Temporal patterns in lacustrine stable isotopes as evidence for climate change during the late glacial in the Southern European Alps

We investigated oxygen and carbon isotopes of bulk carbonate and of benthic freshwater ostracods (Candona candida) in a sediment core of Lago Piccolo di Avigliana that was previously analyzed for pollen and loss-on-ignition, in order to reconstruct environmental changes during the late glacial and early Holocene. The depth-age relationship of the sediment core was established using 14 AMS C-14 dates and the Laacher See Tephra. While stable isotopes of bulk carbonates may have been affected by detrital input and, therefore, only indirectly reflect climatic changes, isotopes measured on ostracod shells provide unambiguous evidence for major environmental changes. Oxygen isotope ratios of ostracod shells (delta O-18(C)) increased by similar to 6 parts per thousand at the onset of the Bolling (similar to 14,650 cal BP) and were similar to 2 parts per thousand lower during the Younger Dryas (similar to 12,850 to 11,650 cal BP), indicating a temporal pattern of climate changes similar to the North Atlantic region. However, in contrast to records in that region, delta O-18(C) gradually decreased during the early Holocene, suggesting that compared to the Younger Dryas more humid conditions occurred and that the lake received gradually increasing input of O-18-depleted groundwater or river water.

The use of stable isotopes to unravel the hyperlipidemia of adult growth hormone deficiency

Using stable isotope techniques to establish turnover rates for very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), a group of eight adult patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) exhibited an increased VLDL apoprotein B (apo B) secretion and decreased VLDL apoB metabolic clearance rate compared to controls. Such increased secretion is seen in some dyslipidemic states, including GHD, which are associated with atherosclerosis. The study of VLDL metabolism may provide a clue to the lipid metabolism disorder associated with GHD.

Isotopes Trace Biogeochemistry and Sources of Cu and Zn in an intertidal soil

River floodplain soils are sinks and potential sources for toxic trace metals like Cu and Zn. We hypothesize that stable Cu and Zn isotope ratios reflect both the mobilization and the sources of metals. We determined the soil properties, the concentrations and partitioning of Cu and Zn, and variations in δ65Cu and δ66Zn values in a core obtained from an Aquic Udifluvent developed on a freshwater intertidal mudflat of the River Elbe, Germany. The core was sampled at 2 cm intervals to a depth of 34 cm, which corresponds to approximately 9 yr of sedimentation. Elevated concentrations of Cu (up to 320 μg g−1) and Zn (up to 2080 μg g−1) indicated anthropogenic pollution. At the time of sampling the redox conditions changed from oxic (Eh 200 to 400 mV, above 22 cm deep) to strongly anoxic conditions (-100 to -200 mV, below 22 cm deep). The δ65Cu values varied systematically with depth (from -0.02 to 0.16‰) and were correlated with the Fe, C, and N concentrations. Although pre-depositional variations cannot be ruled out, the systematic variation with depth suggests post-sedimentation fractionation of δ65Cu in response to seasonally variable organic matter deposition and redox conditions. In contrast, the δ66ZnIRMM values were uniform (from -0.07 to 0.01‰) throughout the core, indicating that the Zn isotopes did not significantly fractionate after deposition and that the Zn sources were homogeneous throughout the sedimentation.

Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental reconstruction from Lakes Ohrid and Prespa (Macedonia/Albania border) using stable isotopes

Abstract. Here we present stable isotope data from three sediment records from lakes that lie along the Macedonian- Albanian border (Lake Prespa: 1 core, and Lake Ohrid: 2 cores). The records only overlap for the last 40 kyr, although the longest record contains the MIS 5/6 transition (Lake Ohrid). The sedimentary characteristics of both lakes differ significantly between the glacial and interglacial phases. At the end of MIS 6 Lake Ohrid’s water level was low (high �18Ocalcite) and, although productivity was increasing (high calcite content), the carbon supply was mainly from inorganic catchment rock sources (high �13Ccarb). During the last interglacial, calcite and TOC production and preservation increased, progressively lower �18Ocalcite suggest increase in humidity and lake levels until around 115 ka. During ca. 80 ka to 11 ka the lake records suggest cold conditions as indicated by negligible calcite precipitation and low organic matter content. In Lake Ohrid, �13Corg are complacent; in contrast, Lake Prespa shows consistently higher �13Corg suggesting a low oxidation of 13C-depleted organic matter in agreement with a general deterioration of climate conditions during the glacial. From 15 ka to the onset of the Holocene, calcite and TOC begin to increase, suggesting lake levels were probably low (high �18Ocalcite). In the Holocene (11 ka to present) enhanced productivity is manifested by high calcite and organic matter content. All three cores show an early Holocene characterised by low �18Ocalcite, apart from the very early Holocene phase in Prespa where the lowest �18Ocalcite occurs at ca. 7.5 ka, suggesting a phase of higher lake level only in (the more sensitive) Lake Prespa. From 6 ka, �18Ocalcite suggest progressive aridification, in agreement with many other records in the Mediterranean, although the uppermost sediments in one core records low �18Ocalcite which we interpret as a result of human activity. Overall, the isotope data present here confirm that these two big lakes have captured the large scale, low frequency palaeoclimate variation that is seen in Mediterranean lakes, although in detail there is much palaeoclimate information that could be gained, especially small scale, high frequency differences between this region and the Mediterranean.