Screening Corymbia populations for resistance to Puccinia psidii

The exotic rust pathogen Puccinia psidii is now widespread along the east coast of Australia from temperate Victoria to tropical far north Queensland, with a current host range exceeding 200 species from 37 myrtaceous genera. To determine the threat P. psidii poses to plantation and native eucalypts, artificial inoculation was used to screen germplasm of spotted gum (Corymbia spp.) for resistance to the biotype of P. psidii that has become established in Australia. The objective was to characterize resistance to P. psidii within the Corymbia species complex so that management strategies for the deployment of germplasm from existing breeding programmes of these spotted gum species could be developed. Symptom development initiated 7 days after inoculation, with resistant and susceptible seedlings identified within all species, provenances and families. Inter- and intraspecific variability in rust resistance was observed among spotted gum species. There was no apparent relationship between climatic conditions at the provenance origin and disease resistance. The heritability estimates for all assessments are moderate to high and indicate a significant level of additive genetic variance for rust resistance within the populations. The results of this study clearly identify potential to select for resistance at the family level within the tested populations. While the potential for P. psidii to detrimentally impact upon Corymbia in the nursery and in young plantations was demonstrated, estimations of the heritability of resistance suggest that efforts to enhance this trait through breeding have reasonable prospects for success.

Bernard Bernstein Archive, 1941-2008 (bulk bulk 1960-1984).

Bernard Bernstein collection documents professional activities of Bernard Bernstein, a jeweler, metal smith, writer, and teacher. The collection includes artifacts, correspondence, documents, manuscripts, printed materials, photographs, other visual materials, and sketches.The larger part of the collection includes materials dealing with the artistic side of Bernard Bernstein. These materials are found throughout the collection and consist of artifacts produced during his schooling at City College (Series I: Artifacts), various jewelry designs produced by Bernard Bernstein for commercial use (Series III: Designs), certificates and awards (Series V: General), and materials pertaining to a number of shows and exhibits that Bernard Bernstein was a part of (Series IV: Exhibitions and Art Catalogues).Other materials include documents pertaining to Bernard Bernstein education, professional carrier as a teacher ( Series II: City College of the City University of New York, Series V: General), and his articles in professional journals (Series VI: Printed Materials).In some cases materials are accompanied by Bernard Bernstein’s notes explaining the significance and provenance of the documents.

The host range of three biotypes of Dactylopius tomentosus (Lamarck) (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) and their potential as biological control agents of Cylindropuntia spp. (Cactaceae) in Australia

The host range of two newly imported biotypes of Dactylopius tomentosus and their potential as biological control agents of Cylindropuntia spp. were investigated. A third biotype (imbricata) of D. tomentosus previously released in Australia to control C. imbricata was also screened to determine if it will feed on other species of Cylindropuntia occurring in Australia. Efficacy trials were conducted to evaluate the ability of the biotypes to retard the growth or kill those plant species supporting development of four or more individuals in the host test trials. The host range of the three biotypes of D. tomentosus was restricted to the genus Cylindropuntia. However, the biotypes showed varying degrees of specificity within this genus. The imbricata biotype was the only biotype to develop on Australian C. rosea provenances, albeit with a range of developmental success on all C. rosea provenances tested. The Spanish provenance supported the highest development success followed by Grawin (NSW), Lorne Station (NSW) while the least preferred was the Mexican provenance. The rosea and cholla biotypes were unsuitable candidates to control C. rosea in Australia. However, the efficacy trials showed that the cholla biotype had a high impact on four of the eight naturalised Cylindropuntia species in Australia. This biotype established rapidly and the sustained feeding of one fecund female and her progeny killed potted plants of C. imbricata and C. fulgida at week 18. This biotype has the potential to be an effective agent against C. fulgida, C. imbricata, C. kleiniae and C. tunicata and, as a consequence, an application seeking its release in Australia has been lodged.

Inventories and significance of the genetic resources of an African mahogany species (Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss.) assembled and further developed in Australia.

The forest tree species Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss. occurs in a belt across 20 African countries from Senegal-Guinea to Sudan-Uganda where it is a highly important resource. However, it is listed as Vulnerable (IUCN 2015-3). Since introduction in northern Australia around 1959, the species has been planted widely, yielding high-value products. The total area of plantations of the species in Australia exceeds 15,000 ha, mostly planted in the Northern Territory since 2006, and includes substantial areas across 60-70 woodlots and industrial plantations established in north-eastern Queensland since the early-1990s and during 2005-2007 respectively. Collaborative conservation and tree improvement by governments began in the Northern Territory and Queensland in 2001 based on provenance and other trials of the 1960s-1970s. This work has developed a broad base of germplasm in clonal seed orchards, hedge gardens and trials (clone and progeny). Several of the trials were established collaboratively on private land. Since the mid-2000s, commercial growers have introduced large numbers of provenance-bulk and individual-tree seedlots to establish industrial plantations and trials, several of the latter in collaboration with the Queensland Government. Provenance bulks (>140) and families (>400) from 17 African countries are established in Australia, considered the largest genetic base of the species in a single country outside Africa. Recently the annual rate of industrial planting of the species in Australia has declined, and R&D has been suspended by governments and reduced by the private sector. However, new commercial plantings in the Northern Territory and Queensland are proposed. In domesticating a species, the strategic importance of a broad genetic base is well known. The wide range of first- and advanced-generation germplasm of the species established in northern Australia and documented in this paper provides a sound basis for further domestication and industrial plantation and woodlot expansion, when investment conditions are favourable

The tectonic significance of lower Permain successions in the Texas Orocline (Eastern Australia)

The Texas Orocline is a prominent orogenic curvature that developed during the early Permian in the southern New England Orogen. Outliers preserving lower Permian sedimentary successions (Bondonga, Silver Spur, Pikedale, Terrica, Alum Rock and Ashford beds) approximately outline the oroclinal structure, but the tectonic processes responsible for the development of these basinal successions, and their relationships to the Texas Orocline, are unclear. Here we address this shortcoming by providing new U–Pb detrital and primary zircon ages from these successions, as well as detailed stratigraphic and structural data from the largest exposed succession (Bondonga beds). Field observations and U–Pb geochronological data suggest that the lower Permian successions in the Texas Orocline are remnants of a single, formerly larger basin that was deposited after ca 302 Ma. Time constraints for formation of this basin are correlative with constraints from the lower Permian Nambucca Block, which was likely deposited in response to regional back-arc extension during and/or after the development of the Texas Orocline. The conclusion that the lower Permian sedimentary basins in the Texas Orocline belong to this back-arc extensional system supports the suggestion that oroclinal bending in the New England Orogen was primarily controlled by trench retreat and associated overriding-plate extension.

Using a botanic garden collection to test a bioclimatic vegetation scheme

Vegetation maps and bioclimatic zone classifications communicate the vegetation of an area and are used to explain how the environment regulates the occurrence of plants on large scales. Many practises and methods for dividing the world’s vegetation into smaller entities have been presented. Climatic parameters, floristic characteristics, or edaphic features have been relied upon as decisive factors, and plant species have been used as indicators for vegetation types or zones. Systems depicting vegetation patterns that mainly reflect climatic variation are termed ‘bioclimatic’ vegetation maps. Based on these it has been judged logical to deduce that plants moved between corresponding bioclimatic areas should thrive in the target location, whereas plants moved from a different zone should languish. This principle is routinely applied in forestry and horticulture but actual tests of the validity of bioclimatic maps in this sense seem scanty. In this study I tested the Finnish bioclimatic vegetation zone system (BZS). Relying on the plant collection of Helsinki University Botanic Garden’s Kumpula collection, which according to the BZS is situated at the northern limit of the hemiboreal zone, I aimed to test how the plants’ survival depends on their provenance. My expectation was that plants from the hemiboreal or southern boreal zones should do best in Kumpula, whereas plants from more southern and more northern zones should show progressively lower survival probabilities. I estimated probability of survival using collection database information of plant accessions of known wild origin grown in Kumpula since the mid 1990s, and logistic regression models. The total number of accessions I included in the analyses was 494. Because of problems with some accessions I chose to separately analyse a subset of the complete data, which included 379 accessions. I also analysed different growth forms separately in order to identify differences in probability of survival due to different life strategies. In most analyses accessions of temperate and hemiarctic origin showed lower survival probability than those originating from any of the boreal subzones, which among them exhibited rather evenly high probabilities. Exceptionally mild and wet winters during the study period may have killed off hemiarctic plants. Some winters may have been too harsh for temperate accessions. Trees behaved differently: they showed an almost steadily increasing survival probability from temperate to northern boreal origins. Various factors that could not be controlled for may have affected the results, some of which were difficult to interpret. This was the case in particular with herbs, for which the reliability of the analysis suffered because of difficulties in managing their curatorial data. In all, the results gave some support to the BZS, and especially its hierarchical zonation. However, I question the validity of the formulation of the hypothesis I tested since it may not be entirely justified by the BZS, which was designed for intercontinental comparison of vegetation zones, but not specifically for transcontinental provenance trials. I conclude that botanic gardens should pay due attention to information management and curational practices to ensure the widest possible applicability of their plant collections.

Contrasting geochemical signatures on land from the Middle and Late Permian extinction events

The end of the Palaeozoic is marked by two mass-extinction events during the Middle Permian (Capitanian) and the Late Permian (Changhsingian). Given similarities between the two events in geochemical signatures, such as large magnitude negative C-13 anomalies, sedimentological signatures such as claystone breccias, and the approximate contemporaneous emplacement of large igneous provinces, many authors have sought a common causal mechanism. Here, a new high-resolution continental record of the Capitanian event from Portal Mountain, Antarctica, is compared with previously published Changhsingian records of geochemical signatures of weathering intensity and palaeoclimatic change. Geochemical means of discriminating sedimentary provenance (Ti/Al, U/Th and La/Ce ratios) all indicate a common provenance for the Portal Mountain sediments and associated palaeosols, so changes spanning the Capitanian extinction represent changes in weathering intensity rather than sediment source. Proxies for weathering intensity chemical index of alteration, W and rare earth element accumulation all decline across the Capitanian extinction event at Portal Mountain, which is in contrast to the increased weathering recorded globally at the Late Permian extinction. Furthermore, palaeoclimatic proxies are consistent with unchanging or cooler climatic conditions throughout the Capitanian event, which contrasts with Changhsingian records that all indicate a significant syn-extinction and post-extinction series of greenhouse warming events. Although both the Capitanian and Changhsingian event records indicate significant redox shifts, palaeosol geochemistry of the Changhsingian event indicates more reducing conditions, whereas the new Capitanian record of reduced trace metal abundances (Cr, Cu, Ni and Ce) indicates more oxidizing conditions. Taken together, the differences in weathering intensity, redox and the lack of evidence for significant climatic change in the new record suggest that the Capitanian mass extinction was not triggered by dyke injection of coal-beds, as in the Changhsingian extinction, and may instead have been triggered directly by the Emeishan large igneous province or by the interaction of Emeishan basalts with platform carbonates.

Caracterização ambiental da bacia hidrogáfica do Rio São Domingos a partir da análise geoquímica e isotópica Pb/Pb

A bacia hidrográfica do rio São Domingos constitui uma das sub-bacias do rio Muriaé pertencente ao sistema Paraíba do Sul e, tem seus limites coincidentes com os limites do município de São José de Ubá, sendo este o segundo maior produtor de tomate do estado do Rio de Janeiro, com sua principal fonte econômica baseada na agropecuária. Este tipo de atividade resulta em utilização de produtos químicos nas lavouras e juntamente a ocupação inadequada resulta em modificação das paisagens e da mata nativa, resultando em diversos tipos de impactos no ambiente. Neste estudo foram abordados os impactos relacionados a concentração de metais e sua proveniência através das assinaturas isotópicas Pb/Pb, utilizando para tal o procedimento analítico de lixiviação dos sedimentos de corrente e abertura total de rochas para a obtenção de razões isotópicas e concentrações de metais por ICP-MS. Os resultados mostraram que as contribuições nos sedimentos de corrente se dão a partir de cinco fontes compreendidos no intervalo de assinatura isotópica 206Pb/207Pb 1,1229 e 1,1949, representadas em intervalos bem definidos. Por correlação com as respectivas concentrações se observa que, preferencialmente, existe maior influência das rochas do embasamento, seguido de atividade antrópicas como a urbanização e disposição de lixo doméstico. As maiores concentrações estão associadas ao cobre, chumbo, estrôncio, níquel e zinco. Contudo todas as concentrações de metais obtidas se encontram abaixo da legislação vigente. Desta forma a contaminação antrópica é limitada a regiões de maior densidade populacional e as influências naturais predominam na área da bacia.

Fragmento de un epítome del «Liber Glossarum» en un manuscrito de en torno al año 1000

[EN] This article consists of a study (provenance, date of the manuscript, sources of the glossary, etc.) and an edition of the fragment of an epitome of the «Liber Glossarum» which is contained in a ms. about the year 1000 A.D. From the "Spanish symptoms" which one can track in the present copy, the ms. El Escorial L.I.15, from the 16th-17th century, the author infers that his model, now perished, was written in Spain and in wisigothic script about the year 1000. On the other side, on the basis of the copy the author reconstructs the primitive glossary text of the 10th-11th century model in a critical edition accompanied by a critical apparat and sources.

Proveniência sedimentar do grupo São Fidélis, terreno oriental da Faixa Ribeira com base em dados U-Pb

O Domínio Costeiro integra o Terreno Oriental, no segmento central da Faixa Ribeira e abriga rochas ortoderivadas com afinidade de arcos magmáticos (Complexo Rio Negro, ca. 790-605 Ma). Os ortognaisses deste complexo possuem clara assinatura para ambientes de zonas de subducção, encaixados em rochas metassedimentares de alto grau, integrantes do Grupo São Fidélis. O conjunto acima descrito é ainda intrudido por várias de rochas granitóides sin a tardi- colisionais, relacionadas às várias etapas de desenvolvimento da Orogenia Brasiliana neste setor do orógeno (ca. 605-480 Ma). Idades U-Pb (LA-ICP-MS) em zircões detríticos de rochas quartzíticas do Grupo São Fidélis indicam um amplo espectro com modas significativas no Mesoproterozóico e Paleoproterozoico, além de zircões do Neoproterozóico e do Arqueano. Sinteticamente os resultados obtidos foram: a) Idades concordantes Arqueanas com ca. 2,85, 2,84 e 2,70 Ga; b) zircões Paleoproterozóicos (ca. 2,3 a 1,7 Ga), com máxima concentração em torno de ca. 2,2 Ga, representando a segunda maior moda; c) Idades Mesoproterozóicas (ca. 1,3 -1,1 Ga) com idades de espectro dominantes, com moda em ca. 1,5 Ga; d) Zircões Neoproterozóicos com idades de ca. 0,95-90 Ga e 0,86-0,61 Ga. Em vários grãos detríticos observou-se sobrecrescimento metamórfico em ca. 602-570 Ma. Dados U-Pb (LA-ICP-MS) obtidos para zircões para Ortognaisse Rio Grande e o Biotita Ortognaisse, intrudidos na unidade basal do Grupo São Fidélis, apresentam idades em ca. 620 Ma e são equivalentes ao período pré-colisional de geração de rochas do arco magmático Rio Negro. Combinando estas idades com os núcleos de zircões detríticos mais jovens, com assinatura do Arco Rio Negro em ca. 613 Ma, pode-se definir o intervalo máximo de sedimentação da unidade superior do Grupo São Fidélis no Neoproterozóico. Cristais de monazitas selecionadas para análise U-Pb (ID-TIMS) apresentam relações com os principais episódios tectono-metamórficos da Faixa Ribeira. Dois cristais de uma amostra quartzítica e dois do ortognaisse Rio Grande alinham-se em uma discórdia que gerou idade de 603 Ma, referente ao metamorfismo progressivo descrito na literatura, durante a Orogenia Brasiliana. Enquanto a idade concordante obtida em 535 Ma, adquirida em uma amostra quartzítica, é correspontente ao último metamorfismo colisional da Faixa Ribeira.

Quantitatively distinguishing sediments from the Yangtze River and the Yellow River using delta Eu-N-I REEs pound plot

Sediment samples were collected from the lower channel of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River and the contents of rare earth elements (REEs) were measured. In addition, some historical REEs data were collected from published literatures. Based on the delta Eu-N-I REEs pound plot, a clear boundary was found between the sediments from the two rivers. The boundary can be described as an orthogonal polynomial equation by ordinary linear regression with sediments from the Yangtze River located above the curve and sediments from the Yellow River located below the curve. To validate this method, the REEs contents of sediments collected from the estuaries of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River were measured. In addition, the REEs data of sediment Core 255 from the Yangtze River and Core YA01 from the Yellow River were collected. Results show that the samples from the Yangtze River estuary and Core 255 almost are above the curve and most samples from the Yellow River estuary and Core YA01 are below the curve in the delta Eu-N-I REEs pound plot. The plot and the regression equation can be used to distinguish sediments from the Yangtze River and the Yellow River intuitively and quantitatively, and to trace the sediment provenance of the eastern seas of China. The difference between the sediments from two rivers in the delta Eu-N-I REEs pound plot is caused by different mineral compositions and regional climate patterns of the source areas. The relationship between delta Eu-N and I REEs pound is changed little during the transport from the source area to the river, and from river to the sea. Thus the original information on mineral compositions and climate of the source area was preserved.

Yangtze- and Taiwan-derived sediments on the inner shelf of East China Sea

X-ray diffraction (XRD) mineralogical and grain-size analyses indicate that inner continental shelf sediments in the East China Sea (ECS) represent a unique mixing of clays derived from the Yangtze River and silts/sands from small western Taiwanese rivers. Taiwanese (e g., Choshui) clays (< 2 mu m) display no smectite but the best illite crystallinity and are only distributed along southeastern Taiwan Strait. Both Yangtze and Taiwanese river clays are illite-dominated, but the poor illite crystallinity and the presence of smectite and kaolinite indicate that Taiwan Strait clays are mainly Yangtze-dominated. In contrast, medium silts (20-35 mu m) and very fine sands (63-90 mu m) in the Taiwan Strait are characterized by low feldspar/quartz, low K-feldspar/plagioclase and high kaolinite/quartz, indicating their provenance from Taiwanese rivers. Taiwanese silts and sands are introduced primarily by the way of typhoon-derived floods and transported northward by the Taiwan Warm Current during summer-fall months. Yangtze clays, in contrast, are widely dispersed southward about 1000 km to the western Taiwan Strait, transported by the China Coastal Current during winter-spring months Since most Taiwan Strait samples were collected in May 2006, clay results in this paper might only represent the winter-spring pattern of the dispersal of Yangtze sediments. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Manganese abnormity in holocene Sediments of the Bohai Sea

Manganese abnormity has been observed in the Holocene sediments of the mud area of Bohai Sea. On the basis of grain size, chemical composition, heavy mineral content and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) C-14 dating of foraminifer, relationships between manganese abnormity and sedimentation rates, material source, hydrodynamic conditions are probed. Manganese abnormity occurred during the Middle Holocene when sea level and sedimentation rates were higher than those at present. Sedimentary hiatus was not observed when material sources and hydrodynamic conditions were quite similar. Compared with the former period, the latter period showed a decrease in reduction environment and an inclination toward oxidation environment with high manganese content, whereas provenance and hydrodynamic conditions showed only a slight change. From the above observations, it can be concluded that correlation among manganese abnormity, material source, and hydrodynamic conditions is not obvious. Redox environment seems to be the key factor for manganese enrichment, which is mainly related to marine authigenic process.

Evolution and variability of the East Asian summer monsoon during the Pliocene: Evidence from clay mineral records of the South China Sea

The Late Pliocene is thought to be characterized by the simultaneous intensification of both the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) and East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). However, the evolution of the EASM during the Pliocene remains still controversial and only little is known about the dynamics of the EASM during the Pliocene on orbital time scales. Here we use clay mineral assemblages in sediments from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea (SCS) to obtain proxy records of past changes in the EASM climate during the Pliocene. Provenance analysis suggests that illite, chlorite and kaolinite originated mainly from the Mekong River drainage area. Smectite was derived mainly from the Indonesian islands. The kaolinite/illite ratio and the chemical index of alteration (CIA) of siliciclastic sediments allowed us to reconstruct the history of chemical weathering and physical erosion of the Mekong River drainage area and thus, the evolution of,the EASM during the Pliocene. Our clay minerals proxy data suggests a stronger EASM during the Early Pliocene than during the Late Pliocene. We propose that the long-term evolution of the EASM has been driven by global cooling rather than the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Spectral analysis of kaolinite/ illite ratio displays a set of strong periodicities at 100 ka, 30 ka, 28 ka, 25 ka, and 22 ka. with no clear obliquityrelated signal. Our study suggests that the Pliocene EASM intensity on orbital time scales is not only controlled by the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation, but also strongly influenced by equatorial Pacific ENSO-like ocean atmosphere dynamics. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

冲绳海槽西南端中全新世以来的沉积特征及其物源与环境意义

作为大陆向大洋的过渡带，由于享有得天独厚的沉积环境，具有独特的构造特征以及与黑潮主流之间的密切关系，一直以来，冲绳海槽都是中外学者研究的重点靶区。2005年5月，由我国与法国联合主持的IMAGES 航次在台湾东北海域获取MD05-2908柱状岩芯（24º48.04′N,122 º29.35′E,水深为1275米），该柱状岩芯为一34.17米长高质量的连续沉积记录，岩性以深灰色粘土质粉砂为主，含水量较高，粘性、可塑性强，含有数层厚度不等的夹层。岩芯年龄模式依据17个AMS 14C定年数据建立，岩芯底部年代约6.8ka，为中全新世以来的沉积。在实验室对样品按照2cm的间隔进行分割后分别进行了粒度分析、粘土矿物提取与测试、碎屑矿物提取与鉴定、常微量元素和稀土元素分析等实验。 粒度分析结果显示，MD05-2908岩芯沉积物粒度垂向上总体比较均一，以细颗粒的粘土与粉砂质为主，但不同层位也稍有差别，表现为底部层位粒度较粗，含砂量较高，说明底部沉积环境比较复杂。粘土粒级（<2µm）矿物主要由四种粘土矿物和少量石英、长石碎屑组成。其中，粘土矿物相对含量变化中，伊利石（～68％）与绿泥石（～17%）构成主要成分，含有蒙皂石（～10％）和高岭石（～5％）。结合台湾东北外海表层沉积物的研究，利用粘土矿物伊利石/蒙皂石和绿泥石/高岭石比值得出岩芯粘土矿物主要为陆源碎屑粘土矿物，其源岩主要为台湾中央山脉的变质岩与台湾东部的沉积岩。重矿物分析共选取了41个层位，对63~250μm粒级的样品在实体镜和偏光显微镜下进行鉴定，结果显示，岩芯重矿物主要由绿泥石（29%）、普通角闪石（22%）、白云石（10%）、黑云母（8%）、绿帘石（7%）、白云母（7%）、褐铁矿（5%）等组成。稳定矿物少，矿物成熟度低。碎屑矿物风化程度低，磨蚀不明显，分选较差，表明沉积物来自于近源，后期改造作用不明显。常量元素分析结果表明，SiO2 、Al2O3和Fe2O3是岩芯沉积物中的最主要组分，这三种组分占沉积物总量的82%左右。 整个岩芯自下而上各常量组分变化不大，其平均值与东海陆架沉积物基本接近。微量元素变化比较明显， Ba、Cr、Cu、Zn元素的含量比东海陆架沉积物中的含量要高，而Sr的含量明显低于东海陆架。对常微量元素的R型因子分析表明，常量元素SiO2、Al2O3、Fe2O3、MgO和K2O，微量元素Cr、Cu、Ni、Zn、Pb、Rb和Mn可代表陆源物质；常量元素CaO和微量元素Sr、Ba可代表生物源物质。岩芯沉积物以陆源物质为主，生源物质的贡献起次要作用。岩芯沉积物中稀土元素总量平均为169.87×10-6，并且轻稀土含量均高于重稀土，LREE/HREE平均值为10.14，表明了轻稀土对稀土总量的贡献远高于重稀土，沉积物富集轻稀土，反映了沉积物的陆源特征。 岩芯MD05-2908中全新世以来平均5m/ka的高沉积速率主要源于丰富的物质供应和适宜的沉积环境。岩芯细粒级沉积物中，地球化学特征表明沉积物主要来源于陆源碎屑物质，粘土矿物特征与台湾东部陆源物质相同；粗粒级沉积物中，重矿物含量及矿物特征也表明岩芯沉积物粗颗粒组分主要来自于近源沉积。台湾宜兰境内的兰阳溪每年携带约一千万吨冲积物入海成为研究区重要的物质来源。由于受到黑潮的强烈影响，逆时针涡流及底层反向流的存在是岩芯高沉积速率重要控制因素。因此，利用动力分选的粉砂组分可以用来示踪古洋流强度，结果显示，6.8ka以来黑潮的强弱波动频繁，并表现出一定的旋回性变化，频谱分析表明，其具有的千年尺度周期（1500a）、百年尺度周期（604a、242a、192a、153a、133a）与十年尺度周期（22a）的周期性变化均与太阳辐射量变化有密切关系，因此，黑潮的强弱变化在大背景上是由太阳活动所控制的。 根据测年资料可以识别出岩芯存在5期快速堆积事件，这与区域性降水增加有关，降雨量增加导致陆源物质输入的增加。另外，岩芯位于大陆斜坡区，附近存在有三支海底峡谷，并且地震活动频繁，沉积在宜兰陆架及东海陆架处的浅海沉积物由于受到地震、风暴等活动的影响而受扰动崩塌、因重力作用而向低处输送，产生二次侵蚀并经由海底峡谷搬运到冲绳海槽南段堆积,使得沉积环境更为复杂，但同时也为冲绳海槽提供了丰富的物质供应。