Magnetic analyses of ODP Hole 119-738B sediments

Magnetotactic bacteria intracellularly biomineralize magnetite of an ideal grain size for recording palaeomagnetic signals. However, bacterial magnetite has only been reported in a few pre-Quaternary records because progressive burial into anoxic diagenetic environments causes its dissolution. Deep-sea carbonate sequences provide optimal environments for preserving bacterial magnetite due to low rates of organic carbon burial and expanded pore-water redox zonations. Such sequences often do not become anoxic for tens to hundreds of metres below the seafloor. Nevertheless, the biogeochemical factors that control magnetotactic bacterial populations in such settings are not well known. We document the preservation of bacterial magnetite, which dominates the palaeomagnetic signal throughout Eocene pelagic carbonates from the southern Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Ocean. We provide evidence that iron fertilization, associated with increased aeolian dust flux, resulted in surface water eutrophication in the late Eocene that controlled bacterial magnetite abundance via export of organic carbon to the seafloor. Increased flux of aeolian iron-bearing phases also delivered iron to the seafloor, some of which became bioavailable through iron reduction. Our results suggest that magnetotactic bacterial populations in pelagic settings depend crucially on particulate iron and organic carbon delivery to the seafloor.

Map of North African dust emission

Changes in the emission, transport and deposition of aeolian dust have profound effects on regional climate, so that characterizing the lifecycle of dust in observations and improving the representation of dust in global climate models is necessary. A fundamental aspect of characterizing the dust cycle is quantifying surface dust fluxes, yet no spatially explicit estimates of this flux exist for the World's major source regions. Here we present a novel technique for creating a map of the annual mean emitted dust flux for North Africa based on retrievals of dust storm frequency from the Meteosat Second Generation Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) and the relationship between dust storm frequency and emitted mass flux derived from the output of five models that simulate dust. Our results suggest that 64 (±16)% of all dust emitted from North Africa is from the Bodélé depression, and that 13 (±3)% of the North African dust flux is from a depression lying in the lee of the Aïr and Hoggar Mountains, making this area the second most important region of emission within North Africa.

Kaolinite/Chlorite ratio of sediment core GeoTü SL143

The ratio between the clay minerals kaolinite and chlorite has been investigated in high resolution in a late Quaternary sediment core from the central Aegean Sea. The record spans the last ca. 105 ka. The kaolinite/chlorite ratio was used to reconstruct the fine-grained aeolian dust influx from the North African deserts, mainly derived from desiccated lake depressions. It therewith can be used as a proxy for wind activity, aridity and vegetation cover in the source area. The data document three major humid phases in North Africa bracketing the formation of sapropel layers S4, S3 and S1. They occur at >105-95 ka, 83.5-72 ka and 14-2 ka. The first two phases are characterised by relatively abrupt lower and upper boundaries suggesting a non-linear response of vegetation to precipitation, with critical hydrological thresholds. In contrast, the onset and termination of the last humid period were more gradual. Highest kaolinite/chlorite ratios indicating strongest aeolian transport and aridity occur during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5b, at ca. 95-84 ka. The long-term decrease in kaolinite/chlorite ratios during the last glacial period indicates a gradual decline of deflatable lake sediments in the source areas.

(Table 1) Lipid biomarkers in surface sediments from the Gulf of Genoa

A series of molecular organic markers were determined in surface sediments from the Gulf of Genoa (Ligurian Sea) in order to evaluate their potential for palaeo-environmental reconstructions. Allochthonous input can be characterized by the distributions of n-C29 and n-C31 alkanes, n-C26 and n-C28 alkanols and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), whose concentrations are generally highest near the river mouths. In the open basin however, terrestrial n-alkanes and n-alkanols may have an additional, aeolian source. Autochthonous input is represented by crenarchaeol and isoprenoid GDGTs. Their concentrations are highest in the open basin showing the preference of Thaumarchaeota for oligotrophic waters. Indications of a significant degradation of sterols and C37 alkenones exclude these lipids as reliable productivity proxies. Using terrestrial and aquatic lipids as end-members allows estimating the percentage of terrestrial organic matter between 20% and 58% in the coastal area decreasing to 1 to 30% in the deep basin. The spatial distribution of sea surface temperature (SST) estimates using the alkenone-based UK'37 index is very similar to the autumnal (November) mean satellite-based SST distribution. Conversely, TEXH86-derived SST estimates are close to winter SSTs in the coastal area and summer SSTs in the open basin. This pattern reflects presumably a shift in the main production of Thaumarchaeota from the coastal area in winter to the open basin in summer. This study represents a major prerequisite for the future application of lipid biomarkers on sediment cores from the Gulf of Genoa.

Grain-size analysis of surface sediments, continental margin off NW Africa

The terrigenous fraction of seabed sediments recovered along the north-west African continental margin illustrates spatial variability in grain size attributed to different transport mechanisms. Three subpopulations are determined from the grain-size analyses (n = 78) of the carbonate-free silt fraction applying an end-member modelling algorithm (G. J. Weltje, 1997). The two coarsest end-members are interpreted as representing aeolian dust, and the fine-grained end-member is related to fluvial supply. The end-member model thus allows aeolian fallout to be distinguished from fluvial-sourced mud in this area. The relative contributions of the end-members show distinct regional variations that can be related to different transport processes and pathways. Understanding present-day sediment dispersal and mixing is important for a better understanding of older sedimentary records and palaeoclimate reconstructions in the region.

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.

Pollen analyses of sediment core GeoB1711-4 in the eastern South Atlantic

Influx of aeolian pollen trapped in marine sediments off Namibia provides a wind variation record for the last 135 kyr. The influx of major pollen components is derived from the southwest African desert/semi-desert zone and shows six periods during which enhanced southeast trade winds contributed to strong upwelling and reduced sea surface temperatures. The most prominent of these occurred during 17-23 cal. kyr, 42-56 kyr and before 130 kyr B.P. Correspondence between the pollen influx record and the Vostok deuterium isotope record suggests that pronounced glacial Antarctic cooling was accompanied by intensification of the southeast trades throughout the Late Quaternary. However, during 42-23 kyr B.P. the combination of strong Antarctic glaciation with a decrease of wind zonality induced by low latitude precessional insolation changes caused strong alongshore winds and Ekman pumping that resulted in strong upwelling and reduced sea surface temperatures without pollen influx enhancement.

n-Alkane content and compound-specific d13C values of soil samples, river samples, and marine surface samples

Southwestern Africa's coastal marine mudbelt, a prominent Holocene sediment package, provides a valuable archive for reconstructing terrestrial palaeoclimates on the adjacent continent. While the origin of terrestrial inorganic material has been intensively studied, the sources of terrigenous organic material deposited in the mudbelt are yet unclear. In this study, plant wax derived n-alkanes and their compound-specific d13C in soils, flood deposits and suspension loads from regional fluvial systems and marine sediments are analysed to characterize the origin of terrestrial organic material in the southwest African mudbelt. Soils from different biomes in the catchments of the Orange River and small west coast rivers show on average distinct n-alkane distributions and compound-specific d13C values reflecting biome-specific vegetation types, most notably the winter rainfall associated Fynbos Biome of the southwestern Cape. In the fluvial sediment samples from the Orange River, changes in the n-alkane distributions and compound-specific d13C compositions reveal an overprint by local vegetation along the river's course. The smaller west coast rivers show distinct signals, reflecting their small catchment areas and particular vegetation communities. Marine surface sediments spanning a transect from the northern mudbelt (29°S) to St. Helena Bay (33°S) reveal subtle, but spatially coherent, changes in n-alkane distributions and compound-specific d13C, indicating the influence of Orange River sediments in the northern mudbelt, the increasing importance of terrigenous input from the adjacent western coastal biomes in the central mudbelt, and contributions from the Fynbos Biome to the southern mudbelt. These findings indicate the different sources of terrestrial organic material deposited in the mudbelt, and highlight the potential the mudbelt has to preserve evidence of environmental change from the adjacent continent.

Results of the pollen analysis of the Dyanushka peat sediments K7/P2

A 415cm thick permafrost peat section from the Verkhoyansk Mountains was radiocarbon-dated and studied using palaeobotanical and sedimentological approaches. Accumulation of organic-rich sediment commenced in a former oxbow lake, detached from a Dyanushka River meander during the Younger Dryas stadial, at ~12.5 kyr BP. Pollen data indicate that larch trees, shrub alder and dwarf birch were abundant in the vegetation at that time. Local presence of larch during the Younger Dryas is documented by well-preserved and radiocarbon-dated needles and cones. The early Holocene pollen assemblages reveal high percentages of Artemisia pollen, suggesting the presence of steppe-like communities around the site, possibly in response to a relatively warm and dry climate ~11.4-11.2 kyr BP. Both pollen and plant macrofossil data demonstrate that larch woods were common in the river valley. Remains of charcoal and pollen of Epilobium indicate fire events and mark a hiatus ~11.0-8.7 kyr BP. Changes in peat properties, C31/C27 alkane ratios and radiocarbon dates suggest that two other hiatuses occurred ~8.2-6.9 and ~6.7-0.6 kyr BP. Prior to 0.6 kyr BP, a major fire destroyed the mire surface. The upper 60 cm of the studied section is composed of aeolian sands modified in the uppermost part by the modern soil formation. For the first time, local growth of larch during the Younger Dryas has been verified in the western foreland of the Verkhoyansk Mountains (~170km south of the Arctic Circle), thus increasing our understanding of the quick reforestation of northern Eurasia by the early Holocene.

Radionuclides of bulk and terrigenous surface sediments in the Southern Ocean

Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of Late Quaternary surface sediment and sediment cores from the south Atlantic and southeast Pacific sectors of the Southern Ocean are used to constrain the provenance and transport mechanisms of their terrigenous component. We report isotopic and mineralogical data for core samples from three localities, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 41°S and the northern and southern Scotia Sea. In addition, data for surface sediment samples from the south Atlantic and southeast Pacific sectors of the Southern Ocean are presented. The variations of Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of the bulk sediment samples in all cores were correlated with the magnetic susceptibility of the sediment and with the inferred glacial-interglacial stages. The isotopic data indicate that, during glacial periods, sediment was delivered from continental crust with a shorter residence time than that supplying material during interglacial periods. At the core site near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Nd isotopic, combined with mineralogical evidence indicates interglacial period deposition of a relatively high amount of kaolinite and silt with low epsilon-Nd values < -8. The material was probably supplied by North Atlantic Deep Water from low latitudes. For glacial periods, a high contribution of silt and clay with epsilon-Nd > -4.5, probably derived from southern South America, was indicated. The glacial-interglacial shift in sources may be due to either a decreasing influence of North Atlantic Deep Water during glacial times or by a larger contribution of glaciogenic detritus from southern South America. At the core site in the northern Scotia Sea, sediment of interglacial periods is dominated by smectite with epsilon-Nd < - 6 and silt with epsilon-Nd > -4. We suggest that smectite was derived from the Falkland shelf and silt was derived from the Argentinian shelf. During glacial periods, the Argentinian shelf was an important source for silt and chlorite with epsilon-Nd > -4. The contribution from the Falkland shelf seems to have remained similar during glacial and interglacial periods. Hydrographic transport by bottom currents and turbidites could account for the high glacial detrital flux. An evaluation of the significance of an aeolian contribution to deep sea sediment suggests that it plays only a minor role. In the southern Scotia Sea, the Antarctic Peninsula is considered an important source for young material with epsilon-Nd > -4, in particular during glacial periods. During interglacial periods, sediment supply from the Antarctic Peninsula was lower than during glacial times, resulting in a relatively high contribution of old material (epsilon-Nd < -8) from East Antarctica. Deep water currents and icebergs could account for the transport of the old component to the southern Scotia Sea. The accumulation rates of material from the various source regions for glacial times are in agreement with an increase in the strength of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The production rate and the circulation pattern of bottom water in the Weddell Sea appear to have remained similar over most of the last 150 kyr.

Chemical composition of samples from DSDP Holes 16-163 and 17-164

Considerable postsedimentational alteration of fine dispersed minerals in Cretaceous sedimentary sequences was found in three deep-sea drillholes (163, 164, 169). Original Fe-montmorillonites formed from basalts were converted during lithification to mixed-layer montmorillonite-hydromicas and then to pure hydromicas (celadonites). An assumption that the minerals were originally of authigenic-diagenetic composition is based on a broad spectrum of other diagenetic minerals present: silica group from opal A to opal CT and quartz, clinoptilolite and palygorskite. In addition, quartz-hydromica ratio is strikingly atypical of aeolian transport.