Chemiscal composition of basalts from DSDP Legs 69 and 70 Holes

Chemical compositions and 1-atm. phase relations were determined for basalts drilled from Holes 501, 504A, 504B, 505, and 505B on Legs 68, 69, and 70 of the Deep Sea Drilling Project. Chemical, experimental, and petrographic data indicate that these basalts are moderately evolved (Mg' values from 0.60 to 0.70), with olivine plus Plagioclase and often clinopyroxene on the liquidus. Chemical stratigraphy was used to infer that sequential influxes of magma into a differentiating magma chamber or separate flows from different magma chambers or both had occurred. Two major types of basalt were found to be inter layered: Group M, a rarely occurring type with major element chemistry and magmaphile element abundances within the range of the majority of ocean-floor basalts (TiO2 = 1.3%, Na2O 2.5%, Zr = 103 ppm, Nb = 2.5 ppm, and Y = 31 ppm); and Group D, a highly unusual series of basalt compositions that exhibit much lower magmaphile element abundances (TiO2 = 0.75-1.2%, Na2O = 1.7-2.3%, Zr = 34-60 ppm, Nb = 0.5-1.2 ppm, and Y = 16-27 ppm). The liquidus temperatures of the Group D basalts are high (1230- 1260°C) compared with those of other ocean-floor basalts of similar Mg' values. They have high CaO/Na2O ratios (5-8) and are calculated to be in equilibrium with unusually calcic Plagioclase (An78-84). The two basalt groups cannot be related by fractionation processes. However, constant Zr/Nb ratios (>40) for the two groups suggest a single mantle source, with differences in magmaphile element abundances and other element ratios (e.g., Zr/Ti, Zr/Y, Ce/Yb) arising through sequential melting of the same source. Magmas similar to Group D, if mixed with more typical mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB) magmas in shallow magma chambers, could provide a source for the highly calcic Plagioclase phenocrysts that appear in more common (i.e., less depleted) phyric ocean-floor basalts.

Effects of high CO2 levels on the ecophysiology of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii differ depending on the iron nutritional status

Iron availability in seawater, namely the concentration of dissolved inorganic iron ([Fe']), is affected by changes in pH. Such changes in the availability of iron should be taken into account when investigating the effects of ocean acidification on phytoplankton ecophysiology because iron plays a key role in phytoplankton metabolism. However, changes in iron availability in response to changes in ocean acidity are difficult to quantify specifically using natural seawater because these factors change simultaneously. In the present study, the availability of iron and carbonate chemistry were manipulated individually and simultaneously in the laboratory to examine the effect of each factor on phytoplankton ecophysiology. The effects of various pCO2 conditions (390, 600, and 800 µatm) on the growth, cell size, and elemental stoichiometry (carbon [C], nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P], and silicon [Si]) of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii under high iron ([Fe'] = 240 pmol/l) and low iron ([Fe'] = 24 pmol/l) conditions were investigated. Cell volume decreased with increasing pCO2, whereas intracellular C, N, and P concentrations increased with increasing pCO2 only under high iron conditions. Si:C, Si:N, and Si:P ratios decreased with increasing pCO2. It reflects higher production of net C, N, and P with no corresponding change in net Si production under high pCO2 and high iron conditions. In contrast, significant linear relationships between measured parameters and pCO2 were rarely detected under low iron conditions. We conclude that the increasing CO2 levels could affect on the biogeochemical cycling of bioelements selectively under the iron-replete conditions in the coastal ecosystems.

Lignin and chemical elements in the surface layer of bottom sediments from the Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea

Chemical composition of the upper layer of sediments (0-1 cm) in the Kolvits and Knazhaya inlets, and also in the deep-water part of the Kandalaksha Bay is considered. It is shown that silts are richer in Fe, TOC, and heavy metals, than sands. The highest concentration of these elements is found in sediments under mixing zones of riverine and sea waters. Correlations of P, Zn, Cd, and Cu with iron are high, and correlations of Pb and Cu with organic carbon are also high. Very high concentration of Pb in the Kandalaksha Bay indicate technogenic pollution of sediments. Lignin makes significant contribution to formation of organic matter in the sediments. Composition of lignin in bottom sediments of the Kandalaksha Bay is defined by composition of lignin in soils and aerosols. Vanillin and syringyl structures prevail in molecular composition of lignin in bottom sediments. Their sources are coniferous vegetations, soils, and mosses. Ratios of certain types of phenol compounds indicate pollution of the upper layer of sediments by technogenic lignin. Lead and copper correlate well with this technogenic lignin.

(Table 2) Contents of trace elements in plankton from the White Sea

With a view to more complete understanding of the role of phyto- and zooplankton in biogeochemical cycles, spatial distributions of Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Cr, Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, As, Hg, and Corg in the White Sea seston (21 samples) collected in August 2004 during Cruise 64 of R/V ''Professor Shtokman'' were studied. It was shown that the elements in study are accumulated in plankton with enrichment factors from 10**2 for Hg to 10**5 for Fe, as compared to seawater. Spatial distribution of trace elements is determined by sources of their supply and correlates with distribution of primary production and biomass of zooplankton. Increased values of trace element contents (excluding As) are characteristic of the Dvina Bay, whereas the highest As concentrations were found in the Kandalaksha Bay.

Paleoenvironmental changes in the western Mediterranean since the last glacial maximum: High resolution multiproxy record from the Algero-Balearic basin

The present study uses a multiproxy approach in order to further understand the evolution of climate responses in the western Mediterranean as of the Last Glacial Maximum. Sediments from ODP Site 975 in the Algero-Balearic basin have been analysed at high resolution, both geochemically andmineralogicallly. The resulting data have been used as proxies to establish a sedimentary regime, primary marine productivity, the preservation of the proxies and oxygen conditions. Fluctuations in detrital element concentrations were mainly the consequence of wet/arid oscillations. Productivity has been established using Ba excess, according to which marine productivity appears to have been greatest during cold events Heinrich 1 and Younger Dryas. The S1 time interval was not as marked by increases in productivity as was the eastern Mediterranean. In contrast, the S1 interval was first characterized by a decreasing trend and then by a fall in productivity after the 8.2 ky BP dry-cold event. Since then productivity has remained low. Here we report that there was an important redox event in this basin, probably a consequence of the major oceanographic circulation change occurring in the western Mediterranean at 7.7 ky BP. This circulation change led to reventilation as well as to diagenetic remobilization of redox-sensitive elements and organic matter oxidation. Comparisons between our paleoceanographic reconstruction for this basin and those regarding other Mediterranean basins support the hypothesis that across the Mediterranean there were different types of responses to climate forcing mechanism. The Algero-Balearic basin is likely to be a key area for further understanding of the relationships between the North Atlantic and the eastern Mediterranean basins.