Bulk geochemistry and grain-size composition of surface sediments from the SW Atlantic

Surface sediments from the South American continental margin surrounding tbe Argentine Basin were studied with respect to bulk geochemistry (Caeo) and C ) and grain-size composition (sand/silt/clay relation and terrigenous silt grain-size distribution). The grain-size distributions of the terrigenous silt fraction were unmixed into three end members (EMs), using an end-member modelling algorithm. Three unimodal EMs appear to satisfactorily explain the variations in the data set of the grain-size distributions ofterrigenous silt. The EMs are related to sediment supply by rivers, downslope transport, winnowing, dispersal and re-deposition by currents. The bulk geochemical composition was used to trace the distribution of prominent water masses within the vertical profile. The sediments of the eastern South American continental margin are generally divided into a coarse-grained and carbonate-depleted southwestern part, and a finer-grained and carbonate-rich northeastern part. The transition of both environments is located at the position of the Brazil Malvinas Confluence (BMC). The sediments below the confluence mixing zone of the Malvinas and Brazil Currents and its extensions are characterised by high concentrations of organic carbon, low carbonate contents and high proportions of the intennediate grain-size end member. Tracing these properties, the BMC emerges as a distinct north-south striking feature centered at 52-54°W crossing the continental margin diagonally. Adjacent to this prominent feature in the southwest, the direct detrital sediment discharge of the Rio de la Plata is clearly recognised by a downslope tongue of sand and high proportions of the coarsest EM. A similar coarse grain-size composition extends further south along the continental slope. However, it displays bener sorting due to intense winnowing by the vigorous Malvinas Current. Fine-grained sedimentary deposition zones are located at the southwestern deeper part of the Rio Grande Rise and the southern abyssal Brazil Basin, both within the AABW domain. Less conspicuous winnowing/accumulation panerns are indicated north of the La Plata within the NADW level according to the continental margin topography. We demonstrate that combined bulk geochemical and grain-size properties of surface sediments, unmixed with an end-member algorithm, provide a powerful tool to reconstruct the complex interplay of sedimentology and oceanography along a time slice.

Coccoliths and carbonate grain-size compositions in sediment samples from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

This study presents a differentiated carbonate budget for marine surface sediments from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge of the South Atlantic, with results based on carbonate grain-size composition. Upon separation into sand, silt, and clay sub-fractions, the silt grain-size distribution was measured using a SediGraph 5100. We found regionally characteristic grain-size distributions with an overall minimum at 8 µm equivalent spherical diameter (ESD). SEM observations reveal that the coarse particles (>8 µm ESD) are attributed to planktic foraminifers and their fragments, and the fine particles (<8 µm ESD) to coccoliths. On the basis of this division, the regional variation of the contribution of foraminifers and coccoliths to the carbonate budget of the sediments are calculated. Foraminifer carbonate dominates the sediments in mesotropic regions whereas coccoliths contribute most carbonate in oligotrophic regions. The grain size of the coccolith share is constant over water depth, indicating a lower susceptibility for carbonate dissolution compared to foraminifers. Finally, the characteristic grain-size distribution in fine silt (<8 µm ESD) is set into context with the coccolith assemblage counted and biometrically measured using a SEM. The coccoliths present in the silt fraction are predominantly large species (length > 4 µm). Smaller species (length < 4 µm) belong to the clay fraction (<2 µm ESD). The average length of most frequent coccolith species is connected to prominent peaks in grain-size distributions (ESD) with a shape factor. The area below Gaussian distributions fitted to these peaks is suggested as a way to quantitatively estimate the carbonate contribution of single coccolith species more precisely compared to conventional volume estimates. The quantitative division of carbonate into the fraction produced by coccoliths and that secreted by foraminifers enables a more precise estimate for source/sink relations of consumed and released CO2 in the carbon cycle. The allocation of coccolith length and grain size (ESD) suggests size windows for the separation or accumulation of distinct coccolith species in investigations that depend on non to slightly-mixed signals (e.g., isotopic studies).

Geochemistry on sediment profile PS69/335

During RV Polarstern cruise ANT-XXIII/4 in 2006, a gravity core (PS69/335-2) and a giant box core (PS69/335-1) were retrieved from Maxwell Bay off King George Island (KGI). Comprehensive geochemical (bulk parameters, quantitative XRF, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) and radiometric dating analyses (14C, 210Pb) were performed on both cores. A comparison with geochemical data from local bedrock demonstrates a mostly detrital origin for the sediments, but also points to an overprint from changing bioproductivity in the overlying water column in addition to early diagenetic processes. Furthermore, ten tephra layers that were most probably derived from volcanic activity on Deception Island were identified. Variations in the vertical distribution of selected elements in Maxwell Bay sediments further indicate a shift in source rock provenance as a result of changing glacier extents during the past c. 1750 years that may be linked to the Little Ice Age and the Medieval Warm Period. Whereas no evidence for a significant increase in chemical weathering rates was found, 210Pb data revealed that mass accumulation rates in Maxwell Bay have almost tripled since the 1940s (0.66 g cm-2 yr-1 in AD 2006), which is probably linked to rapid glacier retreat in this region due to recent warming.