Diatom biostratigraphy of sediments from ODP Leg 170 sites

The following data paper summarizes diatom biostratigraphic data from sediments drilled in the Costa Rica accretionary wedge during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 170. Quaternary through lower Miocene diatom zones characteristic of the equatorial Pacific region are recognized in the reference section, Site 1039, which was drilled on the downgoing Cocos plate. At Sites 1040-1043, where the recovered silty clay units are primarily wedge and apron sediments that overlie the underthrust sections, diatoms are generally low in abundance, and complete zonation of the cores was not possible above the décollement surface.

Location, intervals and thickness of Cretaceous sections in Indian Ocean DSDP and ODP sites (Table 2)

The Indian Ocean covers approximately 73.5 * 10**6 km**3 from 25°N to 67°S and from 20° to 120°E. Several legs of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) and the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) have operated in its waters, many penetrating the Cretaceous. Most of the scientific drill sites are DSDP related and thus pre-dated modern biostratigraphic conventions. Foraminifers and calcareous nannoplankton were by far the dominant fossil groups studied in the earlier work, supplemented occasionally by studies of other fossil groups, The results of the Ocean Drilling Project phase are yet too young to be fully integrated but have been based on a broader range of techniques and fossil groups. During most of the Cretaceous, the proto-Indian Ocean basin lay in middle to high latitudes. Thus, it is unrealistic to expect successful routine application of low-latitude zonations. No planktonic foraminifer zonal scheme has been developed for the Indian Ocean basin for several reasons. There are no sections with complete or even significant partial sections to allow development of such a zonation. Carbonate compensation depth (CCD) effects have been marked in most sections, and significant intervals are devoid of planktonic foraminifers. The Indian Ocean now covers a great latitudinal range from tropics to polar regions and, at first glance, no scheme can be expected to be applicable over that entire range. In the Cretaceous the area was much smaller, though expanding progressively, and the paleolatitude range was quite small. Calcareous nannoplankton have proved valuable in dating Indian Ocean Cretaceous sediments and have, perhaps in contrast with the foraminifers, been consistently a more reliable means of applying zonal schemes developed elsewhere. For the Albian-Aptian, zonations based on well-known benthic foraminifer lineages (Scheibnerova, 1974) have been useful when nothing else was available or effective. Palynology has been used little, but where used, has proved excellent. It has the added value of providing valuable information on nearby terrestrial vegetation as the fossils were resistant to dissolution. Normally, when different fossil groups have been applied to a section, the results have been compatible or compatible to an acceptable degree. There are a few instances where incompatibility is noteworthy, and Site 263 is a classic example, as even two calcareous nannoplankton studies show irreconcilable differences here. All groups gave different results, but one benthic foraminifer analysis agreed with one calcareous nannoplankton study.

Maestrichtian calcareous nannofossils of MAud Rise, Weddell Sea

Recovery of an essentially complete upper Maestrichtian/lower Paleocene interval on Maud Rise at 65 °S latitude in the Weddell Sea during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 113 marks the first time that this interval has been cored at these high latitudes. The entire interval was missing at all Falkland Plateau sites drilled during DSDP Legs 36 and 71. Maestrichtian nannofossil assemblages in sediments from Sites 689 and 690, therefore, provide the basis for a needed revision of Maestrichtian coccolith zonation schemes for high southern latitudes. Three zones and two new subzones are described: the uppermost Maestrichtian Nephrolithus frequens Zone, which is subdivided into the Cribrosphaerella daniae Subzone and the underlying N. corystus Subzone, and the Biscutum magnum and B. coronum Zones. A complete calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy based on the proposed scheme is given including a description of individual species abundance, preservation, and stratigraphic distribution. At this site, the southernmost carbonate site yet drilled by DSDP/ODP, it is evident that the Falkland Plateau Nannofossil Biogeographic Province can be extended to the margins of Antarctica. In addition, the biogeographic ranges of many calcareous nannofossils can likewise be extended. Last, we hypothesize that Nephrolithus frequens evolved from N. corystus prior to its dispersal to the lower latitudes where it is an important zonal marker. Three new taxa, Neocrepidolithus watkinsii n. sp., Nephrolithus frequens miniporus emend, n. comb, and Psyktosphaera firthii n. gen., n. sp. are described.

Planktonic foraminifera and Quaternary paleoceanology of the Atlantic Ocean

An original method of paleotemperature analysis on planktonic foraminifera is substantiated and actively used for stratigraphy of bottom sediments and paleoceanologic reconstructions. On the base of this method, as well as on lithological, geochemical, and oxygen isotope data, radiocarbon dating, constructions of other investigators, etc., the main features of dynamic Quaternary paleoceanology of the Atlantic Ocean is reconstructed. It is discussed in the context of global paleogeography. Paleotemperature field, climatic zonation, paleoecology of foraminifera, position of the main water masses, water fronts, currents, distribution of sea ice boundaries, upwelling activity, benthic circulation, processes of sedimentation are econstructed and analyzed.

Data compilation on the biological response to ocean acidification: environmental and experimental context of data sets and related literature

The exponential growth of studies on the biological response to ocean acidification over the last few decades has generated a large amount of data. To facilitate data comparison, a data compilation hosted at the data publisher PANGAEA was initiated in 2008 and is updated on a regular basis (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.149999). By January 2015, a total of 581 data sets (over 4 000 000 data points) from 539 papers had been archived. Here we present the developments of this data compilation five years since its first description by Nisumaa et al. (2010). Most of study sites from which data archived are still in the Northern Hemisphere and the number of archived data from studies from the Southern Hemisphere and polar oceans are still relatively low. Data from 60 studies that investigated the response of a mix of organisms or natural communities were all added after 2010, indicating a welcomed shift from the study of individual organisms to communities and ecosystems. The initial imbalance of considerably more data archived on calcification and primary production than on other processes has improved. There is also a clear tendency towards more data archived from multifactorial studies after 2010. For easier and more effective access to ocean acidification data, the ocean acidification community is strongly encouraged to contribute to the data archiving effort, and help develop standard vocabularies describing the variables and define best practices for archiving ocean acidification data.

Relative abundance of planktonic foraminifera in Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments of DSDP Hole 32-310 from Hess Rise, Central North Pacific (Table II)

Late Neogene planktonic foraminifera have been examined at Site 310 in the Central North Pacific and their stratigraphic ranges and frequencies are presented here. Blow's (1969) zonation developed for tropical regions has been applied where applicable. Where tropical index taxa are rare or absent in this temperate region, Globorotalia crassaformis, and the evolutionary bioseries G. conoidea - G. conomiozea and G. puncticulata - G. inflata have been found useful for zonal subdivisions. A correlation between stratigraphic ranges and frequency distributions of these species at Site 310 in the Central North Pacific, and Site 284 in the Southwest Pacific indicates that these species are relatively consistent biostratigraphic markers in temperate regions of both the North and South Pacific Oceans. An informal zonation for temperate latitudes of the Southwest Pacific has been established by Kennett (1973) and a similar zonal subdivision can be made at Site 310. Paleoclimatic/paleoceanographic interpretations based on coiling ratios, percent abundance, and phenotypic variations of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma indicate four major cold events during early, middle, and late Pliocene, and early Pleistocene. Faunal correlations of these events with similar events elsewhere in the Northeast and Southwest Pacific which have been paleomagnetically dated indicate the following approximate ages for these cold events: 4.7 Ma, 3.0 Ma, 2.6-1.8 Ma, and 1.2 Ma. Faunal assemblages have been divided into three groups representing cool, intermediate, and warmer water assemblages. Cool water assemblages are dominated by ~60% N. pachyderma; intermediate temperature faunas are dominated by species of Globigerina and Globigerinita and contain between 20% and 30% N. pachyderma. Warmer water assemblages are dominated by species of Globorotalia and contain <10% N. pachyderma. Frequency oscillations within these groups, in addition to paleotemperature parameters evident in N. pachyderma, afford refined paleoclimatic/paleoceanographic interpretations.

Distribution of planktonic foraminifera in DSDP Hole 31-296 (Table III)

Late Neogene planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy of DSDP Site 296, Leg 31, reveals this site as an ideal reference section for correlation of Blow's low-latitude zonation with the mid-latitude zonation for temperate faunal assemblages developed in this paper and earlier for DSDP Site 310, Leg 31 (Keller). Abundance of temperate species of Globorotalia (G. inflata, G. puncticulata, G. crassaformis, G. conomiozea) permit correlation with the zonal subdivision developed at Site 310 based on these species. Evolutionary changes within the Globorotalia inflata group also appear to be consistent biostratigraphie markers in mid latitudes; a primitive variety of this species first appears at about 3.3-3.1 Ma, G. inflata praeinflata appears at about 2.6 Ma, and the modern form appears at about 2.2-2.1 Ma. Quantitative analyses of planktonic foraminifera at DSDP Site 296 reveal an inversely reciprocal frequency oscillation between species of Globorotalia and the Globigerina-Globigerinita group. Cool climatic periods are characterized by high frequencies in the Globigerina-Globigerinita group and low frequencies in the Globorotalia group, whereas warm intervals are marked by high frequencies in the Globorotalia group and low frequencies in the Globigerina-Globigerinita group. Five cool paleoclimatic events can be recognized between early Pliocene and late Pleistocene: 4.4 Ma, 3.2-3.1 Ma, 2.4-2.2 Ma, 1.2 Ma, and 0.7 Ma. These paleoclimatic/paleoceanographic events have also been recognized in planktonic foraminifera of the Central and Northeast Pacific DSDP Sites 310 and 173 and also correlate to cold events recognized in oxygen isotope measurements of DSDP Site 310 and in equatorial Pacific cores.

Fresh biomass of macroalgae collected at Hansneset, Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen in 1996/1998

We surveyed macroalgae at Hansneset, Blomstrand in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, down to 30 m depth between 1996 and 1998. In total, 62 species were identified: 16 Chlorophyta, 25 Phaeophyceae, and 21 Rhodophyta. The majority of species (53.5%) belonged to the Arctic cold-temperate group, followed in frequency by species distributed from the Arctic to the warm-temperate region (25.9%). Four endemic Arctic species (Laminaria solidungula, Acrosiphonia flagellata, A. incurva, and Urospora elongata) were found. Two species (Pogotrichum filiforme and Mikrosyphar polysiphoniae) were new to Svalbard. Chlorophyta, Phaeophyceae, and Rhodophyta extended from the eulittoral zone down to 11, 21, and >30 m depths with maximum biomasses at 1-5 m, 5-10 m, and 5-30 m depths, respectively. Annual and pseudoperennial species had highest biomasses in the upper 5 m, while perennials were distributed deeper. The highest biomass (8600 g/m**2 wet weight) at 5 m depth comprised mainly L. digitata, Saccorhiza dermatodea, Alaria esculenta, and Saccharina latissima. The biogeographic composition of macroalgae at Hansneset was rather similar to that of northeastern Greenland, but different from that of northern Norway, which has a higher proportion of temperate species. Climate warming and ship traffic may extend some of the distribution ranges of macroalgae from mainland Norway to Svalbard.

Pollen and macrofossil profiles from six cores in Illinois, U.S.A

Pollen analysis of Wisconsinan sediments from eleven localities in northern and central Illinois, combined with the results of older studies, allows a first general survey of the vegetational changes in Illinois during the last glaciation. In the late Altonian (after 40,000 B.P.), pine was already the most prevalent tree type in northern Illinois. Probably because of the influence of the last Altonian ice advance to northern Illinois, pine migrated to the south and reached south-central Illinois, which was at that time a region of prairie, with oak and hickory trees in favorable sites. Likewise in the late Altonian, spruce appeared in northern Illinois. Spruce also expanded its area to the south during the Wisconsinan, reaching south-central Illinois only after 21,000 B.P., in the early Woodfordian. Deciduous trees (predominantly oak) were present in south-central Illinois throughout the Wisconsinan. Their prevalence decreased to the north. The vegetation during the different subdivisions of the last glacial period in Illinois was approximately as follows: Late Altonian: Pine/spruce forest with some deciduous trees in northern and central Illinois; prairie and oak/hickory stands in south-central Illinois; immigration of pine. Farmdalian: Pine/spruce forest in central Illinois; deciduous trees and pine in south-central Illinois, with areas of open vegetation, perhaps similar to the present-day transition of prairie to forest in the northern Great Plains. Woodfordian: Northern and central Illinois ice covered; in south central Illinois, spruce and oak as dominant tree types, but also pine and grassland. During the Woodfordian, pine and spruce disappeared again from south-central Illinois, and oak/hickory forest and prairie again prevailed. The ice-free areas of northern Illinois become populated temporarily with spruce, but later there is proof of deciduous forest in this region. Pollen investigations in south-central Illinois have shown convincingly that deciduous trees could survive relatively close (less than 60 km) to the ice margin. Therefore the frequently presented view that arctic climatic conditions prevailed in North America during the last glaciation far south of the ice margin can be refuted for the Illinois area, confirming the opinion of other authors resulting from investigations of fossil mollusks and frost-soil features. The small number of localities investigated still permits no complete reconstruction of the vegetation zones and their possible movements in Illinois. During the Altonian and Farmdalian in Illinois, a vegetational zonation probably existed similar to that of today in North America. As the ice pushed southward as far as 39° 20' N. lat in the early Woodfordian, this zonation was apparently broken up under the influence of a relatively moderate climate. In any case, the Vandalia area, which was only about 60 km south of the ice, was at that time neither in a tundra zone nor in a zone of boreal coniferous forest.

(Table T1) Kerogen and organic constituents in ODP Hole 183-1138A, Kerguelen Plateau

Mid-Cretaceous sediments recovered during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 183 (Cores 183-1138A-69R to 73R) on the central Kerguelen Plateau have been analyzed palynologically and paleobotanically to determine the age of the strata and to reconstruct vegetational development and paleoecology. The lower strata (Cores 183-1138A-71R to 73R), a dark, organic-rich silty claystone with many wood fragments and fern remains (sedimentary Unit VI), certainly of terrestrial origin, directly overlies the volcanic basement, which is dated as latest Albian (~95 to 103 Ma) to earliest Cenomanian. The age of the terrestrial strata can be determined by sporomorphs as late Albian to earliest Cenomanian as well. This shows that parts of the central Kerguelen Plateau must have been subaerial at least until the late Albian and were covered with a diverse high-latitude flora, probably dense conifer forest with various fern taxa in the undergrowth. Early angiosperms are also present. The vegetational character represented in Unit VI did not change significantly through time. However, varying percentages of several sporomorph groups seem to show recurring abundance variations, which might possibly be cyclic, caused by Milankovitch-type cyclic events. Cores 183-1138A-67R through 69R, of open marine origin, contain medium- to high-diversity dinocyst assemblages. Based on previous stratigraphic zonation schemes, the ages of these strata range within the Heterosphaeridium Superzone, from the Palaeohystrichophora infusorioides Zone to the Conosphaeridium striatoconus Zone, which correlates to the latest Cenomanian to Coniacian.

(Table 1) Pore-water composition of ODP Leg 126 sites

The Ocean Drilling Program Leg 126 sites may be classified into two categories depending on the presence (Group I: Sites 787, 792, and 793) or absence (Group II: Sites 788, 790, and 791) of steep concentration gradients. Shipboard X-ray diffraction analyses of bulk sediments from Group I sites revealed the presence of a number of diagenetic minerals (some of which are incompatible), but no systematic diagenetic zonation. The results of the chemical analyses of the pore waters from Group I have been used to estimate the activities of dissolved species. Thermodynamic analyses of the composition of the pore waters and the stability of authigenic minerals (gypsum, zeolites, feldspars, smectites, chlorites, and micas) show that the pore waters are close to equilibrium with most of the observed phases. Thus, only a small perturbation of the system (substitution in minerals and fluctuations in pore-water composition, in particular, in pH and SiO2 activity) will cause any of these phases to precipitate. Therefore, one would not expect mineralogical observations to show systematic vertical zonations at these sites. It is suggested that chlorites and high-temperature zeolites are not diagenetic sensu stricto, but were eroded from volcaniclastic highs. The absence of concentration gradients at the Group II sites has been analyzed in terms of reaction kinetics, hydrothermal advection, and temperature distribution. The absence of diagenetic imprints on the pore-water concentration profiles at these sites is probably caused by the slow nucleation of silica phases.

Microbial community in the sediment of the arctic Smeerenburgfjorden

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes were used to investigate the phylogenetic composition of a marine Arctic sediment (Svalbard). Hybridization and microscopy counts of hybridized and 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained cells were performed as described previously from Snaidr et al. (1997, http://aem.asm.org/content/63/7/2884.full.pdf). Means were calculated from 10 to 20 randomly chosen fields on each filter section, corresponding to 800 to 1,000 DAPI-stained cells. Counting results were always corrected by subtracting signals observed with the probe NON338. Formamide concentrations are given in further details. FISH resulted in the detection of a large fraction of microbes living in the top 5 cm of the sediment. Up to 65.4% ± 7.5% of total DAPI cell counts hybridized to the bacterial probe EUB338, and up to 4.9% ± 1.5% hybridized to the archaeal probe ARCH915. Besides delta-proteobacterial sulfate-reducing bacteria (up to 16% 52) members of the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium cluster were the most abundant group detected in this sediment, accounting for up to 12.8% of total DAPI cell counts. Furthermore, members of the order Planctomycetales accounted for up to 3.9% of total cell counts. In accordance with previous studies, these findings support the hypothesis that these bacterial groups are not simply settling with organic matter from the pelagic zone but are indigenous to the anoxic zones of marine sediments. Members of the gamma-proteobacteria also constituted a significant fraction in this sediment (6.1% ± 2.5% of total cell counts). A new probe (GAM660) specific for sequences affiliated with free-living or endosymbiotic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria was developed. A significant number of cells was detected by this probe (2.1% ± 0.7% of total DAPI cell counts), showing no clear zonation along the vertical profile. Gram-positive bacteria and the beta-proteobacteria were near the detection limit in all sediments.

Vegetation community and geochemistry in the Uummannaq District, West Greenland

Beach and salt marsh vegetation of the Uummannaq District, northern West Greenland (c. 70°15' N - 72° N, 49° W - 54° W) was studied 1998 according to the Braun-Blanquet phytosociological approach. Habitat analyses included soil chemistry. Such vegetation locally occurs and is not developed over extensive areas. On gravely stony beaches a Mertensia maritima ssp. maritima community occurs, while a Honckenya peploides var. diffusa community is confined to sandy beaches. The association Honckenyo diffusae-Elymetum mollis Thannh. 1975 is confined to sandy shore walls and low dunes. All vegetation types are assigned to the alliance Honckenyo- Elymion arenariae Tx. 1966, which again is a unit of the order Honckenyo- Elymetalia arenariae Tx. 1966, which is sub ordered to the class Honckenyo-Elymetea arenariae Tx. 1966. On fine sediments along sheltered coasts salt marsh vegetation is locally developed mainly on fiord deltas and outwash plains of small rivers and streams. A distinct zonation pattern in vegetation can be observed from the lower to upper salt marsh: Puccinellietum phryganodis Hadac 1946 association, Caricetum subspathaceae Hadac 1946 association, Caricetum ursinae Hadac 1946 association (all assigned to the alliance Puccinellion phryganodis Hadac 1946) and Festuco-Caricetum glareosae Nordh. 1954 association (assigned to the alliance Armerion maritimae Br.-Bl. et de Leeuw 1936). Both alliances are units of the order Glauco- Puccinellietalia Beeftink et Westhoff in Beeftink 1965, which is assigned to the class Asteretea tripolii Westhoff et Beeftink in Beeftink 1962. TWINSPAN and CCA support the vegetation classification and the CCA with soil chemistry parameters shows that salinity (related to position above MHW) and Ncontent are strongly correlated with the floristical differentiation of the vegetation of the Honckenyo-Elymetea class. In the Asteretea tripolii class, position above MHW (negatively correlated with pH, conductivity and Clcontent) and fresh water supply are likely the main factors, which affect vegetation differentiation. A synoptic survey of vegetation types from Greenland based on published phytosociological tables is presented and distribution of the vegetation types is addressed, just as their position in a circumpolar context. Moreover a Cochlearia groenlandica-Melandrium triflorum community is described as a new vegetation type, occurring on shallow soil on cliffs influenced by salt spray.