气相色谱法分析海洋沉积物中多糖的组成

碳水化合物是海洋有机质的主要组成部分，海洋中的碳水化合物主要以聚合物的形式存在，其分子组成信息对研究它们的来源及其在生物地球化学循环中的作用具有重要意义。作者应用毛细管气相色谱法分析了海洋沉积物中多糖的组成。利用2．0mo1／L三氟乙酸，在80℃水解8h，把沉积物中的多糖水解成单糖，从而把单糖萃取到水相中。水解液在60℃旋转蒸发除去三氟乙酸，用等量的阴离子和阳离子交换树脂混合柱脱除残留离子，以Milli—Q水洗脱。洗脱液经蒸发、干燥后，用吡啶溶解，在0．2％LiClO4吡啶溶液催化下，于60℃经48h达到互变异构平衡。平衡异构体经Regisil试剂衍生化成三甲基硅醚(1MS)，用HP5890气相色谱仪进行分析。使用长30m、内径0．32mm的HP—5石英毛细管柱，配FID检测器，进样口和检测室温度保持在300℃，采用无分流进样，以N2作载气，流速为2．0ml/min，柱箱在140℃保留4min，然后以2℃／min的速度升温到220℃，保留10min。以每种单糖的相对保留时间定性；选择每种单糖中分离效果好、组成占优势的异构体峰面积作为单糖定量的依据，采用内标标准曲线法定量。应用这一方法分析了厦门港沉积物样品，确定了沉积物中7种主要中性单糖的组成。方法的样品加标准回收率为77．0％一115％，相对标准偏差为1．8％一11％；空白加标准回收率在93．8％一113％之间，相对标准偏差为0．6％一9．5％；当信噪比为3时，各单糖的检出限为0．02一0．06mg／L;内标戊五醇的全程回收率为79．8％(n＝6，RSD=5．2％)。     

长兴、横沙两岛潮滩沉积物的粒度概率及其分析

通过对长兴、横沙两岛潮滩沉积物粒度概率曲线的分析，揭示了潮滩沉积物的以下特点：１．以跃移组分为主，悬移组分次之，滚动组分极少；２．随着沉积物的变细，跃移组分含量呈减少趋势，悬移组分相反；３．跃移和悬移组分具有显著的双段式特征，反映了潮流的双向搬运和沉积作用；４．跃移－悬移组分的临界粒径（ψ）与样品的平均粒径Ｍ（ψ）之间呈抛物线型正相关。     

Effect of mining and related activities on the sediment trace element geochemistry of lake coeur D'Alene,idaho, USA. Part I: Surface sediments

During the summer of 1989 surface sediment samples were collected in Lake Coeur d'Alene, the Coeur d'Alene River and the St Joe River, Idaho, at a density of approximately one sample per square kilometre. Additional samples were collected from the banks of the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene and the Coeur d'Alene Rivers in 1991. All the samples were collected to determine trace element concentrations, partitioning and distribution patterns, and to relate them to mining, mining related and discharge operations that have occurred in the Coeur d'Alene district since the 1880s, some of which are ongoing. Most of the surface sediments in Lake Coeur d'Alene north of Conkling Point and Carey Bay are substantially enriched in Ag, As, Cu, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sb and Zn relative to unaffected sediments in the southern portion of the lake near the St Joe River. All the trace element enriched sediments are extremely fine grained (mean grain sizes « 63 μm). Most of the enriched trace elements, based on both the chemical analyses of separated heavy and light mineral fractions and a two step sequential extraction procedure, are associated with an operationally defined Fe oxide phase; much smaller percentages are associated either with operationally defined organics/sulphides or refractory phases. The presence, concentration and distribution of the Fe oxides and heavy minerals indicates that a substantial portion of the enriched trace elements are probably coming from the Coeur d'Alene River, which is serving as a point source. Within the lake, this relatively simple point source pattern is complicated by a combination of (1) the formation of trace element rich authigenic Fe oxides that appear to have reprecipitated from material solubilized from anoxic bed sediments and (2) physical remobilization by currents and wind driven waves. The processes that have caused the trace element enrichment in the surface sediments of Lake Coeur d'Alene are likely to continue for the foreseeable future.     

Developing a sediment budget for a small drainage basin in Australia

A sediment budget was developed for the 1.7 km² Maluna Creek drainage basin located in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia, for the period 1971-86. the impact of viticulture, which commenced at Maluna in 1971, was studied using erosion plots, with caesium-137 as an indicator of both soil erosion and sedimentation. Two methods were used to estimate vineyard soil losses from caesium-137 measurements. Sediment output from the catchment was measured for three years, and extrapolated from readings taken at a nearby long-term stream flow gauging station for the remaining 13 years. Relative amounts of soil loss from forest (60 per cent basin area), grazing land (30 per cent) and vineyards (10 per cent) were calculated. Soil losses by rain splash detachment were ten times greater from bare/cultivated sufaces than from the forest. Erosion plots of area 2 m² showed no significant differences in soil loss between forest and grassland but, under bare soil, losses were 100 times greater. the ¹³⁷Cs method was employed to calculate net soil loss from all vineyard blocks using both a previously established calibration curve and a proportional model. the latter method gave estimates of soil loss which were 3-9 times greater than by the calibration curve, and indicated that average soil losses from the vineyard were equivalent to 62 t ha^?1 y^?1 (1971-86). It was estimated that the forest contributed 1-8 per cent, the grazing land 1.6 per cent, and the vineyard 96.6 per cent of the total soil loss during that period. Sediment storages within the fluvial system adjacent to the vineyard ws 9460 t for the period, whereas sediment output was equivalent to 215 t km^?1 y^?1. Independent measurements of soil erosion, storage, and output showed that 56 per cent of the eroded sediment remained in the catchment, and 34 per cent was transported out by Maluna Creek. the budget was able to be balanced to within 10 per cent.     

Sedimentary Steryl Chlorin Esters (SCEs) and Other Photosynthetic Pigments as Indicators of Paleolimnological Change Over the Last 28,000 Years from the Buguldeika Saddle of Lake Baikal

Detailed depth profiles of photosynthetic pigments in a sediment core (G-12) collected at the BDP93 site, the Buguldeika saddle, of south Lake Baikal, along with depth profiles of total organic carbon (TOC) and biogenic silica, were studied to elucidate the temporal changes of phytoplankton assemblages in the lake during the past 28 kyr. In addition to the quantification of carotenoids by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode-array detection (HPLC-PDA), steryl chlorin esters (SCEs) were analyzed by HPLC-PDA, HPLC-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and sterols in SCEs by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to enrich the taxonomical information on the phytoplankton composition. Allochthonous input of organic matter from the Selenga River resulted in the higher TOC contents in core G-12 than in a previously reported core (G-6) collected at another site from the southern basin. The poorer correlation in core G-12 than in G-6 between TOC and chlorophyll-a-originating pigments, which are indicative of autochthonous production, also indicated a significant allochthonous input at the site. The abundance of lutein among the carotenoids detected, and the good correlation of total chlorophyll a and b shows that green algae represented a significant portion of the phytoplankton, accompanying the diatoms at the G-12 site, after the last glacial period. The presence of cryptomonads and cyanobacteria were confirmed from marker carotenoids in the sediment core. GC–MS analysis of sterols in SCEs detected marker sterols of diatoms, green algae, chrysophytes and dinoflagellates. The depth profiles of the measured indicators gave consistent features for temporal changes in phytoplankton assemblage at the G-12 site of Lake Baikal after the last glacial maximum. Notably, the profile of a chrysophyte-specific sterol in SCEs was consistent with the reported distribution of chrysophyte cysts during the Holocene. The presence of phytoplankton, such as green algae, diatoms and chrysophytes, in Lake Baikal during the late last glacial period was indicated by the analysis of sterols in SCEs. Sedimentary carotenoids and sterols in SCEs were found to give complementary information about phytoplankton composition. These molecular indicators allow us to reconstruct past lake phytoplankton assemblages responding to environmental changes with a time resolution as high as age–depth relationship in sediments attainable at present.     

Total mercury and methylmercury in sediments near offshore drilling sites in the Gulf of Mexico

Concentrations of total Hg in sediments near six drilling sites in the Gulf of Mexico were elevated well above average background values of 40–80 ng/g. The excess Hg was associated with barite from discharged drilling mud. In contrast with total Hg, concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg) in these sediments did not vary significantly at nearfield (<100 m) versus farfield (>3 km) distances from the drilling sites. Observed variability in concentrations of MeHg were related to local differences in redox state in the top 10 cm of sediment. Low to non-detectable concentrations of MeHg were found in nearfield sediments that were anoxic, highly reducing and contained abundant H₂S. At most drilling sites, nearfield samples with high concentrations of total Hg (>200 ng/g) had similar or lower amounts of MeHg than found at background (farfield) stations. Higher values of MeHg were found in a few nearfield sediments at one site where concentrations of TOC were higher and where sediments were anoxic and moderately reducing. Overall, results from this study support the conclusion that elevated concentrations of MeHg in sediments around drilling sites are not a common phenomenon in the Gulf of Mexico.     

Deriving transport pathways in a sediment trend analysis (STA)

Sediment trend analysis (STA) is a technique that enables patterns of net sediment transport to be determined by relative changes in grain-size distributions of all naturally occurring sediments. In addition, STA can determine the dynamic behaviour of bottom sediments with respect to erosion, accretion or dynamic equilibrium. The data requirements for STA are the full grain-size distributions taken from sediment grab samples collected at a regular spacing over a particular area of interest. Two types of methods are presently used in the derivation of the transport pathways: a line-by-line approach, in which transport pathways are determined by searching for sample sequences in which the distributions change, in a statistically acceptable manner; and various vector approaches, in which each sample is compared to neighbouring sites from which a vector sum is calculated.The basic assumption for STA is that the processes that cause sediment transport will affect the statistics of sediment distributions in a predictable way. In reality, this type of analysis is complicated through the inclusion of a number of uncertainties, or noise. The goal of STA is to extract the information (the transport pathways) from the noisy signal (the grain-size distributions), an approach that is made difficult because neither the nature of the information nor the noise is known. Because of this, obtaining results by simply applying its theory in a “black-box” approach may provide poor solutions.The line-by-line approach to STA draws from communications theory to achieve a solution. In some communications systems, the information from many sources is combined into one signal. The resulting signal is, from a statistical viewpoint, nothing but noise. The extraction of specific information assumes that information is indeed present, and determines if that assumption is consistent with the received signal. For STA, the procedure is to assume a transport direction over an area comprising many sample sites. From this assumption, the predicted sediment trends are compared with the pathways determined by the actual samples. The assumed transport direction is repeatedly modified until the best fit is achieved.Vector techniques may be very helpful to provide insights and guidance to the line-by-line approach. However, the approach is ultimately necessary to finalize a credible solution as well as providing important further information on the dynamic behaviour of the sediments, and to delineate specific sediment transport environments.     

The decrease in shear stress and increase in transport rates subsequent to an increase in sand supply to a gravel-bed channel

It is generally accepted that a gravel-bed river will aggrade if the supply of sediment to the river is increased. In a series of flume experiments using constant discharge and gravel feed rate, sand feed rates were increased to 6.1 times that of gravel. The slope of the bed decreased with increasing sand supply, indicating that the increased sediment load could be transported at the same rate due to a decrease in shear stresses. These results extend previous experiments to a wider range of boundary conditions. A recent surface transport model is used to predict the changes in bed composition and transport using the same sediment supply composition and feed rates as in the laboratory experiments. This model reasonably predicts a decrease in the reference shear stresses of the sand and gravel fractions as the sand supply is increased. An increase in sand supply can increase the mobility of gravel fractions in the stream bed, which can lead to bed degradation and preferential evacuation of these sediments from the river.     

Survey of Palaeolithic sites by luminescence profiling, a case study from Eastern Europe

A luminescence-based approach to the rapid characterisation of sites in terms of their datability and sedimentary history is described (luminescence profiling), and contrasting results presented for three Palaeolithic archaeological sites in Russia. Three mineral/grain-size fractions (polymineral silt-sized, polymineral sand-sized, quartz-enriched sand-sized) were separated from each of many small samples taken through the sites’ stratigraphies. Luminescence signals from the different fractions were measured using infra-red light, blue light, and thermal stimulation. Patterns in luminescence sensitivity and equivalent dose values are used to indicate which sites, samples, fractions and/or signals may yield meaningful luminescence ages, and the experimental effort that may be required to obtain said ages. Case studies range from a site where a detailed chronostratigraphy might be produced using a limited number of full luminescence dates to tie in the profiling results, to a site where profiling indicates there is little chance of producing useful luminescence dates. These interpretations are based on dialogue between the luminescence profiling results and archaeological, palaeoenvironmental, and geomorphological evidence. Luminescence profiling is shown to be a useful tool for understanding sedimentological process at each site, independent of full luminescence dating.     

Stratigraphic constraints on late Pleistocene glacial erosion and deglaciation of the Chukchi margin, Arctic Ocean

At least two episodes of glacial erosion of the Chukchi margin at water depths to ∼ 450 m and 750 m have been indicated by geophysical seafloor data. We examine sediment stratigraphy in these areas to verify the inferred erosion and to understand its nature and timing. Our data within the eroded areas show the presence of glaciogenic diamictons composed mostly of reworked local bedrock. The diamictons are estimated to form during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and an earlier glacial event, possibly between OIS 4 to 5d. Both erosional events were presumably caused by the grounding of ice shelves originating from the Laurentide ice sheet. Broader glaciological settings differed between these events as indicated by different orientations of flutes on eroded seafloor. Postglacial sedimentation evolved from iceberg-dominated environments to those controlled by sea-ice rafting and marine processes in the Holocene. A prominent minimum in planktonic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O is identified in deglacial sediments at an estimated age near 13,000 cal yr BP. This δ¹⁸O minimum, also reported elsewhere in the Amerasia Basin, is probably related to a major Laurentide meltwater pulse at the Younger Dryas onset. The Bering Strait opening is also marked in the composition of late deglacial Chukchi sediments.