An origin for laminated glacimarine sediments through sea-ice build-up and suppressed iceberg rafting

Laminated glacimarine sediments are observed in visual core logs and x-radiographs from Scoresby Sund and Nansen Fjord, east Greenland. They are mostly underlain and overlain by massive or stratified glacimarine diamicton (Dmm or Dms), which is a product of iceberg delivery of heterogeneous debris and, in Scoresby Sund, reworking by deep-drafted iceberg keels. The laminated sediments are AMS radiocarbon dated to two cold periods since the last, Late Weichselian deglaciation: the Younger Dryas stadial (Milne Land Stadial in east Greenland) and the Little Ice Age. During cold climatic events, multiyear shorefast sea ice ('sikussak') formed in these fjords and trapped the icebergs. Fine-grained, laminated muds (Fl) were deposited in Scoresby Sund when the flux of icebergs was suppressed, but turbid meltwater continued to provide some sediment flux to the fjord systems, varying through time to produce laminations. In Nansen Fjord, thinner and often massive mud layers (Fm) resulted from shorter intervals of sea-ice cover with no ice rafting. Stratified diamicton layers (Dms), which alternate with mud deposition to produce a laminated unit, probably represent intervening times of more open conditions with iceberg rafting. In Scoresby Sund, foraminifera are either absent from the laminated unit or begin to appear towards the end of its deposition. The absence of both benthic and planktonic foraminifera also suggests that multiyear sea ice was covering the core sites. There is no evidence of macrofaunal activity, and bioturbation is absent from the laminated sediments. Satellite data show that multiyear shorefast sea ice is present in several areas of the high Arctic today, and this traps icebergs calved from interior ice-cap drainage basins. Thus, the process of laminated glacimarine sediment formation is likely to be applicable to a number of areas of the modern and Quaternary Arctic.     

Late quaternary glacial stades in the Cordillera Central,Colombia, based on glacial geomorphology,tephra–soil stratigraphy,palynology, and radiocarbon dating

Using data from glacial geomorphology, tephra–soil stratigraphy and mineralogy, palynology, and radiocarbon dating, a sequence of glacial and bioclimatic stades and interstades has been identified for the last ca. 50000 yr in the Ruiz-Tolima massif, Cordillera Central, Colombia. Six Pleistocene cold stades separated by warmer interstades occurred: before 48000, between 48000 and 33000, between 28000 and 21000, from ≥16000 to ca. 14000, ca. 13000–12400, and ca. 11000–10000 yr BP. Although these radiocarbon ages are minimum-limiting ages obtained from tephra layers on top of tills, the tills are not significantly older because most are bracketed by dated tephra sets in measured stratigraphic sections. Two minor moraine stages likely reflect glacier standstill during cold intervals ca. 7400 yr BP and slightly earlier. Finally, glaciers readvanced between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. In contrast to the ice-clad volcanoes of the massif, ca. 34 km² in area above an altitude of ca. 4800 m, the ice cover expanded to 1200 km² during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and was still 800 km² during Late-glacial time (LGT). Glacier reconstructions based on the moraines suggest depression of the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) by ca. 1100 m during the LGM and 500–600 m during LGT relative to the modern ELA, which lies at ca. 5100 m in the Cordillera Central. Glaciers in this region apparently reached their greatest extent when the climate was cold and wet, e.g. during stades corresponding to Oxygen Isotope Stage 3; glaciers were still expanding during the LGM ca. 28000–21000 yr BP, but they shrank considerably after 21000 yr BP because of greatly reduced precipitation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

云南点苍山冰川湖泊沉积物磁化率的影响因素及其环境意义

文章通过对点苍山海拔3820m冰水沉积剖面的粒度参数、磁化率、氧化铁含量和有机质含量的综合实验分析,并讨论了这些指标的相互关系及其环境意义。实验结果表明,磁化率的强度与粗砂组分的含量成正相关,而与粘土等细粒组分含量成负相关;同时与有机质含量成负相关,与氧化铁含量成正相关。矿物组分分析实验表明,沉积物主要磁性来源于磁化铁。根据以上结果,结合冰川湖泊流域面积小、高寒环境的特点,其磁化率的影响因素与一般湖泊不同,认为冰川湖泊沉积中,因为物源较近导致外源磁性矿物主要赋存于粒度较粗的碎屑颗粒中,而高寒的环境条件使得有机质对沉积物的磁性矿物起到了稀释的作用,而很难有积极的贡献。根据磁化率的环境意义,恢复了全新世以来点苍山的古气候,从中可以划分6个不同的气候阶段:11.5～10.6kaB.P.,10.6～8.9kaB.P.,8.9～5.5kaB.P.,5.5～3.3kaB.P.,3.3～0.8kaB.P.和0.8kaB.P.至今,代表了末次冰期结束以后湖泊从产生至消亡的全过程。根据与其他相关地区的对比,分析了西南季风演变的一些规律。     

The postglacial history of three Picea species in New England, USA

Given the difficulty of separating the three Picea species—P. glauca, P. mariana, and P. rubens (white, black, and red spruce)—in the pollen record, little is known about their unique histories in eastern North America following deglaciation. Here we report the first use of a classification tree analysis (CART) to distinguish pollen grains of these species. It was successfully applied to fossil pollen from eight sites in Maine and one in Massachusetts. We focused on the late glacial/early Holocene (14,000 to 8000 cal yr B.P.) and the late Holocene (1400 cal yr B.P. to present)—the two key periods since deglaciation when Picea has been abundant in the region. The result shows a shift from a Picea forest of P. glauca and P. mariana in the late glacial to a forest of P. rubens and P. mariana in the late Holocene. The small number of P. rubens grains identified from the late glacial/early Holocene samples (<5%) suggests that that species was either absent or rare at most of the sites. The occurrence and distribution of the three species do not reveal any geographic or temporal trend during late glacial time, but the data suggest that they were distributed in local patches on the landscape. The results of this study indicate that the recent population expansion of Picea (1000 to 500 cal yr B.P.) was likely the first time since deglaciation that P. rubens was abundant in the region.     

他念他翁山中段第四纪冰川作用ESR定年初步研究

他念他翁山中段地处青藏高原东南部和云贵高原过渡地带,海拔4 200 m以上保存着确切的第四纪冰川遗迹.对其进行深入研究,不仅可以重建横断山脉冰川作用的演化历史,还能够为青藏高原的隆升机制提供重要依据.采用野外地貌调查与电子自旋共振测年（ESR）相结合的方法,查明他念他翁山第四纪冰川发育的地貌特点,并初步对研究区的冰期系列进行划分.结果显示,他念他翁山中段古冰川类型主要为山麓冰川、山谷冰川和冰斗冰川.晚第四纪以来至少经历了4次冰川作用,分别为倒数第二次冰期（MIS 6）,年代为（192±51）~（207±45）ka;末次冰期中期（MIS 3）,年代为（55±8）~（54±9）ka;末次冰盛期（MIS 2）,年代为（25±1）~（38±6）ka,以及全新世新冰期/小冰期（MIS 1）.     

Towards a climate event stratigraphy for New Zealand over the past 30 000 years (NZ‐INTIMATE project)

It is widely recognised that the acquisition of high‐resolution palaeoclimate records from southern mid‐latitude sites is essential for establishing a coherent picture of inter‐hemispheric climate change and for better understanding of the role of Antarctic climate dynamics in the global climate system. New Zealand is considered to be a sensitive monitor of climate change because it is one of a few sizeable landmasses in the Southern Hemisphere westerly circulation zone, a critical transition zone between subtropical and Antarctic influences. New Zealand has mountainous axial ranges that amplify the climate signals and, consequently, the environmental gradients are highly sensitive to subtle changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Since 1995, INTIMATE has, through a series of international workshops, sought ways to improve procedures for establishing the precise ages of climate events, and to correlate them with high precision, for the last 30 000 calendar years. The NZ‐INTIMATE project commenced in late 2003, and has involved virtually the entire New Zealand palaeoclimate community. Its aim is to develop an event stratigraphy for the New Zealand region over the past 30 000 years, and to reconcile these events against the established climatostratigraphy of the last glacial cycle which has largely been developed from Northern Hemisphere records (e.g. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Termination I, Younger Dryas). An initial outcome of NZ‐INTIMATE has been the identification of a series of well‐dated, high‐resolution onshore and offshore proxy records from a variety of latitudes and elevations on a common calendar timescale from 30 000 cal. yr BP to the present day. High‐resolution records for the last glacial coldest period (LGCP) (including the LGM sensu stricto) and last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT) from Auckland maars, Kaipo and Otamangakau wetlands on eastern and central North Island, marine core MD97‐2121 east of southern North Island, speleothems on northwest South Island, Okarito wetland on southwestern South Island, are presented. Discontinuous (fragmentary) records comprising compilations of glacial sequences, fluvial sequences, loess accumulation, and aeolian quartz accumulation in an andesitic terrain are described. Comparisons with ice‐core records from Antarctica (EPICA Dome C) and Greenland (GISP2) are discussed. A major advantage immediately evident from these records apart from the speleothem record, is that they are linked precisely by one or more tephra layers. Based on these New Zealand terrestrial and marine records, a reasonably coherent, regionally applicable, sequence of climatically linked stratigraphic events over the past 30 000 cal. yr is emerging. Three major climate events are recognised: (1) LGCP beginning at ca. 28 000 cal. yr BP, ending at Termination I, ca. 18 000 cal. yr BP, and including a warmer and more variable phase between ca. 27 000 and 21 000 cal. yr BP, (2) LGIT between ca. 18 000 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, including a Lateglacial warm period from ca. 14 800 to 13 500 cal. yr BP and a Lateglacial climate reversal between ca. 13 500 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, and (3) Holocene interglacial conditions, with two phases of greatest warmth between ca. 11 600 and 10 800 cal. yr BP and from ca. 6 800 to 6 500 cal. yr BP. Some key boundaries coincide with volcanic tephras. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2000—2020年兴都库什东部冰川区物质平衡变化及其影响因素

利用SRTM DEM和ASTER立体像对数据获取的DEM分析了2000—2020年兴都库什东部的冰川物质平衡,并结合CRU TS 4.04气象数据探讨了气温、降水、地形和冰湖对南、北冰川区物质平衡空间差异的影响。结果表明：2000—2020年兴都库什东部冰川区物质平衡为（-0.02±0.04） m w.e.·a^-1,冰川整体呈现微弱的负物质平衡状态。从坡向来看,南坡以正物质平衡冰川居多,北坡以负物质平衡冰川居多。从南、北两个子区域来看,北部冰川区物质平衡为（0.07±0.04） m w.e.·a^-1,南部冰川区物质平衡为（-0.32±0.04） m w.e.·a^-1。北部冰川面积规模大,所处海拔区间高,南部则相反。北部冰川区处于较高的海拔区间且冬季气温较低,导致夏季升温所产生的冰川消融的影响被削弱,冰川物质平衡的分布与降水分布在空间上具有一致性。南部冰川区出现的强烈物质亏损主要是由于夏季气温的急剧升高和冰川处于较低的海拔区间。南、北区域冰前湖和冰面湖面积不断扩大的空间差异性,也在一定程度上加剧了该地区冰川物质平衡的空间差异。     

250kaB.P.以来西太平洋暖池中心区——Ontong Java海台古生产力演化

多年平均表层水温超过28℃的"西太平洋暖池",是全球海平面高度的加热中心和大气三大环流的辐散中心。为评价西太平洋暖池中心区域海洋生物泵的演化特征、规律与机制,本文以位于热带西太平洋暖池核心区——Ontong Java海台的WP7柱状样为材料,通过提取浮游有孔虫δ13C组成、底栖有孔虫群落和钙质超微化石下透光带属种Florisphaera profunda相对百分含量变化等指标,反演该区250kaB.P.以来的古生产力的演化历史。研究结果表明,250kaB.P.以来西太平洋暖池中心区的古生产力演化与地球轨道变化控制的冰期-间冰期旋回以及岁差控制的太阳辐照率密切相关。在冰期-间冰期尺度上,西太平洋暖池中心区距今250ka以来的生产力变化间冰期明显低于冰期,而且在间冰期阶段生产力相对稳定,冰期波动幅度较大。在冰期或间冰期背景下显著的岁差周期是该区古生产力演化的又一重要特征。而且在岁差波段生物生产力的变化可能领先极地冰体积变化2～4ka左右。热带东西太平洋的古生产力演化在冰期-间冰期变化和岁差尺度上存在ENSO式的变动机制,而且二者互相调谐,产生了似30ka和19ka周期,并出现了"半30ka周期"和半岁差周期。此外,WP7孔Neogloboqudrina dutertrei的δ13C显示在MIS 1/2,MIS 3/4和MIS 5e/6的冰期向间冰期的过渡期的冰消期阶段存在变轻事件,可能与数千年尺度的大洋环流演化有关。     

Paleoclimate studies and natural-resource management in the Murray-Darling Basin I: past,present and future climates

This paper provides an incisive review of paleoclimate science and its relevance to natural-resource management within the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). The drought of 1997–2010 focussed scientific, public and media attention on intrinsic climate variability and the confounding effect of human activity, especially in terms of water-resource management. Many policy and research reviews make statements about future planning with little consideration of climate change and without useful actionable knowledge. In order to understand future climate changes, modellers need, and demand, better paleoclimate data to constrain their model projections. Here, we present an insight into a number of existing long-term paleoclimate studies relevant to the MDB. Past records of climate, in response to orbital forcing (glacial–interglacial cycles) are found within, and immediately outside, the MDB. High-resolution temperature records, spanning the last 10⁵ years, exist from floodplains and cave speleothems, as well as evidence from lakes and their associated lunettes. More recently, historical climate records show major changes in relation to El Niño–Southern Oscillation cycles and decadal shifts in rainfall regimes. A considerable body of research currently exists on the past climates of southeastern Australia but, this has not been collated and validated over large spatial scales. It is clear that a number of knowledge gaps still exist, and there is a pressing need for the establishment of new paleoclimatic research within the MDB catchment and within adjacent, sensitive catchments if past climate science is to fulfil its potential to provide policy-relevant information to natural-resource management into the future.