Reinterpreting Rotherslade,Gower Peninsula: implications for Last Glacial ice limits and Quaternary stratigraphy of the British Isles

Rotherslade on the Gower Peninsula in south Wales has been viewed as a key site for the reconstruction of Quaternary depositional environments in the British Isles. Since the early 20th century, and certainly since the 1980s, the accepted view has been that Rotherslade is the most westerly location on the south Gower coast where there is in situ basal till exposed and that, logically, this location marks the position of the LGM ice limit. However, reinvestigation of the sediments and their architecture, and analysis of clast fabrics and thin sections of critical sedimentary units, show that none of the exposed sediments has properties diagnostic of subglacial deposition or deformation. We postulate here that LGM ice terminated at the western side of Swansea Bay, a few kilometres to the north‐east of Rotherslade, and propose that the sedimentary sequence comprises Early to Middle Devensian periglacial sediments, overlain by a complex of Late Devensian, ice‐proximal outwash fan deposits, an assemblage of paraglacial debris and, finally, periglacial mass movement deposits. The proposed repositioning of the Late Devensian ice limit and the associated new subaerial interpretation of the sediments suggest that a reassessment of sedimentary sequences (Hunts Bay, Western Slade) and landforms (Paviland Moraine) farther west on Gower, which have attained similar stratigraphical status, is now warranted. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydro-climatic Characteristics of Yarlung Zangbo River Basin since the Last Glacial Maximum

Global climate changes significantly impact the water condition of big rivers in glacierized high mountains. However,there is a lack of studies on hydrological changes within river basins caused by climate changes over a geological timescale due to the impossibility of direct observations. In this study, we examine the hydro-climatic variation of the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin in the Tibet Plateau since the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) by combining δ18 O proxy records in Indian and Omani caves with the simulated Indian summer monsoon, surface temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration and runoff via the Community Climate System Model and the reconstructed glacier coverage via the Parallel Ice Sheet Model. The mean river runoff was kept at a low level of 145 billion cubic meters per year until an abrupt increase at a rate of 8.7 million cubic meters per year in the B?lling-Aller?d interval(BA). The annual runoff reached a maximum of 250 billion cubic meters in the early Holocene and then reduced to the current value of 180 billion cubic meters at a rate of 6.4 million cubic meters per year. The low runoff in the LGM and Heinrich Stadial 1(HS1) is likely attributed to such a small contribution of precipitation to runoff and the large glacier cover. The percentage of precipitation to runoff was only 20%during the LGM and HS1. Comparison of glacier area among different periods indicates that the fastest deglaciation occurred during the late HS1, when nearly 60% of glacier area disappeared in the middle reach, 50% in the upper reach,and 30% in the lower reach. The rapid deglaciation and increasing runoff between the late HS1 and BA may have accelerated widespread ice-dam breaches and led to extreme outburst flood events. Combining local geological proxy records and regional simulations could be a useful approach for the study of paleo-hydrologic variations in big river basins.     

Oxygen and carbon stable isotope studies onGloborotalia menardii from Pleistocene DSDP Cores in northern Indian Ocean and their paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic implications

Stable isotope ratios of oxygen (δ¹⁸O) and carbon (δ¹³C) in tests ofGloborotalia menardii from samples at 25 cm intervals of top 900 cm cores, representing different thicknesses of the Pleistocene, from DSDP Sites 219, 220 and 241 in the northern Indian Ocean have been measured. Based on the δ¹⁸O stratigraphy, glacial and interglacial phases during the Pleistocene have been recognized, which are in good agreement with the standard Quaternary planktonic foraminiferal/climatic zones i.e., Ericson zones at these sites, based onG. menardii abundances. The GIA (glacial interglacial amplitude) at Sites 241, 219 and 220 are of the order of 1·2, 1·4 and 1·9‰ respectively. The last glacial and interglacial maxima (18 ka BP and 125 ka BP respectively) could be identified in DSDP Cores 241, and 219 with some precision. ‘Isotopic ages’ could be assigned to the different levels of these core sections based on the correlation of δ¹⁸O record from these sites with the SPECMAP record (Imbrieet al 1984). Changes in sediment accumulation rates at different levels of the Pleistocene have been worked out on the basis of changes in oxygen isotopic ratio. Oscillations in δ¹³C stratigraphy at Site 241 indicated southwest monsoon induced increase in upwelling and productivity during warmer periods. At Sites 219 and 220, variations in the δ¹³C record were due to the mixing of bottom water.     

34000年以来南极汞沉降通量的估算

本文统计分析了南极DomeC冰芯中汞含量和降水指征参数δ1 8O值、1 0 Be浓度的关系 ,发现冰芯中Hg含量和δ1 8O值、1 0 Be浓度变化一致 ,表明DomeC冰芯汞含量受到冰雪积累率的影响 ,而且三者变化的高度同步性可能说明其原始驱动力也是一致的 ,从而冰芯中Hg含量可以和1 0 Be浓度一样作为冰雪积累率估算的替代性指标。此外 ,利用δ1 8O数据 ,系统估算了 340 0 0年以来南极汞沉降通量的变化。结果表明 ,DomeC冰芯汞沉降通量在末次冰盛期 (LGM)最高 ,为 3.80pgcm- 2 a- 1 ,约是全新世汞沉降通量 ( 1 .0 8pgcm- 2 a- 1 )的 3.5倍 ,该变化可能主要受到汞的自然排放量影响。     

Comparison of Late Pleistocene and Modern Glacier Extents in Central Nepal Based on Digital Elevation Data and Satellite Imagery

Late Pleistocene and modern ice extents in central Nepal are compared to estimate equilibrium line altitude (ELA) depressions. New techniques are used for determining the former extent of glaciers based on quantitative, objective geomorphic analyses of a 90-m resolution digital elevation model (DEM). For every link of the drainage network, valley form is classified as glacial or fluvial based on cross-valley shape and slope statistics. Down-valley transitions from glacial to fluvial form indicate the former limits of glaciation in each valley. Landsat Multispectral Scanner imagery for the same region is used to map current glacier extents. For both full-glacial and modern cases, ELAs are computed from the glacier limits using the DEM and a toe-to-headwall altitude ratio of 0.5. Computed ELA depressions range from 100–900 m with a modal value of 650 m and a mean of 500 m, values consistent with previously published estimates for the central Himalaya but markedly smaller than estimates for many other regions. We suggest that this reflects reduced precipitation, rather than a small temperature depression, consistent with other evidence for a weaker monsoon under full-glacial conditions.     

Relationships between sedimentary diatom assemblages and lakewater pH values in the Experimental Lakes Area

Relationships between sedimentary diatom assemblages and lakewater pH values from 36 lakes and experimentally acidified Lake 223, in the Experimental Lakes Area, were analyzed. The relationships were used to assign diatoms in the 36 lakes into pH preference groupings. Based on their regional distribution Cyclotella stelligera and Tabellaria flocculosa strain IIIp were categorized as pH indifferent, in comparison to other areas were they have been categorized as acidophilic. Two models were then applied to calculate transfer coefficients which were used to calculate diatom-inferred pH values for Lake 223. Index B and a multiple linear regression of the pH groupings yielded similar correlations (r² 0.82 and 0.84 respectively, p=0.0001). The multiple linear regression inferred a pH of 5.36 for acidified Lake 223 compared to a measured pH of 5.46.     

The Late Pleistocene clastic deposits in the Romito Cave,southern Italy: a proxy record of environmental changes and human presence

Clastic sediments deposited in caves and rock shelters bear peculiar sedimentological characteristics and have seldom been considered as a high‐resolution proxy record of climatic or environmental changes. The Romito Cave has its entrance at 275 m above sea level, about 25 km from the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria, southern Italy. New archaeological excavation performed since 2000 has revealed a sedimentary succession spanning the record of Gravettian to Late Epigravettian cultures (Late Pleistocene). The present study focuses on the lower part (2.5 m thick) of the succession, where three main unconformity‐bounded stratigraphic units have been recognised (labelled RM1–3). Each unit consists of water‐lain deposits indicating high‐ to low‐competence flow, capped with anthropogenic deposits. The gradual deactivation and reactivation of the water drainage between 23 475 ± 190 and 16 250 ± 500 cal. a BP is correlated with regional precipitation changes due to the onset of dry climatic conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum. However, the deactivation of cave drainage after the deposition of unit RM3, around 15 400 ± 500 cal. a BP, deviates from the regional hydrological trend of progressively increasing water discharges and is attributed to the drainage cut‐off by probable cave wall collapses. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Postglacial relative sea‐level observations from Ireland and their role in glacial rebound modelling

The British Isles have been the focus of a number of recent modelling studies owing to the existence of a high‐quality sea‐level dataset for this region and the suitability of these data for constraining shallow earth viscosity structure, local to regional ice sheet histories and the magnitude/timing of global meltwater signals. Until recently, the paucity of both glaciological and relative sea‐level (RSL) data from Ireland has meant that the majority of these glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) modelling studies of the British Isles region have tended to concentrate on reconstructing ice cover over Britain. However, the recent development of a sea‐level database for Ireland along with emergence of new glaciological data on the spatial extent, thickness and deglacial chronology of the Irish Ice Sheet means it is now possible to revisit this region of the British Isles. Here, we employ these new data to constrain the evolution of the Irish Ice Sheet. We find that in order to reconcile differences between model predictions and RSL evidence, a thick, spatially extensive ice sheet of ～600–700 m over much of north and central Ireland is required at the LGM with very rapid deglaciation after 21 k cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MM5 Simulations of the China Regional Climate During the LGM.I: In uence of CO2 and Earth Orbit Change

Using a regional climate model MM5 nested to an atmospheric global climate model CCM3, a series of simulations and sensitivity experiments have been performed to investigate the relative Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climate response to different mechanisms over China. Model simulations of the present day (PD) climate and the LGM climate change are in good agreement with the observation data and geological records, especially in the simulation of precipitation change. Under the PD and LGM climate,changes of earth orbital parameters have a small influence on the annual mean temperature over China.However, the magnitude of the effect shows a seasonal pattern, with a significant response in winter. Thus,this influence cannot be neglected. During the LGM, CO2 concentration reached its lowest point to 200 ppmv. This results in a temperature decrease over China. The influences of CO2 concentration on climate show seasonal and regional patterns as well, with a signi cant influence in winter. On the contrary, CO2 concentration has less impact in summer season. In some cases, temperature even increases with decreasing in CO2 concentration. This temperature increase is the outcome of decrease in cloud amount; hence increase the solar radiation that reached the earth's surface. This result suggests that cloud amount plays a very important role in climate change and could direct the response patterns of some climate variables such as temperature during certain periods and over certain regions. In the Tibetan Plateau, the temperature responses to changes of the above two factors are generally weaker than those in other regions because the cloud amount in this area is generally more than in the other areas. Relative to the current climate, changes in orbital parameters have less impact on the LGM climate than changes in CO2 concentration. However,both factors have rather less contributions to the climate change in the LGM. About 3%-10% changes in the annual mean temperature are contributed by CO2.     

末次盛冰期以来南海南部天然气水合物储库变化及其对环境的影响

末次盛冰期以来南海南部海平面及海洋底水温度均发生了很大的变化. 为了研究南海南部天然气水合物稳定带厚度在这个过程中的变化情况及其对环境的影响,我们利用相关的计算公式,并编制了计算稳定带厚度的程序,在南海南部的南沙海槽、曾母盆地、巴拉望盆地和苏禄海等四个重点海域选取了35个点进行末次盛冰期及目前稳定带厚度的计算. 计算结果表明,南海南部末次盛冰期和目前的天然气水合物稳定带厚度分别为262m和233m;甲烷资源量分别为269×1013m3和239×1013m3;水合物资源量分别为164×1011m3和146×1011m3. 这说明自末次盛冰期以来,南海南部稳定带厚度平均减薄了29m,平均减薄百分比为12%,同时释放了大约30×1012m3的甲烷,这些甲烷对环境产生了较大影响,对末次冰期的结束起了较大作用.