Sedimentology of surface samples from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

Mineralogical and granulometric properties of glacial-marine surface sediments of the Weddell Sea and adjoining areas were studied in order to decipher spatial variations of provenance and transport paths of terrigenous detritus from Antarctic sources. The silt fraction shows marked spatial differences in quartz contents. In the sand fractions heavy-mineral assemblages display low mineralogical maturity and are dominated by garnet, green hornblende, and various types of clinopyroxene. Cluster analysis yields distinct heavy-mineral assemblages, which can be attributed to specific source rocks of the Antarctic hinterland. The configuration of modern mineralogical provinces in the near-shore regions reflects the geological variety of the adjacent hinterland. In the distal parts of the study area, sand-sized heavy minerals are good tracers of ice-rafting. Granulometric characteristics and the distribution of heavy-mineral provinces reflect maxima of relative and absolute accumulation of ice-rafted detritus in accordance with major iceberg drift tracks in the course of the Weddell Gyre. Fine-grained and coarse-grained sediment fractions may have different origins. In the central Weddell Sea, coarse ice-rafted detritus basically derives from East Antarctic sources, while the fine-fraction is discharged from weak permanent bottom currents and/or episodic turbidity currents and shows affinities to southern Weddell Sea sources. Winnowing of quartz-rich sediments through intense bottom water formation in the southern Weddell Sea provides muddy suspensions enriched in quartz. The influence of quartz-rich suspensions moving within the Weddell Gyre contour current can be traced as far as the continental slope in the northwestern Weddell Sea. In general, the focusing of mud by currents significantly exceeds the relative and absolute contribution of ice-rafted detritus beyond the shelves of the study area.

Fig. 2: Comparison of the number of grains counted in a sieve analysis

The distribution of ice rafted debris (IRD) is an important parameter in glaciomarine sediments. A simple method is presented allowing the determination of the IRD-content by counting the gravel fraction of the X-radiographs which are generally taken during sarnpling. In comparison with sieve analyses corresponding values are obtained by both methods. However, more information can be made available in a shorter time by this method.

Global compilation of benthic data sets I

Approaches to quantify the organic carbon accumulation on a global scale generally do not consider the small-scale variability of sedimentary and oceanographic boundary conditions along continental margins. In this study, we present a new approach to regionalize the total organic carbon (TOC) content in surface sediments (<5 cm sediment depth). It is based on a compilation of more than 5500 single measurements from various sources. Global TOC distribution was determined by the application of a combined qualitative and quantitative-geostatistical method. Overall, 33 benthic TOC-based provinces were defined and used to process the global distribution pattern of the TOC content in surface sediments in a 1°x1° grid resolution. Regional dependencies of data points within each single province are expressed by modeled semi-variograms. Measured and estimated TOC values show good correlation, emphasizing the reasonable applicability of the method. The accumulation of organic carbon in marine surface sediments is a key parameter in the control of mineralization processes and the material exchange between the sediment and the ocean water. Our approach will help to improve global budgets of nutrient and carbon cycles.

Sedimentation rates and geochemical analysis of surface sediments from the South Atlantic

Extensive investigations of sedimentary barium were performed in the southern South Atlantic in order to assess the reliability of the barium signal in Antarctic sediments as a proxy for paleoproductivity. Maximum accumulation rates of excess barium were calculated for the Antarctic zone south of the polar front where silica accumulates at high rates. The correspondence between barium and opal supports the applicability of barium as a proxy for productivity. Within the Antarctic zone north of today's average sea ice maximum, interglacial vertical rain rates of excess barium are high, with a maximum occurring during the last deglaciation and early Holocene and during oxygen isotope chronozone 5.5. During these periods, the maximum silica accumulation was supposedly located south of the polar front. Glacial paleoproductivity, instead, was low within the Antarctic zone. North of the polar front, significantly higher barium accumulation occurs during glacial times. The vertical rain rates, however, are as high as in the glacial Antarctic zone. Therefore there was no evidence for an increased productivity in the glacial Southern Ocean.

Physical properties measured on sediment cores from high latitudes

This collection of 359 data sets represents raw data of physical properties measurements on Polarstern sediment cores from both polar oceans, sampled and measured between 1985 and 1995.

Estimation of sea surface temperature from sediment core PS1768-8

The quantitative diatom analysis of 218 surface sediment samples recovered in the Atlantic and western Indian sector of the Southern Ocean is used to define a base of reference data for paleotemperature estimations from diatom assemblages using the Imbrie and Kipp transfer function method. The criteria which justify the exclusion of samples and species out of the raw data set in order to define a reference database are outlined and discussed. Sensitivity tests with eight data sets were achieved evaluating the effects of overall dominance of single species, different methods of species abundance ranking, and no-analog conditions (e.g., Eucampia Antarctica) on the estimated paleotemperatures. The defined transfer functions were applied on a sediment core from the northern Antarctic zone. Overall dominance of Fragilariopsis kerguelensis in the diatom assemblages resulted in a close affinity between paleotemperature curve and relative abundance pattern of this species downcore. Logarithmic conversion of counting data applied with other ranking methods in order to compensate the dominance of F. kerguelensis revealed the best statistical results. A reliable diatom transfer function for future paleotemperature estimations is presented.

(Table I-II) Station details and isopoda abundance of samples taken during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XV/3 to the eastern Weddell Sea and King George Island

Abundance, diversity, and distribution of suprabenthic Isopoda caught from a water layer between 0.27 to 0.60 m above the seafloor were analysed. The samples were taken during the ANT XV/3 cruise on RV Polarstern by means of an epibenthic sledge along two transects in the southern Weddell Sea (Vestkapp and Halley Bay) and another one east of King George Island. At each of these three bathymetric transects, five to six stations were sampled between 200 and 2000 m. In total, 4258 specimens of isopods were sampled at 14 stations standardized to 1000 m2 hauls. 114 species were identified from 49 genera and 23 higher taxa (families and suborders) of Isopoda. Most of them belonged to the suborder Asellota. Dominant families are Munnopsididae (Eurycopinae, Ilyarachninae), Joeropsidae, Munnidae, Paramunnidae, Ischnomesidae and Desmosomatidae. No striking differences were found between areas (Vestkapp, Halley Bay, Kapp Norvegia, and Bransfield Strait). Overall isopod abundances were highest at the shallowest station; species richness was slightly higher above 1000 m depth.