Grain size distribution and bulk chemistry of eolian dust

Atmospheric dust samples collected along a transect off the West African coast have been investigated for their physical (grain-size distribution), mineralogical, and chemical (major elements) composition. On the basis of these data the samples were grouped into sets of samples that most likely originated from the same source area. In addition, shipboard-collected atmospheric meteorological data, modeled 4-day back trajectories for each sampling day and location, and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer aerosol index data for the time period of dust collection (February-March 1998) were combined and used to reconstruct the sources of the groups of dust samples. On the basis of these data we were able to determine the provenance of the various dust samples. It appears that the bulk of the wind-blown sediments that are deposited in the proximal equatorial Atlantic Ocean are transported in the lower level (>~900 hPa) NE trade wind layer, which is a very dominant feature north of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). However, south of the surface expression of the ITCZ, down to 5°S, where surface winds are southwesterly, we still collected sediments that originated from the north and east, carried there by the NE trade wind layer, as well as by easterly winds from higher altitudes. The fact that the size of the wind-blown dust depends not only on the wind strength of the transporting agent but also on the distance to the source hampers a direct comparison of the dust's size distributions and measured wind strengths. However, a comparison between eolian dust and terrigenous sediments collected in three submarine sediment traps off the west coast of NW Africa shows that knowledge of the composition of eolian dust is a prerequisite for the interpretation of paleorecords obtained from sediment cores in the equatorial Atlantic.

Grain size effects on excess Thorium-230 of sediment cores from the Southern Ocean and the South East Atlantic

Excess Thorium-230 (230Thxs) as a constant flux tracer is an essential tool for paleoceanographic studies, but its limitations for flux normalization are still a matter of debate. In regions of rapid sediment accumulation, it has been an open question if 230Thxs-normalized fluxes are biased by particle sorting effects during sediment redistribution. In order to study the sorting effect of sediment transport on 230Thxs, we analyzed the specific activity of 230Thxs in different particle size classes of carbonate-rich sediments from the South East Atlantic, and of opal-rich sediments from the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. At both sites, we compare the 230Thxs distribution in neighboring high vs. low accumulation settings. Two grain-size fractionation methods are explored. We find that the 230Thxs distribution is strongly grain size dependent, and 50-90% of the total 230Thxs inventory is concentrated in fine material smaller than 10 µm, which is preferentially deposited at the high accumulation sites. This leads to an overestimation of the focusing factor Psi, and consequently to an underestimation of the vertical flux rate at such sites. The distribution of authigenic uranium indicates that fine organic-rich material has also been re-deposited from lateral sources. If the particle sorting effect is considered in the flux calculations, it reduces the estimated extent of sediment focusing. In order to assess the maximum effect of particle sorting on Psi, we present an extreme scenario, in which we assume a lateral sediment supply of only fine material (< 10 µm). In this case, the focusing factor of the opal-rich core would be reduced from Psi = 5.9 to Psi = 3.2. In a more likely scenario, allowing silt-sized material to be transported, Psi is reduced from 5.9 to 5.0 if particle sorting is taken into consideration. The bias introduced by particle sorting is most important for strongly focused sediments. Comparing 230Thxs-normalized mass fluxes biased by sorting effects with uncorrected mass fluxes, we suggest that 230Thxs-normalization is still a valid tool to correct for lateral sediment redistribution. However, differences in focusing factors between core locations have to be evaluated carefully, taking the grain size distributions into consideration.

Grain size distribution and sea level changes in Gåsfjärden fjord

We analysed long-term variations in grain-size distribution in sediments from Gåsfjärden, a fjord-like inlet on the south-west Baltic Sea, and explored potential drivers of the recorded changes in sediment grain-size data. Over the last 5.4 thousand years (ka), the relative sea level decreased 17 m in the study region, caused by isostatic land uplift. As a consequence, Gåsfjärden has been transformed from an open coastal setting into a semi-closed inlet surrounded on the east by numerous small islands. To quantitatively estimate the morphological changes in Gåsfjärden over the last 5.4 ka and to further link the changes to our grain-size data, a digital elevation model (DEM)-based openness index was calculated. In the period between 5.4 and 4.4 ka BP, the inlet was characterised by the largest openness index. During this interval, the highest sand contents (~0.4 %) and silt/clay ratios (~0. 3) in the sediment sequence were recorded, indicating relatively high bottom water energy. After 4.4 ka BP, the average sand content was halved to ~0.2 % and the silt/clay ratios showed a significant decreasing trend over the last 4 ka. These changes are found to be associated with the gradual embayment of Gåsfjärden as represented in the openness index. The silt/clay ratios exhibited a delayed and slower change compared with the sand contents, which further suggest that finer particles are less sensitive to changes in hydrodynamic energy. Our DEM-based coastal openness index has proved to be a useful tool for interpreting the sedimentary grain-size record.

Enviromagnetic, major element, and grain-size analyses of surface sediment samples along the continental margin between East Brazil and Patagonia

Continental margin sediments of SE South America originate from various terrestrial sources, each conveying specific magnetic and element signatures. Here, we aim to identify the sources and transport characteristics of shelf and slope sediments deposited between East Brazil and Patagonia (20°-48°S) using enviromagnetic, major element, and grain-size data. A set of five source-indicative parameters (i.e., chi-fd%, ARM/IRM, S0.3T, SIRM/Fe and Fe/K) of 25 surface samples (16-1805 m water depth) was analyzed by fuzzy c-means clustering and non-linear mapping to depict and unmix sediment-province characteristics. This multivariate approach yields three regionally coherent sediment provinces with petrologically and climatically distinct source regions. The southernmost province is entirely restricted to the slope off the Argentinean Pampas and has been identified as relict Andean-sourced sands with coarse unaltered magnetite. The direct transport to the slope was enabled by Rio Colorado and Rio Negro meltwaters during glacial and deglacial phases of low sea level. The adjacent shelf province consists of coastal loessoidal sands (highest hematite and goethite proportions) delivered from the Argentinean Pampas by wave erosion and westerly winds. The northernmost province includes the Plata mudbelt and Rio Grande Cone. It contains tropically weathered clayey silts from the La Plata Drainage Basin with pronounced proportions of fine magnetite, which were distributed up to ~24° S by the Brazilian Coastal Current and admixed to coarser relict sediments of Pampean loessoidal origin. Grain-size analyses of all samples showed that sediment fractionation during transport and deposition had little impact on magnetic and element source characteristics. This study corroborates the high potential of the chosen approach to access sediment origin in regions with contrasting sediment sources, complex transport dynamics, and large grain-size variability.

Grain size, morphometry and mineralogy of airborne input in the Canary basin: evidence of iron particle retention in the mixed layer

[EN]Aeolian dust plays an important role in climate and ocean processes. Particularly, Saharan dust deposition is of importance in the Canary Current due to its content of iron minerals, which are fertilizers of the ocean. In this work, dust particles are characterized mainly by granulometry, morphometry and mineralogy, using image processing and scanning northern Mauritania and the Western Sahara. The concentration of terrigenous material was measured in three environments: the atmosphere (300 m above sea level), the mixed layer at 10 m depth, and 150 m depth. Samples were collected before and during the dust events, thus allowing the effect of Saharan dust inputs in the water column to be assessed. The dominant grain size was coarse silt

Grain size, morphometry and mineralogy of airborne input in the Canary basin: evidence of iron particle retention in the mixed layer

[EN] Aeolian dust plays an important role in climate and ocean processes. Particularly, Saharan dust deposition is of importance in the Canary Current due to its content of iron minerals, which are fertilizers of the ocean. In this work, dust particles are characterized mainly by granulometry, morphometry and mineralogy, using image processing and scanning northern Mauritania and the Western Sahara. The concentration of terrigenous material was measured in three environments: the atmosphere (300 m above sea level), the mixed layer at 10 m depth, and 150 m depth. Samples were collected before and during the dust events, thus allowing the effect of Saharan dust inputs in the water column to be assessed.

Environmental factors affecting soil metals near outlet roads in Poznan, Poland: impact of grain size, soil depth, and wind dispersal

We determined the Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations in soil samples collected along the eight main outlet roads of Poznan. Samples were collected at distances of 1, 5, and 10 m from the roadway edges at depth intervals of 0-20 and 40-60 cm. The metal content was determined in seven grain size fractions. The highest metal concentrations were observed in the smallest fraction (<0.063 mm), which were up to four times higher than those in sand fractions. Soil Pb, Cu, and Zn (and to a lesser extent Ni, Cr, and Cd) all increased in relation to the geochemical background. At most sampling sites, metal concentrations decreased with increasing distance from roadway edges and increasing depth. In some locations, the accumulation of metals in soils appears to be strongly influenced by wind direction. Our survey findings should contribute in predicting the behavior of metals along outlet road, which is important by assessing sources for further migration of heavy metals into the groundwater, plants, and humans.