Chemical analysis with regard to global and local climatic forcing measured on sediment core GeoB3711-1, GeoB3711-3 and GeoB4917-8

Global and local climatic forcing, e.g. concentration of atmospheric CO2 or insolation, influence the distribution of C3 and C4 plants in southwest Africa. C4 plants dominate in more arid and warmer areas and are favoured by lower pCO2 levels. Several studies have assessed past and present continental vegetation by the analysis of terrestrial n-alkanes in near-coastal deep sea sediments using single samples or a small number of samples from a given climatic stage. The objectives of this study were to evaluate vegetation changes in southwest Africa with regard to climatic changes during the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene and to elucidate the potential of single sample simplifications. We analysed two sediment cores at high resolution, altogether ca. 240 samples, from the Southeast Atlantic Ocean (20°S and 12°S) covering the time spans of 18 to 1 ka and 56 to 2 ka, respectively. Our results for 20°S showed marginally decreasing C4 plant domination (of ca. 5%) during deglaciation based on average chain length (ACL27-33 values) and carbon isotopic composition of the C31 and C33 n-alkanes. Values for single samples from 18 ka and the Holocene overlap and, thus, are not significantly representative of the climatic stages they derive from. In contrast, at 12°S the n-alkane parameters show a clear difference of plant type for the Late Pleistocene (C4 plant domination, 66% C4 on average) and the Holocene (C3 plant domination, 40% C4 on average). During deglaciation vegetation change highly correlates with the increase in pCO2 (r² = 0.91). Short-term climatic events such as Heinrich Stadials or Antarctic warming periods are not reflected by vegetation changes in the catchment area. Instead, smaller vegetation fluctuations during the Late Pleistocene occur in accordance with local variations of insolation.

Numer and type of seeds introduced by footwear of travelers to Svalbard and germination success in 2008

Expanding visitation to Polar regions combined with climate warming increases the potential for alien species introduction and establishment. We quantified vascular plant propagule pressure associated with different groups of travelers to the high-Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, and evaluated the potential of introduced seeds to germinate under the most favorable average Svalbard soil temperature (10°C). We sampled the footwear of 259 travelers arriving by air to Svalbard during the summer of 2008, recording 1,019 seeds: a mean of 3.9 (±0.8) seeds per traveler. Assuming the seed influx is representative for the whole year, we estimate a yearly seed load of around 270,000 by this vector alone. Seeds of 53 species were identified from 17 families, with Poaceae having both highest diversity and number of seeds. Eight of the families identified are among those most invasive worldwide, while the majority of the species identified were non-native to Svalbard. The number of seeds was highest on footwear that had been used in forested and alpine areas in the 3 months prior to traveling to Svalbard, and increased with the amount of soil affixed to footwear. In total, 26% of the collected seeds germinated under simulated Svalbard conditions. Our results demonstrate high propagule transport through aviation to highly visited cold-climate regions and isolated islands is occurring. Alien species establishment is expected to increase with climate change, particularly in high latitude regions, making the need for regional management considerations a priority.

Mineralogical and geochemical data from five lake sediment cores of Lake Donggi Cona

Sediments of Lake Donggi Cona on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau were studied to infer changes in the lacustrine depositional environment, related to climatic and non-climatic changes during the last 19 kyr. The lake today fills a 30 X 8 km big and 95 m deep tectonic basin, associated with the Kunlun Fault. The study was conducted on a sediment-core transect through the lake basin, in order to gain a complete picture of spatiotemporal environmental change. The recovered sediments are partly finely laminated and are composed of calcareous muds with variable amounts of carbonate micrite, organic matter, detrital silt and clay. On the basis of sedimentological, geochemical, and mineralogical data up to five lithological units (LU) can be distinguished that document distinct stages in the development of the lake system. The onset of the lowermost LU with lacustrine muds above basal sands indicates that lake level was at least 39 m below the present level and started to rise after 19 ka, possibly in response to regional deglaciation. At this time, the lacustrine environment was characterized by detrital sediment influx and the deposition of siliciclastic sediment. In two sediment cores, upward grain-size coarsening documents a lake-level fall after 13 cal ka BP, possibly associated with the late-glacial Younger Dryas stadial. From 11.5 to 4.3 cal ka BP, grainsize fining in sediment cores from the profundal coring sites and the onset of lacustrine deposition at a litoral core site (2m water depth) in a recent marginal bay of Donggi Cona document lake-level rise during the early tomid-Holocene to at least modern level. In addition, high biological productivity and pronounced precipitation of carbonate micrites are consistent with warm and moist climate conditions related to an enhanced influence of summer monsoon. At 4.3 cal ka BP the lake system shifted from an aragonite- to a calcite-dominated system, indicating a change towards a fully open hydrological lake system. The younger clay-rich sediments are moreover non-laminated and lack any diagenetic sulphides, pointing to fully ventilated conditions, and the prevailing absence of lake stratification. This turning point in lake history could imply either a threshold response to insolation-forced climate cooling or a response to a non-climatic trigger, such as an erosional event or a tectonic pulse that induced a strong earthquake, which is difficult to decide from our data base.

Heavy mineral content of ODP Leg 107 holes

Analyses of rock clasts and of heavy minerals in upper Miocene coarse detrital units drilled along the East Sardinia passive-type continental margin (Sites 654, 653, 652, and 656) reveal that the stretched basement contains quite complex rock suites. Taking also into account previous sampling data, in moving from west to east across the margin, the nature of the basement changes drastically. To the west there are mostly Hercynian basement rocks with their cover, referable to the alpine foreland of the Corsica-Sardinia block. To the east, along the lower margin, where crustal thinning is quite severe, the basement contains rock suites referable to a pre-upper Tortonian orogenized zone with units constituting parts of the Alpine and Apenninic chains (presumably with thickened continental crust prior to stretching). Largest thinning and ocean forming occurred then, in a rather short time, mostly at the expense of unstable crust just thickened by orogenetic/tectogenetic processes.

Radiocarbon, isotope, biogenic, and 230Th measurements for sediment core RC10-196

The subarctic North Pacific Ocean holds a large CO2 reservoir that is currently isolated from the atmosphere by a low-salinity layer. It has recently been hypothesized that the reorganization of these high-CO2 waters may have played a crucial role in the degassing of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere during the last deglaciation. This reorganization would leave some imprint on paleo-productivity records. Here we present 230Th-normalized biogenic fluxes from an intermediate depth sediment core in the Northwest Pacific (RC10-196, 54.7°N, 177.1°E, 1007 m) and place them within the context of a synthesis of previously-published biogenic flux data from 49 deep-sea cores north of 20°N, ranging from 420 to 3968 m water depth. The 230Th-normalized opal, carbonate, and organic carbon fluxes from RC10-196 peak approximately 13,000 calendar years BP during the Bølling/Allerød (B/A) period. Our data synthesis suggests that biogenic fluxes were in general lowest during the last glacial period, increased somewhat in the Northwest Pacific during Heinrich Event 1, and reached a maximum across the entire North Pacific during the B/A period. We evaluate several mechanisms as possible drivers of deglacial change in biogenic fluxes in the North Pacific, including changes in preservation, sediment focusing, sea ice extent, iron inputs, stratification, and circulation shifts initiated in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. Our analysis suggests that while micronutrient sources likely contributed to some of the observed changes, the heterogeneity in timing of glaciogenic retreat and sea level make these mechanisms unlikely causes of region-wide contemporaneous peaks in export production. We argue that paleo-observations are most consistent with ventilation increases in both the North Pacific (during H1) and North Atlantic (during B/A) being the primary drivers of increases in biogenic flux during the deglaciation, as respectively they were likely to bring nutrients to the surface via increased vertical mixing and shoaling of the global thermocline.

Planktonic foraminifera and sea surface temperture reconstruction for Red Sea sediment cores

In order to assess how insolation-driven climate change superimposed on sea level rise and millennial events influenced the Red Sea during the Holocene, we present new paleoceanographic records from two sediment cores to develop a comprehensive reconstruction of Holocene circulation dynamics in the basin. We show that the recovery of the planktonic foraminiferal fauna after the Younger Dryas was completed earlier in the northern than in the central Red Sea, implying significant changes in the hydrological balance of the northern Red Sea region during the deglaciation. In the early part of the Holocene, the environment of the Red Sea closely followed the development of the Indian summer monsoon and was dominated by a circulation mode similar to the current summer circulation, with low productivity throughout the central and northern Red Sea. The climatic signal during the late Holocene is dominated by a faunal transient event centered around 2.4 ka BP. Its timing corresponds to that of North Atlantic Bond event 2 and to a widespread regionally recorded dry period. This faunal transient is characterized by a more productive foraminiferal fauna and can be explained by an intensification of the winter circulation mode and high evaporation. The modern distribution pattern of planktonic foraminifera, reflecting the prevailing circulation system, was established after 1.7 ka BP.

Aeolian dust and chemistry records from the EDML and EDC ice cores

To improve quantitative interpretation of ice core aeolian dust records a systematic methodical comparison has been made involving methods of water-insoluble particle counting (Coulter Counter and laser-sensing particle detector), soluble ions (ion chromatography, IC, and continuous flow analysis, CFA), elemental analysis (inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, ICP-MS, at pH 1 and after full acid digestion), and water-insoluble elemental analysis (proton induced X-ray emission, PIXE). Ice core samples covering the last deglaciation have been used from the EPICA Dome C (EDC) and the EPICA Dronning Maud Land (EDML) ice cores. All methods correlate very well amongst each other. The ratios of glacial age concentrations to Holocene concentrations, which are typically a factor ~100, differ significantly between the methods, but differences are limited to a factor < 2 for most methods with insoluble particles showing the largest change. The recovery of ICP-MS measurements depends on the digestion method and is different for different elements and during different climatic periods. EDC and EDML samples have similar dust composition, which suggests a common dust source or a common mixture of sources for the two sites. The analysed samples further reveal a change of dust composition during the last deglaciation.

(Table 1) Dissolved organic carbon, water temperature and conductivity in three subarctic ponds near Kilpisjärvi, North Finland

Daphnia was collected from five subarctic ponds which differed greatly in their DOC contents and, consequently, their underwater light (UV) climates. Irrespective of which Daphnia species was present, and contrary to expectations, the ponds with the lowest DOC concentrations (highest UV radiation levels) contained Daphnia with the highest eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations. In addition, EPA concentrations in these Daphnia generally decreased in concert with seasonally increasing DOC concentrations. Daphnia from three of the ponds was also tested for its tolerance to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) with respect to survival. Daphnia pulex from the clear water pond showed, by far, the best UV-tolerance, followed by D. longispina from the moderately humic and D. longispina from the very humic pond. In addition, we measured sublethal parameters related to UV-damage such as the degree to which the gut of Daphnia appeared green (as a measure of their ability to digest algae), and whether their guts appeared damaged. We developed a simple, noninvasive scoring system to quantify the proportion of the gut in which digestive processes were presumably active. This method allowed repeated measurement of the same animals over the course of the experiment. We demonstrated, for the first time, that sublethal damage of the gut precedes mortality caused by exposure to UVR. In a parallel set of experiments we fed UV-exposed and non-exposed algae to UV-exposed and non-exposed daphnids. UVR pretreatment of algae enhanced the negative effects of exposure to natural solar UV-irradiation in Daphnia. These UV-related effects were generally not specific to the species of Daphnia.

Nitrogen isotopic and opal record of sediments in the Gulf of California

High-resolution records of the nitrogen isotopic composition of organic matter (d15Norg), opal content, and opal accumulation rates from the central Gulf of California reveal large and abrupt variations during deglaciation and gradual Holocene changes coincident with climatic changes recorded in the North Atlantic. Homogenous sediments with relatively low d15Norg values and low opal content were deposited at the end of the last glacial period, during the Younger-Dryas event, and during the middle to late Holocene. In contrast, laminated sediments deposited in the two deglacial stages are characterized by very high d15Norg values (>14 per mil) and opal accumulation rates (29-41 mg/cm**2/yr). Abrupt shifts in d15Norg were driven by widespread changes in the extent of suboxic subsurface waters supporting denitrification and were amplified in the central gulf record due to variations in upwelling, vertical mixing, and/or the latitudinal position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Major and trace element compositions of the Buendnerschiefer samples

The Bündnerschiefer of the Swiss-Italian Alps is a large sedimentary complex deposited on the Piemonte-Liguria and Valais oceans and associated continental margins from the upper Jurassic to Eocene. It is made of a large variety of sequences associated or not with an ophiolitic basement. The Bündnerschiefer makes an accretionary prism that developed syn-tectonically from the onset of alpine subduction, and it records orogenic metamorphism following episodes of HP metamorphism. The Bündnerschiefer shares important similarities with the Otago schists of New Zealand and with the Wepawaug schists of Connecticut, both of which form accretionary prisms and have an orogenic metamorphic imprint. With the aim of testing the hypothesis of mobility of chemical components as a function of metamorphic grade, in this work I present fifty-five bulk chemical analyses of various lithological facies of the Bündnerschiefer collected along the well-studied field gradient of the Lepontine dome of Central Switzerland, in the Prättigau half window of East Switzerland, and in the Tsaté Nappe of Valle d'Aosta (Italy). The dataset includes the concentration of major components, large ion lithophile elements (Rb, Sr, Ba, Cs), high field strength elements (Zr, Ti, Nb, Th, U, Ta, Hf), fluid-mobile light elements (B, Li), volatiles (CO2, S), REEs, and Y, V, Cr, Co, Sn, Pb, Cu, Zn, Tl, Sb, Be, and Au. These data are compared against the compositions of the global marine sediment reservoir, typical crustal reservoirs, and against the previously measured compositions of Otago and Wepawaug schists. Results reveal that, irrespective of their metamorphic evolution, the bulk chemical compositions of orogenic metasediments are characterized by mostly constant compositional ratios (e.g., K2O/Al2O3, Ba/Al2O3, Sr/CaO, etc.), whose values in most cases are undistinguishable from those of actual marine sediments and other crustal reservoirs. For these rocks, only volatile concentrations decrease dramatically as a function of metamorphic temperature, and significant deviations from the reservoir signatures are evident for SiO2, B, and Li. These results are interpreted as an indication of residual enrichment in the sediments, a process taking place during syn-metamorphic dehydration from the onset of metamorphism in a regime of chemical immobility. Residual enrichment increased the absolute concentrations of the chemical components of these rocks, but did not modify significantly their fundamental ratios. This poor compositional modification of the sediments indicates that orogenic metamorphism in general does not promote significant mass transfer from accretionary prisms. In contrast, mass transfer calculations carried out in a shear zone crosscutting the Bündnerschiefer shows that significant mass transfer occurs within these narrow zones, resulting in gains of H2O, SiO2, Al2O3, K2O, Ba, Y, Rb, Cu, V, Tl, Mo, and Ce during deformation and loss of Na2O, CO2, S, Ni, B, U, and Pb from the rock. These components were presumably transported by an aquo-carbonic fluid along the shear zone. These distinct attitudes to mobilize chemical elements from orogenic sediments may have implications for a potentially large number of geochemical processes in active continental margins, from the recycling of chemical components at plate margins to the genesis of hydrothermal ore deposits.

Pollen record with radiocarbon datings from Faddeyevskiy Island, Laptev Sea

Pollen, plant macrofossil, loss-on-ignition and radiocarbon analyses of a 1.4-m section in thermokarst topography from Faddeyevskiy Island (75°20'N, 143°50'E, 30 m elevation) provides new information on Late Pleistocene interstadial environmental history of this high Arctic region. Conventional radiocarbon dates (25,700 ± 1000, 32,780 ± 500, 35,200 ± 650 yr BP) and two AMS dates (29,950 ± 660 and 42,990 ± 1280 yr BP) indicate that the deposits accumulated during the Kargian (Boutellier) interval. Numerous mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) remains that have been collected in vicinity of the site in this study were radio-carbon dated to 36,700-18,500 yr BP. Rare bison (Bison priscus) bones were dated to 32,200 ± 600 and 33,100 ± 320 yr BP. Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Artemisia pollen dominate the spectra with some Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Rosaceae, and Asteraceae. The pollen spectra reflect steppe-like (tundra-steppe) vegetation, which was dominant on the exposed shelf of the Arctic Ocean. Numerous Carex macrofossils suggest that the summer climate was at least 2°C warmer than today. The productivity of the local vegetation during the Kargian interstadial was high enough to feed the population of grazing mammals.

Dust flux records from the Subarctic North Pacific

We present a new record of eolian dust flux to the western Subarctic North Pacific (SNP) covering the past 27000 years based on a core from the Detroit Seamount. Comparing the SNP dust record to the NGRIP ice core record shows significant differences in the amplitude of dust changes to the two regions during the last deglaciation, while the timing of abrupt changes is synchronous. If dust deposition in the SNP faithfully records its mobilization in East Asian source regions, then the difference in the relative amplitude must reflect climate-related changes in atmospheric dust transport to Greenland. Based on the synchronicity in the timing of dust changes in the SNP and Greenland, we tie abrupt deglacial transitions in the 230Th-normalized 4He flux record to corresponding transitions in the well-dated NGRIP dust flux record to provide a new chronostratigraphic technique for marine sediments from the SNP. Results from this technique are complemented by radiocarbon dating, which allows us to independently constrain radiocarbon paleoreservoir ages. We find paleoreservoir ages of 745 ± 140 yr at 11653 yr BP, 680 ± 228 yr at 14630 yr BP and 790 ± 498 yr at 23290 yr BP. Our reconstructed paleoreservoir ages are consistent with modern surface water reservoir ages in the western SNP. Good temporal synchronicity between eolian dust records from the Subantarctic Atlantic and equatorial Pacific and the ice core record from Antarctica supports the reliability of the proposed dust tuning method to be used more widely in other global ocean regions.

Bulk geochemical analysis and planktonic foraminifera of sediment core GeoB7112-5

A multivariable approach utilising bulk sediment, planktonic Foraminifera and siliceous phytoplankton has been used to reconstruct rapid variations in palaeoproductivity in the Peru-Chile Current System off northern Chile for the past 19000 cal. yr. During the early deglaciation (19000-16000 cal. yr BP), our data point to strongest upwelling intensity and highest productivity of the past 19 000 cal. yr. The late deglaciation (16000-13000 cal. yr BP) is characterised by a major change in the oceanographic setting, warmer water masses and weaker upwelling at the study site. Lowest productivity and weakest upwelling intensity are observed from the early to the middle Holocene (13000-4000 cal. yr BP), and the beginning of the late Holocene (<4000 cal. yr BP) is marked by increasing productivity, mainly driven by silicate-producing organisms. Changes in the productivity and upwelling intensity in our record may have resulted from a large-scale compression and/or displacement of the South Pacific subtropical gyre during more productive periods, in line with a northward extension of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and increased advection of Antarctic water masses with the Peru-Chile Current. The corresponding increase in hemispheric thermal gradient and wind stress induced stronger upwelling. During the periods of lower productivity, this scenario probably reversed.