The distribution and geochemistry of some trace metals in the Bermuda coastal environment

Results of the analyses of the water column and sediments of the Bermuda Platform for Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn are presented. The major process controlling the water column concentrations is physical mixing of open ocean waters with inshore waters, which are polluted by a wide range of diffuse inputs. Sedimentation within the inshore waters plays a lesser, but significant, role as do fluxes from the sediments of Fe and Mn and possibly phytoplankton uptake of Zn. Concentrations within the sediments are controlled by the formation of trace metal enriched clay/organic particles in the inshore areas and their subsequent redistribution by sediment resuspension, except for Fe and Mn which are largely associated with clay lattices.     

Radiocaesium and 210Pb in Clyde sea loch sediments

Analysis of ²¹⁰Pb, ²²⁶Ra, ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs in short sediment cores provide first estimates of deposition rates in some Clyde sea lochs. The radio-caesium nuclides originate mainly in the liquid effluent released at distance from the Clyde by the Windscale nuclear fuel reprocessing plant and their concentrations in Clyde sediments provide information on (a) enrichment factors onto particulate matter, (b) surficial mixing coefficients and (c) sedimentation rates. A radiocaesium residence time in coastal waters of ca. 10³ years reflects the importance of scavenging by the high nearshore particulate flux. ²¹⁰Pb levels in sediments are controlled, in the unsupported fraction, by a major input sorbed on catchment particulates and, in the supported component, by ²²⁶Ra activities occasionally perturbed by unusually high surface values probably of planktonic origin. In one loch, detectable levels of ¹³⁴Cs and ⁶⁰Co are attributed to their discharge by nuclear submarines.     

Modelling sediment transport in stream channels in the arid zone of India

Ephemeral channels in arid regions convey larger amounts of sediment than perennial channels in humid regions. Sediment graphs at the outlet of channels have been derived by the standard sediment rating curve technique and by a lumped model based on the instantaneous unit sediment graph (IUSG) concept. The IUSG gives estimates of sediment transport that are better than those derived with the sediment rating curve as it takes into account the availability of erodible material within the channel bed.     

Long‐term carbon storage and hydrological control of CO2 exchange in tundra ponds in the Hudson Bay Lowland

Carbon dioxide fluxes and water balance were examined in 43 tundra ponds in the northern portion of the Hudson Bay Lowland near Churchill, Manitoba. Most of the ponds were hydrologically disconnected from their catchments during dry periods throughout the post‐melt season. However, episodic reconnection occurred following large precipitation events where depression storage was exceeded. Significant shifts in pond chemistry were observed following precipitation events, with the degree of CO₂ saturation increasing during these periods. Pond CO₂ concentrations rapidly fell to pre‐event levels following events, suggesting that hydrological connectivity can affect the magnitude and direction of CO₂ gas fluxes in tundra ponds. Atmospheric CO₂ invaded ponds with highly organic sediments for most of the summer, suggesting that terrestrially derived inorganic carbon was insufficient to meet the demands of algal net production. In contrast, ponds with highly mineral sediments continued to evade CO₂ during the summer. In a subset of 11 ponds, long‐term rates of carbon accumulation in sediment ranged from 0·6 to 2·2 mol C m^?2 year^?1. Very strong correlations existed between average sediment accumulation rates and pond perimeters and basin areas suggesting that peat may be a major source of sediment carbon. Aeolian transport is also a potentially large source of sediment carbon. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characteristics of resuspended sediment from Georges Bank collected with a sediment trap

A sediment trap was deployed 3 m from the bottom at a water depth of 62 m on the southern flank of Georges Bank (41°02·2′N, 67°33·5′W) from 30 September 1978 to 10 March 1979 to qualitatively determine the size of sediments resuspended from the bottom by winter storms and to determine if seasonal changes in the phytoplankton could be observed in the trapped sediment.Bulk X-ray analyses of the trapped sediment showed layers of distinctly different textures preserved in the collection vessel. The median grain size of sampled layers ranged from 2·7 to 6·5 φ (fine sand to silt), but all layers contained a pronounced mode in the 3 φ (fine sand) range. Nine layers containing relatively large amounts of sand were present. The sand content was 75% in the coarest layers and about 32% in the fine layers. The median grain size of bottom sediments at the deployment site was considerably coarser than the trap samples, although the dominant grain size was also 3 φ.Average bottom-current speeds during the deployment period were about 30 cm s^?1 with a range of 10 to 50 cm s^?1. Bottom stress, computed from the observed currents and waves, suggest that 11 storms caused sufficient stress to resuspend 3 φ-sized sediments, in good agreement with the nine layers of relatively coarse sediments collected in the trap. Surface waves had to be included in the calculation of bottom stress because the bottom currents alone were insufficient to cause the resuspension of 3 φ-sized sediment.The trapped sediments contain numerous diatoms and coccoliths that are typical of late fall and winter assemblages. No clear seasonal difference in the flora was noted among sampled layers, probably due to the large influx of resuspended material and a reduced primary flux during this period. An undescribed species of Thalassiosira (G. Fryxell, personal communication), and siliceous scales of unknown systematic position were observed at all levels.     

Pleistocene fluvial sediments,palaeontology and archaeology of the upper River Thames at Latton,Wiltshire, England

Pleistocene fluvial sediments of the Northmoor Member of the Upper Thames Formation exposed at Latton, Wiltshire, record episodic deposition close to the Churn–Thames confluence possibly spanning the interval from Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 7 to 2. The sequence is dominated by gravel facies, indicating deposition by a high‐energy, gravel‐bed river. A number of fine‐grained organic sediment bodies within the sequence have yielded palaeoenvironmental and biostratigraphical data from Mollusca, Coleoptera, vertebrates, pollen and plant macrofossils. The basal deposit (Facies Association A) contains faunal material indicating temperate conditions. Most of the palaeontological evidence including a distinctive small form of mammoth (Mammuthus cf. trogontherii), together with the U‐series age estimate of >147.4 ± 20 kyr suggest correlation with MIS 7. The overlying deposits (Facies Associations B and C) represent deposition under a range of climatic conditions. Two fine‐grained organic deposits occurred within Association B; one (Association Ba) in the northern part of the pit as a channel fill and the other (Association Bb) in its southern part as a scour‐fill deposit. The coleopteran assemblages from Ba, indicate that it accumulated under temperate oceanic conditions, while Bb, which also yielded a radiocarbon age estimate of 39 560 ± 780 ¹⁴C yr BP, was formed under much colder and more continental climatic conditions. The sequence is considered to represent deposition within an alluvial fan formed at the Churn–Thames confluence; a depositional scenario which may account for the juxtaposition of sediments and fossils of widely differing age within the same altitudinal range. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

黄河沉积物中稀土元素(REE)组成的粒度效应*

依据Stokes颗粒沉降原理将黄河利津水文站和汊河清八站的表层沉积物分别提取为<2μm,2~4μm,4~8μm,8~16μm,16~32μm和32~63μm的6个粒级,采用ICP-MS法对各个粒级沉积物的15个稀土元素进行测试。结果表明:黄河沉积物两个样品REE含量随粒度增大的变化趋势有细微差别,但总体随粒度大小呈"高—低—高"的不对称马鞍型分布,其中最高REE含量和最低REE含量分别位于<4μm的粘土粒级和4~16μm细粉砂粒级中; 各粒级沉积物经北美页岩标准化后,REE的配分模式一致,呈平缓的右倾型,相对富集轻稀土,明显的Eu正异常和Ce负异常。对各个粒级样品进行X射线衍射分析及体视镜下观测,石英含量随粒级增大而增加, 长石在8~16μm中含量最高,在16~32μm中,碳酸岩含量最高,随着粒级增大,重矿物含量逐渐增加,黄河沉积物REE随粒度的变化特征与粘土矿物对其吸附及流域碎屑沉积物不同粒级的矿物成分密切相关。