Using stable isotopes to understand seasonal and interannual dynamics in moisture sources and atmospheric circulation in precipitation

Stable isotopes in precipitation are useful tracers to strengthen understanding of climate change and hydrological processes. In this study, the moisture sources of 190 precipitation events in Beijing were analysed using the Hybrid Single‐particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model, based on which we studied the relation between variations in precipitation δ¹⁸O and dynamics in moisture sources and atmospheric circulation in seasonal and interannual timescales. Categorization of 7 groups of moisture sources was performed, among which oceanic moisture sources presented lower δ¹⁸O in precipitation than continental moisture sources. The results show that seasonal variations of precipitation δ¹⁸O were caused by changes of moisture sources. In summer, moisture from proximal oceans dominated vapour transport to Beijing due to increasing monsoon strength and resulted in a relatively small variation of precipitation δ¹⁸O. At the interannual timescale, the variations of δ¹⁸O in summer precipitation were related to dynamics in oceanic moistures, showing depleted values when the contribution of oceanic moistures, especially the proportion of long‐distance oceanic moisture, was high. Further analysis indicated that changes of oceanic moisture sources were controlled by the strength of summer monsoons. These findings address the complexity of moisture sources in midlatitude monsoon areas and suggest that isotopic signals in precipitation have the potential to deduce changes in moisture sources and atmospheric circulation and can therefore serve for palaeoclimate reconstruction.     

Provenance of Holocene beach sand in the Western Iberian margin: the use of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test for the deciphering of sediment recycling in a modern coastal system

Detrital zircons from Holocene beach sand and igneous zircons from the Cretaceous syenite forming Cape Sines (Western Iberian margin) were dated using laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry. The U–Pb ages obtained were used for comparison with previous radiometric data from Carboniferous greywacke, Pliocene–Pleistocene sand and Cretaceous syenite forming the sea cliff at Cape Sines and the contiguous coast. New U–Pb dating of igneous morphologically simple and complex zircons from the syenite of the Sines pluton suggests that the history of zircon crystallization was more extensive (ca 87 to 74 Ma), in contrast to the findings of previous geochronology studies (ca 76 to 74 Ma). The U–Pb ages obtained in Holocene sand revealed a wide interval, ranging from the Cretaceous to the Archean, with predominance of Cretaceous (37%), Palaeozoic (35%) and Neoproterozoic (19%) detrital‐zircon ages. The paucity of round to sub‐rounded grains seems to indicate a short transportation history for most of the Cretaceous zircons (ca 95 to 73 Ma) which are more abundant in the beach sand that was sampled south of Cape Sines. Comparative analysis using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistical method, analysing sub‐populations separately, suggests that the zircon populations of the Carboniferous and Cretaceous rocks forming the sea cliff were reproduced faithfully in Quaternary sand, indicating sediment recycling. The similarity of the pre‐Cretaceous ages (>ca 280 Ma) of detrital zircons found in Holocene sand, as compared with Carboniferous greywacke and Pliocene–Pleistocene sand, provides support for the hypothesis that detritus was reworked into the beach from older sedimentary rocks exposed along the sea cliff. The largest percentage of Cretaceous zircons (<ca 95 Ma) found in Holocene sand, as compared with Pliocene–Pleistocene sand (secondary recycled source), suggests that the Sines pluton was the one of the primary sources that became progressively more exposed to erosion during Quaternary uplift. This work highlights the application of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov method in comparison of zircon age populations used to identify provenance and sediment recycling in modern and ancient detrital sedimentary sequences.     

Recultivation of abandoned agricultural lands in Ukraine: Patterns and drivers

The recent rise in agricultural commodity prices and the expectation that high price will persist have triggered a wave of farmland expansion in regions where land resources are still available. One such region is the former Soviet Union, where the collapse of socialism caused massive agricultural abandonment and where some of these lands are now being brought back into production. Yet, the extent and spatial patterns of recultivation, and what determines these patterns, remains unclear. We examined the extent of recultivation of abandoned agricultural land in Ukraine since 2007 using a new, satellite-based recultivation map and assessed the effect of biophysical and socioeconomic determinants on recultivation patterns using boosted regression trees. We found key predictors of recultivation to be related to the suitability of land for agriculture (i.e., soil quality, temperature). Accessibility to major cities was also important, with most recultivation happening closer to settlements, but this influence varied across Ukraine. Variables related to agricultural management (fertilizer input, mechanization) and demography were negligible in explaining recultivation in our analyses. These factors suggest that recultivation patterns were primarily driven by factors related to land productivity, with recultivation focusing on the most promising areas. Given the remaining large amount of unused agricultural land in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and considering that much abandonment occurred in areas only marginally suited to agriculture, our findings provide important insights into where recultivation can be expected to happen and thus for assessing the potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts of recultivation.     

Application of Zn isotopes in environmental impact assessment of Zn–Pb metallurgical industries: A mini review

Zn and Pb smelters are the major contributors to Zn and Pb emissions among all anthropogenic sources, thus, it is essential to understand Zn isotopic variations within the context of metallurgical industries, as well as its fractionation in different environments impacted by smelting activities. This mini review outlines the current state of knowledge on Zn isotopic fractionation during the high-temperature roasting process in Zn and Pb refineries; δ⁶⁶Zn values variations in air emissions, slags and effluents from the smelters in comparison to the geogenic Zn isotopic signature of ores formation and weathering. In order to assess the environmental impact of these smelters, the available and measured δ⁶⁶Zn values are compiled for smelter impacted natural water bodies (groundwater, stream and river water), sediments (lake and reservoir) and soils (peat bog soil, inland soil). Finally, the discussion is extended to the fractionation induced during numerous physicochemical reactions and transformations, i.e. adsorption, precipitation as well as both inorganic and organic surface complexation.     

甘肃永靖黑方台4·29罗家坡黄土滑坡的特征

2015年4月29日上午,甘肃省永靖县盐锅峡镇黑方台滑坡高频发区的党川村罗家坡同一斜坡处连续发生了2次大规模黄土滑坡,总体积约65×10~4m~3,最大滑距630 m,摧毁14户居民房屋和3家工厂.通过现场详细调查、取样试验、1∶500地形测量、滑坡影像、视频等资料分析,对灌溉引发的罗家坡黄土滑坡的特征、滑动过程、形成机理进行了探讨.结果表明:第1次滑坡经过近2 a变形过程,整体突然失稳,高速远程滑动;第2次滑坡变形时间仅3 h,分块逐步滑动,滑动历时长而过程复杂,总体为低速远程滑动.高陡的地形和强度低、水敏感性强的土体是滑坡发生的基础,黄土台塬区长期农业灌溉是引发因素,大量水体入渗形成了20余米厚的饱和软弱基座,使抗剪强度降低,导致斜坡失稳滑动.黄土滑坡高速远程滑动的主要原因是滑坡剪出口位置高,滑动势能大,释放条件好,剪出口下部陡坡段为主要加速段;前方有开阔的滑动空间且有一定坡度、平缓的滑道;滑体底部饱和软弱黏性土在滑道上持续产生超孔隙水压力、液化等低摩阻效应,是远程滑动的润滑剂.同时,两次滑体间还存在冲击加速和能量传递作用.     

Iodine budget in surface waters from Atacama: Natural and anthropogenic iodine sources revealed by halogen geochemistry and iodine-129 isotopes

Iodine enrichment in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile is widespread and varies significantly between reservoirs, including nitrate-rich “caliche” soils, supergene Cu deposits and marine sedimentary rocks. Recent studies have suggested that groundwater has played a key role in the remobilization, transport and deposition of iodine in Atacama over scales of millions-of-years. However, and considering that natural waters are also anomalously enriched in iodine in the region, the relative source contributions of iodine in the waters and its extent of mixing remain unconstrained. In this study we provide new halogen data and isotopic ratios of iodine (¹²⁹I/I) in shallow seawater, rivers, salt lakes, cold and thermal spring water, rainwater and groundwater that help to constrain the relative influence of meteoric, marine and crustal sources in the Atacama waters. Iodine concentrations in surface and ground waters range between 0.35 μM and 26 μM in the Tarapacá region and between 0.25 μM and 48 μM in the Antofagasta region, and show strong enrichment when compared with seawater concentrations (I = ∼0.4 μM). In contrast, no bromine enrichment is detected (1.3–45.7 μM for Tarapacá and 1.7–87.4 μM for Antofagasta) relative to seawater (Br = ∼600 μM). These data, coupled to the high I/Cl and low Br/Cl ratios are indicative of an organic-rich sedimentary source (related with an “initial” fluid) that interacted with meteoric water to produce a mixed fluid, and preclude an exclusively seawater origin for iodine in Atacama natural waters. Iodine isotopic ratios (¹²⁹I/I) are consistent with halogen chemistry and confirm that most of the iodine present in natural waters derives from a deep initial fluid source (i.e., groundwater which has interacted with Jurassic marine basement), with variable influence of at least one atmospheric or meteoric source. Samples with the lowest isotopic ratios (¹²⁹I/I from ∼215 to ∼1000 × 10⁻¹⁵) strongly suggest mixing between the groundwater and iodine storage in organic-rich rocks (with variable influence of volcanic fluids) and pre-anthropogenic meteoric water, while samples with higher values (∼2000–93,700 × 10⁻¹⁵) indicate the input of anthropogenic meteoric fluid. Taking into account the geological, hydrologic and climatic features of the Atacama region, we propose that the mean contribution of anthropogenic ¹²⁹I is associated with ¹²⁹I releases during nuclear weapon tests carried out in the central Pacific Ocean until the mid 1990's (¹²⁹I/I = ∼12,000 × 10⁻¹⁵). This source reflects rapid redistribution of this radioisotope on a global scale. Our results support the notion of a long-lived continental iodine cycle in the hyperarid margin of western South America, which is driven by local hydrological and climate conditions, and confirm that groundwater was a key agent for iodine remobilization and formation of the extensive iodine-rich soils of Atacama.     

基于高效生态农业布局导向性的资源环境承载力评价—以黄河三角洲高效生态经济区为例

该文在对研究区资源环境本底基本了解的基础上,建立了包括耕地资源、水资源、社会经济资源、土壤环境、极端气候发生率和地质环境6个二级指标的资源环境承载力评价指标体系,采用定性和定量相结合的方法,利用层次分析法确定相关指标权重,分别对6个要素进行承载力评价。在各单元要素评价基础上,结合黄河三角洲高效生态经济区农业发展要求,划分出了沿海湿地生态系统保护带、北部盐渍化土质特色种植区、南部优质粮食生产区和果蔬集中种植区4个生态农业布局适宜区,并提出发展建议。     

Geodynamic setting,structure, and composition of continuous trachybasalt-trachyandesite-rhyolite series in the north of Altai-Sayan area: the role of crust-mantle interaction in continental magma formation

The geologic positions and geochemical and isotope parameters of the Ordovician-early Silurian and Early-Middle Devonian continuous volcanic series of the Minusa basin and its mountainous framing are compared. Both series are composed mostly of moderately alkaline rocks with variations in SiO₂ contents from 45 to 77 wt.%. The Ordovician-early Silurian series differs from the Early-Middle Devonian one in lower contents of TiO₂ (< 1.7 wt.%) and Fe₂O_3tot and higher contents of Al₂O₃ in all rock varieties and in the more fractionated REE patterns of trachybasalts. The compositions of both series reflect two simultaneous mechanisms of magma evolution. The main process was fractional crystallization leading to the formation of rocks from trachybasalts to trachyrhyodacites. The accessory mechanism was the contamination of fractionated melts by crustal material, anatectic melting of crust, and mixing of deep-seated magmas with crustal melts. These processes had specifics at each stage and were controlled by the composition of the sources of parental melts. Their geochemical and isotopic parameters (high alkalinity, high contents of lithophile elements, negative anomalies of Nb, Ta, and Ti, and enrichment in radiogenic Sr) point to the interaction of mantle plumes with the lithospheric mantle that was metasomatically transformed during the preceding Vendian-early Cambrian subduction processes.     

湘江下游河床沉积物元素地球化学背景值估算

本研究对湘江下游河床沉积物进行了元素地球化学分析,在认识沉积物元素地球化学特征、甄别人为源与自然源重金属的基础上,估算了沉积物的元素地球化学背景值。结果表明:SiO2、TiO2、Al2O3、Fe2O3、K2O等主量元素及V、Co、Cr、Ba、Sc、U、Sr、Ga、Ge、Rb、Nb、Y、REE等微量元素在沉积物中含量变化相对稳定(Cv<0.2),分布相对均匀,且富集不明显(EF<2.0,Sr明显亏损)。而MnO、MgO、CaO、Na2O、P2O5等主量元素,及Cd、Mn、Cu、Pb、Zn等重金属在沉积物中含量变化大(Cv>0.25),分布极不均匀,且沉积物中重金属明显富集(EF>2.0)。主成分及Pearson线性相关性分析显示,沉积物中不明显富集的微量元素主要赋存于难溶硅酸盐矿物相中,为自然源元素。而沉积物中显著富集的重金属主要赋存于铁—锰氧化物等矿物相中,为有人为源叠加的元素。故针对不同来源特征的元素用不同的方法进行了背景值计算,求得沉积物中47个元素的背景值。再利用元素比值等方法对所得背景值进行检验。结果表明,本文得到的湘江沉积物元素背景值合理,可用作流域沉积物重金属污染评价参考。