Diatom deposits in the ostpreußischen Haffe

Als man nach dem ersten Weltkrieg im verkleinerten Deutschland nach der Möglichkeit von Neulandgewinnung suchte, dachte man auch an eineTrockenlegung der ostpreußischen Haffe. Aus diesem Anlaß wurden umfangreiche Bohrungen ausgeführt, um ein möglichst genaues Bild vom Untergrunde der Haffe zu bekommen. Auf Veranlassung der Preußischen Geologischen Landesanstalt wurde ich mit der Untersuchung der Diatomeen in den Bohrproben beauftragt. Die Arbeit wurde 1934 begonnen und Ende 1937 wurde der letzte Arbeitsbericht abgeliefert. Die beabsichtigte Veröffentlichung ist bisher unterblieben, weil die Druckvorlagen später verloren gegangen sind. Seitdem sind über die Haffuntersuchungen mehrere Teilergebnisse veröffentlicht worden, von denen hier schon wegen der Terminologie die pollenanalytischen Arbeiten von L. HEIN (1941) und HUGO GROSS (1941) erwähnt seien, auf die im Abschnitt Il 2e näher eingegangen wird. Bei der geologischen Auswertung war Zurückhaltung geboten; denn es wäre gewagt, allein aus der Perspektive der Diatomeenforschung endgültige Aussagen machen zu wollen. Darum habe ich mich bemüht, das Material so weit aufzuschließen, daß es Geologen später auch bei veränderter Fragestellung auswerten können. "Die Theorien wechseln, aber die Tatsachen bleiben." Der Initiative des Herrn Prof. Dr. K. GRIPP und der finanziellen Hilfe der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft ist es zu verdanken, daß die vorliegende Arbeit im Druck erscheinen kann. Zusammenfassung 1. Nur in den alluvialen Schichten des Kurischen Haffs wurden Diatomeen gefunden. 2. Die Diatomeenflora des Kurischen Haffs besteht zur Hauptsache aus Süßwasserformen. 3. Salzwasserformen finden sich in allen Schichten verstreut unter der Süßwasserflora. Wenn sie auch nach Zahl der Arten in manchen Proben einen erheblichen Prozentsatz der Flora ausmachen, so ist doch die Zahl der Individuen stets so gering, daß man nirgends von einer Brackwasserflora sprechen kann. 4. Die Süßwasserflora besteht in den unteren Schichten vorwiegend aus Grundformen; und zwar machen die epiphytischen Bewohner flacher Sumpfgewässer einen großen Teil der Flora aus. 5. In einzelnen Bohrungen kommt in den untersten alluvialen Schichten eine Grundflora mit zahlreichen Mastogloien vor. Dies sind die ältesten diatomeenführenden Schichten, entstanden in isolierten Sumpfgewässern. 6. Die übrigen Schichten mit überwiegender Grundflora sind vermutlich Ablagerungen der Ancyluszeit. 7. Die oberen Schichten, in denen die Planktondiatomeen überwiegen, dürften größtenteils der Litorina-Transgressionszeit angehören, jedoch ist der Transgressions-Kontakt nicht klar zu erkennen. 8. Das Ende der Litorinazeit ist noch weniger erkennbar, da eine grundsätzliche Veränderung der Flora nach oben nicht zu beobachten ist. 9. Die ostbaltischen Charakterformen sind in allen Schichten vertreten.

Sedimentology, biogeochemistry stable isotopes, pollen, plant macrofossils, and diatoms from two sediments cores from the northern Yukon permafrost peatlands (Canada)

Ice-wedge polygon (IWP) mires in the Arctic and Subarctic are extremely vulnerable to climatic and environmental change. We present the results of a multidisciplinary paleoenvironmental study on IWPs in the northern Yukon, Canada. High-resolution laboratory analyses were carried out on a permafrost core and the overlying seasonally thawed (active) layer, from a low-centered IWP located in a drained lake basin on Herschel Island. In relation to 14 Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates spanning the last 5000 years, we report sedimentary data including grain size distribution and biogeochemical parameters (organic carbon, nitrogen, C/N ratio, d13C), stable water isotopes (d18O, dD), as well as fossil pollen, plant macrofossil and diatom assemblages. Three sediment units (SUs) correspond to the main stages of deposition (1) in a thermokarst lake (SU1: 4950 to 3950 cal yrs BP), (2) during transition from lacustrine to palustrine conditions after lake drainage (SU2: 3950 to 3120 cal yrs BP), and (3) in palustrine conditions in the IWP field that developed after drainage (SU3: 3120 cal yrs BP to AD 2012). The lacustrine phase (pre 3950 cal yrs BP) is characterized by planktonic-benthic and pioneer diatoms species indicating circumneutral waters, and very few plant macrofossils. The pollen record has captured a regional signal of relatively stable vegetation composition and climate for the lacustrine stage of the record until 3950 cal yrs BP. Palustrine conditions with benthic and acidophilic species characterize the peaty shallow-water environments of the low-centered IWP. The transition from lacustrine to palustrine conditions was accompanied by acidification and rapid revegetation of the lake bottom within about 100 years. Since the palustrine phase we consider the pollen record as a local vegetation proxy dominated by the plant communities growing in the IWP. Ice-wedge cracking in water-saturated sediments started immediately after lake drainage at about 3950 cal yrs BP and led to the formation of an IWP mire. Permafrost aggradation through downward closed-system freezing of the lake talik is indicated by the stable water isotope record. The originally submerged IWP center underwent gradual drying during the past 2000 years. This study highlights the sensitivity of permafrost landscapes to climate and environmental change throughout the Holocene.

Radiocarbon ages and diatom abundance in samples obtained from Qarlikturvik Valley, Bylot Island

The formation of many arctic wetlands is associated with the occurrence of polygon-patterned permafrost. Existing scenarios to describe and explain surface landforms in arctic wetlands (low-center and high-center polygons and polygon ponds) invoke competing hypotheses: a cyclic succession (the thaw-lake hypothesis) or a linear succession (terrestrialization). Both hypotheses infer the predictable development of polygon-patterned wetlands over millennia. However, very few studies have applied paleoecological techniques to reconstruct long-term succession in tundra wetlands and thereby test the validity of existing hypotheses. This paper uses the paleoecological record of diatoms to investigate long-term development of individual polygons in a High Arctic wetland. Two landform processes were examined: (1) the millennial-scale development of a polygon-pond, and (2) the transition from low-center to erosive high-center polygons. Diatom assemblages were quantified from habitats associated with contrasting landforms in the present-day landscape, and used as an analog to reconstruct past transitions between polygon types. On the basis of this evidence, the paleoecological record does not support either of the existing models describing the predictable succession of polygon landforms in an arctic wetland. Our results indicate a need for greater paleoecological understanding, in combination with in situ observations in present-day geomorphology, in order to identify patterns of polygon wetland development and elucidate the long-term drivers of these landform transitions.

Distribution of euphausiids (Crustacea) at the Great Meteor seamount, Atlantic Ocean

In the course of the voyages 9a and 9c (1967) and 19 (1970) of the RV "Meteor" samples of plankton and neuston have been taken in the area of the Great Meteor Seamount. The euphausiids of this material have been examined quantitatively as well as qualitatively in order to study the influence of the Great and Small Meteor Seamount on a vertically migrating group of plankton. 20 species could be identified. All stem from the surrounding deep water and belong to the tropical and subtropical fauna. On the plateau of the Great Meteor Seamount no indigenous species have been encountered and also the typical neritic species from the west coast off Africa are lacking. As for the euphausiids no relationships exist between the Great Meteor Seamount and the shelf area of West Africa. The dominant species around the Meteor Seamount were Euphausia brevii, Stylocheiron suhmii, E. hemigibba, S. longicorne and Thysanopoda subaequalis. Using the index of diversity (Simpson) distinct differences in the composition of species could be shown to exist between the plateau area of the Meteor Seamount and the surrounding sea. On the plateau of the Great Meteor Seamount the number of species was only 7, E. brevis and S. suhmii dominated. None of the species occurred in great numbers and none is adapted to the specific environmental conditions of the plateau of the Meteor Seamount. The fauna of the plateau is a depauperate one as compared with that of the surrounding sea. This can be explained by the fact that adult euphausiids require for their existence greater water depths than are found above the plateau of the Meteor Seamount.

The Global Plankton Database: an inventory and data from the Former Soviet Union expeditions

At present time, there is a lack of knowledge on the interannual climate-related variability of zooplankton communities of the tropical Atlantic, central Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea, due to the absence of appropriate databases. In the mid latitudes, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the dominant mode of atmospheric fluctuations over eastern North America, the northern Atlantic Ocean and Europe. Therefore, one of the issues that need to be addressed through data synthesis is the evaluation of interannual patterns in species abundance and species diversity over these regions in regard to the NAO. The database has been used to investigate the ecological role of the NAO in interannual variations of mesozooplankton abundance and biomass along the zonal array of the NAO influence. Basic approach to the proposed research involved: (1) development of co-operation between experts and data holders in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UK, and USA to rescue and compile the oceanographic data sets and release them on CD-ROM, (2) organization and compilation of a database based on FSU cruises to the above regions, (3) analysis of the basin-scale interannual variability of the zooplankton species abundance, biomass, and species diversity.

Oliogocene to Pleistocene benthic foraminifera in ODP Leg 121 sites

Oligocene to Pleistocene bathyal benthic foraminifers at Broken Ridge (Site 754) and Ninetyeast Ridge (Site 756), eastern Indian Ocean, were investigated for then- stratigraphic distribution and their response to paleoceanographic changes. Q-mode factor analysis was applied to relative abundance data of the most abundant benthic foraminifers. At Site 754, seven varimax assemblages were recognized from the upper Oligocene to the Pleistocene: the Gyroidina orbicularis-Rectuvigerina striata Assemblage in the uppermost Oligocene; the Lenticulina spp. Assemblage in the upper Oligocene to lower Miocene, and in lower Miocene to lowermost middle Miocene; the Burseolina cf. pacifica-Cibicidoides mundulus Assemblage in the lower Miocene; the Planulina wuellerstorfi Assemblage in the upper middle Miocene; the Globocassidulina spp. Assemblage in the upper Miocene; the Gavelinopsis lobatulus-Uvigerina proboscidea Assemblage in the Pliocene; and the Ehrenbergina spp. Assemblage in the Pleistocene. The major faunal changes are complex, but exist between the Lenticulina spp. Assemblage and the P. wuellerstorfi Assemblage at ~13.8 Ma, and between the Ehrenbergina spp. Assemblage and the G. lobatulus Assemblage at ~5 Ma. The development of the P. wuellerstorfi and Globocassidulina spp. Assemblages after 13.8 Ma is correlated with the decrease in temperature of the intermediate waters of the ocean, in turn related to Antarctic glacial expansion. The faunal changes at ~5 Ma are related to the development of low oxygen intermediate water, formed in the presence of a strong thermocline. At Site 756, six varimax assemblages are distributed as follows: the Cibicidoides cf. mundulus-Oridorsalis umbonatus Assemblage in the lower Oligocene; the Epistominella umbonifera-Cibicidoides mundulus Assemblage from the upper Oligocene to the lower Miocene; the Cibicidoides mundulus-Burseolinapacifica Assemblage from lower Miocene to the lower middle Miocene; the Globocassidulina spp. Assemblage from the upper lower Miocene to the Pliocene; the Uvigerina proboscidea Assemblage in the upper Miocene and the Pliocene; and the Globocassidulina sp. D Assemblage in the Pliocene. The main faunal change at this site is between the E. umbonifera Assemblage and the Globocassidulina spp. Assemblage, at ~17.1 Ma. The timing of this faunal change is coeval with faunal changes in the North Atlantic and the Pacific. The change is related to a change in bottom water characteristics caused by an increased influence of carbonate corrosive water from the Antarctic source region, and a change in surface productivity. A low oxygen event at Site 756, which started at about 7.3 Ma, occurred about 2.3 m.y. before that at Site 754. The different response to global paleoceanographic changes is not yet explained, but may be due to the difference of marine topography and the degree of upwelling

Miocene foraminiferal, bolboformid, dinoflagellate and diatom age calibrations for the northeastern North Atlantic

This study presents a new Miocene biostratigraphic synthesis for the high-latitude northeastern North Atlantic region. Via correlations to the bio-magnetostratigraphy and oxygen isotope records of Ocean Drilling Program and Deep Sea Drilling Project Sites, the ages of shallower North Sea deposits have been better constrained. The result has been an improved precision and documentation of the age designations of the existing North Sea foraminiferal zonal boundaries of King (1989) and Gradstein and Bäckström (1996). All calibrations have been updated to the Astronomically Tuned Neogene Time Scale (ATNTS) of Lourens et al. (2004). This improved Miocene biozonation has been achieved through: the updating of age calibrations for key microfossil bioevents, identification of new events, and integration of new biostratigraphic data from a foraminiferal analysis of commercial wells in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea. The new zonation has been successfully applied to two commercial wells and an onshore research borehole. At these high latitudes, where standard zonal markers are often absent, integration of microfossil groups significantly improves temporal resolution. The new zonation comprises 11 Nordic Miocene (NM) Zones with an average duration of 1 to 2 million years. This multi-group combination of a total of 92 bioevents (70 foraminifers and bolboformids; 16 dinoflagellate cysts and acritarchs; 6 marine diatoms) facilitates zonal identification throughout the Nordic Atlantic region. With the highest proportion of events being of calcareous walled microfossils, this zonation is primarily suited to micropaleontologists. A correlation of this Miocene biostratigraphy with a re-calibrated oxygen isotope record for DSDP Site 608 suggests a strong correlation between Miocene planktonic microfossil turnover rates and the inferred paleoclimatic trends. Benthic foraminifera zonal boundaries appear to often coincide with Miocene global sequence boundaries. The biostratigraphic record is punctuated by four main stratigraphic hiati which show variation in their geographic and temporal extent. These are related to the following regional unconformities: basal Neogene, Lower/Middle Miocene ("mid-Miocene unconformity"), basal Upper Miocene and basal Messinian unconformities. Further coring of Neogene sections in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea may better constrain their extent and their effect on the biostratigraphic record.