Carbon isotope stratigraphy of Lochkovian to Eifelian limestones from the Devonian of central and southern Europe

Lower to Middle Devonian carbonates of the Prague Syncline, the Carnic Alps, the Montagne Noire, and the Cantabrian Mountains were investigated for δ¹³C_carb and δ¹³C_org. These values were measured on bulk rocks, selected components and cements. Many carbonates exhibit primary marine values, but some are altered by diagenesis. A δ¹³C curve can be presented for the latest Pridolian to Emsian time interval. Several sharp or broad positive excursions are obvious in the woschmidti-postwoschmidti, sulcatus, kitabicus, Late serotinus, and kockelianus conodont zones. The excursion at the Silurian–Devonian boundary is known worldwide and therefore considered global in nature. Some of the others are described for the first time from central and southern Europe, and their global nature has to be verified by further investigations in other regions. Most excursions relate to and/or started during major regressions whereas sea-level highstands correspond to minimal δ¹³C values. Similar relationships between sea-level changes and δ¹³C have been observed from other early Palaeozoic intervals. The transgressive Chote? (?) and Ka?ák events are marked by positive isotope excursions, this type of combination is usually observed in late Palaeozoic to Cenozoic black shale events.     

Radium tracing of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and associated nutrient fluxes in a highly-permeable bed coastal zone, Korea

In order to estimate submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and SGD-driven nutrient fluxes, we measured the concentrations of nutrients, ²²⁴Ra, and ²²⁶Ra in seawater, river water, and coastal groundwater of Yeongil Bay (in the southeastern coast of Korea) in August 2004 and February 2005. The bottom sediments over the shallow areas of this bay are composed mainly of coarse sands. Large excess concentrations of ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and Si supplied from SGD were observed in August 2004, while these excess concentrations were not apparent in February 2005. Based on the mass balance for ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and Si, which showed conservative mixing behavior in seawater, SGD was estimated to be approximately 6 × 10⁶ m³ day^− 1 (seepage rate = 0.2 m day^− 1) in shallow areas (< 9 m water depth) in August 2004, which is much higher than the SGD level typically found in other coastal regions worldwide. During the summer period, SGD-driven nutrients in this bay contributed approximately 98%, 12%, and 76% of the total inputs for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), phosphorus (DIP), and silicate (DSi), respectively. Our study implies that the ecosystem in this highly permeable bed coastal zone is influenced strongly by SGD during summer, while such influences are negligible in winter.     

Food web structure within kelp holdfasts (Laminaria): a stable isotope study

Kelp holdfasts are highly reticulated structures which host a large diversity of small fauna. These microhabitats have been reported to play a crucial role in the biodiversity associated to kelp forest ecosystems. This study aimed at identifying trophic links and the main food sources sustaining food webs within communities associated with kelp holdfasts, through a stable isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) approach. Sampling of the main invertebrates inhabiting Laminaria digitata holdfasts, and of their potential food sources, took place in February and May 2007. Stable isotope results reveal that most of the primary consumers, including filter-feeders and deposit-feeders, rely on the particulate organic matter sedimented within kelp holdfasts. Only three grazers departed from this general pattern. The correspondence between the stable isotope ratios of predators and sediment consumers indicated that this source is at the base of the main pathway through which energy and matter transit in the food web. δ¹⁵N ranges found for consumers revealed that the food web associated with kelp holdfasts is composed of 3.5 levels. In spite of the low diversity of food sources at the base of the food web, these microhabitats can therefore be considered micro-scale ecosystems, from a functional perspective.     

Applications of C and N stable isotopes to ecological and environmental studies in seagrass ecosystems

Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen are increasingly used in marine ecosystems, for ecological and environmental studies. Here, we examine some applications of stable isotopes as ecological integrators or tracers in seagrass ecosystem studies. We focus on both the use of natural isotope abundance as food web integrators or environmental tracers and on the use of stable isotopes as experimental tools. As ecosystem integrators, stable isotopes have helped to elucidate the general structure of trophic webs in temperate, Mediterranean and tropical seagrass ecosystems. As environmental tracers, stable isotopes have proven their utility in sewage impact measuring and mapping. However, to make such environmental studies more comprehensible, future works on understanding of basic reasons for variations of N and C stable isotopes in seagrasses should be encouraged. At least, as experimental tracers, stable isotopes allow the study of many aspects of N and C cycles at the scale of a plant or at the scale of the seagrass ecosystem.     

Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic characterization of rainfall and throughfall in four South Korean cool temperate forests

Understanding the isotopic composition of precipitation in a forested catchment is critical for ecohydrological studies. Changes in the water isotopes of rainfall were assessed during its passage through the canopy in throughfall, and the effect of different forest stands on the isotope composition of throughfall. In a cool temperate forest in Korea, rainfall and throughfall samples collected under Pinus densiflora (red pine), Castanea crenata (chestnut), Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust) and mixed stands (mix of these three species) were analysed for oxygen and hydrogen isotopes. Throughfall δ¹⁸O and δD were enriched compared to rainfall. A difference of δ¹⁸O and δD among throughfall may be related to the difference in interception–storage capacity of different species due to dissimilar canopy characteristics. Since isotopic composition of throughfall and rainfall are different due to canopy isotopic effects, use of rainfall isotopic signatures for ecohydrological studies in forested ecosystem can lead to biases.     

Rates of rockwall slope erosion in the upper Bhagirathi catchment,Garhwal Himalaya

Rockwall slope erosion is defined for the upper Bhagirathi catchment using cosmogenic Beryllium-10 (¹⁰Be) concentrations in sediment from medial moraines on Gangotri glacier. Beryllium-10 concentrations range from 1.1 ± 0.2 to 2.7 ± 0.3 × 10⁴ at/g SiO₂, yielding rockwall slope erosion rates from 2.4 ± 0.4 to 6.9 ± 1.9 mm/a. Slope erosion rates are likely to have varied over space and time and responded to shifts in climate, geomorphic and/or tectonic regime throughout the late Quaternary. Geomorphic and sedimentological analyses confirm that the moraines are predominately composed of rockfall and avalanche debris mobilized from steep relief rockwall slopes via periglacial weathering processes. The glacial rockwall slope erosion affects sediment flux and storage of snow and ice at the catchment head on diurnal to millennial timescales, and more broadly influences catchment configuration and relief, glacier dynamics and microclimates. The slope erosion rates exceed the averaged catchment-wide and exhumation rates of Bhagirathi and the Garhwal region on geomorphic timescales (10³−10⁵ years), supporting the view that erosion at the headwaters can outpace the wider catchment. The ¹⁰Be concentrations of medial moraine sediment for the upper Bhagirathi catchment and the catchments of Chhota Shigri in Lahul, northern India and Baltoro glacier in Central Karakoram, Pakistan show a tentative relationship between ¹⁰Be concentration and precipitation. As such there is more rapid glacial rockwall slope erosion in the monsoon-influenced Lesser and Greater Himalaya compared to the semi-arid interior of the orogen. Rockwall slope erosion in the three study areas, and more broadly across the northwest Himalaya is likely governed by individual catchment dynamics that vary across space and time. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mineralogy, geochemistry, and Nd isotope composition of the Rainbow hydrothermal field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Petrological, geochemical, and Nd isotopic analyses have been carried out on rock samples from the Rainbow vent field to assess the evolution of the hydrothermal system. The Rainbow vent field is an ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal system located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge characterized by vigorous high-temperature venting (∼365°C) and unique chemical composition of fluids: high chlorinity, low pH and very high Fe, and rare earth element (REE) contents (Douville et al., Chemical Geology 184:37–48, 2002). Serpentinization has occurred under a low-temperature (<270°C) retrograde regime, later overprinted by a higher temperature sulfide mineralization event. Retrograde serpentinization reactions alone cannot reproduce the reported heat and specific chemical features of Rainbow hydrothermal fluids. The following units were identified within the deposit: (1) nonmineralized serpentinite, (2) mineralized serpentinite—stockwork, (3) steatite, (4) semimassive sulfides, and (5) massive sulfides, which include Cu-rich massive sulfides (up to 28wt% Cu) and Zn-rich massive sulfide chimneys (up to 5wt% Zn). Sulfide mineralization has produced significant changes in the sulfide-bearing rocks including enrichment in transition metals (Cu, Zn, Fe, and Co) and light REE, increase in the Co/Ni ratios comparable to those of mafic Cu-rich volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposits and different ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd isotope ratios. Vent fluid chemistry data are indicative of acidic, reducing, and high temperature conditions at the subseafloor reaction zone where fluids undergo phase separation most likely under subcritical conditions (boiling). An explanation for the high chlorinity is not straightforward unless mixing with high salinity brine or direct contribution from a magmatic Cl-rich aqueous fluid is considered. This study adds new data, which, combined with the current knowledge of the Rainbow vent field, brings compelling evidence for the presence, at depth, of a magmatic body, most likely gabbroic, which provides heat and metals to the system. Co/Ni ratios proved to be good tools used to discriminate between rock units, degree of sulfide mineralization, and positioning within the hydrothermal system. Deeper units have Co/Ni <1 and subsurface and surface units have Co/Ni >1.     

Metal sources of the Navan carbonate-hosted base metal deposit, Ireland: Nd and Sr isotope evidence for deep hydrothermal convection

Nd and Sr isotope analyses are presented for gangue mineral samples from the giant carbonate-hosted Navan Zn–Pb deposit, Ireland, and for rocks from which Navan metals may have been derived. Analysis of gangue minerals spanning the Navan paragenetic sequence reveals systematic evolution in the composition of the mineralising fluid. Early fluid represented by replacive dolomite exhibits the lowest initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio (0.7083–0.7086), closest to that of the host limestone and to Lower Carboniferous seawater, and the highest ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio (0.51161–0.51176). Later generations of dolomite, barite and calcite, which encompass sulphide precipitation, have higher initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (maximum 0.7105) and lower initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios (minimum 0.51157). All samples have initial Nd isotope ratios that are too low to have been acquired only from the host limestone. Drill core samples of presumed Ordovician volcanic and sedimentary rocks from beneath the Navan orebody have ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios at the time of mineralisation of 0.51184–0.51217 and 0.7086–0.7138, respectively. The data are interpreted to indicate mixing of sulphide-rich, limestone-buffered brine, with a metal-bearing hydrothermal fluid, which had passed through sub-Carboniferous rocks, consistent with published fluid inclusion and S isotope data. The ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio of this basement-derived fluid is too low to have been imparted by flow through the Devonian Old Red Sandstone, as required in models of regional fluid flow in response to Hercynian uplift. Irrespective of whether such regional fluid flow occurred, the hydrothermal Nd must have been derived from sub-Devonian rocks. These conclusions broadly support the hydrothermal convection cell model in which brines, ultimately of surface origin, penetrated to a depth of several kilometres, leaching metals from the rocks through which they passed. The data also support increasing depth of penetration of convection cells with time. Metals were subsequently precipitated in carbonate rocks at sites of mixing with cooler, sulphide-rich fluids. However, comparison of the Navan hydrothermal gangue Nd–Sr isotope data with data from Lower Palaeozoic rocks strongly suggests that the latter cannot alone account for the “basement” signature. As the Navan deposit lies immediately north of the Iapetus Suture, this suggests that the Laurentian margin includes Precambrian basement.     

Secondary Calcification of Planktic Foraminifera from the Indian Sector of Southern Ocean

This study focused on planktic foraminifera in plankton tows and surface sediments from the western Indian sector of Southern Ocean in order to evaluate the potential foraminiferal secondary calcification and/or dissolution in the sediment. It is found that the symbiotic foraminiferal species are abundant in the subtropical region, whereas non-symbiotic species dominate in the sub-Antarctic and polar frontal regions. The distribution of the symbiotic and non-symbiotic foraminiferal species is controlled by temperature, salinity, light, nutrients and phytoplankton biomass. There is also a lateral southern extent in abundance of planktic foraminifera from surface sediments to plankton tows. The shell weights of the planktic foraminifera N. pachyderma, G. bulloides and G. ruber within the surface sediments are on an average heavier by 27%, 34% and 40% respectively than shells of the same size within the plankton tows, indicative of secondary calcification. The planktic foraminiferal isotopes show the presence of heavier isotopes in the surface sediment foraminifera as compared to plankton tows, thus confirming secondary calcification. Secondary calcification in G. ruber occurs in the euphotic zone, whereas in case of N. pachyderma and G. bulloides it is at deeper depths. We also observed a decrease in the shell spines in surface sediment foraminifera as compared to plankton tows, indicative of the morphological changes that foraminifera underwent during gametogenesis.     

一种新的、快速的碳、氮、硫同位素测定手段──EA－IRMS连线分析技术

一种新的、快速的碳、氮、硫同位素测定手段──ＥＡ－ＩＲＭＳ连线分析技术储雪蕾（中国科学院地质研究所，北京１０００２９）关键词元素分析仪－同位素比值质谱仪，连线分析碳，氮，硫同位素碳、氮、硫三种元素的稳定同位素在地学、生态学、环境科学等领域受到了重视，...