(Table 1, page 204), Minor element concentrations in nodules of lake Ontario at Glenola, Bay of Quinte

Spark source mass spectroscopy was used to analyze 61 elements in ten ferromanganese nodules found near Glenora in the Bay of Quinte at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. Most minor elements, including As, Pb, and Hg, have concentrations between 1-100 µg/g. F, S, Co, Zn, and La have concentrations in 100 µg/g range. Ba and Sr are present at levels of 1% and 0.1% respectively. Compared to similar measurements on nodules found in the Great Lakes and in other parts of the globe, values reported here are generally lower. Compared to their marine equivalents, lake nodules appear to be inferior scavengers of minor elements. Examination of all available data corroborates the postulate that marine biological material is an important source of minor elements found in oceanic nodules.

(Table 1) Accumulation and ice discharge of West Antarctic glaciers draining into the Amundsen Sea between 1974 and 2007

The Advanced Land Observation System (ALOS) Phased-Array Synthetic-Aperture Radar (PALSAR) is an L-band frequency (1.27 GHz) radar capable of continental-scale interferometric observations of ice sheet motion. Here, we show that PALSAR data yield excellent measurements of ice motion compared to C-band (5.6 GHz) radar data because of greater temporal coherence over snow and firn. We compare PALSAR velocities from year 2006 in Pine Island Bay, West Antarctica with those spanning years 1974 to 2007. Between 1996 and 2007, Pine Island Glacier sped up 42% and ungrounded over most of its ice plain. Smith Glacier accelerated 83% and ungrounded as well. Their largest speed up are recorded in 2007. Thwaites Glacier is not accelerating but widening with time and its eastern ice shelf doubled its speed. Total ice discharge from these glaciers increased 30% in 12 yr and the net mass loss increased 170% from 39 ± 15 Gt/yr to 105 ± 27 Gt/yr. Longer-term velocity changes suggest only a moderate loss in the 1970s. As the glaciers unground into the deeper, smoother beds inland, the mass loss from this region will grow considerably larger in years to come.

Stepwise consolidation of glacigenic sediments of the Prydz Bay

A series of samples from the five sites drilled across the continental shelf and upper slope in Prydz Bay during ODP Leg 119 were consolidation tested in an oedometer. Preconsolidation stresses increase downcore at Sites 739 and 742 in a stepwise manner, and the steps are interpreted to represent periods of increased action of grounded glaciers covering the entire shelf. By the use of theoretical ice sheet surface profiles giving the range of possible ice thicknesses, sediment loading and subsequent erosion seem to be the most important factor for increasing the overconsolidation ratios, and a total glacial erosion exceeding 1 km is possible. Four separate steps in consolidation, here termed "load events" have been identified. The lowermost load event, 1, is correlated to the onset of glaciations reaching the shelf edge and an early period of extensive glaciations, starting in early Oligocene or possibly earlier. Glacial activity related to the buildup of ice in West Antarctica in the late Miocene is tentatively correlated to load event 2. Event 3 is the trace of relatively extensive glacial erosion probably in the Pliocene, whereas the upper step in preconsolidation stress, load event 4, results from the last glaciation reaching the shelf edge, possibly during the late Weichselian. Correlations to other data related to Antarctic glacial history are, however, hampered by the poor age control of the cored diamictites. Consolidation tests may provide a tool for finding the position for hiatuses and unconformities formed subglacially and obscured by subglacial reworking.

Paleotemperatures and paleosalinities from the Celtic Margin (Bay of Biscay)

During the late Quaternary, both external and internal forcings have driven major climatic shifts from glacial to interglacial conditions. Nonlinear climatic steps characterized the transitions leading to these extrema, with intermediate excursions particularly well xpressed in the dynamics of the Northern Hemisphere cryosphere. Here we document the impact of these dynamics on the north-eastern North Atlantic Ocean, focussing on the 35-10 ka interval. Sea-surface salinities have been reconstructed quantitatively based on two independent methods from core MD95-2002, recovered from the northern Bay of Biscay adjacent to the axis of the Manche paleoriver outlet and thus in connection with proximal European ice sheets and glaciers. Quantitative reconstructions deriving from dinocyst and planktonic foraminiferal analyses have been combined within a robust chronology to assess the amplitude and timing of hydrological changes in this region. Our study evidences strong pulsed freshwater discharges which may have impacted the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.