位素(δ¹⁵N)在古环境、古气候变化方面有着指示气候干湿变化的重要作用,但目前学界对于δ¹⁵N记录作为气候代用指标所指示的气候干湿变化特征仍缺乏深入探索。本文以贵州省梵净山九龙池湖泊沉积物为研究对象,分析并探讨δ¹⁵N所记录的梵净山地区气候干湿变化过程与特征,并结合总有机碳(TOC)、总氮(TN)和碳氮比值(C/N)数据进行对比研究,结果表明:(1)由于九龙池湖泊沉积物有机质受流域输入影响,气候湿润时,陆生植物增多,土壤湿度增大,外源输入对湖泊沉积物有机质影响增大,沉积物δ¹⁵N值偏负;气候干旱时,陆生植物减少,土壤湿度降低,外源输入对湖泊沉积物有机质影响减小,沉积物δ¹⁵N值偏正;(2)九龙池湖泊沉积物δ¹⁵N记录很好地揭示了梵净山地区全新世的气候干湿变化过程,即早期(11.5—9.2 ka B.P.)亚洲夏季风增强,气候从干旱期向湿润期转变,中期(9.2—3.0 ka B.P.)亚洲夏季风强盛,气候整体处于湿润期,晚期(3.0—2.2 k...     

长江三角洲地区全新世以来海面变化与古洪水发生关系探讨

通过对长江三角洲地区埋藏古树、泥炭、以及海相贝壳测年资料以及地方志、历史文献当中关于研究区洪灾事件记录的搜集、整理,研究结果表明,由于长江三角洲地区地势低平这一地貌特点,使得海面变化对于研究区洪灾的发生有着重要的影响.在长江中下游地区,海面的上升是导致冰后期长江河谷泥沙加积的主要原因,随着海面的上升和河床的抬高,长江中下游的水位也随之上升,从而导致长江洪水期排泄不畅,加重了洪灾的影响,加上长江三角洲地势低平,使海面变化成为长江三角洲地区洪灾发生的一个重要影响因子.同时,海面上升对长江水流的顶托作用也是加剧洪灾危害的一个重要原因.本文对于未来研究区洪水发生的预测,加强海岸带地区自然灾害的预防工作,减少生命财产的损失,具有一定的理论与实践意义.     

Using microcomputed tomography (μCT) to count varves in lake sediment sequences: Application to Lake Sagtjernet,Eastern Norway

Varved lake sediments are one of the most important natural archives that allow annual resolution paleoclimate reconstructions. Conventional varve counting techniques use thin sections to manually identify lamina. However, this technique is destructive, labour intensive and limited to a 2D representation of complex 3D features which may lead to misidentification of varve boundaries. This study presents the use of microcomputed tomography (μCT) scans in constructing varve chronologies, utilizing scanning resolutions of ∼50 μm (binned to ∼200 μm) for core sections up to 150 cm long. To evaluate this method, we cored and analysed Lake Sagtjernet in Eastern Norway — revealing a 593 cm-long sediment record of the past 10274 (⁺²²⁰/_-329) years, with continuous laminations from 84 to 533 cm depth (75% of the sediments). Through limnological monitoring and microfacies analyses we demonstrate that the laminations are rare ferrogenic varves, with an annual deposition pattern comprised of seasonal changes in biogenic production superimposed on seasonal precipitates of iron and manganese hydroxides. The floating μCT-counted varve chronology presented here is the first non-glacial varve chronology in Norway and covers 4023 ⁺¹¹³/_-185 years. We find that μCT scans allow for a very fast and non-destructive way of counting varves with sufficient detail of varve boundaries. In the few sections where varve boundaries are too vague to resolve, we recommend using complimentary techniques such as thin sections in parallel. The varve chronology is in good agreement with the 95% confidence interval of the independent radiocarbon chronology based on 16 ¹⁴C dates, and ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs activity peaks, indicating that the varve chronology can be equated to calendar age.     

太湖全新世微古化石环境的辨析

为确认太湖本身和其周围地区是否有全新世海相沉积物, 对其沉积物中的微古生物化石的性质与特征, 以及它与沉积物所含的盐度、层间水、岩相等的关系进行了研究, 并通过古遗址分布情况、古地理环境等因素的调查, 确认本区的全新世生物坪葬群是长江涨潮流带来异地埋葬的产物, 不能作为海相地层的唯一依据。     

固城湖晚全新世以来的孢粉组合及环境变迁

本文依据固城湖GD钻孔系统的孢粉分析资料,将井深6.3m岩心所做的孢粉图式,结合~(14)C测年,从下面上分为8个孢粉组合带,进而论述了4000年来该区的植被发展和气候的4次冷暖交替的变化。4次冷期约为3.0—2.5KaB.P.2.0—1.5KaB.P.、1.0—0.8KaB.P.和0.4Ka以来。此外,还根据沉积物中的硅藻分析、有机质δ~(13)C值、有机碳含量及历史记载等资料,侧重讨论了气候及人类活动对湖泊环境演变的影响。