Paleothermal structure of the Nankai inner accretionary wedge estimated from vitrinite reflectance of cuttings

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuchi, Rina; Yamaguchi, Asuka; Yamamoto, Yuzuru; Ashi, Juichiro

2017-08-01

The paleothermal structure and tectonic evolution of an accretionary prism is basic information for understanding subduction zone seismogenesis. To evaluate the entire paleotemperature profile of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site C0002 located in the off-Kumano region of the Nankai Trough and penetrate the inner accretionary wedge down to 3058.5 m below the seafloor (mbsf), we performed a vitrinite reflectance analysis for cuttings and core samples during IODP expeditions 338 and 348: Nankai Trough seismogenic zone experiment. Although vitrinite reflectance values (Ro) tend to increase with depth, two reversals of these values suggested the existence of thrust fault zones with sufficient displacements to offset the paleothermal structure. The estimated maximum paleotemperatures are 42-70°C at 1200-1300 mbsf, 44-100°C at 1600-2400 mbsf, and 56-115°C at 2600-3000 mbsf, respectively. These temperatures roughly coincide with estimated modern temperatures; however, at a smaller scale, the reconstructed partial paleogeothermal gradient (˜60-150°C/km) recorded at the hanging- and footwall of the presumed thrust fault zone is higher than the modern geothermal gradient (˜30-40°C/km). This high paleogeothermal gradient was possibly obtained prior to subduction, reflecting the large heat flow of the young Philippine Sea Plate.

Timing of millennial-scale climate change in Antarctica and Greenland during the last glacial period

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blunier, T; Brook, E J

2001-01-01

A precise relative chronology for Greenland and West Antarctic paleotemperature is extended to 90,000 years ago, based on correlation of atmospheric methane records from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 and Byrd ice cores. Over this period, the onset of seven major millennial-scale warmings in A....... This pattern provides further evidence for the operation of a "bipolar see-saw" in air temperatures and an oceanic teleconnection between the hemispheres on millennial time scales....

Mid-miocene cooling in the northern Qilian Shan, northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau, revealed by apatite fission-track and VR analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, A.D.; Wyrwoll, K.-H.; Jie, C.; Yanchou, L.

1999-01-01

Full text: Growth of the Tibetan Plateau along its northeastern margin by crustal shortening and thickening is linked to the Altyn Tagh Fault, a ∼1500 km long sinistral strike-slip fault which has played a significant role in accommodating the convergence of India and Eurasia. The NW-trending Qilian Shan (mountains) that mark the northeastern edge of the plateau rise nearly 5000 m above the adjacent Juice Basin of the Hexi Corridor. The Qilian Shan is a mid-Paleozoic orogenic suture belt composed of numerous thrust slices of deformed Lower Paleozoic (Cambrian-Silurian) metasedimentary and metavolcanic strata. The older Precambrian basement is also exposed in some thrust sheets, as are remnants of Upper Paleozoic-Jurassic strata. Cretaceous fluvial sandstones and conglomerates are locally preserved. The neighbouring Juice Basin contains a thick succession of Neogene-Quaternary fluvial strata (∼3.5 km thick) which unconformably overlies Lower Cretaceous rocks. Adjacent to the Qilian Shan, the oldest Neogene strata in the Juice Basin are Miocene in age overlain by more extensive Pliocene and Quaternary sediments, whereas basal Oligocene strata are exposed on the northern side of the basin. Neogene and Quaternary strata are being actively deformed by thrust-related folding along the margins and within the Jiuxi Basin. Apatite fission-track and vitrinite reflectance data were obtained from Precambrian to Tertiary outcrop samples from the northern Qilian Shan and Juice Basin to provide constraints on timing of exhumation and cooling. All the samples record multiple cooling episodes. Tertiary cooling from peak paleotemperatures (40-120 deg C) beginning sometime between 20 and 10 Ma (mid-Miocene) is common to all samples. This age is significantly older than previous models which proposed initiation of uplift in the Pliocene-Pleistocene, i.e., no older than 5-6 Ma. For any reasonable paleo-geothermal gradient, the degree of mid-Miocene cooling requires km

Aminostratigraphic correlations and paleotemperature implications, Pliocene-Pleistocene high-sea-level deposits, northwestern Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Kaufman, Darrell S.; Brigham-Grette, Julie

Multiple periods of Late Pliocene and Pleistocene high sea level are recorded by surficial deposits along the coastal plains of northwestern Alaska. Analyses of the extent of amino acid epimerization in fossil molluscan shells from the Nome coastal plain of the northern Bering Sea coast, and from the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain of the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea coasts, allow recognition of at least five intervals of higher-than-present relative sea level. Three Late Pliocene transgressions are represented at Nome by the complex and protracted Beringian transgression, and on the Arctic Coastal Plain by the Colvillian, Bigbendian, and Fishcreekian transgressions. These were followed by a lengthy period of non-marine deposition during the Early Pleistocene when sea level did not reach above its present position. A Middle Pleistocene high-sea-level event is represented at Nome by the Anvilian transgression, and on the Arctic Coastal Plain by the Wainwrightian transgression. Anvilian deposits at the type locality are considerably younger than previously thought, perhaps as young as Oxygen-Isotope Stage 11 (˜410,000 BP). Finally, the last interglacial Pelukian transgression is represented discontinuously along the shores of northwestern Alaska. Amino acid epimerization data, together with previous paleomagnetic measurements, radiometric-age determinations, and paleontologic evidence provide geochronological constraints on the sequence of marine deposits. They form the basis of regional correlations and offer a means of evaluating the post-depositional thermal history of the high-sea-level deposits. Provisional correlations between marine units at Nome and the Artic Coastal Plain indicate that the temperature difference that separates the two sites today had existed by about 3.0 Ma. Since that time, the effective diagenetic temperature was lowered by about 3-4°C at both sites, and the mean annual temperature was lowered considerably more. This temperature decrease was largely accomplished by the close of the Fishcreekian = Beringian III transgression (ca. 2.5-2.1 Ma). Since then, intervals of warm temperature must have been extremely brief. These data suggest that the steep latitudinal temperature gradient and the frigid temperatures that characterize the high latitudes of Alaska today are ancient features of Arctic climate.

Tertiary evolution of the Shimanto belt (Japan): A large-scale collision in Early Miocene

Science.gov (United States)

Raimbourg, Hugues; Famin, Vincent; Palazzin, Giulia; Yamaguchi, Asuka; Augier, Romain

2017-07-01

To decipher the Miocene evolution of the Shimanto belt of southwestern Japan, structural and paleothermal studies were carried out in the western area of Shikoku Island. All units constituting the belt, both in its Cretaceous and Tertiary domains, are in average strongly dipping to the NW or SE, while shortening directions deduced from fault kinematics are consistently orientated NNW-SSE. Peak paleotemperatures estimated with Raman spectra of organic matter increase strongly across the southern, Tertiary portion of the belt, in tandem with the development of a steeply dipping metamorphic cleavage. Near the southern tip of Ashizuri Peninsula, the unconformity between accreted strata and fore-arc basin, present along the whole belt, corresponds to a large paleotemperature gap, supporting the occurrence of a major collision in Early Miocene. This tectonic event occurred before the magmatic event that affected the whole belt at 15 Ma. The associated shortening was accommodated in two opposite modes, either localized on regional-scale faults such as the Nobeoka Tectonic Line in Kyushu or distributed through the whole belt as in Shikoku. The reappraisal of this collision leads to reinterpret large-scale seismic refraction profiles of the margins, where the unit underlying the modern accretionary prism is now attributed to an older package of deformed and accreted sedimentary units belonging to the Shimanto belt. When integrated into reconstructions of Philippine Sea Plate motion, the collision corresponds to the oblique collision of a paleo Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc with Japan in Early Miocene.

Geothermal alteration of clay minerals and shales: diagenesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weaver, C.E.

1979-07-01

The objective of this report is to perform a critical review of the data on the mineral and chemical alterations that occur during diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism of shale and other clay-rich rocks - conditions similar to those expected from emplacement of heat-producing radioactive waste in a geologic repository. The conclusions drawn in this document are that the following type of alterations could occur: smectite alteration, ion mobilization, illitic shales, kaolinite reactions, chlorite reactions, organic reactions, paleotemperatures, low temperature shales, high temperature shales, and phase equilibrium changes.

Geothermal alteration of clay minerals and shales: diagenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weaver, C.E.

1979-07-01

The objective of this report is to perform a critical review of the data on the mineral and chemical alterations that occur during diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism of shale and other clay-rich rocks - conditions similar to those expected from emplacement of heat-producing radioactive waste in a geologic repository. The conclusions drawn in this document are that the following type of alterations could occur: smectite alteration, ion mobilization, illitic shales, kaolinite reactions, chlorite reactions, organic reactions, paleotemperatures, low temperature shales, high temperature shales, and phase equilibrium changes

Paleogeothermal record of the Emeishan mantle plume: evidences from borehole Ro data in the Sichuan basin, SW China

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, S.

2013-12-01

The Emeishan basalt province located in the southwest of China is widely accepted to be a result of the eruption of a mantle plume at the time of middle-late Permian. If it was a mantle plume, the ambient sedimentary rocks must be heated up during the development of the mantle plume and this thermal effect must be recorded by some geothermometers in the country rocks. The vitrinite reflectance (Ro) data as a maximum paleotemperature recorder from boreholes in Sichuan basin was employed to expose the thermal regime related to the proposed Emeishan mantle plume. The Ro profiles from boreholes which drilled close to the Emeishan basalts shows a ';dog-leg' (break) style at the unconformity between the middle and the upper Permian, and the Ro profiles in the lower subsection (pre-middle Permian) shows a significantly higher slopes (gradients) than those in the upper subsection. In contrast, those Ro profiles from boreholes far away from the center of the basalt province have no break at the uncomformity. Based on the chemical kinetic model of Ro, the paleo-temperature gradients for the upper and the lower subsections in different boreholes, as well as the erosion at the unconformity between the middle and the upper Permian, were reconstructed to reveal the variations of the temperature gradients and erosion thickness with geological time and space. Both the thermal regime and the erosion thickness together with their spatial variation (structure) provide strong geothermal evidence for the existence of the Emeishan mantle plume in the middle-late Permian.

Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Peter M J; Affek, Hagit P; Ivany, Linda C; Houben, Alexander J P; Sijp, Willem P; Sluijs, Appy; Schouten, Stefan; Pagani, Mark

2014-05-06

Paleoclimate studies suggest that increased global warmth during the Eocene epoch was greatly amplified at high latitudes, a state that climate models cannot fully reproduce. However, proxy estimates of Eocene near-Antarctic sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have produced widely divergent results at similar latitudes, with SSTs above 20 °C in the southwest Pacific contrasting with SSTs between 5 and 15 °C in the South Atlantic. Validation of this zonal temperature difference has been impeded by uncertainties inherent to the individual paleotemperature proxies applied at these sites. Here, we present multiproxy data from Seymour Island, near the Antarctic Peninsula, that provides well-constrained evidence for annual SSTs of 10-17 °C (1σ SD) during the middle and late Eocene. Comparison of the same paleotemperature proxy at Seymour Island and at the East Tasman Plateau indicate the presence of a large and consistent middle-to-late Eocene SST gradient of ∼7 °C between these two sites located at similar paleolatitudes. Intermediate-complexity climate model simulations suggest that enhanced oceanic heat transport in the South Pacific, driven by deep-water formation in the Ross Sea, was largely responsible for the observed SST gradient. These results indicate that very warm SSTs, in excess of 18 °C, did not extend uniformly across the Eocene southern high latitudes, and suggest that thermohaline circulation may partially control the distribution of high-latitude ocean temperatures in greenhouse climates. The pronounced zonal SST heterogeneity evident in the Eocene cautions against inferring past meridional temperature gradients using spatially limited data within given latitudinal bands.

Late quaternary paleotemperatures derived from a speleothem from Cango caves, Cape Province, South-Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Talma, AS

1992-03-01

Full Text Available , with generally lower temperatures (1–2°C) around 4500 and 3000 yr B.P. The carbon isotopic composition of the stalagmite indicates significant vegetation changes between the late Pleistocene and today, and also during the second half of the Holocene....

Thermoluminescence studies having applications to geology and archaeometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levy, P.N.

1978-01-01

Mineral thermoluminescence (TL) studies, undertaken as geophysics investigations, appear to have archaeometric applications. Measurements were made with equipment which records TL emission spectra at closely spaced temperatures. Carbonate rock containing lead-zinc deposits exhibit radiation induced TL against distance-from-ore patterns useful for mineral exploration and locating worked-out deposits. The feldspar albite has second-order TL kinetics, which can introduce dating errors. Heat induced changes in the albite TL emission spectra could be used as a paleotemperature indicator. Quartz remembers previous exposure to radiation, a property influencing TL intensity against dose curves but useful for uranium exploration

Northern European long term climate archives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hohl, Veronica [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden)

2005-01-01

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company is responsible for the management and disposal of Sweden's radioactive waste. It is intended to deposit the spent nuclear fuel in a deep geological repository. This repository shall keep the radiotoxic material separated from humans and the environment for extended periods, from decades to millennia and possibly to geological timescales. During this time perspective climate induced changes such as shore-level displacement and evolution of permafrost and ice sheets are expected to occur which may affect the repository. The possible occurrence, extent and duration of these long-term changes, are therefore of interest when considering the assessment of repository performance and safety. The main climate parameters determining both surface and subsurface conditions are temperature and precipitation. As a result of the last advance of the Weichselian ice sheet only few geological archives exist, which contain information on past climatic conditions in Sweden before c 16,000 years BP. The purpose of this literature review is to compile and evaluate available information from Scandinavian, Northern and Central European geological archives, which record climatic conditions during the Weichselian time period. The compilation provides paleotemperature data sets, which may be used to explore the possible evolution of periglacial permafrost in Sweden. This report is a synopsis of 22 publications detailing climatic and environmental changes during the Weichselian time period in Northwestern Europe based on quantified paleotemperature records. Some of the data is presented as temperature curves which were digitised specifically for this report. The time range covered by the different publications varies considerably. Only few authors dealt with the whole Weichselian period and the majority cover only a few thousand years. This however is not considered to influence the reliability of the archives. The reason for the

Northern European long term climate archives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hohl, Veronica

2005-01-01

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company is responsible for the management and disposal of Sweden's radioactive waste. It is intended to deposit the spent nuclear fuel in a deep geological repository. This repository shall keep the radiotoxic material separated from humans and the environment for extended periods, from decades to millennia and possibly to geological timescales. During this time perspective climate induced changes such as shore-level displacement and evolution of permafrost and ice sheets are expected to occur which may affect the repository. The possible occurrence, extent and duration of these long-term changes, are therefore of interest when considering the assessment of repository performance and safety. The main climate parameters determining both surface and subsurface conditions are temperature and precipitation. As a result of the last advance of the Weichselian ice sheet only few geological archives exist, which contain information on past climatic conditions in Sweden before c 16,000 years BP. The purpose of this literature review is to compile and evaluate available information from Scandinavian, Northern and Central European geological archives, which record climatic conditions during the Weichselian time period. The compilation provides paleotemperature data sets, which may be used to explore the possible evolution of periglacial permafrost in Sweden. This report is a synopsis of 22 publications detailing climatic and environmental changes during the Weichselian time period in Northwestern Europe based on quantified paleotemperature records. Some of the data is presented as temperature curves which were digitised specifically for this report. The time range covered by the different publications varies considerably. Only few authors dealt with the whole Weichselian period and the majority cover only a few thousand years. This however is not considered to influence the reliability of the archives. The reason for the varying

Diet and environment of a mid-Pliocene fauna from southwestern Himalaya: Paleo-elevation implications

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yang; Xu, Yingfeng; Khawaja, Sofia; Passey, Benjamin H.; Zhang, Chunfu; Wang, Xiaoming; Li, Qiang; Tseng, Zhijie J.; Takeuchi, Gary T.; Deng, Tao; Xie, Guangpu

2013-08-01

A mid-Pliocene fauna (4.2-3.1 Ma) was recently uncovered in the Zanda (Zhada) Basin in the southwestern Himalaya, at an elevation of about 4200 m above sea level. These fossil materials provide a unique window for examining the linkage among tectonic, climatic and biotic changes. Here we report the results from isotopic analyses of this fauna and of modern herbivores and waters as well as paleo-temperature estimates from the Zanda Basin. The δ13C values of enamel samples from modern wild Tibetan asses, and domesticated horses, cows and goats in the area are -9.4±1.8‰, which indicate a diet comprising predominantly of C3 plants and are consistent with the current dominance of C3 vegetation in the region. The enamel-δ13C values of the fossil horses, rhinos, deer, and bovids are -9.6±0.8‰, indicating that these ancient mammals, like modern herbivores in the area, also fed primarily on C3 vegetation and lived in an environment dominated by C3 plants. The lack of significant C4 plants in the basin suggests that the area had reached high elevations (>2.5 km) by at least the mid-Pliocene. Taking into account the changes in the δ13C of atmospheric CO2 in the past, the enamel-δ13C values suggest that the average modern-equivalent δ13C value of C3 vegetation in the Zanda Basin in the mid-Pliocene was ∼1-2‰ lower than that of the C3 biomass in the basin today. This would imply a reduction in annual precipitation by about 200-400 mm in the area since then (assuming that the modern C3 δ13C-precipitation relationship applied to the past). Consistent with this inference from the δ13C data, the enamel-δ18O data show a significant shift to higher values after the mid-Pliocene, which also suggests a shift in climate to much drier conditions after ∼4-3 Ma. Paleo-temperature estimates derived from a fossil bone-based oxygen isotope temperature proxy as well as the carbonate clumped isotope thermometer for the mid-Pliocene Zanda Basin are higher than the present

Large Scale Cooling in Tertiary Central Europe as inferred by the MBT/CBT Paleothermometer

Science.gov (United States)

Bauersachs, T.; Schouten, S.; Schwark, L.

2011-12-01

Earth's climate experienced dramatic changes throughout the last 65 Ma. Starting at the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum, the global climate underwent a gradual cooling that eventually resulted in the glaciations in the Neogene. Most reconstructions of climate variability are derived from the marine realm using global deep sea oxygen isotope curves or molecular paleotemperature proxies. In contrast, only little information on the changes of the continental climate is available, which is mainly due to a lack of continuous high resolution records and suitable quantitative temperature proxies. The MBT/CBT paleothermometer is a novel temperature proxy based on temperature-driven changes in the branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) content of soil-living bacteria. These changes have been demonstrated to correlate well with ambient air temperature and the MBT/CBT proxy has thus been used to reconstruct paleotemperature records of terrestrial as well as coastal marine sediments (1). In this study, we employed the MBT/CBT paleothermometer on a number of maar lake deposits that - due to their exceptional well preserved organic matter content and finely-laminated sediments - comprise excellent archives of a continental climate. The analysed lacustrine deposits were all situated in the middle European Tertiary volcanic belt and ranged in age from the Early Eocene to the Late Oligocene, allowing for the detailed reconstruction of climate evolution of the Central European continent. Calculated mean annual air temperatures (MAAT) of the Messel oil shale, deposited during the Eocene climate optimum, averaged at 25 °C. This agrees well with previous temperature estimates based on paleontological observations, suggesting a paratropical climate in Eocene Central Europe with an average air temperature of ca. 25-30 °C (2). In contrast, to the green house period of the Early Eocene, the climate of the Oligocene was significantly cooler reflected by low MAAT of 8-15 �

Clumped Isotope Thermometry Reveals Variations in Soil Carbonate Seasonal Biases Over >4 km of Relief in the Semi-Arid Andes of Central Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Burgener, L. K.; Huntington, K. W.; Hoke, G. D.; Schauer, A. J.; Ringham, M. C.; Latorre Hidalgo, C.; Díaz, F.

2015-12-01

The application of carbonate clumped isotope thermometry to soil carbonates has the potential to shed new light on questions regarding terrestrial paleoclimate. In order to better utilize this paleoclimate tool, outstanding questions regarding seasonal biases in soil carbonate formation and the relationship between soil carbonate formation temperatures (T(Δ47)) and surface temperatures must be resolved. We address these questions by comparing C, O, and clumped isotope data from Holocene/modern soil carbonates to modern meteorological data. The data were collected along a 170 km transect with >4 km of relief in central Chile (~30°S). Previous studies have suggested that soil carbonates should record a warm season bias and form in isotopic equilibrium with soil water and soil CO2. We identify two discrete climate zones separated by the local winter snow line (~3200 m). Below this boundary, precipitation falls as rain and soil carbonate T(Δ47) values at depths >40 cm resemble summer soil temperatures; at higher elevations, precipitation falls as snow and T(Δ47) values resemble mean annual soil temperatures. Soil carbonates from the highest sample site (4700 m), which is devoid of vegetation and located near perennial snow fields, yield anomalous δ18O, δ13C, and T(Δ47) values, indicative of kinetic isotope effects that we attribute to cryogenic carbonate formation. Our results suggest that soil carbonates from depths temperature and precipitation, and should not be used as paleotemperature proxies. These findings (1) highlight the role of soil moisture in modulating soil carbonate formation and the resulting T(Δ47) values, (2) underscore the importance of understanding past soil moisture conditions when attempting to reconstruct paleotemperatures using carbonate clumped isotope thermometry, and (3) suggest that soil carbonates from high elevation or high latitude sites may form under non-equilibrium conditions.

Distributions of Heterocyst Glycolipids in Settling Particulate Matter Record Ecological and Environmental Parameters in a Tropical Lake

Science.gov (United States)

Meegan Kumar, D.; Hopmans, E.; S Sinninghe Damsté, J.; Schouten, S.; Bauersachs, T.; Werne, J. P.

2017-12-01

Temperature is a critical component of paleoenvironmental reconstructions, yet it is notoriously difficult to measure in terrestrial archives. Presented here is an investigation of unique glycolipids produced by heterocystous cyanobacteria, so-called heterocyst glycolipids (HGs), in the water column of Lake Malawi (East Africa). The goal of the study is to evaluate the potential of HGs to function as a paleotemperature proxy in tropical lacustrine environments. HGs in Lake Malawi were extracted from settling particulate matter (SPM) collected at bi-monthly intervals from 2011 - 2013. Sediment traps were moored in the metalimnion of both the north and south basins of the lake in order to evaluate the spatial and the temporal trends in lipid production and export. This study is the first to analyze HGs in SPM and contains the longest time-series of HG production in a natural environment to date. HGs are consistently present throughout the three-year study period, but maximum fluxes occur annually in December, coincident with the timing of cyanobacterial blooms in the lake. HGs in SPM appear to be sourced from living cyanobacteria populations, indicating rapid export of the lipids through the water column. Temperatures reconstructed with published HG-based indices, which are derived from the relative abundances of HG diols and triols to HG keto-(di)ols, do not accurately reflect the seasonal variability in measured surface water temperatures. Rather, the production of C28 HG keto-ols appears to be related to the timing of heterocyst differentiation. Heterocystous cyanobacteria in Lake Malawi may instead respond to growth temperatures by elongating the alkyl side chain of HG diols, as indicated by increases in the abundance of the C28 HG diol relative to the C26 HG diol with warmer surface water temperatures. Distributions of HGs thus may indeed provide a novel tool for paleotemperature reconstructions in tropical lakes.

Southern Ocean Surface and Intermediate Water Temperature from Alkenones and Mg/Ca of Infaunal Foraminifera for the last 1.5 Ma

Science.gov (United States)

Elmore, Aurora; McClymont, Erin; Elderfield, Harry; Kender, Sev

2014-05-01

The reconstruction of past surface (SST), intermediate, and deep-water temperatures is critical to our understanding of feedbacks within the ocean-climate system. Intermediate water temperature (IWT) reconstruction is particularly important since intermediate waters, including Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), are proposed to be an important driver in high-low latitude teleconnections, despite limited intermediate-depth records through the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Paleotemperature proxies have caveats, including the 'Carbonate Ion Effect' on the Magnesium to Calcium ratio (Mg/Ca) of benthic foraminifera. However, recent studies demonstrated that the infaunal species, Uvigerina peregrina, co-precipitates Mg independent of secondary effects, affording the use of U.peregrina Mg/Ca as a paleotemperature proxy (Elderfield et al., 2010). We present the first 1.5 Ma record of IWT from Mg/CaU.peregrina coupled with an alkenone- derived UK37' SST record from a sediment core in the Southwest Pacific (DSDP site 593; 1068m water depth), in the core of modern AAIW. Our new data reconstruct interglacial IWTs at ~7°C before and after the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT), whereas values of ~5°C occur in the later Pleistocene. Glacial IWT remained fairly constant (~2°C) throughout the last 1 Ma. These results are in apparent disagreement with the typical idea that glacial-interglacial temperature fluctuations were smaller in the '41-kyr world' before the MPT, than during the '100-kyr world', after the MPT. At proximal ODP site 1123 (3290m water depth; Elderfield et al., 2012), interglacial deepwater temperatures increase by ~1°C after the MPT, with relatively constant glacial deepwater temperatures (~-2°C) over the last 1 Ma. New results from DSDP 593 therefore imply that the mechanisms that drive intermediate and deep water temperatures varied, suggesting that at least one of these watermasses has properties driven by something other than Northern Hemisphere glaciation

Miocene isotope zones, paleotemperatures, and carbon maxima events at intermediate water-depth, Site 593, Southwest Pacific

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooke, P.J.; Nelson, C.S.; Crundwell, M.P.

2008-01-01

Oxygen and carbon isotopic stratigraphies are presented from both benthic and planktic foraminifera for the late early Miocene to earliest Pliocene interval (c. 19-5 Ma) of intermediate water-depth DSDP Site 593 in the southern Tasman Sea. The benthic values are interpreted as recording Miocene Southern Component Intermediate Water, while the planktic species record the Miocene mode and surface water signals. Comparisons are made between temperate Site 593 and the intermediate-depth polar Site 747 in the southern Indian Ocean. Glacial Mi zones Mi1b-Mi6, representing extreme glacial events, are evident in both the Site 593 intermediate and surface water records. Miocene Southern Component Intermediate Water δ 18 O values are generally lighter than the Holocene equivalent (Antarctic Intermediate Water), indicating slightly warmer intermediate waters and/ or less global ice volume. The benthic-planktic gradient is interpreted as indicating a less stratified Tasman Sea during the Miocene. The benthic δ 13 C record contains most of the global carbon maxima (CM) events, CM1-7 (CM1-6 = the Monterey Excursion). Like global deep-water records, the Tasman Sea intermediate water δ 13 C values indicate that most CM events correspond with Mi glacials, including Mi4 at Site 593, not reported previously. Intermediate waters play an important role in propagating climatic changes from the polar regions to the tropics, and the Site 593 dataset provides a full water column record of the structure of Miocene intermediate to surface watermasses prior to the modern situation. (author). 132 refs., 8 figs., 4 tabs

Estimation of precipitation rates by measurements of {sup 36}Cl in the GRIP ice core with the PSI/ETH tandem accelerator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, G.; Baumgartner, S.; Beer, J. [EAWAG, Duebendorf (Switzerland); Synal, H.A. [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland); Suter, M. [Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule, Zurich (Switzerland)

1997-09-01

Within the European Greenland ice core project (GRIP) {sup 36}Cl AMS measurements have been performed on ice core samples from Summit (Greenland, 73{sup o}N, 37{sup o}W). Most data analysed so far are from the lower part of the ice core. The {sup 36}Cl concentration is well correlated with {delta}{sup 18}O, which is considered as a proxy for paleotemperatures. Assuming that the deposition rate of radionuclides is independent of {delta}{sup 18}O, {sup 36}Cl is used to estimate the relationship between accumulation and {delta}{sup 18}O. The results confirm that the rapid changes of {delta}{sup 18}O, the so-called Dansgaard-Oeschger events, are also reflected in the precipitation rate. (author) 1 fig., 3 refs.

Late Glacial temperature and precipitation changes in the lowland Neotropics by tandem measurement of δ 18O in biogenic carbonate and gypsum hydration water

Science.gov (United States)

Hodell, David A.; Turchyn, Alexandra V.; Wiseman, Camilla J.; Escobar, Jaime; Curtis, Jason H.; Brenner, Mark; Gilli, Adrian; Mueller, Andreas D.; Anselmetti, Flavio; Ariztegui, Daniel; Brown, Erik T.

2012-01-01

We applied a new method to reconstruct paleotemperature in the tropics during the last deglaciation by measuring oxygen isotopes of co-occurring gypsum hydration water and biogenic carbonate in sediment cores from two lakes on the Yucatan Peninsula. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope values of interstitial and gypsum hydration water indicate that the crystallization water preserves the isotopic signal of the lake water, and has not undergone post-depositional isotopic exchange with sediment pore water. The estimated lake water δ18O is combined with carbonate δ18O to calculate paleotemperature. Three paired measurements of 1200-yr-old gypsum and gastropod aragonite from Lake Chichancanab, Mexico, yielded a mean temperature of 26 °C (range 23-29.5 °C), which is consistent with the mean and range of mean annual temperatures (MAT) in the region today. Paired measurements of ostracods, gastropods, and gypsum hydration water samples were measured in cores from Lake Petén Itzá, Guatemala, spanning the Late Glacial and early Holocene period (18.5-10.4 ka). The lowest recorded temperatures occurred at the start of Heinrich Stadial (HS) 1 at 18.5 ka. Inferred temperatures from benthic ostracods ranged from 16 to 20 °C during HS 1, which is 6-10 °C cooler than MAT in the region today, whereas temperatures derived from shallow-water gastropods were generally warmer (20-25 °C), reflecting epilimnetic temperatures. The derived temperatures support previous findings of greater tropical cooling on land in Central America during the Late Glacial than indicated by nearby marine records. Temperature increased in two steps during the last deglaciation. The first occurred during the Bolling-Allerod (B-A; from 14.7 to 13 ka) when temperature rose to 20-24 °C towards the end of this period. The second step occurred at 10.4 ka near the beginning of the Holocene when ostracod-inferred temperature rose to 26 °C, reflecting modern hypolimnetic temperature set during winter, whereas

How Does Temperature Impact Leaf Size and Shape in Four Woody Dicot Species? Testing the Assumptions of Leaf Physiognomy-Climate Models

Science.gov (United States)

McKee, M.; Royer, D. L.

2017-12-01

The physiognomy (size and shape) of fossilized leaves has been used to reconstruct the mean annual temperature of ancient environments. Colder temperatures often select for larger and more abundant leaf teeth—serrated edges on leaf margins—as well as a greater degree of leaf dissection. However, to be able to accurately predict paleotemperature from the morphology of fossilized leaves, leaves must be able to react quickly and in a predictable manner to changes in temperature. We examined the extent to which temperature affects leaf morphology in four tree species: Carpinus caroliniana, Acer negundo, Ilex opaca, and Ostrya virginiana. Saplings of these species were grown in two growth cabinets under contrasting temperatures (17 and 25 °C). Compared to the cool treatment, in the warm treatment Carpinus caroliniana leaves had significantly fewer leaf teeth and a lower ratio of total number of leaf teeth to internal perimeter; and Acer negundo leaves had a significantly lower feret diameter ratio (a measure of leaf dissection). In addition, a two-way ANOVA tested the influence of temperature and species on leaf physiognomy. This analysis revealed that all plants, regardless of species, tended to develop more highly dissected leaves with more leaf teeth in the cool treatment. Because the cabinets maintained equivalent moisture, humidity, and CO2 concentration between the two treatments, these results demonstrate that these species could rapidly adapt to changes in temperature. However, not all of the species reacted identically to temperature changes. For example, Acer negundo, Carpinus caroliniana, and Ostrya virginiana all had a higher number of total teeth in the cool treatment compared to the warm treatment, but the opposite was true for Ilex opaca. Our work questions a fundamental assumption common to all models predicting paleotemperature from the physiognomy of fossilized leaves: a given climate will inevitably select for the same leaf physiognomy

Late Neogene Orbitally-Forced Sea Surface Temperature Variability in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific as Measured by Uk'37 and TEX86

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, K. T.; Pearson, A.; Castañeda, I. S.; Peterson, L.

2017-12-01

Key features of late Neogene climate remain uncertain due to conflicting records derived from different sea surface temperature (SST) proxies. To resolve these disputes, it is necessary to explore both the consistencies and differences between paleotemperature estimates from critical oceanographic regimes. Here, we report orbital-scale climate variability at ODP Site 846 in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific (EEP) in the interval from 5-6 Ma using alkenone and TEX86 temperature estimates. Results from both proxies are very similar in their secular trends and magnitude of long-term temperature change; and spectral analysis demonstrates that the records are coherent and in-phase or nearly in-phase in both the obliquity and precession bands. However, we find that the temperatures reconstructed by TEX86 are consistently offset towards colder values by 2ºC with orbital-scale variations approximately twice the amplitude of the Uk'37 derived estimates. Both temperature records are antiphased - i.e. "colder" - at higher sediment alkenone concentrations, a qualitative indicator of increased glacial productivity. Temperature differences between the proxies are accentuated during glacial intervals in contrasts to modern observations of EEP surface and subsurface temperatures, which show that thermocline temperatures are fairly stable, and thus by analogy, glacial cooling and/or enhanced upwelling should have reduced rather than accentuated temperature gradients in the upper water column. Therefore, arguments that Uk'37 corresponds to temperature variability in the surface, while TEX86 responds to the subsurface, may be too simplistic. Instead, it appears generally true that high-productivity environments, including the EEP, tend to have negative TEX86 anomalies. This may reflect a dual dependence of TEX86 records on both water column temperature and local productivity. Overall, our data suggest that in the EEP and likely in other upwelling zones, paleotemperature data derived

Mesozoic–Cenozoic Climate and Neotectonic Events as Factors in Reconstructing the Thermal History of the Source-Rock Bazhenov Formation, Arctic Region, West Siberia, by the Example of the Yamal Peninsula

Science.gov (United States)

Isaev, V. I.; Iskorkina, A. A.; Lobova, G. A.; Starostenko, V. I.; Tikhotskii, S. A.; Fomin, A. N.

2018-03-01

Schemes and criteria are developed for using the measured and modeled geotemperatures for studying the thermal regime of the source rock formations, as well as the tectonic and sedimentary history of sedimentary basins, by the example of the oil fields of the Yamal Peninsula. The method of paleotemperature modeling based on the numerical solution of the heat conduction equation for a horizontally layered solid with a movable upper boundary is used. The mathematical model directly includes the climatic secular trend of the Earth's surface temperature as the boundary condition and the paleotemperatures determined from the vitrinite reflectance as the measurement data. The method does not require a priori information about the nature and intensities of the heat flow from the Earth's interior; the flow is determined by solving the inverse problem of geothermy with a parametric description of the of the sedimentation history and the history of the thermophysical properties of the sedimentary stratum. The rate of sedimentation is allowed to be zero and negative which provides the possibility to take into account the gaps in sedimentation and denudation. The formation, existence, and degradation of the permafrost stratum and ice cover are taken into account as dynamical lithological-stratigraphic complexes with anomalously high thermal conductivity. It is established that disregarding the paleoclimatic factors precludes an adequate reconstruction of thermal history of the source-rock deposits. Revealing and taking into account the Late Eocene regression provided the computationally optimal and richest thermal history of the source-rock Bazhenov Formation, which led to more correct volumetric-genetic estimates of the reserves. For estimating the hydrocarbon reserves in the land territories of the Arctic region of West Siberia by the volumetric-genetic technique, it is recommended to use the Arctic secular trend of temperatures and take into account the dynamics of the

Symposium on the 50th anniversary of the discovery of deuterium: divisions of history of chemistry, geochemistry, nuclear and physical chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bigeleisen, J.

1981-01-01

In tribute to Harold Urey, the author cites Urey's accomplishments as a scientist and public servant and gives insight of the man. Some of his accomplishments in science are: discovered deuterium for which he received the Nobel prize in 1934; worked with Rittenberg and Greiff on the theory and calculation of the differences in the thermodynamic properties of isotopic compounds; with Thode, Hutchison and others, separated the isotopes of the light elements by chemical methods on a laboratory scale; during World War II headed the Substitute Alloy Materials Laboratories of Columbia University where his group developed industrial scale processes for the separation of 2 H, 10 B, and 235 U; with his associates developed the 18 O paleotemperature scale; made fundamental contributions to a widely accepted theory of the origin of the earth

Single isotope fractionation of (16)O(-) implications for early history of solar system

Science.gov (United States)

Arrhenius, G.

1980-01-01

Chemical fractionation processes are investigated with emphasis on selective single isotope fractionation in polyisotopic systems, particularly in oxygen. The related temperature parameters of meteoritic condensates and of their source medium are investigated by a thermometric method that is independent of assumptions regarding temperatures and pressures in the solar nebula. The crucial nonlinear chemical fractionation of O-16 was demonstrated experimentally. The effect was achieved in condensed CO2 formed from CO with C-12 O-16 selectively excited by H Ly alpha. The effect was verified by mass spectrometric measurements. The meteorite paleotemperature estimates were advanced from defining only thermal exposure to evaluating time and temperature independently. Grain temperatures at condensation of refractory inclusion materials are indicated to be less than 900 K in agreement with radiation temperature considerations and observations in circumstellar dust shells.

Maximum likelihood estimation for integrated diffusion processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baltazar-Larios, Fernando; Sørensen, Michael

We propose a method for obtaining maximum likelihood estimates of parameters in diffusion models when the data is a discrete time sample of the integral of the process, while no direct observations of the process itself are available. The data are, moreover, assumed to be contaminated...... EM-algorithm to obtain maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters in the diffusion model. As part of the algorithm, we use a recent simple method for approximate simulation of diffusion bridges. In simulation studies for the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process and the CIR process the proposed method works...... by measurement errors. Integrated volatility is an example of this type of observations. Another example is ice-core data on oxygen isotopes used to investigate paleo-temperatures. The data can be viewed as incomplete observations of a model with a tractable likelihood function. Therefore we propose a simulated...

Global map of lithosphere thermal thickness on a 1 deg x 1 deg grid - digitally available

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Artemieva, Irina

2014-01-01

with no or low quality heat flow data. This analysis requires knowledge oflithosphere age globally.A compilation of tectono-thermal ages of lithospheric terranes on a 1 deg 1 deg grid forms the basis forthe statistical analysis. It shows that, statistically, lithospheric thermal thickness z (in km) depends......This presentation reports a 1 deg 1 deg global thermal model for the continental lithosphere (TC1). The modelis digitally available from the author’s web-site: www.lithosphere.info.Geotherms for continental terranes of different ages (early Archean to present) are constrained by reliabledata...... on borehole heat flow measurements (Artemieva and Mooney, 2001), checked with the original publicationsfor data quality, and corrected for paleo-temperature effects where needed. These data are supplemented bycratonic geotherms based on xenolith data.Since heat flow measurements cover not more than half...

Widespread occurrence of distinct alkenones from Group I haptophytes in freshwater lakes: Implications for paleotemperature and paleoenvironmental reconstructions

Science.gov (United States)

Longo, William M.; Huang, Yongsong; Yao, Yuan; Zhao, Jiaju; Giblin, Anne E.; Wang, Xian; Zech, Roland; Haberzettl, Torsten; Jardillier, Ludwig; Toney, Jaime; Liu, Zhonghui; Krivonogov, Sergey; Kolpakova, Marina; Chu, Guoqiang; D'Andrea, William J.; Harada, Naomi; Nagashima, Kana; Sato, Miyako; Yonenobu, Hitoshi; Yamada, Kazuyoshi; Gotanda, Katsuya; Shinozuka, Yoshitsugu

2018-06-01

Alkenones are C35-C42 polyunsaturated ketone lipids that are commonly employed to reconstruct changes in sea surface temperature. However, their use in coastal seas and saline lakes can be hindered by species-mixing effects. We recently hypothesized that freshwater lakes are immune to species-mixing effects because they appear to exclusively host Group I haptophyte algae, which produce a distinct distribution of alkenones with a relatively consistent response of alkenone unsaturation to temperature. To evaluate this hypothesis and explore the geographic extent of Group I haptophytes, we analyzed alkenones in sediment and suspended particulate matter samples from lakes distributed throughout the mid- and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (n = 30). Our results indicate that Group I-type alkenone distributions are widespread in freshwater lakes from a range of different climates (mean annual air temperature range: -17.3-10.9 °C; mean annual precipitation range: 125-1657 mm yr-1; latitude range: 40-81°N), and are commonly found in neutral to basic lakes (pH > 7.0), including volcanic lakes and lakes with mafic bedrock. We show that these freshwater lakes do not feature alkenone distributions characteristic of Group II lacustrine haptophytes, providing support for the hypothesis that freshwater lakes are immune to species-mixing effects. In lakes that underwent temporal shifts in salinity, we observed mixed Group I/II alkenone distributions and the alkenone contributions from each group could be quantified with the RIK37 index. Additionally, we observed significant correlations of alkenone unsaturation (U37K) with seasonal and mean annual air temperature with this expanded freshwater lakes dataset, with the strongest correlation occurring during the spring transitional season (U37K = 0.029 * T - 0.49; r2 = 0.60; p < 0.0001). We present new sediment trap data from two lakes in northern Alaska (Toolik Lake, 68.632°N, 149.602°W; Lake E5, 68.643°N, 149.458°W) that demonstrate the highest sedimentary fluxes of alkenones in the spring transitional season, concurrent with the period of lake ice melt and isothermal mixing. Together, these data provide a framework for evaluating lacustrine alkenone distributions and utilizing alkenone unsaturation as a lake temperature proxy.

Temperature under the Tongue: A paleotemperature record of the Drygalksi Ice Tongue with improved chronology of ice retreat

Science.gov (United States)

Subt, C.; Rosenheim, B. E.; Lee, J. I.; Yoo, K. C.; Browne, I. M.; Shevenell, A.

2017-12-01

The Ross Embayment is among the most well-studied regions in Antarctica. Despite the relative abundance of data, the style and forcing of deglaciation of the Ross Sea sector following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 23-19 ka) is challenging due to the region's considerable size, complex geometry, and the difficulties in dating Antarctic glaciomarine sedimentary sequences. Ross Sea sediments indicate a dynamic glacial retreat in the western Ross Sea, whereas regional glacial systems may have retreated and advanced multiple times during the last deglaciation. Two marine sediment cores collected near the Drygalski Ice Tongue in the western Ross Sea during 2012 and 2015 Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) expeditions reveal a sequence of alternating diatomaceous muds and oozes interbedded with diamict, which suggest dynamic post-LGM grounded ice retreat in the Ross Sea. Dynamic retreat is hypothesized to have been driven by rising sea levels and warmer ocean waters on the continental shelf, thus a record of upper ocean temperatures should reflect this. Here we present the first post-LGM upper ocean temperature record from the Ross Sea, developed using the TEX86 (tetraether index of lipids consisting of 86 carbons) paleothermometer. To overcome the difficulties of dating these sediments using traditional methods, we apply specialized Ramped PyrOx 14C dating for sediments with high proportions of relict carbon . This technique is particularly well-suited for the post-LGM retreat sedimentary sequences from Antarctic margins because it allows for separation of autochthonous and relict material for dating. By combining organic paleothermometry and state-of-the-art chronologic techniques, we gain a more thorough understanding of upper ocean temperatures in the Ross Sea during the last deglaciation, and their implications for ice retreat.

Branched GDGT-based paleotemperature reconstruction of the last 30,000 years in humid monsoon region of Southeast China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, M.

2017-12-01

The use of bacterial branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) to reconstruct mean annual air temperatures (MAATs) and environmental pH from soils has sparked significant interest in the terrestrial paleoclimate community. However, the reconstruction of these climate proxies from peat bogs is rare in monsoonal regions of the East Asia. This research was carried out on a core from the Shuizhuyang (SZY) peat bog located in Fujian Province. Branched GDGT (brGDGT) indexes were used for reconstructing the paleoclimate of the last 30 cal ka. The aim was to evaluate quantitatively the MAAT and pH values since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the subtropical zone of China. Results show that the CBT-MBT'-derived MAAT at MIS 3 is about 15.6 °C on average, which is followed by a significant fall at the LGM (11.7-12.1 °C). The temperature difference between the LGM and the present-day value is as high as 5.8 °C. The synchronous variation of biomarker and pollen proxies indicates that replacement of subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests by coldtolerant, deciduous broadleaved forests was driven by the significant drop in air temperature. Our results also indicate that the Younger Dryas event lasted from about 12.9 to about 11.3 cal ka, and cooling event at 3.2 cal ka in the late Holocene was detected, showing the sensitivity of peat bogs to rapid cooling. Our pH reconstructions indicate that the pH of the bog rose during Heinrich 1 and Bølling-Allerød periods, probably due to low precipitation, and were lowest in the Holocene thermal maximum between 8 ka and 2.5 ka, probably due to higher precipitation. The decoupling of reconstructed MAAT and pH during particularly deglaciation and YD periods supports the hypothesis that the variations in temperature and precipitation are not always synchronous.

The structural style of foot wall shortcuts along the eastern foothills of the Colombian eastern cordillera. Differences with other inversion related structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mora, Andres; Parra, Mauricio

2008-01-01

For the first time we show geological evidence of unambiguously documented foot wall shortcuts adjacent to the trace of inverted master normal faults, in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. The Eastern Cordillera is an orogen whose width and location are traced by a Mesozoic Graben. However, few structures related with the Graben have been documented up to the date. In this study we propose the Ariari-Guatiquia region as a type location for a unique observation of foot wall shortcuts. The master normal faults in the Ariari-Guatiquia region, and documented in this manuscript, were active during the Lower Cretaceous, partially inverted during the Andean orogenesis (since the Oligocene at least) and active still nowadays. In the hanging wall basins of those master normal faults, like the Servita fault, all the Cretaceous syn-rift sequence has been deposited and maximum paleo-temperatures in the lowermost Cretaceous rocks are higher than those for the Zircon FT partial annealing zone (250 Celsius degrade; 23,15 K). In contraction, the inverted master normal faults are high angle basement involved features that generated the main topographic contrast and exposing Lower Cretaceous units or older. In contrast, in the adjacent foot wall shortcuts only part of the syn-rift Lower Cretaceous sequence was deposited or more commonly was not deposited at all. Maximum paleo-temperatures reached by the basal Cretaceous units exposed in the hanging wall blocks of the foot wall shortcuts are always less than those of the Zircon FT partial annealing zone (250 Celsius degrade; 23,15 K). Finally we use AFT data to document that the foot wall shortcuts originated during the Late Miocene and later as shallowly dipping faults generating low elevation hanging wall areas. All the described features are present in the Ariari-Guatiquia region. However, northwards and along strike in the Eastern foothills there is a lot of partially analogue scenarios with respect to those described in the

Paleoclimatic implications of the hydrogen isotopic composition of terrigenous n-alkanes from Lake Yamzho, southern Tibetan Plateau

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Zhonghuan; Xu Baiqing; Wu Guangjian; Zhu Liping; Muegler Ines; Gleixner, Gerd; Sachse, Dirk

2009-01-01

The hydrogen isotopic composition (δD) of leaf water used for biosynthesis of n-alkanes can be modified by climate. Therefore, the δD can be considered as potential paleolimatic proxy to explore. We compared measured δD values of alkanes (n-C 25 to n-C 31 ) extracted from a short sediment profile spanning the past 50 years with a 7-year resolution from Lake Yamzho, southern Tibetan Plateau. Climatic control was reconstructed using meteorological records of the nearby Langkazi and Lhasa weather stations. We found that the δD values of the n-alkanes correlated with the mean annular air temperature and significantly correlated with the mean growing season air temperature. On the other hand, the δD values show poor correlations with both rainfall amount and relative humidity. These results indicate that stable isotope composition of n-alkanes could be an excellent proxy for paleotemperature reconstruction. (author)

Potential analysis reveals changing number of climate states during the last 60 kyr

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. N. Livina

2010-02-01

Full Text Available We develop and apply a new statistical method of potential analysis for detecting the number of states of a geophysical system, from its recorded time series. Estimation of the degree of a polynomial potential allows us to derive the number of potential wells in a system. The method correctly detects changes in the number of wells in artificial data. In ice-core proxy records of Greenland paleotemperature, a reduction in the number of climate states from two to one is detected sometime prior to the last glacial maximum (LGM, 23–19 kyr BP. This result is also found in analysis of Greenland Ca data. The bifurcation can be interpreted as loss of stability of the warm interstadial state of the Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO events. The proposed method can be applied to a wide range of geophysical time series exhibiting bifurcations.

The state of the Greenland Ice Sheet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Sebastian Bjerregaard

Firn is defined as snow that has survived a melt season and provides the link between the high-frequency variability of the atmosphere to the ”slower” reacting ice sheet.In this thesis, firn is described by a theoretical and statistical approach to accommodate the variability in observed firn...... compaction on ice sheet scales. The modeling objectives are multiple and aim at estimating the contribution from the firn to the observed volume change of the GrIS and to the diffusion of stable water isotopes. The firn modeling then provides crucial information on total mass balance of the Gr......IS and the paleo-temperature reconstructions retrieved from ice cores.The dynamical firn model developed in this thesis explains13 % of the observed volume change of the GrIS from 2003-2008, without contributing to the global sea-level rise. This emphasizes the need for well constraint firn-compaction models. Here...

Thermal modeling and geomorphology of the south border of the Sao Francisco Craton: thermochronology by fission tracks in apatites;Modelagem termica e geomorfologia da borda sul do Craton do Sao Francisco: termocronologia por tracos de fissao em apatita

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hackspacher, Peter Christian [UNESP, Rio Claro, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias e Ciencias Exatas; Godoy, Daniel Francoso de; Franco, Ana Olivia Barufi [UNESP, Rio Claro, SP (Brazil). Pos-Graduacao em Geologia Regional; Ribeiro, Luiz Felipe Brandini [NUCLEARGEO, Rio Claro, SP (Brazil); Hadler Neto, Julio Cesar [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (IFGW/UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica Gleb Wataghin

2007-12-15

Recent developments in Fission Track thermochronology associated to mesozoic-cenozoic erosion and tectonic presented trough thematic maps (isotemperature), permit to model the landscape evolution in the southern border of the Sao Francisco craton, southeastern Brazil. Paleotemperature, obtained by fission track analysis in apatite, is closely related to geomorphologic interpretations. The area suffered a complex imprint of endogenous and exogenous processes resulting diversified and differentiated relieves. The landscape is strongly controlled by exhumation between Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous, uplift with tectonic denudation related to crustal heating at the Upper Cretaceous and reactivation of faults until the Miocene. This scenario is a result of reactivations of different brittle structures that accommodate the deformation in the southern border of the Sao Francisco craton. The landscape reflects denudations of up to 3 km with preserved remains of erosive surfaces in the topographical tops and chronocorrelates deposits in the basins of the region. (author)

Discussion on the Regional Paleotemperature Evolution since the Late Pleistocene in the Loess Plateau with GDGT as an Index

Science.gov (United States)

Yingchun, S.

2017-12-01

It is an effective way to understand the modern climate and predict the future climate trend by using the geological substitute indicators to reconstruct the past climate. In recent years, scientists have begun to apply Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) to reconstruct paleoclimate and many proxies about ancient air temperature based on GDGTs have been proposed, even the empirical formulas used for China have also been established. In this paper, five loess-paleosol sequences spanning the Late Pleistocene from the Loess Plateau have been used to examine the effectiveness of the formulas as well as to discuss the regional evolution of the ancient temperature of the plateau. The results are as follows: (1) The relative content of iGDGT is higher than that of bGDGT in all Loess sections, and that of each compound follows relatively fixed regularity. Seen from the geographical distribution, the relative content of GDGT in southernmost sections is the highest, which in the northernmost is the smallest. (2) In the last interglacial period, from the northern part to the southern part of the Loess Plateau, the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) of northern Jingbian was 14°, central Luochuan was up to 15°, and southern Weinan was nearly 18°. And at the end of the last glacial period the temperature, where LC and WN located, dropped to 13.5°. Along the east-west direction of the Plateau, in the last interglacial period, the MAAT of western Qin'an secion was 13°, and that of central Baoji and eastern Weinan was about 18°. To the end of the last glacial period, the MAAT decreased to the lowest, Weinan 13.5°, Baoji 14.5°, while Qin'an 10.8°. (3)In contrast to the magnetic susceptibility index, the curves of GDGT MAAT have great similarity with the magnetic susceptibility curve, but it is obvious that there are phase differences between them. That may be indicating that the temperature rise was before the onset of the East-Asian summer monsoon in the Plateau. Although the formula has been adjusted for China, the temperatures from GDGTs are relatively higher, which is consistent with the views of some researchers. Therefore, some researchers assumed that the GDGTs temperature should represent the average summer temperature. Hence, the interpretation still requires more research sections and scientific indicators for verification.

Middle Miocene paleotemperature anomalies within the Franciscan Complex of northern California: Thermo-tectonic responses near the Mendocino triple junction

Science.gov (United States)

Underwood, M.B.; Shelton, K.L.; McLaughlin, R.J.; Laughland, M.M.; Solomon, R.M.

1999-01-01

This study documents three localities in the Franciscan accretionary complex of northern California, now adjacent to the San Andreas fault, that were overprinted thermally between 13.9 and 12.2 Ma: Point Delgada-Shelter Cove (King Range terrane); Bolinas Ridge (San Bruno Mountain terrane); and Mount San Bruno (San Bruno Mountain terrane). Vein assemblages of quartz, carbonate, sulfide minerals, and adularia were precipitated locally in highly fractured wall rock. Vitrinite reflectance (Rm) values and illite crystallinity decrease away from the zones of metalliferous veins, where peak wall-rock temperatures, as determined from Rm, were as high as 315??C. The ??18O values of quartz and calcite indicate that two separate types of fluid contributed to vein precipitation. Higher ??18O fluids produced widespread quartz and calcite veins that are typical of the regional paleothermal regime. The widespread veins are by-products of heat conduction and diffuse fluid flow during zeolite and prehnite-pumpellyite-grade metamorphism, and we interpret their paleofluids to have evolved through dehydration reactions and/or extensive isotopic exchange with accreted Franciscan rocks. Lower ??18O fluids, in contrast, evolved from relatively high temperature exchange between seawater (or meteoric water) and basaltic and/or sedimentary host rocks; focused flow of those fluids resulted in local deposition of the metalliferous veins. Heat sources for the three paleothermal anomalies remain uncertain and may have been unrelated to one another. Higher temperature metalliferous fluids in the King Range terrane could have advected either from a site of ridge-trench interaction north of the Mendocino fracture zone or from a "slabless window" in the wake of the northward migrating Mendocino triple junction. A separate paradox involves the amount of Quaternary offset of Franciscan basement rocks near Shelter Cove by on-land faults that some regard as the main active trace of the San Andreas plate boundary. Contouring of vitrinite reflectance values to the north of an area affected by A.D. 1906 surface rupture indicates that the maximum dextral offset within the interior of the King Range terrane is only 2.5 km. If this fault extends inland, and if it has been accommodating most of the strike-slip component of San Andreas offset at a rate of 3-4 cm/yr, then its activity began only 83-62 ka. This interpretation would also mean that a longer term trace of the San Andreas fault must be nearby, either offshore or along the northeast boundary of the King Range terrane. An offshore fault trace would be consistent with peak heating of King Range strata north of the Mendocino triple junction. Conversely, shifting the fault to the east would be compatible with a slabless window heat source and long-distance northward translation of the King Range terrane after peak heating.

Can we screen phosphorus movement in the landscape through the analysis of δ"1"8O isotopic abundance in phosphate?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heiling, M.; Aigner, M.; Slaets, J.; Dercon, G.

2016-01-01

The SWMCNL explored the possibility of using δ18O isotopic signature in phosphate for screening phosphorus (P) movement in the landscape. Phosphorus is essential for crop production, but extensive use of P fertilizer and animal manure can lead to eutrophication of rivers and lakes. To study these effects, numerous studies on P movement in the soil plant system and P transformation processes have been performed in the past decades. Assessing losses of P through erosion processes, however, is challenging – particularly at the landscape level and on a longer timescale. Using the isotopic signature of stable oxygen isotope ("1"8O) in the phosphate ion as a tracer could be a cost-effective way to study P movements. This approach is already applied as a paleotemperature proxy (the fractionation between phosphate and water is temperature dependent) and can be used for quantifying P losses through leaching into surface and groundwater, as oxygen exchange between phosphate and water is slow in the absence of biological activity.

Denudation and uplift of the Mawson Escarpment (eastern Lambert Graben, Antarctica) as indicated by apatite fission track data and geomorphological observation

Science.gov (United States)

Lisker, F.; Gibson, H.; Wilson, C.J.; Läufer, A.

2007-01-01

Analysis of three vertical profiles from the southern Mawson Escarpment (Lambert Graben) reveals apatite fission track (AFT) ages ranging from 102±20 to 287±23 Ma and mean lengths of 12.2 to 13.0 μm. Quantitative thermal histories derived from these data consistently indicate onset of slow cooling below 110°C began sometime prior to 300 Ma, and a second stage of rapid cooling from paleotemperatures up to ≤100°C to surface temperatures occurred in the Late Cretaceous – Paleocene. The first cooling phase refers to Carboniferous – Jurassic basement denudation up to 5 km associated with the initial rifting of the Lambert Graben. The presence of the ancient East Antarctic Erosion Surface and rapid Late Cretaceous – Paleocene cooling indicate a second denudational episode during which up to 4.5 km of sedimentary cover rocks were removed, and that is likely linked to the Cretaceous Gondwana breakup between Antarctica and India and subsequent passive continental margin formation.

Strontium isotope stratigraphy of the Pelotas Basin

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Zerfass, Geise de Santana dos Anjos, E-mail: geise.zerfass@petrobras.com.br [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS/CENPES/PDGEO/BPA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento Leopoldo Americo Miguez de Mello; Chemale Junior, Farid, E-mail: fchemale@unb.br [Universidade de Brasilia (UnB), DF (Brazil). Instituto de Geociencias; Moura, Candido Augusto Veloso, E-mail: candido@ufpa.br [Universidade Federal do Para (UFPA), Belem, PA (Brazil). Centro de Geociencias. Dept. de Geoquimica e Petrologia; Costa, Karen Badaraco, E-mail: karen.costa@usp.br [Instituto Oceanografico, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Kawashita, Koji, E-mail: koji@usp.br [Unversidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas Geocronologicas

2014-07-01

Strontium isotope data were obtained from foraminifera shells of the Pelotas Basin Tertiary deposits to facilitate the refinement of the chronostratigraphic framework of this section. This represents the first approach to the acquisition of numerical ages for these strata. Strontium isotope stratigraphy allowed the identification of eight depositional hiatuses in the Eocene-Pliocene section, here classified as disconformities and a condensed section. The reconnaissance of depositional gaps based on confident age assignments represents an important advance considering the remarkably low chronostratigraphic resolution in the Cenozoic section of the Pelotas Basin. The recognition of hiatuses that match hiatuses is based on biostratigraphic data, as well as on global events. Furthermore, a substantial increase in the sedimentation rate of the upper Miocene section was identified. Paleotemperature and productivity trends were identified based on oxygen and carbon isotope data from the Oligocene-Miocene section, which are coherent with worldwide events, indicating the environmental conditions during sedimentation. (author)

ePRISM: A case study in multiple proxy and mixed temporal resolution integration

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Robinson, Marci M.; Dowsett, Harry J.

2010-01-01

As part of the Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) Project, we present the ePRISM experiment designed I) to provide climate modelers with a reconstruction of an early Pliocene warm period that was warmer than the PRISM interval (similar to 3.3 to 3.0 Ma), yet still similar in many ways to modern conditions and 2) to provide an example of how best to integrate multiple-proxy sea surface temperature (SST) data from time series with varying degrees of temporal resolution and age control as we begin to build the next generation of PRISM, the PRISM4 reconstruction, spanning a constricted time interval. While it is possible to tie individual SST estimates to a single light (warm) oxygen isotope event, we find that the warm peak average of SST estimates over a narrowed time interval is preferential for paleoclimate reconstruction as it allows for the inclusion of more records of multiple paleotemperature proxies.

Restrictions in Mg/Ca-Paleotemperature Estimations in High-Latitude Bottom Waters: Evidence from the Fram Strait and the Nordic Seas

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Werner, K.; Marchitto, T. M., Jr.; Not, C.; Spielhagen, R. F.; Husum, K.

2014-12-01

Mg to Ca ratios of the benthic foraminifer species Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi provide a great potential for reconstructing bottom water temperatures, especially from the lower end of the temperature range between 0 and 6°C (Tisserand et al., 2013). A set of core top samples from the Fram Strait and the Norwegian margin have been studied for Mg/Ca ratios in C. wuellerstorfi in order to establish a calibration relationship to the environmental conditions. In this part of the northern North Atlantic the bottom water temperature range between -0.5 and -1°C. For the calibration to modern water mass conditions, modern oceanographic data from both existing conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) casts and the World Ocean Data Base 2013 (Boyer et al., 2013) have been used. Benthic Mg/Ca ratios are relatively high suggesting a preference of C. wuellerstorfi to incorporate Mg below 0°C. Although no correlation has been found to existing temperature calibrations, the data are in line with earlier Mg/Ca data from C. wuellerstorfi in the area (Martin et al., 2002; Elderfield et al., 2006). The carbonate ion effect is most likely a main cause for the relatively high Mg/Ca ratios found in core top samples from the Fram Strait and the Nordic Seas, however, other factors may influence the values as well. Holocene records of benthic trace metal/Ca ratios from the eastern Fram Strait display trends similar to those found in other proxy indicators, despite the difficulties to constrain a temperature calibration for this low temperature range. In particular, the benthic B/Ca and Li/Ca records resemble trends in Holocene planktic foraminifer assemblages, suggesting to be influenced by environmental factors such as the carbonate ion effect consistent for the entire water column.

Age and paleoenvironment of the imperial formation near San Gorgonio Pass, Southern California

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McDougall, K.; Poore, R.Z.; Matti, J.

1999-01-01

Microfossiliferous marine sediments of the Imperial Formation exposed in the Whitewater and Cabazon areas, near San Gorgonio Pass, southern California, are late Miocene in age and were deposited at intertidal to outer neritic depths, and possibly upper bathyal depths. A late Miocene age of 7.4 to >6.04 Ma is based on the ranges of age-diagnostic benthic foraminifers (Cassidulina delicata and Uvigerina peregrina), planktic foraminifers (Globigerinoides obliquus, G. extremus, and Globigerina nepenthes; zones N17-N19), and calcareous nannoplankton (Discoaster brouweri, D. aff. D. surculus, Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicata, Sphenolithus abies, and S. neoabies; zones CN9a-CN11) coupled with published K/Ar dates from the underlying Coachella Formation (10.1 ?? 1.2 Ma; Peterson, 1975) and overlying Painted Hill Formation (6.04 ?? 0.18 and 5.94 ?? 0.18 Ma; J. L. Morton in Matti and others, 1985 and Matti and Morton, 1993). Paleoecologic considerations (sea-level fluctuations and paleotemperature) restrict the age of the Imperial Formation to 6.5 through 6.3 Ma. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages indicate that the Imperial Formation in the Whitewater and Cabazon sections accumulated at inner neritic to outer neritic (0-152 m) and possibly upper bathyal (152-244 m) depths. Shallowing to inner neritic depths occurred as the upper part of the section was deposited. This sea-level fluctuation corresponds to a global highstand at 6.3 Ma (Haq and others, 1987). Planktic foraminifers suggest an increase in surface-water temperatures upsection. A similar increase in paleotemperatures is interpreted for the North Pacific from 6.5 to 6.3 Ma (warm interval W10 of Barron and Keller, 1983). Environmental contrasts between the Whitewater and Cabazon sections of the Imperial Formation provide evidence for right-lateral displacements on the Banning fault, a late Miocene strand of the San Andreas fault system. The Cabazon section lies south of the Banning fault, and has been displaced west

Oxygen and carbon isotopes of Recent calcareous nannofossils as paleoceanographic indicators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodney, D.E.; Margolis, S.V.; Dudley, W.C.; Kroopnick, P.; Williams, D.F.

1980-01-01

Delta 18 O and delta 13 C values for several species of planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils from Recent deep-sea sediments have been studied in order to evaluate their paleoceanographic and paleotemperature potential. Nannofossils from Indian Ocean core-tops reflect isotopic temperatures as warm as, or warmer than, the temperatures reported for shallow-dwelling planktonic forminifera from the same samples. In general, deep-sea sediment samples from the world's major oceans indicate that nannofossil delta 18 O values are from 0.5 to 1 per thousand heavier than shallow-dwelling planktonic foraminifera. Although nannofossil delta 18 O values depart from thermodynamic equilibrium with oceanic surface water temperatures, the delta 18 O temperature trend parallels that of surface-dwelling planktonic foraminifera. Nannofossil delta 13 C values also depart equilibrium with surface water delta 13 C-ΣCO 2 values. A comparison of nannofossil delta 13 C data with that from planktonic foraminifera suggests that the rate of primary productivity in different water masses may be influencing the delta 13 C carbonate-secreting phytoplankton and zooplankton. (Auth.)

Multiple cooling episodes in the Central Tarim (Northwest China) revealed by apatite fission track analysis and vitrinite reflectance data

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Chang, Jian; Qiu, Nansheng; Song, Xinying; Li, Huili

2016-06-01

Apatite fission track and vitrinite reflectance are integrated for the first time to study the cooling history in the Central Tarim, northwest China. The paleo-temperature profiles from vitrinite reflectance data of the Z1 and Z11 wells showed a linear relationship with depth, suggesting an approximately 24.8 °C/km paleo-geothermal gradient and 2700-3900 m of erosion during the Early Mesozoic. The measured apatite fission track ages from well Z2 in the Central Tarim range from 39 to 159 Ma and effectively record the Meso-Cenozoic cooling events that occurred in Central Tarim. Moreover, two cooling events at 190-140 Ma in the Early Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and 80-45 Ma in the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene revealed by measured AFT data and thermal modeling results are related to the collisions of the Qiangtang-Lhasa terranes and the Greater India Plate with the southern margin of the Eurasian Plate, respectively. This study provides new insights into the tectonic evolution of the Tarim Basin (and more broadly Central Asia) and for hydrocarbon generation and exploration in the Central Tarim.

20 years of speleothem paleoluminescence records of environmental changes: an overview

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Shopov Yavor Y.

2004-12-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses advance of the research on Speleothem paleoluminescence Records of Environmental Changes after it have been first introduced by the author 20 years ago.It is demonstrated that most of the progress in this field was made in result of the operation of the International Program “Luminescence of Cave Minerals” of the commission on Physical Chemistry and Hydrogeology of Karst of UIS of UNESCO.Potential, resolution and limitations of high resolution luminescence speleothem proxy records of Paleotemperature, Solar Insolation, Solar Luminosity, Glaciations, Sea Level advances, Past Precipitation, Plants Populations, Paleosoils, Past Karst Denudation, Chemical Pollution, Geomagnetic field and Cosmic Rays Flux variations, Cosmogenic Isotopes production and Supernova Eruptions in the Past, Advances of Hydrothermal Waters, and Tectonic Uplift are discussed.It is demonstrated that speleothems allow extremely high resolution (higher than in any other paleoclimatic terrestrial archives and long duration of records. Some speleothems can be used as natural climatic stations for obtaining of quantitative proxy records of Quaternary climates with annual resolution.

PEDOGENIC CARBONATE δ13C AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRECIPITATION CONDITIONS

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Marcella Catoni

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Carbon isotopic analysis is a useful tool for investigating paleoenvironments, as the pedogenic carbonate δ13C is related to δ13CSOM and to the proportions of C3/C4 plants. In this work we interpreted the paleoenvironmental conditions at the time of carbonate precipitation in soils formed under different climates and during different geological ages. Samples were taken from a Bk (PR1, Holocene and from two Bkm horizons (PR2 and PR3, Pleistocene. When the mean δ13C plant values and the most plausible paleotemperatures were used in the evaluation, PR1 showed a lower percentage of C4 plants (48% than Pleistocene soils (~53%, in agreement with paleoclimate changes. When instead the δ13C values of current plants were used for PR1, C4 plants ranged from 59 (12°C to 66% (18°C, suggesting two possible interpretations: either plant species changed during the Holocene, or the plant mean values normally used in the literature are not suitable for Pleistocene reconstructions

Interspecific Hybridization in Pilot Whales and Asymmetric Genetic Introgression in Northern Globicephala melas under the Scenario of Global Warming.

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Miralles, Laura; Oremus, Marc; Silva, Mónica A; Planes, Serge; Garcia-Vazquez, Eva

2016-01-01

Pilot whales are two cetacean species (Globicephala melas and G. macrorhynchus) whose distributions are correlated with water temperature and partially overlap in some areas like the North Atlantic Ocean. In the context of global warming, distribution range shifts are expected to occur in species affected by temperature. Consequently, a northward displacement of the tropical pilot whale G. macrorynchus is expected, eventually leading to increased secondary contact areas and opportunities for interspecific hybridization. Here, we describe genetic evidences of recurrent hybridization between pilot whales in northeast Atlantic Ocean. Based on mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellite loci, asymmetric introgression of G. macrorhynchus genes into G. melas was observed. For the latter species, a significant correlation was found between historical population growth rate estimates and paleotemperature oscillations. Introgressive hybridization, current temperature increases and lower genetic variation in G. melas suggest that this species could be at risk in its northern range. Under increasing environmental and human-mediated stressors in the North Atlantic Ocean, it seems recommendable to develop a conservation program for G. melas.

Isotopes of water. A biblography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Summers, W.K.; Sittler, C.J.

1976-01-01

This bibliography contains at least 2300 references to currently available literature on the isotopes of water-viz., hydrogen, deuterium, tritium, and 16 O and 18 O forms. The bulk of the references appeared before 1975. The references are presented in two parts. Part I contains those references relating to tritium. The references in this part are included under the following categories: bibliography; symposia, conferences and collections; methods for measurement; decay rate; tritium production; meteorites and moon rocks; history and state of the art; processing and handling; proposals for using; methods in hydrologic studies; hydrologic cycle; biology and ecology; nuclear facilities; and supportive techniques. References to deuterium and oxygen are included in Part II. These references are organized under the following headings: bibliography; symposia, conferences and collections; history and state of the art; proposals for using; methods for measurement; physics, chemistry and thermodynamics; water, water vapor and ice; carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide-water; biology and ecology; extraterrestrial studies; concentrations in rocks and minerals; hydrologic cycle; hydrocarbons; paleotemperatures and paleoclimatology

Glendonites as a paleoenvironmental tool: Implications for early Cretaceous high latitudinal climates in Australia

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De Lurio, Jennifer L.; Frakes, L. A.

1999-04-01

Glendonites, calcite pseudomorphs after the metastable mineral ikaite (CaCO 3 · 6H 2O), occur in the Late Aptian interval of the Bulldog Shale in the Eromanga Basin, Australia and in other Early Cretaceous basins at high paleolatitudes. Ikaite precipitation in the marine environment requires near-freezing temperatures (not higher than 4°C), high alkalinity, increased levels of orthophosphate, and high P CO2. The rapid and complete transformation of ikaite to calcite at temperatures between 5 and 8°C provides an upper limit on the oxygen isotopic composition of the pore waters: -2.6 ikaite precipitation. Data previously reported as 11 to 16°C (assuming δ w = 0.0‰SMOW) yield paleotemperatures ranging from -1 to 5°C, squarely in the range of ikaite stability. The low δ w indicates hyposaline conditions, most likely caused by mixing high latitude meteoric waters with seawater. The 18O depleted, low temperature waters suggest that the region was at least seasonally colder than previously accepted.

Proxy comparisons for Paleogene sea water temperature reconstructions

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de Bar, Marijke; de Nooijer, Lennart; Schouten, Stefan; Ziegler, Martin; Sluijs, Appy; Reichart, Gert-Jan

2017-04-01

Several studies have reconstructed Paleogene seawater temperatures, using single- or multi-proxy approaches (e.g. Hollis et al., 2012 and references therein), particularly comparing TEX86 with foraminiferal δ18O and Mg/Ca. Whereas trends often agree relatively well, absolute temperatures can differ significantly between proxies, possibly because they are often applied to (extreme) climate events/transitions (e.g. Sluijs et al., 2011), where certain assumptions underlying the temperature proxies may not hold true. A more general long-term multi-proxy temperature reconstruction, is therefore necessary to validate the different proxies and underlying presumed boundary conditions. Here we apply a multi-proxy approach using foraminiferal calcite and organic proxies to generate a low-resolution, long term (80 Myr) paleotemperature record for the Bass River core (New Jersey, North Atlantic). Oxygen (δ18O), clumped isotopes (Δ47) and Mg/Ca of benthic foraminifera, as well as the organic proxies MBT'-CBT, TEX86H, U37K' index and the LDI were determined on the same sediments. The youngest samples of Miocene age are characterized by a high BIT index (>0.8) and fractional abundance of the C32 1,15-diol (>0.6; de Bar et al., 2016) and the absence of foraminifera, all suggesting high continental input and shallow depths. The older sediment layers (˜30 to 90 Ma) display BIT values and C32 1,15-diol fractional abundances 28 ˚ C. In contrast, LDI temperatures were considerably lower and varied only between 21 and 19 ˚ C. MBT'-CBT derived mean annual temperatures for the ages of 9 and 20 Ma align well with the TEX86H SSTs. Overall, the agreement of the paleotemperature proxies in terms of main tendencies, and the covariation with the global benthic oxygen isotope compilation suggests that temperatures in this region varied in concert with global climate variability. The fact that offsets between the different proxies used here remain fairly constant down to 90 Ma ago

Paleoclimate determines diversification patterns in the fossorial snake family Uropeltidae Cuvier, 1829.

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Cyriac, Vivek Philip; Kodandaramaiah, Ullasa

2017-11-01

Understanding how and why diversification rates vary across evolutionary time is central to understanding how biodiversity is generated and maintained. Recent mathematical models that allow estimation of diversification rates across time from reconstructed phylogenies have enabled us to make inferences on how biodiversity copes with environmental change. Here, we explore patterns of temporal diversification in Uropeltidae, a diverse fossorial snake family. We generate a time-calibrated phylogenetic hypothesis for Uropeltidae and show a significant correlation between diversification rate and paleotemperature during the Cenozoic. We show that the temporal diversification pattern of this group is punctuated by one rate shift event with a decrease in diversification and turnover rate between ca. 11Ma to present, but there is no strong support for mass extinction events. The analysis indicates higher turnover during periods of drastic climatic fluctuations and reduced diversification rates associated with contraction and fragmentation of forest habitats during the late Miocene. Our study highlights the influence of environmental fluctuations on diversification rates in fossorial taxa such as uropeltids, and raises conservation concerns related to present rate of climate change. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimation of lake water - groundwater interactions in meromictic mining lakes by modelling isotope signatures of lake water.

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Seebach, Anne; Dietz, Severine; Lessmann, Dieter; Knoeller, Kay

2008-03-01

A method is presented to assess lake water-groundwater interactions by modelling isotope signatures of lake water using meteorological parameters and field data. The modelling of delta(18)O and deltaD variations offers information about the groundwater influx into a meromictic Lusatian mining lake. Therefore, a water balance model is combined with an isotope water balance model to estimate analogies between simulated and measured isotope signatures within the lake water body. The model is operated with different evaporation rates to predict delta(18)O and deltaD values in a lake that is only controlled by weather conditions with neither groundwater inflow nor outflow. Comparisons between modelled and measured isotope values show whether the lake is fed by the groundwater or not. Furthermore, our investigations show that an adaptation of the Craig and Gordon model [H. Craig, L.I. Gordon. Deuterium and oxygen-18 variations in the ocean and the marine atmosphere. In Stable Isotopes in Oceanographic Studies and Paleotemperature, Spoleto, E. Tongiorgi (Ed.), pp. 9-130, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Laboratorio di Geologia Nucleare, Pisa (1965).] to specific conditions in temperate regions seems necessary.

Verification of the causes of glaciations and sea level changes using the records of calcite speleothems.

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Shopov Yavor Y.

2000-01-01

Full Text Available The luminescence of calcite speleothems displays an exponential dependence on soil temperature unless there is a dense cover of forest over the cave to dampen it. This relationship is determined primarily by the strength of solar visible and infrared radiation. It is suggested that, as a consequence, the microzonal variations of luminescence often found in speleothems can be used as a proxy index of Solar Insolation. The luminescence solar insolation proxy record of a speleothem from Jewel Cave, South Dakota, USA, was found to display millenial and centennial cycles in the record. It exhibits a rapid increase in solar insolation at 139 ± 5.5 kyrs. This increase precedes that suggested by the Orbital theory by about 10,000 years and is due to superimposition of the most powerful cycle in solar luminosity of 11.5 kyrs, upon the curve of orbital variations. The record from a speleothem in Duhlata Cave, Bulgaria matches that of South Dakota within the limits of dating error, indicating that both of these records (which are 10,000 km apart measure global solar insolation controls rather than local paleotemperature variations.

NENIMF: Northeast National Ion Microprobe Facility - A Multi-User Facility for SIMS Microanalysis

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Layne, G. D.; Shimizu, N.

2002-12-01

have included development of high precision 232Th/230Th for U-series disequilibrium studies of young volcanic rocks, and the implementation and refinement of U-Th-Pb dating of individual monazite crystals. The facility is also developing an expanding number of applications in the general field of biogeochemistry. Examples include; δ18O in biogenic carbonates for climate and paleotemperature studies, determination of δ13C in graphite microfossils for early life studies, and determination of δ13C and trace metal concentrations in bacterial cultures in support of studies of natural microbial ecosystems. The IMS 3f instrument - now in its 25th year of operation - continues to be a productive resource for trace element and rare earth element determinations in natural and experimental materials. It has also become an important component of ongoing research in the derivation of paleotemperatures from marine biomineralization using trace element ratios of biogenic aragonite.

Variations in Atlantic surface ocean paleoceanography, 50°-80° N: A time-slice record of the last 30,000 years

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Sarnthein, Michael; Jansen, Eystein; Weinelt, Mara; Arnold, Maurice; Duplessy, Jean Claude; Erlenkeuser, Helmut; FlatøY, Astrid; Johannessen, Gro; Johannessen, Truls; Jung, Simon; Koc, Nalan; Labeyrie, Laurent; Maslin, Mark; Pflaumann, Uwe; Schulz, Hartmut

1995-12-01

Eight time slices of surface-water paleoceanography were reconstructed from stable isotope and paleotemperature data to evaluate late Quaternary changes in density, current directions, and sea-ice cover in the Nordic Seas and NE Atlantic. We used isotopic records from 110 deep-sea cores, 20 of which are accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)-14C dated and 30 of which have high (>8 cm /kyr) sedimentation rates, enabling a resolution of about 120 years. Paleotemperature estimates are based on species counts of planktonic foraminifera in 18 cores. The δ18O and δ13C distributions depict three main modes of surface circulation: (1) The Holocene-style interglacial mode which largely persisted over the last 12.8 14C ka, and probably during large parts of stage 3. (2) The peak glacial mode showing a cyclonic gyre in the, at least, seasonally ice-free Nordic Seas and a meltwater lens west of Ireland. Based on geostrophic forcing, it possibly turned clockwise, blocked the S-N flow across the eastern Iceland-Shetland ridge, and enhanced the Irminger current around west Iceland. It remains unclear whether surface-water density was sufficient for deepwater formation west of Norway. (3) A meltwater regime culminating during early glacial Termination I, when a great meltwater lens off northern Norway probably induced a clockwise circulation reaching south up to Faeroe, the northward inflow of Irminger Current water dominated the Icelandic Sea, and deepwater convection was stopped. In contrast to circulation modes two and three, the Holocene-style circulation mode appears most stable, even unaffected by major meltwater pools originating from the Scandinavian ice sheet, such as during δ18O event 3.1 and the Bölling. Meltwater phases markedly influenced the European continental climate by suppressing the "heat pump" of the Atlantic salinity conveyor belt. During the peak glacial, melting icebergs blocked the eastward advection of warm surface water toward Great Britain, thus

Chrono-thermométrie par traces de fission : une perspective nouvelle pour la prospection pétrolière Chronothermometry by Fission-Track Dating: New Means for Petroleum Prospection

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Storzer D.

2006-11-01

Full Text Available La propriété caractéristique des traces de fission d'enregistrer les paléotempératures offre la possibilité unique de caler des événements thermiques dans leur contexte géologique et donc de modéliser quantitativement les histoires thermiques des roches. Le thermomètre traces de fission-apatite enregistre les paléo-températures dans un intervalle compris entre 30 et 170°C, domaine qui inclut les températures généralement retenues pour la genèse optimale des hydrocarbures liquides. La formation, la maturation et la destruction des hydrocarbures, de la même façon que la guérison des traces latentes, sont fonction des deux paramètres temps et températures; en conséquence, l'étude détaillée de l'effacement progressif des traces latentes fossiles dans les apatites en fonction de leur profondeur dans un puits, conduit à des indications précises sur les variations de la température en fonction du temps à l'intérieur de la fenêtre à huile. Ces deux informations sont obtenues en combinant la datation traces de fission-isochrone et les analyses de longueurs des traces de fission. Le potentiel de la méthode des traces de fission dans son application à la reconstitution de l'histoire thermique des bassins sédimentaires est illustré à partir de l'analyse d'apatites détritiques provenant des bassins intérieur et côtier du Gabon d'une part et du bassin d'Otway en Australie du Sud d'autre part. The characteristic property of fission tracks to record paleotemperatures provides a unique possibility of setting thermal events in their geological context and hence of quantitatively modeling the thermal histories of rocks. The fission track apatite-thermometer records paleotemperatures in the interval between 30 and 170°C, a range that includes the temperatures generally considered to be required for the optimum formation of liquid hydrocarbons. The formation, maturation and destruction of hydrocarbons, as well as the

On the lag time between internal strain and basement involved thrust induced exhumation: The case of the Colombian Eastern Cordillera

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Mora, Andrès; Blanco, Vladimir; Naranjo, Julian; Sanchez, Nelson; Ketcham, Richard A.; Rubiano, Jorge; Stockli, Daniel F.; Quintero, Isaid; Nemčok, Michal; Horton, Brian K.; Davila, Hamblet

2013-07-01

Thrust sheets accumulate internal strain before they start moving along discrete fault planes. However, there are no previous studies evaluating the time difference between initiation of strain and fault displacement. In this paper we use observations from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia to evaluate this interval. We utilize multiple thermochronometers and paleothermometers to refine the timing of deformation. Based on these new data we build time-temperature path estimates that together with geometric outcrop-based structural analysis and fluid inclusions allow us to assign relative timing to features associated with strain, such as cleavage, veins and certain types of fractures, and compare that with the timing of thrusting. We find that cleavage was only formed close to maximum paleotemperatures, almost coeval with the onset of thrust-induced denudation by the Late Oligocene. The corresponding structural level of fold-related veins suggest that they were formed later but still when the country rocks were at temperatures higher than 160 °C, mostly during the Early Miocene and still coexisted with the latest stages of cleavage formation. Our data show that the main period of strain hardening was short (probably a few million years) and occurred before first-order basement thrusting was dominant, but was associated with second-order folding.

Temperature measurements of Transdanubian Mesozoic rocks by the oxygen isotope method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornides, I.; Csaszar, G.; Haas, J.; Jochane Edelenyi, E.

1979-01-01

Subjected to paleotemperature measurements with the use of oxygen and carbon isotopes were Upper Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks and their fossils from the Transdanubian Central Mountains, the Mecsek and the Villany Mts. In determining formation temperature, an important parameter of the environment of formation, the authors relied on the fact that the oxygen isotope composition of calcium carbonate precipitating from its aqueous solution deviates, in dependence on the temperature of the solution concerned, from that of the water. Consequently, the temperature of the water of the one-time seas must have been recorded by the 18 O/ 16 O ratio in the calcite of fossils or sediments. The results reported indicate smaller changes in temperature as compared to international results. In the Jurassic the values of temperature remain consistently below those quoted for Swiss and French territories, being around the values reported from/sroe/thern Germany. These u curves have their maxima in the Toarcian, Aalenian, sediments for which unfortunately no Hungarian results are available. The few results of Cretaceous belemnites are values higher than their international counterparts. The high temperature value obtained for the Albian correlates very well with the formation of rocks known from this stratigraphic stage (red clays, bauxites). (A.L.)

Helium Isotopes and Noble Gas Abundances of Cave Dripping Water in Three Caves in East Asia

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Chen, A. T.; Shen, C. C.; Tan, M.; Li, T.; Uemura, R.; Asami, R.

2015-12-01

Paleo-temperature recorded in nature archives is a critical parameter to understand climate change in the past. With advantages of unique inert chemical characteristics and sensitive solubilities with temperature, dissolved noble gases in speleothem inclusion water were recently proposed to retrieve terrestrial temperature history. In order to accurately apply this newly-developed speleothem noble gas temperature (NGT) as a reliable proxy, a fundamental issue about behaviors of noble gases in the karst should be first clarified. In this study, we measured noble gas contents in air and dripping water to evaluate any ratio deviation between noble gases. Cave dripping water samples was collected from three selected caves, Shihua Cave in northern China, Furong Cave in southwestern, and Gyukusen Cave in an island located in the western Pacific. For these caves are characterized by a thorough mixing and long-term storage of waters in a karst aquifer by the absence of seasonal oxygen isotope shifts. Ratios of dripping water noble gases are statistically insignificant from air data. Helium isotopic ratios in the dripping water samples match air value. The results indicate that elemental and isotopic signatures of noble gases from air can be frankly preserved in the epikarst and support the fidelity of NGT techniques.

Revised paleoenvironmental analysis of the Holocene portion of the Barbados sea-level record: Cobbler's Reef revisited

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Toscano, Marguerite A.

2016-06-01

Sample elevations corrected for tectonic uplift and assessed relative to local modeled sea levels provide a new perspective on paleoenvironmental history at Cobbler's Reef, Barbados. Previously, 14C-dated surface samples of fragmented Acropora palmata plotted above paleo sea level based on their present (uplifted) elevations, suggesting supratidal rubble deposited during a period of extreme storms (4500-3000 cal BP), precipitating reef demise. At several sites, however, A. palmata persisted, existing until ~370 cal BP. Uplift-corrected A. palmata sample elevations lie below the western Atlantic sea-level curve, and ~2 m below ICE-6G-modeled paleo sea level, under slow rates of sea-level rise, negating the possibility that Cobbler's Reef is a supratidal storm ridge. Most sites show limited age ranges from corals likely damaged/killed on the reef crest, not the mixed ages of rubble ridges, strongly suggesting the reef framework died off in stages over 6500 yr. Reef crest death assemblages invoke multiple paleohistoric causes, from ubiquitous hurricanes to anthropogenic impacts. Comparison of death assemblage ages to dated regional paleotempestological sequences, proxy-based paleotemperatures, recorded hurricanes, tsunamis, European settlement, deforestation, and resulting turbidity, reveals many possible factors inimical to the survival of A. palmata along Cobbler's Reef.

Subsurface thermal regime to delineate the paleo-groundwater flow system in an arid area, Al Kufra, Libya

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Zenhom El-Said Salem

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to understand the groundwater flow system in Al Kufra basin, Libya, as a case study of arid areas using subsurface temperature. The temperature-depth profiles and water levels were measured in eight boreholes in the area. Well 6 is considered a recharge type profile with low geothermal gradient (0.0068 °C/m and an estimated paleo-temperature around 19.5 °C. The other profiles are of discharge type with higher geothermal gradient (0.0133 to 0.0166 °C/m. The constructed horizontal 2D distribution maps of the hydraulic heads and the subsurface temperature measurements reveal that the main recharge area is located to the south with low temperature while the main discharge area is located to the north with higher temperature. Vertical 2D distribution maps show that location of well 4 has low hydraulic heads and higher temperature indicating that the fault defined in the area may have affected the groundwater flow system. The estimated groundwater flux ranges from 0.001 to 0.1 mm/day for the recharge area and from −0.3 to −0.7 mm/day in average in the discharge area.

Long Island Sound Water Temperatures During the Last Two Thousand Years

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Warren, C. E.; Varekamp, J. C.; Thomas, E.

2010-12-01

The Long Island Sound (LIS), sometimes called the “urban sea”, is a large estuary in the heavily populated coastal zone between New York City and the Connecticut - Rhode Island border. LIS has seen dramatic environmental shifts since colonial times, including major changes in aquatic food extraction, land use, contaminant and nutrient inputs, and climate change. Annual seasonal hypoxic/anoxic events, especially common in westernmost LIS, have been identified as potentially severe stressors for LIS biota including valuable fisheries species such as lobsters and shellfish. These conditions develop when the Sound becomes stratified in midsummer and oxygen consumption from the oxidation of organic matter exceeds oxygen resupply from the atmosphere or photosynthesis. Severity, lateral extent and frequency of hypoxia/anoxia is influenced by the amount of organic matter available for oxidation, both marine organic matter (produced by algal blooms in response to influx of N-rich effluents from waste water treatment plants) and terrestrial organic matter. These events are also influenced by the severity of stratification, determined by differences in density from temperature and salinity gradients of surface and bottom waters. Studies of cores in western and central LIS, dated using Hg-pollution profiles, 210Pb - 137Cs, and 14C, indicate that eutrophication and hypoxia have occurred in LIS only over the last ~150 years, with the possible exception of the Narrows (closest to NY) where it may have occurred before colonial times. Salinity decreased as well over the last 150 years, possibly due to changes in land use or deflection of fresh water from the Hudson River. Temperature variability in LIS over the last few thousand years has not been clearly documented, as several paleotemperature proxies are difficult to use in estuarine settings. Oxygen isotope values of carbonate microfossils are influenced by salinity fluctuations, and Mg/Ca values in these shells may be

Neogene sharks and rays from the Brazilian 'Blue Amazon'.

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Orangel Aguilera

Full Text Available The lower Miocene Pirabas Formation in the North of Brazil was deposited under influence of the proto-Amazon River and is characterized by large changes in the ecological niches from the early Miocene onwards. To evaluate these ecological changes, the elasmobranch fauna of the fully marine, carbonate-rich beds was investigated. A diverse fauna with 24 taxa of sharks and rays was identified with the dominant groups being carcharhiniforms and myliobatiforms. This faunal composition is similar to other early Miocene assemblages from the proto-Carribbean bioprovince. However, the Pirabas Formation has unique features compared to the other localities; being the only Neogene fossil fish assemblage described from the Atlantic coast of Tropical Americas. Phosphate oxygen isotope composition of elasmobranch teeth served as proxies for paleotemperatures and paleoecology. The data are compatible with a predominantly tropical marine setting with recognized inshore and offshore habitats with some probable depth preferences (e.g., Aetomylaeus groups. Paleohabitat of taxa particularly found in the Neogene of the Americas (†Carcharhinus ackermannii, †Aetomylaeus cubensis are estimated to have been principally coastal and shallow waters. Larger variation among the few analyzed modern selachians reflects a larger range for the isotopic composition of recent seawater compared to the early Miocene. This probably links to an increased influence of the Amazon River in the coastal regions during the Holocene.

Carbon isotopes from fossil packrat pellets and elevational movements of Utah agave plants reveal the Younger Dryas cold period in Grand Canyon, Arizona

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Cole, K.L.; Arundel, S.T.

2005-01-01

Carbon isotopes in rodent fecal pellets were measured on packrat (Neotoma spp.) middens from the Grand Canyon, Arizona. The pellet samples reflect the abundance of cold-intolerant C4 and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant species relative to the predominant C3 vegetation in the packrat diet. The temporal sequence of isotopic results suggests a temperature decline followed by a sharp increase corresponding to the B??lling/Aller??d-Younger Dryas - early Holocene sequence. This pattern was then tested using the past distribution of Utah agave (Agave utahensis). Spatial analyses of the range of this temperature-sensitive CAM species demonstrate that its upper elevational limit is controlled by winter minimum temperature. Applying this paleotemperature proxy to the past elevational limits of Utah agave suggests that minimum winter temperatures were ???8??C below modern values during the Last Glacial Maximum, 4.5-6.5 ??C below modern during the B??lling/Aller??d, and 7.5-8.7 ??C below modern during the early Younger Dryas. As the Younger Dryas terminated, temperatures warmed ???4 ??C between ca. 11.8 ka and 11.5 ka. These extreme fluctuations in winter minimum temperature have not been generally accepted for terrestrial paleoecological records from the arid southwestern United States, likely because of large statistical uncertainties of older radiocarbon results and reliance on proxies for summer temperatures, which were less affected. ?? 2005 Geological Society of America.

Sensitivity of leaf size and shape to climate: Global patterns and paleoclimatic applications

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Peppe, D.J.; Royer, D.L.; Cariglino, B.; Oliver, S.Y.; Newman, S.; Leight, E.; Enikolopov, G.; Fernandez-Burgos, M.; Herrera, F.; Adams, J.M.; Correa, E.; Currano, E.D.; Erickson, J.M.; Hinojosa, L.F.; Hoganson, J.W.; Iglesias, A.; Jaramillo, C.A.; Johnson, K.R.; Jordan, G.J.; Kraft, N.J.B.; Lovelock, E.C.; Lusk, C.H.; Niinemets, U.; Penuelas, J.; Rapson, G.; Wing, S.L.; Wright, I.J.

2011-01-01

Paleobotanists have long used models based on leaf size and shape to reconstruct paleoclimate. However, most models incorporate a single variable or use traits that are not physiologically or functionally linked to climate, limiting their predictive power. Further, they often underestimate paleotemperature relative to other proxies. Here we quantify leaf-climate correlations from 92 globally distributed, climatically diverse sites, and explore potential confounding factors. Multiple linear regression models for mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) are developed and applied to nine well-studied fossil floras. We find that leaves in cold climates typically have larger, more numerous teeth, and are more highly dissected. Leaf habit (deciduous vs evergreen), local water availability, and phylogenetic history all affect these relationships. Leaves in wet climates are larger and have fewer, smaller teeth. Our multivariate MAT and MAP models offer moderate improvements in precision over univariate approaches (??4.0 vs 4.8??C for MAT) and strong improvements in accuracy. For example, our provisional MAT estimates for most North American fossil floras are considerably warmer and in better agreement with independent paleoclimate evidence. Our study demonstrates that the inclusion of additional leaf traits that are functionally linked to climate improves paleoclimate reconstructions. This work also illustrates the need for better understanding of the impact of phylogeny and leaf habit on leaf-climate relationships. ?? 2011 The Authors. New Phytologist ?? 2011 New Phytologist Trust.

The relationship between the ratio of strontium to calcium and sea-surface temperature in a modern Porites astreoides coral: Implications for using P. astreoides as a paleoclimate archive

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Tess E. Busch,; Flannery, Jennifer A.; Richey, Julie N.; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios

2015-11-13

An inverse relationship has been demonstrated between water temperature and the ratio of strontium to calcium (Sr/Ca) in coral aragonite for a number of Pacific species of the genus Porites. This empirically determined relationship has been used to reconstruct past sea-surface temperature (SST) from modern and Holocene age coral archives. A study was conducted to investigate this relationship for Porites astreoides to determine the potential for using these corals as a paleotemperature archive in the Caribbean and western tropical Atlantic Ocean. Skeletal aragonite from a P. astreoides colony growing offshore of the southeast coast of Florida was subsampled with a mean temporal resolution of 14 samples per year and analyzed for Sr/Ca. The resulting Sr/Ca time series yielded well-defined annual cycles that correspond to annual growth bands in the coral. Sr/Ca was regressed against a monthly SST record from C-MAN buoy station FWYF1 (located at Fowey Rocks, Florida), resulting in the following Sr/Ca-SST relationship: Sr/Ca = –0.040*SST + 10.128 (R = –0.77). A 10-year time series of Sr/Ca-derived SST yields annual cycles with a 10–12 degree Celsius seasonal amplitude, consistent with available local instrumental records. We conclude that Sr/Ca in Porites astreoides from the Caribbean/Atlantic region has high potential for developing subannually resolved modern and recent Holocene SST records.

14C dating of freshwater carbonate sediments with special reference to calcareous tufas and laminated lake sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pazdur, M.F.

1992-09-01

The sequence of laminated sediment of the lake Gosciaz, Poland, covers more than 13,000 years and is actually the longest sequence known so far. Besides of reconstructing past environmental changes, this sequence offers an excellent possibility for studying natural C-14 variations and calibrating the C-14 time scale in a range beyond 6,000 years B.P. The floating varve chronology based on previously taken sediment cores which cover a period of 9,682 years, has been improved by this study. Relative water level changes of the lake during the past 11,500 years have been reconstructed by means of C-14 and C-13 measurements carried out on carbonate fractions of the lake sediments. Periodical variations in the width of annual layers were found. The periods identified are 11 years and 22 years (solar cycle), 35 years (Bruckner cycle), and 200 years. The ratio of summer layer width and the total width of the annual layer shows secular changes which correlate with paleotemperature records. The duration of the Younger Dryas period was determined by combining the floating varve chronology with isotope and pollen analyses of the sediment material. A value of 1,500 years was found. The study also included radiocarbon dating of calcareous tufa taken from different study areas. 26 refs, 26 figs, 6 tabs

A chironomid-based record of temperature variability during the past 4000 years in northern China and its possible societal implications

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Wang, Haipeng; Chen, Jianhui; Zhang, Shengda; Zhang, David D.; Wang, Zongli; Xu, Qinghai; Chen, Shengqian; Wang, Shijin; Kang, Shichang; Chen, Fahu

2018-03-01

Long-term, high-resolution temperature records which combine an unambiguous proxy and precise dating are rare in China. In addition, the societal implications of past temperature change on a regional scale have not been sufficiently assessed. Here, based on the modern relationship between chironomids and temperature, we use fossil chironomid assemblages in a precisely dated sediment core from Gonghai Lake to explore temperature variability during the past 4000 years in northern China. Subsequently, we address the possible regional societal implications of temperature change through a statistical analysis of the occurrence of wars. Our results show the following. (1) The mean annual temperature (TANN) was relatively high during 4000-2700 cal yr BP, decreased gradually during 2700-1270 cal yr BP and then fluctuated during the last 1270 years. (2) A cold event in the Period of Disunity, the Sui-Tang Warm Period (STWP), the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and the Little Ice Age (LIA) can all be recognized in the paleotemperature record, as well as in many other temperature reconstructions in China. This suggests that our chironomid-inferred temperature record for the Gonghai Lake region is representative. (3) Local wars in Shanxi Province, documented in the historical literature during the past 2700 years, are statistically significantly correlated with changes in temperature, and the relationship is a good example of the potential societal implications of temperature change on a regional scale.

Mineralogical and isotopic data on two hydrothermal uranium deposits located in the Permian volcano-sedimentary basin of Collio Orobico (Bergamasc Alps): occurrence of a Cretaceous U mobilization phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philippe, S.; Lancelot, J.R.; Girod, M.; Mercadier, H.; Villemaire, C.

1987-01-01

The U deposits of Novazza and Val Vedello are located close to the unconformity with the South-Alpine basement. The ignimbrites adjacent to the Novazza deposit have undergone a pervasive hydrothermal alteration. For this deposit, the study of the micas provides crystallization temperatures ranging from 540 0 C to 350 0 C. These micas do not show a zonal distribution with respect to the mineralized bodies. In the neighbouring barren basin, the mica crystallization temperatures at 200 0 C suggest a post-magmatic evolution very different. The U-Pb data on zircons were made for ignimbrites collected in the Novazza mine and in the barren basin. They allow to propose a multi-episodic evolution model taking into account a mixing of two populations of zircons: a small amount of Precambrian zircons located in basement xenoliths within the ignimbrites, and a large proportion of zircons having crystallized in the ignimbrites, which are supposed to have been emplaced about 280 My ago. The U-Pb data suggest a phase of U concentration, during Cretaceous times. For each deposit, this age does not seem to be related to the ages of fault motions. Different hypothesis concerning the genesis of Novazza and Val Vedello deposits are discussed which take into account the paleotemperature data on micas, the ore paragenesis and the U-Pb data obtained on U-mineralizations [fr

Late-Holocene climate evolution at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica: Bubble number-density estimates

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Fegyveresi, John M.; Alley, R.B.; Spencer, M.K.; Fitzpatrick, J.J.; Steig, E.J.; White, J.W.C.; McConnell, J.R.; Taylor, K.C.

2011-01-01

A surface cooling of ???1.7??C occurred over the ???two millennia prior to ???1700 CE at the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) Divide site, based on trends in observed bubble number-density of samples from the WDC06A ice core, and on an independently constructed accumulation-rate history using annual-layer dating corrected for density variations and thinning from ice flow. Density increase and grain growth in polar firn are both controlled by temperature and accumulation rate, and the integrated effects are recorded in the number-density of bubbles as the firn changes to ice. Numberdensity is conserved in bubbly ice following pore close-off, allowing reconstruction of either paleotemperature or paleo-accumulation rate if the other is known. A quantitative late-Holocene paleoclimate reconstruction is presented for West Antarctica using data obtained from the WAIS Divide WDC06A ice core and a steady-state bubble number-density model. The resultant temperature history agrees closely with independent reconstructions based on stable-isotopic ratios of ice. The ???1.7??C cooling trend observed is consistent with a decrease in Antarctic summer duration from changing orbital obliquity, although it remains possible that elevation change at the site contributed part of the signal. Accumulation rate and temperature dropped together, broadly consistent with control by saturation vapor pressure.

Neogene sharks and rays from the Brazilian ‘Blue Amazon’

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilera, Orangel; Carrillo-Briceño, Jorge D.; Kocsis, László; Vennemann, Torsten W.; de Toledo, Peter Mann; Nogueira, Afonso; Amorim, Kamilla Borges; Moraes-Santos, Heloísa; Polck, Marcia Reis; Ruivo, Maria de Lourdes; Linhares, Ana Paula; Monteiro-Neto, Cassiano

2017-01-01

The lower Miocene Pirabas Formation in the North of Brazil was deposited under influence of the proto-Amazon River and is characterized by large changes in the ecological niches from the early Miocene onwards. To evaluate these ecological changes, the elasmobranch fauna of the fully marine, carbonate-rich beds was investigated. A diverse fauna with 24 taxa of sharks and rays was identified with the dominant groups being carcharhiniforms and myliobatiforms. This faunal composition is similar to other early Miocene assemblages from the proto-Carribbean bioprovince. However, the Pirabas Formation has unique features compared to the other localities; being the only Neogene fossil fish assemblage described from the Atlantic coast of Tropical Americas. Phosphate oxygen isotope composition of elasmobranch teeth served as proxies for paleotemperatures and paleoecology. The data are compatible with a predominantly tropical marine setting with recognized inshore and offshore habitats with some probable depth preferences (e.g., Aetomylaeus groups). Paleohabitat of taxa particularly found in the Neogene of the Americas (†Carcharhinus ackermannii, †Aetomylaeus cubensis) are estimated to have been principally coastal and shallow waters. Larger variation among the few analyzed modern selachians reflects a larger range for the isotopic composition of recent seawater compared to the early Miocene. This probably links to an increased influence of the Amazon River in the coastal regions during the Holocene. PMID:28832664

Regional endothermy as a trigger for gigantism in some extinct macropredatory sharks.

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Humberto G Ferrón

Full Text Available Otodontids include some of the largest macropredatory sharks that ever lived, the most extreme case being Otodus (Megaselachus megalodon. The reasons underlying their gigantism, distribution patterns and extinction have been classically linked with climatic factors and the evolution, radiation and migrations of cetaceans during the Paleogene. However, most of these previous proposals are based on the idea of otodontids as ectothermic sharks regardless of the ecological, energetic and body size constraints that this implies. Interestingly, a few recent studies have suggested the possible existence of endothermy in these sharks thus opening the door to a series of new interpretations. Accordingly, this work proposes that regional endothermy was present in otodontids and some closely related taxa (cretoxyrhinids, playing an important role in the evolution of gigantism and in allowing an active mode of live. The existence of regional endothermy in these groups is supported here by three different approaches including isotopic-based approximations, swimming speed inferences and the application of a novel methodology for assessing energetic budget and cost of swimming in extinct taxa. In addition, this finding has wider implications. It calls into question some previous paleotemperature estimates based partially on these taxa, suggests that the existing hypothesis about the evolution of regional endothermy in fishes requires modification, and provides key evidence for understanding the evolution of gigantism in active macropredators.

Regional endothermy as a trigger for gigantism in some extinct macropredatory sharks.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrón, Humberto G

2017-01-01

Otodontids include some of the largest macropredatory sharks that ever lived, the most extreme case being Otodus (Megaselachus) megalodon. The reasons underlying their gigantism, distribution patterns and extinction have been classically linked with climatic factors and the evolution, radiation and migrations of cetaceans during the Paleogene. However, most of these previous proposals are based on the idea of otodontids as ectothermic sharks regardless of the ecological, energetic and body size constraints that this implies. Interestingly, a few recent studies have suggested the possible existence of endothermy in these sharks thus opening the door to a series of new interpretations. Accordingly, this work proposes that regional endothermy was present in otodontids and some closely related taxa (cretoxyrhinids), playing an important role in the evolution of gigantism and in allowing an active mode of live. The existence of regional endothermy in these groups is supported here by three different approaches including isotopic-based approximations, swimming speed inferences and the application of a novel methodology for assessing energetic budget and cost of swimming in extinct taxa. In addition, this finding has wider implications. It calls into question some previous paleotemperature estimates based partially on these taxa, suggests that the existing hypothesis about the evolution of regional endothermy in fishes requires modification, and provides key evidence for understanding the evolution of gigantism in active macropredators.

Possible role of oceanic heat transport in early Eocene climate

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Sloan, L. C.; Walker, J. C.; Moore, T. C. Jr

1995-01-01

Increased oceanic heat transport has often been cited as a means of maintaining warm high-latitude surface temperatures in many intervals of the geologic past, including the early Eocene. Although the excess amount of oceanic heat transport required by warm high latitude sea surface temperatures can be calculated empirically, determining how additional oceanic heat transport would take place has yet to be accomplished. That the mechanisms of enhanced poleward oceanic heat transport remain undefined in paleoclimate reconstructions is an important point that is often overlooked. Using early Eocene climate as an example, we consider various ways to produce enhanced poleward heat transport and latitudinal energy redistribution of the sign and magnitude required by interpreted early Eocene conditions. Our interpolation of early Eocene paleotemperature data indicate that an approximately 30% increase in poleward heat transport would be required to maintain Eocene high-latitude temperatures. This increased heat transport appears difficult to accomplish by any means of ocean circulation if we use present ocean circulation characteristics to evaluate early Eocene rates. Either oceanic processes were very different from those of the present to produce the early Eocene climate conditions or oceanic heat transport was not the primary cause of that climate. We believe that atmospheric processes, with contributions from other factors, such as clouds, were the most likely primary cause of early Eocene climate.

Evidence of cyclic climatic changes recorded in clay mineral assemblages from a continental Paleocene-Eocene sequence, northwestern Argentina

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Do Campo, Margarita; Bauluz, Blanca; del Papa, Cecilia; White, Timothy; Yuste, Alfonso; Mayayo, Maria Jose

2018-06-01

The continental Paleocene-Eocene sequence investigated in this study belongs to the Salta Group, deposited in an intracontinental rift, the Salta Basin (NW Argentina), that evolved from the lower Cretaceous to the middle Paleogene, and is subdivided into the Pirgua, the Balbuena and the Santa Barbara Subgroups. The Maíz Gordo Formation (200 m thick) is the middle unit of the Santa Bárbara Subgroup, deposited during late post-rift sedimentation. We studied the mineralogy of fine-grained horizons of this formation by X-ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in order to examine the connection between vertical changes in clay mineralogy in alluvial sediments and paleosols, and global paleoclimatic changes registered during the Paleogene. Paleosols vary from calcic vertisols in the lowermost levels, to inseptisols and gleysols in intermediate positions, to gleyed oxisols in the upper section, indicating increased chemical weathering through time. Clay mineral relative abundances vary with a general increase in kaolinite content from bottom to top. However, at one site there are significant variations in kaolinite/muscovite (Kln/Ms) that define five cycles of kaolinite abundance and Kln/Ms. that indicate cyclic patterns of paleoprecipitation and paleotemperature. These are interpreted as several short-lived hyperthermals during the Paleocene-early Eocene in the Southern Hemisphere, which correlate with well-established episodes of warmth documented from the Northern Hemisphere.

Origin and evolution of geothermal fluids from Las Tres Vírgenes and Cerro Prieto fields, Mexico – Co-genetic volcanic activity and paleoclimatic constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birkle, Peter; Marín, Enrique Portugal; Pinti, Daniele L.; Castro, M. Clara

2016-01-01

Major and trace elements, noble gases, and stable (δD, δ 18 O) and cosmogenic ( 3 H, 14 C) isotopes were measured from geothermal fluids in two adjacent geothermal areas in NW-Mexico, Las Tres Vírgenes (LTV) and Cerro Prieto (CP). The goal is to trace the origin of reservoir fluids and to place paleoclimate and structural-volcanic constraints in the region. Measured 3 He/ 4 He (R) ratios normalized to the atmospheric value (R a  = 1.386 × 10 −6 ) vary between 2.73 and 4.77 and are compatible with mixing between a mantle component varying between 42 and 77% of mantle helium and a crustal, radiogenic He component with contributions varying between 23% and 58%. Apparent U–Th/ 4 He ages for CP fluids (0.7–7 Ma) suggest the presence of a sustained 4 He flux from a granitic basement or from mixing with connate brines, deposited during the Colorado River delta formation (1.5–3 Ma). Radiogenic in situ 4 He production age modeling at LTV, combined with the presence of radiogenic carbon (1.89 ± 0.11 pmC – 35.61 ± 0.28 pmC) and the absence of tritium strongly suggest the Quaternary infiltration of meteoric water into the LTV geothermal reservoir, ranging between 4 and 31 ka BP. The present geochemical heterogeneity of LTV fluids can be reconstructed by mixing Late Pleistocene – Early Holocene meteoric water (58–75%) with a fossil seawater component (25–42%), as evidenced by Br/Cl and stable isotope trends. CP geothermal water is composed of infiltrated Colorado River water with a minor impact by halite dissolution, whereas a vapor-dominated sample is composed of Colorado River water and vapor from deeper levels. δD values for the LTV meteoric end-member, which are 20‰–44‰ depleted with respect to present-day precipitation, as well as calculated annual paleotemperatures 6.9–13.6 °C lower than present average temperatures in Baja California point to the presence of humid and cooler climatic conditions in the Baja California peninsula

Combined ice core and climate-model evidence for the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during Marine Isotope Stage 5e.

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Steig, Eric J.; Huybers, Kathleen; Singh, Hansi A.; Steiger, Nathan J.; Frierson, Dargan M. W.; Popp, Trevor; White, James W. C.

2015-04-01

It has been speculated that collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet explains the very high eustatic sea level rise during the last interglacial period, marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e, but the evidence remains equivocal. Changes in atmospheric circulation resulting from a collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) would have significant regional impacts that should be detectable in ice core records. We conducted simulations using general circulation models (GCMs) at varying levels of complexity: a gray-radiation aquaplanet moist GCM (GRaM), the slab ocean version of GFDL-AM2 (also as an aquaplanet), and the fully-coupled version of NCAR's CESM with realistic topography. In all the experiments, decreased elevation from the removal of the WAIS leads to greater cyclonic circulation over the West Antarctic region. This creates increased advection of relatively warm marine air from the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Seas towards the South Pole, and increased cold-air advection from the East Antarctic plateau towards the Ross Sea and coastal Marie Byrd Land. The result is anomalous warming in some areas of the East Antarctic interior, and significant cooling in Marie Byrd Land. Comparison of ice core records shows good agreement with the model predictions. In particular, isotope-paleotemperature records from ice cores in East Antarctica warmed more between the previous glacial period (MIS 6) and MIS 5e than coastal Marie Byrd Land. These results add substantial support to other evidence for WAIS collapse during the last interglacial period.

Advancements in the use of speleothems as climate archives

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Corinne I.; Breecker, Daniel O.

2015-11-01

Speleothems have become a cornerstone of the approach to better understanding Earth's climatic teleconnections due to their precise absolute chronologies, their continuous or semicontinuous deposition and their global terrestrial distribution. We review the last decade of speleothem-related research, building off a similar review by McDermott (2004), in three themes - i) investigation of global teleconnections using speleothem-based climate reconstructions, ii) refinement of climate interpretations from speleothem proxies through cave monitoring, and iii) novel, technical methods of speleothem-based climate reconstructions. Speleothem records have enabled critical insight into the response of global hydroclimate to large climate changes. This includes the relevant forcings and sequence of climatic responses involved in glacial terminations and recognition of a global monsoon response to climate changes on orbital and millennial time scales. We review advancements in understanding of the processes that control speleothem δ13C values and introduce the idea of a direct atmospheric pCO2 influence. We discuss progress in understanding kinetic isotope fractionation, which, with further advances, may help quantify paleoclimate changes despite non-equilibrium formation of speleothems. This feeds into the potential of proxy system modeling to consider climatic, hydrological and biogeochemical processes with the objective of quantitatively interpreting speleothem proxies. Finally, we provide an overview of emerging speleothem proxies and novel approaches using existing proxies. Most recently, technical advancements made in the measurement of fluid inclusions are now yielding reliable determinations of paleotemperatures.

Oxygen-isotope trends and seawater temperature changes across the Late Cambrian Steptoean positive carbon-isotope excursion (SPICE event)

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Elrick, M.; Rieboldt, S.; Saltzman, M.; McKay, R.M.

2011-01-01

The globally recognized Late Cambrian Steptoean positive C-isotope excursion (SPICE) is characterized by a 3???-5??? positive ??13C shift spanning SPICE represents a widespread ocean anoxic event leading to enhanced burial/preservation of organic matter (Corg) and pyrite. We analyzed ??18O values of apatitic inarticulate brachiopods from three Upper Cambrian successions across Laurentia to evaluate paleotemperatures during the SPICE. ??18O values range from ~12.5??? to 16.5???. Estimated seawater temperatures associated with the SPICE are unreasonably warm, suggesting that the brachiopod ??18O values were altered during early diagenesis. Despite this, all three localities show similar trends with respect to the SPICE ??13C curve, suggesting that the brachiopod apatite preserves a record of relative ??18O and temperature changes. The trends include relatively high ??18O values at the onset of the SPICE, decreasing and lowest values during the main event, and an increase in values at the end of the event. The higher ??18O values during the global extinction at the onset of the SPICE suggests seawater cooling and supports earlier hypotheses of upwelling of cool waters onto the shallow shelf. Decreasing and low ??18O values coincident with the rising limb of the SPICE support the hypothesis that seawater warming and associated reduced thermohaline circulation rates contributed to decreased dissolved O2 concentrations, which enhanced the preservation/burial of Corg causing the positive ??13C shift. ?? 2011 Geological Society of America.

Analytical considerations for the use of the paleothermometer tetraether index(86) and the branched vs isoprenoid tetraether index regarding the choice of cleanup and instrumental conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Escala, Marina; Fietz, Susanne; Rueda, Gemma; Rosell-Melé, Antoni

2009-04-01

The tetraether index of tetraethers consisting of 86 carbons (TEX(86)) is a novel proxy applied to obtain paleotemperature reconstructions from marine and lacustrine settings. It is usually applied alongside the branched vs isoprenoid tetraether (BIT) index, which provides paleoenvironmental information as well as information on the reliability of TEX(86). Both indices are calculated via the analysis of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers or GDGTs by means of high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC/APCI-MS). Here we test the performance of alternative methods for sample cleanup and instrumental analysis. In particular, we evaluate using alkaline hydrolysis as an alternative cleanup step to alumina column fractionation and show that the resulting TEX(86) and BIT are statistically equivalent. We also test two different adsorbents in the activated or deactivated state for preparative column fractionation and show that any of them can be used to measure TEX(86) but that a certain discrimination between GDGTs used in the BIT index can occur. Regarding the mass spectrometer design, an ion-trap is shown to be as precise as a quadrupole mass spectrometer for GDGT analysis. Some differences are observed for TEX(86) and especially for BIT values obtained from both MS designs. We provide evidence that the APCI conditions are at least partly responsible for these differences. We recommend caution when comparing BIT values among laboratories as this index seems to be especially sensitive to analytical conditions.

Clay Mineralogy of Coal-Hosted Nb-Zr-REE-Ga Mineralized Beds from Late Permian Strata, Eastern Yunnan, SW China: Implications for Paleotemperature and Origin of the Micro-Quartz

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Lixin Zhao

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The clay mineralogy of pyroclastic Nb(Ta-Zr(Hf-REE-Ga mineralization in Late Permian coal-bearing strata from eastern Yunnan Province; southwest China was investigated in this study. Samples from XW and LK drill holes in this area were analyzed using XRD (X-ray diffraction and SEM (scanning electronic microscope. Results show that clay minerals in the Nb-Zr-REE-Ga mineralized samples are composed of mixed layer illite/smectite (I/S; kaolinite and berthierine. I/S is the major component among the clay assemblages. The source volcanic ashes controlled the modes of occurrence of the clay minerals. Volcanic ash-originated kaolinite and berthierine occur as vermicular and angular particles, respectively. I/S is confined to the matrix and is derived from illitization of smectite which was derived from the original volcanic ashes. Other types of clay minerals including I/S and berthierine precipitated from hydrothermal solutions were found within plant cells; and coexisting with angular berthierine and vermicular kaolinite. Inferred from the fact that most of the I/S is R1 ordered with one case of the R3 I/S; the paleo-diagenetic temperature could be up to 180 °C but mostly 100–160 °C. The micro-crystalline quartz grains (<10 µm closely associated with I/S were observed under SEM and were most likely the product of desiliconization during illitization of smectite.

Evaluation des bassins par modélisation intégrée en deux dimensions des transferts techniques, de l'écoulement des fluides, de la genèse et de la migration des hydrocarbures Basin Evaluation by Integrated Two-Dimensional Modeling of Heat Transfer, Fluid Flow, Hydrocarbon Generation, and Migration

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Chenet P. Y.

2006-11-01

transfer, compaction and water flow, hydrocarbon generation, and two-phase migration of fluids. The model reproduces the influence of conductivity variations and of transient heat transfer on paleotemperatures. Quantitative verification of the paleotemperature reconstruction and of the kinetic model of hydrocarbon generation may be obtained from present temperatures and geochemical data. Compaction-driven flows and overpressures are described by coupling a compaction law with Darcy's law for water flow and a criterion for natural hydraulic fracturing. This formulation allows modeling of overpressures in young deltalic sequences (e. g. , the Mahakam delta, Indonesia as well as in old rift basins (e. g. , the North Sea. An adapted two-phase Darcy's law reproduces primary and secondary migration. In particular, the model helps investigate the role of overpressures and fault behavior on hydrocarbon migration and entrapment. Our results confirm that basin models contribute to the synthesis of geological, geophysical, and geochemical data consistently. By defining parameters for petroleum evaluations, these models increase exploration efficiency.

Laboratory calibration of the calcium carbonate clumped isotope thermometer in the 25-250 °C temperature range

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Kluge, Tobias; John, Cédric M.; Jourdan, Anne-Lise; Davis, Simon; Crawshaw, John

2015-05-01

Many fields of Earth sciences benefit from the knowledge of mineral formation temperatures. For example, carbonates are extensively used for reconstruction of the Earth's past climatic variations by determining ocean, lake, and soil paleotemperatures. Furthermore, diagenetic minerals and their formation or alteration temperature may provide information about the burial history of important geological units and can have practical applications, for instance, for reconstructing the geochemical and thermal histories of hydrocarbon reservoirs. Carbonate clumped isotope thermometry is a relatively new technique that can provide the formation temperature of carbonate minerals without requiring a priori knowledge of the isotopic composition of the initial solution. It is based on the temperature-dependent abundance of the rare 13C-18O bonds in carbonate minerals, specified as a Δ47 value. The clumped isotope thermometer has been calibrated experimentally from 1 °C to 70 °C. However, higher temperatures that are relevant to geological processes have so far not been directly calibrated in the laboratory. In order to close this calibration gap and to provide a robust basis for the application of clumped isotopes to high-temperature geological processes we precipitated CaCO3 (mainly calcite) in the laboratory between 23 and 250 °C. We used two different precipitation techniques: first, minerals were precipitated from a CaCO3 supersaturated solution at atmospheric pressure (23-91 °C), and, second, from a solution resulting from the mixing of CaCl2 and NaHCO3 in a pressurized reaction vessel at a pressure of up to 80 bar (25-250 °C).

Excess air in groundwater as a potential indicator of past environmental changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aeschenbach-Hertig, W.; Beyerle, U.; Holocher, J.; Peeters, F.; Kipfer, R.

2002-01-01

Dissolved noble gases in groundwater are used to reconstruct paleotemperature, but also yield information about 'excess air', a component of dissolved gases in excess of solubility equilibrium, derived from dissolution of trapped air in the ground. A good characterization of the excess air component is necessary not only to obtain reliable noble gas temperatures, but also to investigate the potential of excess air as a proxy for past environmental conditions. Two excess air related quantities can be derived from groundwater noble gas data sets: The initial air/water ratio and the pressure exerted on the entrapped air. Under recharge conditions typical for many aquifers, the excess of dissolved gases, expressed by the relative Ne excess ΔNe, is mainly determined by the hydrostatic pressure on the entrapped air. Thus, we suggest that ΔNe is essentially a measure of the amplitude of water table fluctuations in the recharge area. Comparing data sets from three aquifers in temperate, humid latitudes and three aquifers in tropical, semi-arid regions, we find that ΔNe is generally higher in the tropical aquifers, possibly related to larger water table fluctuations in these aquifers characterized by deep unsaturated zones. Whereas ΔNe shows little temporal variation in the mid-latitude aquifers, there is a strong signal of higher ΔNe in the paleowaters of the tropical aquifers as compared to water recharged under modern climate conditions. This finding may indicate a higher variability of recharge in the past at the studied tropical sites. (author)

Quantifying climate changes of the Common Era for Finland

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Luoto, Tomi P.; Nevalainen, Liisa

2017-10-01

In this study, we aim to quantify summer air temperatures from sediment records from Southern, Central and Northern Finland over the past 2000 years. We use lake sediment archives to estimate paleotemperatures applying fossil Chironomidae assemblages and the transfer function approach. The used enhanced Chironomidae-based temperature calibration set was validated in a 70-year high-resolution sediment record against instrumentally measured temperatures. Since the inferred and observed temperatures showed close correlation, we deduced that the new calibration model is reliable for reconstructions beyond the monitoring records. The 700-year long temperature reconstructions from three sites at multi-decadal temporal resolution showed similar trends, although they had differences in timing of the cold Little Ice Age (LIA) and the initiation of recent warming. The 2000-year multi-centennial reconstructions from three different sites showed resemblance with each other having clear signals of the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and LIA, but with differences in their timing. The influence of external forcing on climate of the southern and central sites appeared to be complex at the decadal scale, but the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) was closely linked to the temperature development of the northern site. Solar activity appears to be synchronous with the temperature fluctuations at the multi-centennial scale in all the sites. The present study provides new insights into centennial and decadal variability in air temperature dynamics in Northern Europe and on the external forcing behind these trends. These results are particularly useful in comparing regional responses and lags of temperature trends between different parts of Scandinavia.

The different climatic response of pedogenic hematite and ferrimagnetic minerals: Evidence from particle-sized modern soils over the Chinese Loess Plateau

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Gao, Xinbo; Hao, Qingzhen; Wang, Luo; Oldfield, Frank; Bloemendal, Jan; Deng, Chenglong; Song, Yang; Ge, Junyi; Wu, Haibin; Xu, Bing; Li, Fengjiang; Han, Long; Fu, Yu; Guo, Zhengtang

2018-01-01

In recent years, increasing interest in loess studies has focused on qualitative and quantitative paleoclimatic reconstruction using the imperfect antiferromagnetic mineral hematite. However, the linkage between the hematite formation and climatic variables remains controversial. Here we present the results of a comprehensive investigation of the magnetic properties and statistical analysis of a suite of clay and silt fractions of modern soil samples from 179 sites across the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) and adjacent regions. Our objective was to clarify the relationships between modern climatic variables and pedogenic hematite, as well as pedogenic ferrimagnetic minerals. First-order reversal curve measurements were also conducted on representative particle-sized subsamples from a N-S transect to understand the differences in magnetic mineralogy between the two fractions. Our results show that pipette extraction separates the fine-grained superparamagnetic (SP) and most of the single-domain (SD) magnetic grains into the clay fraction, and that the remaining silt fraction displays the magnetic properties of coarse pseudo-single domain (PSD) or a mixture of multidomain (MD)/PSD and a few SD particles. Only the pedogenic clay fraction shows a strong correlation with climatic variables. The application of redundancy analysis helps to distinguish the climate variables controlling the formation of ferrimagnetic minerals and hematite during pedogenesis. On the CLP, pedogenic ferrimagnetic minerals are sensitive to mean annual precipitation, while pedogenic hematite formation is preferentially dependent on mean annual temperature. The confirmation of the temperature-dependent nature of hematite on the CLP provides a new possibility for quantitatively reconstructing the paleotemperature history of Chinese loess/paleosol sequences.

Diet and environment of a mid-Pliocene fauna in the Zanda Basin (western Himalaya): Paleo-elevation implications

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Wang, Y.; Xu, Y.; Khawaja, S. N.; Wang, X.; Passey, B. H.; Zhang, C.; Li, Q.; Tseng, Z. J.; Takeuchi, G.; Deng, T.; Xie, G.

2011-12-01

A mid-Pliocene fauna (3.1-4.0 Ma) was recently discovered in the Zanda Basin in western Himalaya, at an elevation of about 4200 m above sea level. These fossil materials provide a unique window for examining the linkage among tectonic, climatic and biotic changes. Here we report the initial results from isotopic analyses of this fauna and of modern herbivores in the Zanda Basin. The δ13C values of enamel samples from modern wild Tibetan ass, horse, cow and goat from the Zanda Basin are -9.1±2.1%, which indicate a diet comprising predominantly of C3 plants and are consistent with the current dominance of C3 vegetation in the area. The enamel-δ13C values of the fossil horse, rhino, deer, and bovid are -9.6±0.8%, indicating that these ancient mammals, like modern herbivores in the area, fed primarily on C3 vegetation and lived in an environment dominated by C3 plants. The enamel-δ18O values of mid-Pliocene obligate drinkers (i.e., horse and rhino) are lower than those of their modern counterpart, most likely indicating a shift in climate to much drier conditions after ~3-4 Ma. Preliminary paleo-temperature estimates derived from a fossil-based temperature proxy as well as the "clumped isotope" thermometer for the mid-Pliocene Zanda Basin, although somewhat equivocal, are close to the present-day mean annual temperature in the area, suggesting that the paleo-elevation of the Zanda Basin in the mid-Pliocene was similar to its present-day elevation.

Carbon isotopes of C3 herbs correlate with temperature on removing the influence of precipitation across a temperature transect in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China.

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Liu, Xian-Zhao; Zhang, Yong; Li, Zhen-Guo; Feng, Teng; Su, Qing; Song, Yan

2017-12-01

Plant δ 13 C-temperature (δ-T) relation has been established in many systems and is often used as paleotemperature transfer function. However, it is still unclear about the exact contributions of temperature variation to plant 13 C discrimination because of covariation between temperature and precipitation (aridity), which reduces confidence in reconstruction of paleoclimate. In this study, we measured carbon isotope composition (δ 13 C) of 173 samples of C3 perennial herbs from 22 sites across a temperature gradient along the 400 mm isohyet in the farming-pastoral zone of North China. The results showed that precipitation obviously affected the correlations of temperatures and foliar δ 13 C. After removing the influence of precipitation by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), a more strongly positive relationship was obtained between site-mean foliar δ 13 C and annual mean temperature (AMT), with a regression coefficient of 0.1636‰/°C ( p  =   .0024). For widespread species, Artemisia lavandulaefolia and Artemisia capillaries , the slopes (or coefficients) of foliar δ 13 C and AMT were significantly steeper (larger) than those of foliar δ 13 C and AMT where the precipitation influence was not excluded, whereas the δ-T coefficients of Polygonum persicaria and Leymus chinensis showed little change across the transect after deducting the precipitation effect. Moreover, the positive relationship between temperature and δ 13 C over the transect could be explained by soil moisture availability related to temperature. Our results may afford new opportunities for investigating the nature of past climate variability.

Tetraether biomarker records from a loess-paleosol sequence in the western Chinese Loess Plateau

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Guodong eJia

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The ubiquitous occurrence of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs in soils and their ability to record temperature and environmental changes offer the prospect of independently reconstructing continental paleotemperature and paleoenvironment from the loess-paleosol sequences (LPS from the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP. In this study we present records of GDGT-derived proxies for the last 70 kyr from the Yuanbao LPS, western CLP. Temperature record reconstructed from the cyclization and methylation index of branched tetraethers (MBT-CBT displays that the onset of deglacial warming at ~20 kyr before present (BP precedes the strengthening of summer monsoon at ~15 kyr BP, which is in agreement in timing with previous MBT-CBT temperature records from the southeastern CLP. The maximal deglacial warming of ~10 °C is slightly higher than those in the southeastern CLP, perhaps due to the higher latitude and farther inland of the study site. The Branched and Isoprenoid Tetraether (BIT index shows higher values (0.87–0.96 range, 0.93 average in the glacial loess and lower values (0.76–0.91 range, 0.83 average in the Holocene paleosols, with a steady decreasing trend since the early Holocene. The decreasing trend could suggest enhanced Thaumarchaeota relative to GDGT producing bacteria activity since the early Holocene, but other possibilities, such as preferential degradation of isoprenoid GDGTs or upward increase in living archaea relative to bacteria in the paleosol profile, cannot be fully excluded. Our results thus demonstrate the need of future study on microbial community structure in soil column and differential degradation of GDGT molecules.

A membrane inlet mass spectrometry system for noble gases at natural abundances in gas and water samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Visser, Ate; Singleton, Michael J; Hillegonds, Darren J; Velsko, Carol A; Moran, Jean E; Esser, Bradley K

2013-11-15

Noble gases dissolved in groundwater can reveal paleotemperatures, recharge conditions, and precise travel times. The collection and analysis of noble gas samples are cumbersome, involving noble gas purification, cryogenic separation and static mass spectrometry. A quicker and more efficient sample analysis method is required for introduced tracer studies and laboratory experiments. A Noble Gas Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry (NG-MIMS) system was developed to measure noble gases at natural abundances in gas and water samples. The NG-MIMS system consists of a membrane inlet, a dry-ice water trap, a carbon-dioxide trap, two getters, a gate valve, a turbomolecular pump and a quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electron multiplier. Noble gases isotopes (4)He, (22)Ne, (38)Ar, (84)Kr and (132)Xe are measured every 10 s. The NG-MIMS system can reproduce measurements made on a traditional noble gas mass spectrometer system with precisions of 2%, 8%, 1%, 1% and 3% for He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe, respectively. Noble gas concentrations measured in an artificial recharge pond were used to monitor an introduced xenon tracer and to reconstruct temperature variations to within 2 °C. Additional experiments demonstrated the capability to measure noble gases in gas and in water samples, in real time. The NG-MIMS system is capable of providing analyses sufficiently accurate and precise for introduced noble gas tracers at managed aquifer recharge facilities, groundwater fingerprinting based on excess air and noble gas recharge temperature, and field and laboratory studies investigating ebullition and diffusive exchange. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Interaction between climate, volcanism, and isostatic rebound in Southeast Alaska during the last deglaciation

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Praetorius, Summer; Mix, Alan; Jensen, Britta; Froese, Duane; Milne, Glenn A.; Wolhowe, Matthew; Addison, Jason A.; Prahl, Fred

2016-01-01

Observations of enhanced volcanic frequency during the last deglaciation have led to the hypothesis that ice unloading in glaciated volcanic terrains can promote volcanism through decompression melting in the shallow mantle or a reduction in crustal magma storage time. However, a direct link between regional climate change, isostatic adjustment, and the initiation of volcanism remains to be demonstrated due to the difficulty of obtaining high-resolution well-dated records that capture short-term climate and volcanic variability traced to a particular source region. Here we present an exceptionally resolved record of 19 tephra layers paired with foraminiferal oxygen isotopes and alkenone paleotemperatures from marine sediment cores along the Southeast Alaska margin spanning the last deglacial transition. Major element compositions of the tephras indicate a predominant source from the nearby Mt. Edgecumbe Volcanic Field (MEVF). We constrain the timing of this regional eruptive sequence to 14.6–13.1 ka. The sudden increase in volcanic activity from the MEVF coincides with the onset of Bølling–Allerød interstadial warmth, the disappearance of ice-rafted detritus, and rapid vertical land motion associated with modeled regional isostatic rebound in response to glacier retreat. These data support the hypothesis that regional deglaciation can rapidly trigger volcanic activity. Rapid sea surface temperature fluctuations and an increase in local salinity (i.e., δ18Osw) variability are associated with the interval of intense volcanic activity, consistent with a two-way interaction between climate and volcanism in which rapid volcanic response to ice unloading may in turn enhance short-term melting of the glaciers, plausibly via albedo effects on glacier ablation zones.

Factors controlling the distribution of archaeal tetraethers in terrestrial hot springs.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Ann; Pi, Yundan; Zhao, Weidong; Li, WenJun; Li, Yiliang; Inskeep, William; Perevalova, Anna; Romanek, Christopher; Li, Shuguang; Zhang, Chuanlun L

2008-06-01

Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) found in hot springs reflect the abundance and community structure of Archaea in these extreme environments. The relationships between GDGTs, archaeal communities, and physical or geochemical variables are underexamined to date and when reported often result in conflicting interpretations. Here, we examined profiles of GDGTs from pure cultures of Crenarchaeota and from terrestrial geothermal springs representing a wide distribution of locations, including Yellowstone National Park (United States), the Great Basin of Nevada and California (United States), Kamchatka (Russia), Tengchong thermal field (China), and Thailand. These samples had temperatures of 36.5 to 87 degrees C and pH values of 3.0 to 9.2. GDGT abundances also were determined for three soil samples adjacent to some of the hot springs. Principal component analysis identified four factors that accounted for most of the variance among nine individual GDGTs, temperature, and pH. Significant correlations were observed between pH and the GDGTs crenarchaeol and GDGT-4 (four cyclopentane rings, m/z 1,294); pH correlated positively with crenarchaeol and inversely with GDGT-4. Weaker correlations were observed between temperature and the four factors. Three of the four GDGTs used in the marine TEX(86) paleotemperature index (GDGT-1 to -3, but not crenarchaeol isomer) were associated with a single factor. No correlation was observed for GDGT-0 (acyclic caldarchaeol): it is effectively its own variable. The biosynthetic mechanisms and exact archaeal community structures leading to these relationships remain unknown. However, the data in general show promise for the continued development of GDGT lipid-based physiochemical proxies for archaeal evolution and for paleo-ecology or paleoclimate studies.

Factors Controlling the Distribution of Archaeal Tetraethers in Terrestrial Hot Springs▿

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Ann; Pi, Yundan; Zhao, Weidong; Li, WenJun; Li, Yiliang; Inskeep, William; Perevalova, Anna; Romanek, Christopher; Li, Shuguang; Zhang, Chuanlun L.

2008-01-01

Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) found in hot springs reflect the abundance and community structure of Archaea in these extreme environments. The relationships between GDGTs, archaeal communities, and physical or geochemical variables are underexamined to date and when reported often result in conflicting interpretations. Here, we examined profiles of GDGTs from pure cultures of Crenarchaeota and from terrestrial geothermal springs representing a wide distribution of locations, including Yellowstone National Park (United States), the Great Basin of Nevada and California (United States), Kamchatka (Russia), Tengchong thermal field (China), and Thailand. These samples had temperatures of 36.5 to 87°C and pH values of 3.0 to 9.2. GDGT abundances also were determined for three soil samples adjacent to some of the hot springs. Principal component analysis identified four factors that accounted for most of the variance among nine individual GDGTs, temperature, and pH. Significant correlations were observed between pH and the GDGTs crenarchaeol and GDGT-4 (four cyclopentane rings, m/z 1,294); pH correlated positively with crenarchaeol and inversely with GDGT-4. Weaker correlations were observed between temperature and the four factors. Three of the four GDGTs used in the marine TEX86 paleotemperature index (GDGT-1 to -3, but not crenarchaeol isomer) were associated with a single factor. No correlation was observed for GDGT-0 (acyclic caldarchaeol): it is effectively its own variable. The biosynthetic mechanisms and exact archaeal community structures leading to these relationships remain unknown. However, the data in general show promise for the continued development of GDGT lipid-based physiochemical proxies for archaeal evolution and for paleo-ecology or paleoclimate studies. PMID:18390673

Paleoclimatic features in Central Japan based on the stable isotope compositions of Lake Biwa sediments and speleothems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakai, Nobuyuki; Shirai, Yasutoshi

1978-01-01

In this paper, the climatic fluctuation of Japanese Island in the past deduced from the carbon isotope study of Lake Biwa sediments is discussed in connection with the vertical profile of fossil diatom numbers, climate estimated by palynological studies, and paleogeomagnetic polarity change for the same core samples. In addition to the climatic studies that have used the Lake sediments, the climatic change measured in detail by O 18 /O 16 ratios of speleothem CaCO 3 is reported for the past 37 x 10 3 years. Sediment samples for C 13 /C 12 analyses were taken at intervals of 5 m from the cored column of 200 m length. Stalactite and flowstone samples were collected from Otaki Cave, Gifu Prefecture, near Lake Biwa. The isotopic data for both carbon and oxygen are presented as per mil deviation from the PDB and SMOW standards, respectively. The Δ C 13 values of organic C are plotted in relation to the number of total diatom cells. The figure shows no correlation between them. The Δ C 13 values of sedimentary organic C and the past productivity of the lake have different linear relation in each different period. The present authors tried to calculate directly the deposition temperature by a method different from Hendy's. The Δ O 18 values of the water passing through the speleothem surface in the past are determined by those of rain water in the region. The calculated temperatures range from 10.6 to 15.0 deg. C. By connecting the results obtained from two flowstones and a stalactite, a paleotemperature curve can be drawn for the last 37 x 10 3 years. (Kato, T

A Uranium-Lead Chronology of Speleothem Deposition in the Canadian Arctic

Science.gov (United States)

Gambino, C.; Shakun, J. D.; McGee, D.; Ramezani, J.; Khadivi, S.; Wong, C. I.

2017-12-01

The Artic is one of the fastest warming regions on the planet. Currently much of the Arctic is covered by permafrost, which contains approximately 1,700 gigatons of organic carbon. Permafrost thaw could release a substantial amount of this carbon as greenhouse gases into the atmosphere through microbial decomposition, potentially dramatically amplifying anthropogenic warming. However, the risk of permafrost thaw is uncertain, with models exhibiting a wide range of possibilities. Assessing the stability of permafrost during past interglacial periods enables evaluation of the sensitivity of permafrost to warming. Cave mineral deposits (speleothems) in areas currently covered with permafrost can act as a proxy for past permafrost thaw, as liquid water is one criteria of speleothem growth and thus implies thawed ground conditions. Previous uranium-thorium (U-Th) dating of speleothems (n=67) from a wide range of latitudes and permafrost zones across the southern Canadian Rockies, Northwest Territories, and the northern Yukon suggest deposition during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 and 13. The majority of U-Th dates of these speleothems, however, exceed the U-Th dating limit of 600 ka. In this study, we apply uranium-lead (U-Pb) geochronology to several of these speleothems to extend the records of speleothem growth further back in time. Initial results include a U-Pb age of 428 ± 14 ka that replicates a previous U-Th age of 416.8 ± 7.9 ka, and U-Pb ages on two other speleothems of 870 ± 100 ka and 1502 ± 30 ka. The results of currently in progress U-Pb analyses and a comparison of results with paleo-temperature and ice volume reconstructions will also be presented.

Foraminifera isotopic records... with special attention to high northern latitudes and the impact of sea-ice distillation processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hillaire-Marcel, Claude, E-mail: hillaire-marcel.claude@uqam.ca [GEOTOP, Universite du Quebec a Montreal, PO Box 8888, succursale ' centre ville' Montreal, Qc, H3C 3P8 (Canada)

2011-05-15

Since the reassessment of oxygen isotope paleotemperatures by N. Shackleton in the late 60s, most papers using isotopic records from planktic or benthic foraminifers imply a direct relationship between oxygen isotopes in seawater and the ice/ocean volume, thus some linkage with salinity, sea level, etc. Such assumptions are also made when incorporating 'isotopic modules' in coupled models. Here, we will further examine the linkages between salinity and oxygen isotope ratios of sea-water recorded by foraminifers, and their potential temporal and spatial variability, especially in the northern North Atlantic and the Arctic oceans. If temporal and spatial changes in the isotopic composition of precipitations and ice meltwaters tune the isotopic properties of the fresh water end-member that dilutes the ocean, rates of sea-ice formation and evaporation at the ocean surface play a further role on the salt and oxygen isotope contents of water masses. Thus, the oxygen 18-salinity relationship carries a specific isotopic signature for any given water mass. At the ocean scale, residence time and mixing of these water masses, as well as the time dependent-achievement of proxy-tracer equilibrium, will also result in variable recordings of mass transfers into the hydrosphere, notable between ice-sheets and ocean. Since these records in water mass may vary in both amplitude and time, direct correlations of isotopic records will potentially be misleading. Implications of such issues on the interpretation of oxygen isotope records from the sub-arctic seas will be discussed, as well as the inherent flaws of such records due to sedimentological and or ecological parameters.

Paleoenvironmental inference models from sediment diatom assemblages in Baffin Island lakes (Nunavut, Canada) and reconstruction of summer water temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joynt, E. H. III; Wolfe, A. P. [Colorado Univ., Inst. of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, CO (United States)

2001-06-01

Lake sediments are attractive repositories for paleoclimate proxy data because they are temporally continuous, undisturbed and datable. It is particularly true of lakes which are ubiquitous throughout the Arctic regions, enabling dense spatial coverage of sampling sites. In more recent times diatoms have been applied to a a variety of paleoenvironmental questions. However, these studies have been of limited usefulness because they lack a regional training set that would facilitate making quantitative paleoenvironmental inferences. This article provides this inferential tool, together with an example of its application. Conductivity, pH, summer lake water temperature, and mean annual air temperature have been identified as the significant controls over diatom assemblages from the surface sediments of 61 lakes on Baffin Island. Using weighted-averaging regression and calibration, predictive models for these parameters have been developed. Results show that the summer lake water temperature model provides realistic reconstructions when compared with other paleoenvironmental records. Over the past 5000 years the amplitude of reconstructed summer lake water temperature was found to be on the order of 4 degrees C, expressed primarily as progressive neoglacial cooling culminating in the Little Ice Age. Diatom-inferred summer water temperatures have increased by about 2 degrees C in the past 150 years, which is also in agreement with independent paleoclimatic reconstructions. The data obtained in this study complements similar efforts from the western Canadian Arctic and the northern reaches of Scandinavia, however, this is the first training set developed for lakes situated entirely north of the tree line. As such, it extends the applicability of diatoms for paleotemperature reconstructions well into the Arctic tundra biome. 45 refs., 1 tab., 10 figs., 1 appendix.

The temperature dependent strontium isotope fractionation (δ88/86Sr) during calcium carbonate precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fietzke, J.; Eisenhauer, A.

2006-01-01

Full text: In order to study the influence of stable isotope fractionation during inorganic and biologically controlled CaCO 3 precipitation we have developed the analytical principles for the measurement of strontium (Sr) isotope fractionation. We have established a measurement protocol for the application on a MC-ICP-MS (AXIOM) using the common bracketing standard technique. The Sr-standard CRM NBS987 was used as reference material for all measurements and to calculate the Sr fractionation. Latter value is expressed by the δ-notation defined as: δ 88/86 Sr = [( 88 Sr/ 86 Sr)sample / ( 88 Sr/ 86 Sr)standard ] * 1000 -1. A first set of experiments focused on the temperature dependency of Sr-isotope fractionation. For this purpose inorganically precipitated aragonite and calcite was prepared under controlled conditions in a temperature range from 10 to 50 o C. In addition, cultured and naturally grown corals were analyzed for their δ 88/86 Sr values. Repeated measurements of IAPSO seawater standard showed a mean δ 88/86 Sr value of 0.383 ± 0.008 (2 SEM) being the isotopically heaviest material measured so far. The first results of the inorganically precipitated aragonite and the natural corals revealed a clear temperature dependency of the δ 88/86 Sr values. For inorganic aragonite the slope of this correlation is about 0.0055 permil/ o C. However, for naturally grown corals (Pavona clavus) a 6 fold steeper slope of 0.033 permil/ o C was determined. This strong temperature dependency implies the potential to use stable Sr isotopes as a new marine (paleo)temperature proxy. (author)

The carbon transfer in karst areas - an application to the study of environmental changes and paleoclimatic reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vokal, Barbara

1999-01-01

the soil is connected to climatic changes and the isotopic composition of the CO 2 is connected to the type of vegetation growing above the cave, according to the photosynthetic mechanism employed by the plants. The influence of human activity on carbon isotopic values of atmospheric CO 2 due to fossil fuel combustion and nuclear experiments is also observed in speleothem carbonate composition. For this study, the isotopic values of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen isotopes were determined in air, various soil components, different types of cave waters, and in the growth laminae of a stalagmite. The growth rate of speleothems is partly influenced by climatic variations. When speleothems grow in isotopic equilibrium with their parent seepage waters, the isotopic composition of ancient speleothems gives a record of the paleotemperatures of the cave in which these are formed. When the temperature in a cave is stable throughout the year, this temperature is equal to the mean annual temperature on the surface and so we can estimate the temperature above the cave for that year. By analysis of the stalagmite from Postojna cave we determined that the stalagmite deposition was not in isotopic equilibrium with its parent seepage water, thus making determination of paleotemperature impossible. This research represents a significant contribution to the improvement of knowledge about the karstic world, especially regarding the influence of climatic and environmental factors on karstic phenomena. This is the first interdisciplinary investigation in the Postojna karst system of this kind, combining the determination of environmental factors together with chemical and isotopic measurements. This research enabled the determination of the processes of carbon transfer from the surface to the cave, where speleothems are formed. This research was performed in co-operation with scientists from the Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia and the University of Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

Hide and go seek with temperature signals of Northeastern US Tree Species

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Alexander, M. R.; Pederson, N.; Bishop, D. A.; Pearl, J. K.; Anchukaitis, K. J.

2017-12-01

Improving reconstructions of past climate is vital in providing long-term context for regional climate change. There have been only two published reconstructions of past temperatures in the northeastern U.S. (NEUS) since the 1980s, one based on Picea rubens, and one out in 2017 based upon Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic white cedar; AWC). Because increased species diversity generally improves dendrohydroclimatic reconstructions and both Picea rubens and AWC have limitations as paleoproxies due to land-use and air pollution, we conducted a series of tests to ask, "Does species diversity improve reconstructions of temperature history in the northeastern United States?" The first two tests were performed on AWC and then a network of AWC and Picea rubens. Subsequent tests added groups of species or genera from a network of 230 tree-ring chronologies beginning with those having the strongest relation between warming temperatures and increased growth. PC1 of the AWC test represented 40% of the variance and showed a significant positive relation with winter temperature (r = 0.38). As additional species were included, the "winter temperature PC" accounted for less of the overall variance, ranging from 26% of the variance in test 2 to 5% by test 5. AWC is swamped by the hydroclimatic signal that dominates our network. Populations of species such as Fagus grandifolia, Fraxinus nigra, Juniperus virginiana, Liriodendron tulipifera, Pinus rigida, and Pinus strobus from our network loaded strongest with AWC on the winter temperature PC. Including multiple species accounted for almost 20% more variance in the winter temperature record than AWC alone. Although drought is a dominating influence of tree growth in this region, our results suggest that winter temperatures are recorded within NEUS tree rings. Increasing the species diversity of tree proxies has the potential for improving reconstruction of paleotemperatures in regions lacking latitudinal or altitudinal tree lines

The influence of the synoptic regime on stable water isotopes in precipitation at Dome C, East Antarctica

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E. Schlosser

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The correct derivation of paleotemperatures from ice cores requires exact knowledge of all processes involved before and after the deposition of snow and the subsequent formation of ice. At the Antarctic deep ice core drilling site Dome C, a unique data set of daily precipitation amount, type, and stable water isotope ratios is available that enables us to study in detail atmospheric processes that influence the stable water isotope ratio of precipitation. Meteorological data from both automatic weather station and a mesoscale atmospheric model were used to investigate how different atmospheric flow patterns determine the precipitation parameters. A classification of synoptic situations that cause precipitation at Dome C was established and, together with back-trajectory calculations, was utilized to estimate moisture source areas. With the resulting source area conditions (wind speed, sea surface temperature, and relative humidity as input, the precipitation stable isotopic composition was modeled using the so-called Mixed Cloud Isotope Model (MCIM. The model generally underestimates the depletion of 18O in precipitation, which was not improved by using condensation temperature rather than inversion temperature. Contrary to the assumption widely used in ice core studies, a more northern moisture source does not necessarily mean stronger isotopic fractionation. This is due to the fact that snowfall events at Dome C are often associated with warm air advection due to amplification of planetary waves, which considerably increases the site temperature and thus reduces the temperature difference between source area and deposition site. In addition, no correlation was found between relative humidity at the moisture source and the deuterium excess in precipitation. The significant difference in the isotopic signal of hoarfrost and diamond dust was shown to disappear after removal of seasonality. This study confirms the results of an earlier study

The influence of the synoptic regime on stable water isotopes in precipitation at Dome C, East Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Schlosser, Elisabeth; Dittmann, Anna; Stenni, Barbara; Powers, Jordan G.; Manning, Kevin W.; Masson-Delmotte, Valérie; Valt, Mauro; Cagnati, Anselmo; Grigioni, Paolo; Scarchilli, Claudio

2017-10-01

The correct derivation of paleotemperatures from ice cores requires exact knowledge of all processes involved before and after the deposition of snow and the subsequent formation of ice. At the Antarctic deep ice core drilling site Dome C, a unique data set of daily precipitation amount, type, and stable water isotope ratios is available that enables us to study in detail atmospheric processes that influence the stable water isotope ratio of precipitation. Meteorological data from both automatic weather station and a mesoscale atmospheric model were used to investigate how different atmospheric flow patterns determine the precipitation parameters. A classification of synoptic situations that cause precipitation at Dome C was established and, together with back-trajectory calculations, was utilized to estimate moisture source areas. With the resulting source area conditions (wind speed, sea surface temperature, and relative humidity) as input, the precipitation stable isotopic composition was modeled using the so-called Mixed Cloud Isotope Model (MCIM). The model generally underestimates the depletion of 18O in precipitation, which was not improved by using condensation temperature rather than inversion temperature. Contrary to the assumption widely used in ice core studies, a more northern moisture source does not necessarily mean stronger isotopic fractionation. This is due to the fact that snowfall events at Dome C are often associated with warm air advection due to amplification of planetary waves, which considerably increases the site temperature and thus reduces the temperature difference between source area and deposition site. In addition, no correlation was found between relative humidity at the moisture source and the deuterium excess in precipitation. The significant difference in the isotopic signal of hoarfrost and diamond dust was shown to disappear after removal of seasonality. This study confirms the results of an earlier study carried out at Dome

Miocene climate variations in the Moesian Platform sediments based on sedimentology and biomarkers

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Butiseaca, Geanina; Vasiliev, Iuliana; Rabagia, Traian; Dinu, Corneliu; Mulch, Andreas

2017-04-01

During the Miocene the Moesian Platform (southern Romania and northern Bulgaria) had a complicated flexural behavior due to the mobility of the nearby orogens. The different behavior induced varying sediment charges, sediment distribution and sediment types. The northern part of the study area (on which the Dacian Basin is overlaid) is characterized by siliciclastic units with dominantly deep facieses, while the southern part is characterized by carbonate production in shallower basin waters. Since the Miocene, the Dacian and Black Sea basins have been highly sensitive to fluctuations in the hydrological cycle. To establish the dynamic evolution of the basin and the climate variations during the Miocene, we have sampled both northern and southern margins of the basin. To discriminate between the tectonic imprint and the eustatic influence over the sedimentation rate we have chosen a multidisciplinary approach including sedimentology, tectonics and organic geochemistry based reconstructions. The sedimentary succession is interrupted by few unconformities correspondent with the main phases of orogeny (in the Carpathian Foredeep) while the southern part seems to have been exposed more often expressed in the geological record by a higher number of unconformities and paleo-soils levels. The n-alkanes distribution recovered from the lipids extracted from the sedimentary rocks indicates a mixture of terrestrial and marine input in the northern, Romanian, closer to Carpathians, part of the Dacian Basin. Surprisingly, the southern, Bulgarian side, showed a more predominant terrestrial input (with higher contribution of the long chain n-alkanes) at least for the Sarmatian (arround 10 Ma). The estimated paleotemperatures based on branched GDGT's indicate much warmer conditions than present day, up to a value of 20 C mean annual temperatures. We will further investigate the paleoenvironmental changes during the latest Miocene of the Dacian basin, using the biomarker approach

Testing the Role of Microbial Ecology, Redox-Mediated Deep Water Production and Hypersalinity on TEX86: Lipids and 16s Sequences from Archaea and Bacteria in the Water Column and Sediments of Orca Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, C.; Romero, I.; Ellis, G.; Goddard, E.; Krishnan, S.; Nigro, L. M.; Super, J. R.; Zhang, Y.; Zhuang, G.; Hollander, D. J.; Pagani, M.

2014-12-01

Mesophilic marine archaea and bacteria are known to substantially contribute to the oceanic microbial biomass and play critical roles in global carbon, nitrogen and nutrient cycles. The Orca Basin, a 2400 meter deep bathymetric depression on the continental slope of the north-central Gulf of Mexico, is an ideal environment to examine how redox-dependent biochemical processes control the input and cycling of bacterial and archaea-derived lipid compounds from formation in near-surface water, through secondary recycling processes operating at the redox-transition in the water column, to sedimentary diagenetic processes operating in oxic to anoxic zones within the basin. The lowermost 180 meters of the Orca Basin is characterized by an anoxic, hypersaline brine that is separated from the overlying oxic seawater by a well-defined redox sequence associated with a systematic increasing in salinity from 35 - 250‰. While surface water conditions are viewed as normal marine with a seasonally productive water column, the sub-oxic to anoxic transition zones within the deep-water column and the sediment spans over 200 m allowing the unique opportunity for discrete sampling of resident organisms and lipids. Here we present 16s rRNA sequence data of Bacteria and Archaea collected parallel to GDGT lipid profiles and in situ environmental measurements from the sediment and overlying water column in the intermediate zone of the basin, where movements of chemical transition zones are preserved. We evaluated GDGTs and corresponding taxa across the surface water, chlorophyll maximum, thermocline, and the deep redox boundary, including oxygenation, denitrification, manganese, iron and sulfate reduction zones, to determine if GDGTs are being produced under these conditions and how surface-derived GDGT lipids and the TEX86 signal may be altered. The results have implications for the application of the TEX86 paleotemperature proxy.

High-Resolution Mg/Ca Ratios in a Coralline Red Alga as a Proxy for Bering Sea Temperature Variations and Teleconnections

Science.gov (United States)

Halfar, J.; Steffen, H.; Kronz, A.; Steneck, R. S.; Adey, W.; Lebednik, P. A.

2009-05-01

We present the first continuous high-resolution record of Mg/Ca variations within an encrusting coralline red alga of the species Clathromorphum nereostratum from Amchitka Island, Aleutian Islands. Mg/Ca ratios of individual growth increments were analyzed by measuring a single point electron microprobe transect yielding a resolution of 15 samples/year on average, generating a continuous record from 1830 to 1967 of algal Mg/Ca variations. Results show that Mg/Ca ratios in the high-Mg calcite skeleton display pronounced annual cyclicity and archive late spring to late fall sea surface temperature (SST) corresponding to the main season of algal growth. Mg/Ca values correlate well to local SST (ERSSTJun-Nov, 1902-1967; r = 0.73 for 5-year mean), as well as to an air temperature record from the same region. Our data correlate well to a shorter Mg/Ca record from a second site, corroborating the ability of the alga to reliably record regional environmental signals. In addition, Mg/Ca ratios relate well to a 29-year stable oxygen isotope time series measured on the same sample, which provides additional support for the use of Mg as a paleotemperature proxy in coralline red algae, that is, unlike stable oxygen isotopes, not influenced by salinity fluctuations. High spatial correlation to large-scale SST variability in the North Pacific is observed, with patterns of strongest correlation following the direction of major oceanographic features (i.e., the signature of the Alaska Current and the Alaskan Stream), which play a key role in the exchange of water masses between the North Pacific and the Bering Sea through Aleutian Island passages. The time series further displays significant teleconnections with the signature of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation in the northeast Pacific and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation.

Climatic history of the northeastern United States during the past 3000 years

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J. R. Marlon

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Many ecosystem processes that influence Earth system feedbacks – vegetation growth, water and nutrient cycling, disturbance regimes – are strongly influenced by multidecadal- to millennial-scale climate variations that cannot be directly observed. Paleoclimate records provide information about these variations, forming the basis of our understanding and modeling of them. Fossil pollen records are abundant in the NE US, but cannot simultaneously provide information about paleoclimate and past vegetation in a modeling context because this leads to circular logic. If pollen data are used to constrain past vegetation changes, then the remaining paleoclimate archives in the northeastern US (NE US are quite limited. Nonetheless, a growing number of diverse reconstructions have been developed but have not yet been examined together. Here we conduct a systematic review, assessment, and comparison of paleotemperature and paleohydrological proxies from the NE US for the last 3000 years. Regional temperature reconstructions (primarily summer show a long-term cooling trend (1000 BCE–1700 CE consistent with hemispheric-scale reconstructions, while hydroclimate data show gradually wetter conditions through the present day. Multiple proxies suggest that a prolonged, widespread drought occurred between 550 and 750 CE. Dry conditions are also evident during the Medieval Climate Anomaly, which was warmer and drier than the Little Ice Age and drier than today. There is some evidence for an acceleration of the longer-term wetting trend in the NE US during the past century; coupled with an abrupt shift from decreasing to increasing temperatures in the past century, these changes could have wide-ranging implications for species distributions, ecosystem dynamics, and extreme weather events. More work is needed to gather paleoclimate data in the NE US to make inter-proxy comparisons and to improve estimates of uncertainty in reconstructions.

Linking the Modern and Recent Record of Cabo Frio Upwelling with Local Climate and Biogeochemical Processes in Hypersaline Coastal Lagoons, Região dos Lagos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

McKenzie, J. A.; Nascimento, G. S.; Albuquerque, A. L.; Belem, A. L.; Carreira, R.; Eglinton, T. I.; Vasconcelos, C.

2015-12-01

A unique marine and lagoonal system along the coast east of Rio de Janeiro is being investigated to understand the impact of climatic variability on the South Atlantic carbon cycle and biomineralisation processes involved in carbonate precipitation in the hypersaline coastal lagoons. The region is dominated by a semi-arid microclimate attributed to the local coastal upwelling phenomenon near Cabo Frio. The intensity of the upwelling affects the hydrology of the annual water and biogeochemical cycles in the lagoons, as well as biogeochemical signals of environmental change recorded in both onshore and offshore sediments. Preliminary results of δ18O and δD values of water samples collected monthly in Lagoa Vermelha and Brejo do Espinho from 2011 to 2014 show lower values for waters corresponding to the wet season, reflecting increased input of meteoric water. The higher values for waters collected during the dry season reflect the greater amount of evaporation with increased seasonal aridity. Radiocarbon dating of Holocene marine and lagoonal cores indicates that Mg-carbonate precipitation in the lagoons is associated with high evaporation. Modern field observations for the last 3 years suggest that the amount of carbonate precipitation is correlated with evaporitic conditions associated with the upwelling phenomenon. A calibration study of hydrogen isotopic fractionation in the modern lagoons is underway to define a relationship between δDlipid of suspended particles and δDwater of associated water. This isotopic relationship will be applied to material obtained in cores from the lagoons. Offshore cores will be studied using well-tested paleotemperature proxies to evaluate the intensity of the upwelling during the Holocene. In summary, linking the coastal upwelling with the lagoonal hydrology has the potential to furnish important insights about the relationship between the local climate and paleoceanographic circulation associated with the regional carbon cycle.

Detrital illite crystals identified from crystallite thickness measurements in siliciclastic sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Aldega, L.; Eberl, D.D.

2005-01-01

Illite crystals in siliciclastic sediments are heterogeneous assemblages of detrital material coming from various source rocks and, at paleotemperatures >70 ??C, of superimposed diagenetic modification in the parent sediment. We distinguished the relative proportions of 2M1 detrital illite and possible diagenetic 1Md + 1M illite by a combined analysis of crystal-size distribution and illite polytype quantification. We found that the proportions of 1Md + 1M and 2M1 illite could be determined from crystallite thickness measurements (BWA method, using the MudMaster program) by unmixing measured crystallite thickness distributions using theoretical and calculated log-normal and/or asymptotic distributions. The end-member components that we used to unmix the measured distributions were three asymptotic-shaped distributions (assumed to be the diagenetic component of the mixture, the 1Md + 1M polytypes) calculated using the Galoper program (Phase A was simulated using 500 crystals per cycle of nucleation and growth, Phase B = 333/cycle, and Phase C = 250/ cycle), and one theoretical log-normal distribution (Phase D, assumed to approximate the detrital 2M1 component of the mixture). In addition, quantitative polytype analysis was carried out using the RockJock software for comparison. The two techniques gave comparable results (r2 = 0.93), which indicates that the unmixing method permits one to calculate the proportion of illite polytypes and, therefore, the proportion of 2M1 detrital illite, from crystallite thickness measurements. The overall illite crystallite thicknesses in the samples were found to be a function of the relative proportions of thick 2M1 and thin 1Md + 1M illite. The percentage of illite layers in I-S mixed layers correlates with the mean crystallite thickness of the 1Md + 1M polytypes, indicating that these polytypes, rather than the 2M1 polytype, participate in I-S mixed layering.

Internal waves and modern and ancient hiatuses in pelagic caps of Pacific guyots and seamounts

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Mitchell, Neil; Simmons, Harper; Lear, Carrie

2013-04-01

Locations of recent non-deposition and ancient hiatuses in the pelagic caps of guyots and seamounts are compared with paleotemperature and physiographic information to speculate on the character of internal tidal waves in the upper Pacific Ocean through the Cenozoic. Internal tidal waves are generated where the ocean barotropic tide passes over the Hawaiian and other major ridges in the Pacific basin. Drill core and geophysical evidence for sediment accumulation, non-deposition or erosion are used to classify broadly sites as either accumulating or eroding/non-depositing in the recent geological past. When these classified sites are compared against results of a numerical model of the internal tide field (Simmons, Ocean Mod. 2008), the sites accumulating particles over the past few million years are all found to lie away from beams of the modeled internal tide, while those that have not been accumulating are in areas of high internal wave energy. Given the correspondence to modern internal wave conditions, we examine whether internal tides can explain ancient hiatuses at the drill sites. For example, Late Cenozoic pelagic caps on guyots among the Marshall Islands contain two hiatuses of broadly similar age, but the dates of the first pelagic sediments deposited following each hiatus do not correlate between guyots, suggesting that they originate not from universal factors (e.g., water chemistry) but local, probably physical factors, such as internal tides. We investigate how changing boundary conditions such as ocean temperature and basin physiography may have affected the geometry and vigour of internal tides through the Cenozoic. Changes in the geometry of ridges underlying the Solomon, Bonin and Marianas Island chains caused by plate tectonics and subsidence may be responsible for sediment hiatuses at these far-field guyot sites.

Changes in Eastern Equatorial Pacific Thermocline Structure across the Last Deglaciation: Evidence from the Carnegie Ridge

Science.gov (United States)

Glaubke, R.; Schmidt, M. W.; Warner, L.; Hertzberg, J. E.; Marcantonio, F.; Bianchi, T. S.

2017-12-01

The eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) is an important climatological region given its influence in the modulation of the El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The current climatic mean state of the EEP is characterized by cool sea surface temperatures (SST) and a strong, shallow thermocline. Nevertheless, there remains significant uncertainty about past changes in tropical Pacific climate and how ENSO variability relates to the millennial-scale climate events of the last deglaciation. Here, we will present 21 kyrs of Mg/Ca paleotemperature data from the surface-dwelling foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber and the thermocline-dwelling foraminifera Neogloboquadrina dutertrei collected from piston core MV1014-02-17JC (00° 10.83'S, 85° 52.00'W; 2846 m depth) on the Carnegie Ridge. Initial results reveal a 1.3°C warming of the surface ocean from the early-Holocene until 6 kyrs, a trend present in other EEP SST reconstructions (Pena et al., 2008; Timmerman et al., 2014; Lea et al., 2000). The surface ocean subsequently cools from 6 kyrs and reaches present-day temperatures by 3.5 kyrs. The subsurface reveals a nearly monotonic cooling of 1.8°C from 10.8 kyrs to the present day, which suggest a gradual shoaling of the thermocline across the Holocene. Furthermore, an increase in the vertical temperature gradient occurs from the late- to mid-Holocene, with the sharpest temperature difference centered at 6 kyrs, coincident with the mid-Holocene peak in SSTs. Taken together, these data suggest a gradual shoaling of the thermocline across the Holocene, with the variations in SST primarily governing the intensity of the vertical temperature gradient. Future work includes extending this record back to the last glacial maximum (LGM) to assess tropical Pacific mean state change across the abrupt climate events that characterized the last deglaciation.

Stratigraphy on Oxygen and Carbon Isotope of Paciran Formation East Java

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Premonowati; R P Koesoemadinata; Harsono-Pringgoprawiro; Wahyoe-S-Hantoro

2004-01-01

Paleotemperature fluctuation in tropical zone (centennial and decad al scale) has been known. It's based on stable isotopic analysis from each of unconformity zones. Those boundaries have derived on reef units of shallows marine reef complex of Paciran Formation, Tuban area in Northeast Java Basin. From 25 samples have been choosen on undeformed calcite and analyzed by oxygen and carbon stable isotope. It used to validizing a sea level changes during the formation to Reef 1 to Reef 17 from Paciran formation with sea surface temperature (SST) since 4 Ma until now. On early forming of Reef 1 to Reef 3 (since 4 Ma - 2,88 Ma), sea level occurred marine flooding surface. Since the formation of reef 4 (2,59 Ma) to Reef 8 (1,4 Ma) occurred stagnant temperature and almost to warmer condition. Then, δ 18 O have arise up drastically to 5 0/00 and shows warmer condition to Reef 8 formation, in contrary, the sea level have been arised to Reef 10 formation (0,7 Ma). The temperature have been fluctuated between 0,5 o and 1 o C until the formation of Reef 17 (Early Holocene) and continued to Reef 17 formation at 2 o C based on the rapidity sampling of Po rites sp. Wholly, in centennial scale, since the formation of Reef 4 (2,59 Ma) to Reef 17 (1 Ma), the curve of oxygen stable isotope shows decrease or cooler condition. Those condition have conducted to sea level drop since the formation to Reef 7 and Reef 8. There are 4 periods of interglacial since the formation of Reef 4. The warmer condition indicated since the formation of Reef 9, Reef 11 and Reef 17. Recently, a curve of oxygen isotopes reveals warmer drastically or sea level have been arisen. (author)

Dependence of the cyclization of branched tetraethers (CBT) on soil moisture in the Chinese Loess Plateau and the adjacent areas: implications for palaeorainfall reconstructions

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Wang, H.; Liu, W.; Zhang, C. L.

2014-06-01

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (bGDGTs) have been show promising for continental paleotemperature studies in loess-paleosol sequences (LPSs). Thus far, however, little is known about the effect of soil moisture on their distributions on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). In this study, the relationships between environmental variables and the cyclization of bGDGTs (the so called CBT index) were investigated in a comprehensive set of surface soils in the CLP and its adjacent arid/semi-arid areas. We find that CBT correlates best with soil water content (SWC) or mean annual precipitation (MAP) for the total sample set. Particularly for the CLP soils, there is a significant positive relationship between CBT and MAP (CBT = -0.0021 · MAP + 1.7, n = 37, R2 = 0.87; MAP range: 210-680 mm). This indicates that CBT is mainly controlled by soil moisture in the alkalescent soils (pH > 7) in arid/semi-arid regions, where it is not sensitive to soil pH. Therefore, we suggest that CBT can potentially be used as a palaeorainfall proxy on the CLP. According to the preliminary CBT-MAP relationship for modern CLP soils, palaeorainfall history was reconstructed from three LPSs (Yuanbao, Lantian, and Mangshan) with published bGDGT data spanning the past 70 ka. The CBT-derived MAP records of the three sites consistently show precession-driven variations resembling the speleothem δ18O monsoon record, and are also in general accord with the fluctuations of the respective magnetic susceptibility (MS) record, supporting CBT as a reasonable proxy for palaeorainfall reconstruction in LPS studies. Moreover, the comparison of CBT-derived MAP and bGDGT-derived temperature may enable us to further assess the relative timing and magnitude of hydrological and thermal changes on the CLP, independent of chronology.

Terrestrial mollusk records from Chinese loess sequences and changes in the East Asian monsoonal environment

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Naiqin; Li, Fengjiang; Rousseau, Denis-Didier

2018-04-01

The terrestrial mollusk fossils found in Chinese loess strata have been studied for over one hundred years. However, the greatest progress in these studies has been made only in the last two decades. In this paper, we review the advancements, advantages and limitations of terrestrial mollusk studies in Chinese loess deposits. Improvements in research methods and approaches have allowed the extraction of more detailed paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic information from mollusk assemblages. The broadened research scope and content have yielded many new findings and results. The mollusk record has thus become one of the most important proxies in the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstruction of loess-paleosol sequences in China. The greatest progress in the studies of terrestrial mollusks in Chinese loess sequences can be summarized as follows: (1) modern mollusk assemblages can be classified into four ecotypes, based on their temperature and humidity requirements, including eurytopic, semi-aridiphilous and sub-humidiphilous, cold-aridiphilous, and thermo-humidiphilous types; (2) Quaternary mollusk assemblages can be modified into the following three ecological types: glacial loess, interglacial paleosol, and interstadial weakly-developed paleosol assemblages; (3) mollusk records successfully reveal long-term climatic and environmental changes reflective of the history of East Asian monsoonal variations since the Late Cenozoic, and the succession of mollusk species also indicate short-term environmental changes such as millennial climate variability during Last Glacial Maximum and unstable climatic fluctuations during glacial and interglacial periods; and (4) more recently, new analytical approaches have offered increased research potential in areas such as paleotemperature reconstruction using the isotopic compositions of modern and fossil mollusk shells, combined with higher accuracy 14C dating of Quaternary loess deposits, which will greatly improve

Temperature and vital effect controls on Bamboo coral (Isididae) isotopegeochemistry: A test of the "lines method"

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hill, T M; Spero, H J; Guilderson, T P; LaVigne, M; Clague, D; Macalello, S; Jang, N

2011-03-01

Deep-sea bamboo corals hold promise as long-term climatic archives, yet little information exists linking bamboo coral geochemistry to measured environmental parameters. This study focuses on a suite of 10 bamboo corals collected from the Pacific and Atlantic basins (250-2136 m water depth) to investigate coral longevity, growth rates, and isotopic signatures. Calcite samples for stable isotopes and radiocarbon were collected from the base the corals, where the entire history of growth is recorded. In three of the coral specimens, samples were also taken from an upper branch for comparison. Radiocarbon and growth band width analyses indicate that the skeletal calcite precipitates from ambient dissolved inorganic carbon and that the corals live for 150-300 years, with extension rates of 9-128 {micro}m/yr. A linear relationship between coral calcite {delta}{sup 18}O and {delta}{sup 13}C indicates that the isotopic composition is influenced by vital effects ({delta}{sup 18}O:{delta}{sup 13}C slope of 0.17-0.47). As with scleractinian deep-sea corals, the intercept from a linear regression of {delta}{sup 18}O versus {delta}{sup 13}C is a function of temperature, such that a reliable paleotemperature proxy can be obtained, using the 'lines method.' Although the coral calcite {delta}{sup 18}O:{delta}{sup 13}C slope is maintained throughout the coral base ontogeny, the branches and central cores of the bases exhibit {delta}{sup 18}O:{delta}{sup 13}C values that are shifted far from equilibrium. We find that a reliable intercept value can be derived from the {delta}{sup 18}O:{delta}{sup 13}C regression of multiple samples distributed throughout one specimen or from multiple samples within individual growth bands.

Holocene soil pH changes and East Asian summer monsoon evolution derived from loess brGDGTs in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Y.; Sun, Q.; Zhao, H.

2017-12-01

GDGTs-based proxies have been used successfully to reconstruct paleo-temperature from loess-paleosol sequences during the past few years. However, the pH variations of loess sediments derived from GDGTs covering the geological history remain poorly constrained. Here we present two pH records spanning the last 12 ka (1ka=1000years) based on the modified cyclization ratio index (CBT') of the branched GDGTs using regional CBT'-pH empirical relationship from two well-dated loess-paleosol sections (YWY14 and SHD09) in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The results indicate that a slightly alkaline condition occurred during 12 8.5 ka with pH values ranging from 6.98 to 7.24, then CBT'-derived pH decreased from 8.5 to 6.5 ka with values from 7.19 to 6.49 and gradually increased thereafter. The reconstructed pH values from topmost samples can be well compared with instrumental pH values of the surrounding surface soil. The lowest intervals of CBT'-derived pH values during the mid-Holocene in our records are consistent with the results of highest tree pollen percentage from the adjacent lake sediments and regional weakest aeolian activities, which reveals that the moisture maximum during that period, but conflicted with previous results of the wettest early-Holocene inferred from speleothem or ostracod shell oxygen isotope (δ18O) values. Taking together, we conclude that Holocene humidity evolution (wettest middle Holocene) in response to the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) changes exerts important control on pH variations of loess deposits in northeastern Tibetan Plateau. CBT'-derived pH variations can be potentially used as an indicator of EASM evolution reconstructions. In addition, we argue that speleothem or ostracod shell δ18O records are essentially a signal of the isotopic composition of precipitations rather than EASM intensity.

Climatic Change, Wars and Dynastic Cycles in China Over the Last Millennium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, D.D.; Jim, C.Y.; Lin, G.C.S.; Wang, J.J.; Lee, H.F. [Department of Geography, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong (China); He, Yuan-Qing [CAREERI, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000 (China)

2006-06-15

In recent years, the phenomenon of global warming and its implications for the future of the human race have been intensively studied. In contrast, few quantitative studies have been attempted on the notable effects of past climatic changes upon human societies. This study explored the relationship between climatic change and war in China by comparing high-resolution paleo-climatic reconstructions with known war incidences in China in the last millennium. War frequencies showed a cyclic pattern that closely followed the global paleo-temperature changes. Strong and significant correlations were found between climatic change, war occurrence, harvest level, population size and dynastic transition. During cold phases, China suffered more often from frequent wars, population decline and dynastic changes. The quantitative analyses suggested that the reduction of thermal energy input during a cold phase would lower the land carrying capacity in the traditional agrarian society, and the population size, with significant accretions accrued in the previous warm phase, could not be sustained by the shrinking resource base. The stressed human-nature relationship generated a 'push force', leading to more frequent wars between states, regions and tribes, which could lead to the collapse of dynasties and collapses of human population size. War frequencies varied according to geographical locations (North, Central and South China) due to spatial variations in the physical environment and hence differential response to climatic change. Moreover, war occurrences demonstrated an obvious time lag after an episode of temperature fall, and the three geographical regions experienced different length of time lags. This research also shows that human population increases and collapses were correlated with the climatic phases and the social instabilities that were induced by climate changes during the last millennium. The findings proposed a new interpretation of human

Seasonal variation of fatty acids from drip water in Heshang Cave, central China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xiuli; Wang Canfa; Huang Junhua; Hu Chaoyong; Xie Shucheng

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → A 2-year monitoring to investigate the seasonal variation of fatty acids in cave drip water. → Microbes are the dominant source for fatty acids in drip water. → The relative abundance of mono-unsaturated responds negatively with external air temperature. - Abstract: In order to investigate how lipids in cave water respond to seasonal climate change, drip water samples were collected from 2006 to 2008 in Heshang Cave, central China for fatty acid analysis. These lipids are abundant in the drip water. Their compositions are dominated by lower-molecular-weight nC16:0, nC18:0 and nC14:0 acids, together with mono-unsaturated nC18:1, nC16:1 and nC14:1. Analysis of one water sample revealed marked differences between the dissolved and particulate fractions. The dissolved fraction contains total fatty acids one order of magnitude higher than that of the particulate fraction. The distributional patterns of the fatty acids suggest that microbes living in the overlying soils and/or groundwater system contribute most fatty acids to the drip water. This 2-a monitoring experiment reveals that the abundance of mono-unsaturated fatty acids relative to the saturated homologues (nC16:1/nC16:0 and nC18:1/nC18:0) relate inversely to the changes of synchronous external air temperature. Higher values occur under cold conditions (winter/spring), while lower values appear in warm intervals (summer). Further studies are needed to elucidate the dynamic processes by which the external temperature affects fatty acids in drip water and to confirm the potential application of fatty acid ratios such as nC16:1/nC16:0 and nC18:1/nC18:0 in paleotemperature reconstructions.

Geological Dating by 40 Ar - 39 Ar method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vollbert Romero, M.E.

1992-01-01

The isotope 40 K is radioactive, it decays to 40 Ar stable. The number of 40 Ar atoms produced from 40 K, permits to calculate the date of rocks and minerals. This dating technique is named 'Conventional K-Ar Dating Method'. The 40 Ar - 39 Ar dating method permits to calculate the age of rocks and minerals eliminating the limitation of the K-Ar method by calculating potassium and argon concentrations in a single measurement of the ratio of argon isotopes. In this work, the irradiation of the sample with fast neutrons in the nuclear reactor was established. 39 Ar is obtained from the induced reaction 39 K (n,p) 39 Ar. Thus the ration of 40 Ar - 39 Ar allows to obtain the date of rocks and minerals. This ratio was measured in a mass spectrometer. If the measurement of argon concentration in the sample is carried out at different increasing temperature values, it is possible to get information of paleotemperatures. The number of atoms 39 Ar is a function of the number 39 K atoms, irradiation time, neutrons flux, its energy E and the capture cross section σ of 39 K. These parameters are calculate indirectly by obtaining the so called 'J value ' by using a standard mineral with known age (HD-BI y Biot-133), this mineral is irradiated together with the unknown age sample. The values of 'J' obtained are in the interval of 2.85 a 3.03 (x 10 - 3)J/h. Rocks from 'Tres Virgenes' were dated by the method described in this work, showing an agreement with previous values of different authors. The age of this rocks are from Cenozoico era, mainly in the miocene period. (Author)

Scottish Sea Lochs: High Resolution Archives of North Atlantic Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Norgaard-Pedersen, N.; Austin, W. E.; Cage, A. G.; Shimmield, T. M.; Gillibrand, P. A.

2002-12-01

The sea lochs (fjords) of NW Scotland bridge the land-ocean interface in a region of Europe which is particularly well situated to monitor changes in westerly air flow. Inter-annual atmospheric circulation changes at this latitude are largely governed by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), in turn influencing both westerlies and precipitation. Comparing two extreme recent NAO years, circulation modelling results from Loch Sunart, NW Scotland, reveal a clear response to freshwater runoff and wind forcing in both magnitude and rate of deep-water renewal events. Scottish fjords, because of the relatively small impact which salinity has on d18Owater (0.18 % per salinity unit), potentially provide NW Europe's most useful study sites in coastal palaeoclimate research, particularly where palaeotemperature is the primary record of interest. New data from a high-resolution record (7 yr sample resolution), spanning the last two millennia, from the deepest part of the main basin of Loch Sunart illustrate significant multi-decadal to centennial scale variability in the sedimentary and stable isotope record of epibenthic foraminifera Cibicides lobatulus. The long-term pattern in benthic d18O appears to reflect bottom water temperature differences of 1-2§C, resolving climatic periods such as the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. Since the core site is connected with shelf waters (i.e. no shallow sill) it seems likely that this paleotemperature reflects changing shelf water, not the exchange process as a function of long-term runoff/wind forcing. Grain size data and XRF data point to catchment-wide responses (weathering and erosion) which appear to show the largest variability during the last millennium, driven either by rainfall and temperature and/or land-use. Pb-isotope data, constraining the modern and industrial period, suggest accelerated sedimentation rates over this interval. On-going work attempts to calibrate proxy data with instrumental historical data.

Environmental controls on the 2H/1H values of terrestrial leaf waxes in the eastern Canadian Arctic

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Shanahan, Timothy M.; Hughen, Konrad A.; Ampel, Linda; Sauer, Peter E.; Fornace, Kyrstin

2013-10-01

The hydrogen isotope composition of plant waxes preserved in lacustrine sediments is a potentially valuable tool for reconstructing paleoenvironmental changes in the Arctic. However, in contrast to the mid- and low-latitudes, significantly less effort has been directed towards understanding the factors controlling D/H fractionation in high latitude plant waxes and the impact of these processes on the interpretation of sedimentary leaf wax δD records. To better understand these processes, we examined the D/H ratios of long chain fatty acids in lake surface sediments spanning a temperature and precipitation gradient on Baffin Island in the eastern Canadian Arctic. D/H ratios of plant waxes increase with increasing temperature and aridity, with values ranging from -240‰ to -160‰ over the study area. Apparent fractionation factors between n-alkanoic acids in Arctic lake sediments and precipitation(εFA-ppt) are less negative than those of mid-latitude lakes and modern plants by 25‰ to 65‰, consistent with n-alkane data from modern Arctic plants (Yang et al., 2011). Furthermore, εFA-ppt values from Arctic lakes become systematically more positive with increasing evaporation, in contrast to mid-latitude sites, which show little to no change in fractionation with aridity. These data are consistent with enhanced water loss and isotope fractionation at higher latitude in the Arctic summer, when continuous sunlight supports increased daily photosynthesis. The dominant control on δDFA variations on Baffin Island is temperature. However, changing εFA-ppt result in steeper δDFA-temperature relationships than observed for modern precipitation. The application of this δDFA-based paleotemperature calibration to existing δDFA records from Baffin Island produces much more realistic changes in late Holocene temperature and highlights the importance of these effects in influencing the interpretation of Arctic δDFA records. A better understanding of the controls on

Burial and thermal history simulation of the Abu Rudeis-Sidri oil field, Gulf of Suez-Egypt: A 1D basin modeling study

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Awadalla, Ahmed; Hegab, Omar A.; Ahmed, Mohammed A.; Hassan, Saad

2018-02-01

An integrated 1D model on seven wells has been performed to simulate the multi-tectonic phases and multiple thermal regimes in the Abu Rudeis-Sidri oilfield. Concordance between measured and calculated present-day temperatures is achieved with present-day heat flows in the range of 42-55 mW/m2. Reconstruction of the thermal and burial histories provides information on the paleotemperature profiles, the timing of thermal activation as well as the effect of the Oligo-Miocene rifting phases and its associated magmatic activity. The burial histories show the pre-rift subsidence was progressive but modest, whereas the syn-rift was more rapid (contemporaneous with the main rifting phases and basin formation). Finally, the early post-rift thermal subsidence was slow to moderate in contrast to the late post-rift thermal subsidence which was moderate to rapid. The simulated paleo heat flow illustrates a steady state for the pre-rift phase and non-steady state (transient) for syn-rift and postrift phases. Three geothermal regimes are recognized, each of which is associated with a specific geological domain. 1) A lower geothermal regime reflects the impact of stable tectonics (pre-rift). 2) The higher temperature distribution reflects the syn-rift high depositional rate as well as the impact of stretching and thinning (rifting phases) of the lithosphere. 3) A local higher geothermal pulse owing to the magmatic activity during the Oligo-Miocene time (ARM-1 and Sidri-7 wells). Paleoheat flow values of 100mW/m2 (Oligo-Miocene rifting phase) increased to 120mW/m2 (Miocene rifting phase) and lesser magnitude of 80mW/m2 (Mio- Pliocene reactivation phase) have been specified. These affected the thermal regime and temperature distribution by causing perturbations in subsurface temperatures. A decline in the background value of 60mW/m2 owing to conductive cooling has been assigned. The blanketing effect caused by low thermal conductivity of the basin-fill sediments has been simulated

Genetic Diversity of Globally Dispersed Lacustrine Group I Haptophytes: Implications for Quantitative Temperature Reconstructions

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Richter, N.; Longo, W. M.; Amaral-Zettler, L. A.; Huang, Y.

2017-12-01

I haptophytes appear to display consistent responses to temperature changes, and thus can be used for paleotemperature reconstructions with a universally defined calibration.

Using tetraether lipids archived in North Sea Basin sediments to extract North Western European Pliocene continental air temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Dearing Crampton-Flood, Emily; Peterse, Francien; Munsterman, Dirk; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S.

2018-05-01

The Pliocene is often regarded as a suitable analogue for future climate, due to an overall warmer climate (2-3 °C) coupled with atmospheric CO2 concentrations largely similar to present values (∼400 ppmv). Numerous Pliocene sea surface temperature (SST) records are available, however, little is known about climate in the terrestrial realm. Here we generated a Pliocene continental temperature record for Northwestern Europe based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (brGDGT) membrane lipids stored in a marine sedimentary record from the western Netherlands. The total organic carbon (TOC) content of the sediments and its stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13Corg) indicate a strong transition from primarily marine derived organic matter (OM) during the Pliocene, to predominantly terrestrially derived OM after the transition into the Pleistocene. This trend is supported by the ratio of branched and isoprenoid tetraethers (BIT index). The marine-terrestrial transition indicates a likely change in brGDGT sources in the core, which may complicate the applicability of the brGDGT paleotemperature proxy in this setting. Currently, the application of the brGDGT-based paleothermometer on coastal marine sediments has been hampered by a marine overprint. Here, we propose a method to disentangle terrestrial and marine sources based on the degree of cyclization of tetramethylated brGDGTs (#rings) using a linear mixing model based on the global soil calibration set and a newly developed coastal marine temperature transfer function. Application of this method on our brGDGT record resulted in a 'corrected' terrestrial temperature record (MATterr). This latter record indicates that continental temperatures were ∼12-14 °C during the Early Pliocene, and 10.5-12 °C during the Mid Pliocene, confirming other Pliocene pollen based terrestrial temperature estimates from Northern and Central Europe. Furthermore, two colder (Δ 5-7 °C) periods in the Pliocene MATterr

Fossil Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) as Paleothermometers in the African Tropics

Science.gov (United States)

Eggermont, H.; Heiri, O.; Russell, J.; Vuille, M.; Audenaert, L.; Klaassen, G.; Verschuren, D.

2008-12-01

Reconstruction of Africa's temperature history from natural climate archives such as lake sediments is essential to amend the current scarcity of information on natural tropical climate and ecosystem variability. Chironomids are well-established paleothermometers in north-temperate/boreal regions, but their potential in tropical lakes has never before been assessed. We surveyed sub-fossil chironomid assemblages in surface sediments from 65 lakes and permanent pools in southwestern Uganda and central/southern Kenya, spanning elevations between 489 and 4575 m asl. Using various subsets of lakes and corresponding Surface-Water Temperatures (SWTemp) and Mean Annual Air Temperatures (MATemp), we developed a series of inference models for quantitative paleotemperature reconstruction. Models using both low-, mid- and high-elevation sites suffer to some extent from the small number of samples between 2500 and 3500 m asl, and from the presence of ecologically distinct but morphologically indistinguishable taxa. Models confined to mountain sites produce poorer error statistics, but are less prone to the biogeographical and taxonomic complexities associated with long climatic gradients. Overall, error statistics compare favourably with those of inference models developed for temperate regions, indicating that fossil assemblages of African Chironomidae can be valuable indicators of past temperature change. We subsequently used these models to evaluate whether high-elevation lakes in the Rwenzori Mountains (>3000 m asl) have been impacted by climate warming in recent centuries by comparing temperatures inferred from chironomid assemblages in modern sediments with those derived from chironomid assemblages in sediments deposited within or briefly after the Little Ice Age (1270-1850 AD). Depending on the model used, between 44 and 63% of the 16 lakes studied indicate significantly warmer temperatures in recent times (corresponding with an average MATemp rise of 0.88 ° C, and

Isotope effects in the evaporation of water: a status report of the Craig-Gordon model.

Science.gov (United States)

Horita, Juske; Rozanski, Kazimierz; Cohen, Shabtai

2008-03-01

The Craig-Gordon model (C-G model) [H. Craig, L.I. Gordon. Deuterium and oxygen 18 variations in the ocean and the marine atmosphere. In Stable Isotopes in Oceanographic Studies and Paleotemperatures, E. Tongiorgi (Ed.), pp. 9-130, Laboratorio di Geologia Nucleare, Pisa (1965).] has been synonymous with the isotope effects associated with the evaporation of water from surface waters, soils, and vegetations, which in turn constitutes a critical component of the global water cycle. On the occasion of the four decades of its successful applications to isotope geochemistry and hydrology, an attempt is made to: (a) examine its physical background within the framework of modern evaporation models, (b) evaluate our current knowledge of the environmental parameters of the C-G model, and (c) comment on a general strategy for the use of these parameters in field applications. Despite its simplistic representation of evaporation processes at the water-air interface, the C-G model appears to be adequate to provide the isotopic composition of the evaporation flux. This is largely due to its nature for representing isotopic compositions (a ratio of two fluxes of different isotopic water molecules) under the same environmental conditions. Among many environmental parameters that are included in the C-G model, accurate description and calculations are still problematic of the kinetic isotope effects that occur in a diffusion-dominated thin layer of air next to the water-air interface. In field applications, it is of importance to accurately evaluate several environmental parameters, particularly the relative humidity and isotopic compositions of the 'free-atmosphere', for a system under investigation over a given time-scale of interest (e.g., hourly to daily to seasonally). With a growing interest in the studies of water cycles of different spatial and temporal scales, including paleoclimate and water resource studies, the importance and utility of the C-G model is also likely to

The Biological Nature of Geochemical Proxies: algal symbionts affect coral skeletal chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, K.; Cohen, A. L.; Shimizu, N.

2001-12-01

model provides a framework for understanding the role of biology in determining coral skeletal chemistry and an explanation for anomalous Sr/Ca-based paleotemperature derivations.

Reconstructing paleo-precipitation amounts using a terrestrial hydrologic model: Lake Titicaca and the Salar de Uyuni, Peru and Bolivia

Science.gov (United States)

Nunnery, J. A.; Baker, P. A.; Coe, M. T.; Fritz, S. C.

2010-12-01

The Peruvian/Bolivian Altiplano has provided many information-rich records bearing on the history of the South American summer monsoon (SASM), a large-scale circulation system that is responsible for much of the precipitation over the Amazon basin and the southern tropics and subtropics. Examples of these paleoclimate time series include long, drill core records from Lake Titicaca (extending back to ca. 400 Ka, Fritz et al., 2007), the long drill core record from Salar de Uyuni (> 250 Ka, Baker et al., 2001; Fritz et al., 2004), paleo-lake level records from the Salar de Uyuni (e.g. Bills et al., 2004; Placzek et al, 2006); drill core records from the Rio Desaguadero valley (Rigsby et al., 2003), and ice core records from Quelccaya, Illimani, and Sajama (Thompson et al., 2000; Ramirez et al., 2003). Several previous studies using energy and water balance models have been applied to these records in attempts to provide quantitative constraints on paleo-temperature and paleo-precipitation (e.g. Kessler, 1984; Hastenrath and Kutzbach, 1985; Cross et al, 2001; Rowe and Dunbar, 2004; Arnold, 2002; Blodgett et al., 1997). For example, Blodgett et al. concluded that high paleolake stands in the Bolivian Altiplano, dated at ca. 16,000 cal. Yr BP (Bills et al., 1994) required precipitation 20% higher than modern at temperatures 5°C colder than modern. However, their model did not take into account the major overflow from Lake Titicaca. Using the THMB hydrologic model, we show that overflow from Lake Titicaca is necessary to produce and sustain large lakes in the Salar de Uyuni basin. This hydrological connection (via the Rio Desaguadero) between the northern and southern Altiplano likely was only established about 60,000 years ago. Prior to that, there were no sustained, large and deep paleolakes on the southern Altiplano. Rather, drill core evidence indicates a very long sequence of shallow, hypersaline lakes and playas.

New Environmentalconditions Responsible for the amount of mg Incorporated in Biogenic Carbonates

Science.gov (United States)

Zuddas, P.; Cherchi, A.; DeGiudici, G. B.; Buosi, C.

2012-12-01

The composition of carbonate minerals formed in past and present oceans is assumed to be significantly controlled by temperature and seawater composition. Several kinetic laboratory investigations have suggested that the temperature is kinetically responsible for the amount of Mg incorporated in both abiotic and biogenic calcites and that variation of kinetic reaction mechanism resulting from the temperature changes are correlated with the variable amount of Mg incorporated in calcites. These results explain why in present-day marine carbonates low-Mg calcite cements are mainly associated with cool water while high-Mg carbonates are dominantly found in warm-water environments. An apparent inverse relationship between the global average paleo-temperature and the Mg/Ca ratio is however observed in the past formed marine carbonate. This apparent contradiction has been interpreted as resulting from a possible changing in the relative seawater geochemical cycles of these cations. Recent monitoring of costal areas in presence of heavy metals and CO2 released from industrial polluted area reveals the presence of porcelanaceous miliolids infested by microscopic boring microflora (cyanobacteria, algae and fungi). Here, benthonic foraminifera have Mg/Ca molar ratio by one order of magnitude higher when compared to the average value of the same genus living under uncontaminated environments. A similar behaviour has been found for Zn, Cd and Pb. In these contaminated environments, temperature and average major seawater composition remain constant, while PCO2 partial pressure (estimated by pH and alkalinity using the ion pairing model) is 3-5 times higher than the average for the open sea nearby. Geochemical models predicts that CO2 increase is affecting carbonate saturation state of surface water in the twenty-first century indicating that calcareous organisms may have difficulty calcifying leading to production of weaker skeletons and greater vulnerability to erosion. The

Increased Amazon freshwater discharge during late Heinrich Stadial 1

Science.gov (United States)

Crivellari, Stefano; Chiessi, Cristiano Mazur; Kuhnert, Henning; Häggi, Christoph; da Costa Portilho-Ramos, Rodrigo; Zeng, Jing-Ying; Zhang, Yancheng; Schefuß, Enno; Mollenhauer, Gesine; Hefter, Jens; Alexandre, Felipe; Sampaio, Gilvan; Mulitza, Stefan

2018-02-01

The temporal succession of changes in Amazonian hydroclimate during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1) (ca. 18-14.7 cal ka BP) is currently poorly resolved. Here we present HS1 records based on isotope, inorganic and organic geochemistry from a marine sediment core influenced by the Amazon River discharge. Our records offer a detailed reconstruction of the changes in Amazonian hydroclimate during HS1, integrated over the basin. We reconstructed surface water hydrography using stable oxygen isotopes (δ18O) and Mg/Ca-derived paleotemperatures from the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber, as well as salinity changes based on stable hydrogen isotope (δD) of palmitic acid. We also analyzed branched and isoprenoid tetraether concentrations, and compared them to existing bulk sediment ln(Fe/Ca) data and vegetation reconstruction based on stable carbon isotopes from n-alkanes, in order to understand the relationship between continental precipitation, vegetation and sediment production. Our results indicate a two-phased HS1 (HS1a and HS1b). During HS1a (18-16.9 cal ka BP), a first sudden increase of sea surface temperatures (SST) in the western equatorial Atlantic correlated with the slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the associated southern hemisphere warming phase of the bipolar seesaw. This phase was also characterized by an increased delivery of terrestrial material. During HS1b (16.9-14.8 cal ka BP), a decrease in terrestrial input was, however, associated with a marked decline of seawater δ18O and palmitic acid δD. Both isotopic proxies independently indicate a drop in sea surface salinity (SSS). A number of records under the influence of the North Brazil Current, in contrast, indicate increases in SST and SSS resulting from a weakened AMOC during HS1. Our records thus suggest that the expected increase in SSS due to the AMOC slowdown was overridden by a two-phased positive precipitation anomaly in Amazonian hydroclimate.

Alkenone-based reconstructions reveal four-phase Holocene temperature evolution for High Arctic Svalbard

Science.gov (United States)

van der Bilt, Willem G. M.; D'Andrea, William J.; Bakke, Jostein; Balascio, Nicholas L.; Werner, Johannes P.; Gjerde, Marthe; Bradley, Raymond S.

2018-03-01

Situated at the crossroads of major oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns, the Arctic is a key component of Earth's climate system. Compounded by sea-ice feedbacks, even modest shifts in the region's heat budget drive large climate responses. This is highlighted by the observed amplified response of the Arctic to global warming. Assessing the imprint and signature of underlying forcing mechanisms require paleoclimate records, allowing us to expand our knowledge beyond the short instrumental period and contextualize ongoing warming. However, such datasets are scarce and sparse in the Arctic, limiting our ability to address these issues. Here, we present two quantitative Holocene-length paleotemperature records from the High Arctic Svalbard archipelago, situated in the climatically sensitive Arctic North Atlantic. Temperature estimates are based on U37K unsaturation ratios from sediment cores of two lakes. Our data reveal a dynamic Holocene temperature evolution, with reconstructed summer lake water temperatures spanning a range of ∼6-8 °C, and characterized by four phases. The Early Holocene was marked by an early onset (∼10.5 ka cal. BP) of insolation-driven Hypsithermal conditions, likely compounded by strengthening oceanic heat transport. This warm interval was interrupted by cooling between ∼10.5-8.3 ka cal. BP that we attribute to cooling effects from the melting Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. Temperatures declined throughout the Middle Holocene, following a gradual trend that was accentuated by two cooling steps between ∼7.8-7 ka cal. BP and around ∼4.4-4.3 ka cal. BP. These transitions coincide with a strengthening influence of Arctic water and sea-ice in the adjacent Fram Strait. During the Late Holocene (past 4 ka), temperature change decoupled from the still-declining insolation, and fluctuated around comparatively cold mean conditions. By showing that Holocene Svalbard temperatures were governed by an alternation of forcings, this study

The relationship between humans and climate across the North Atlantic: what can lacustrine biomarkers tell us?

Science.gov (United States)

de Wet, G.; Castañeda, I. S.; Bradley, R. S.; Small, G.; Barrasso, T.

2016-12-01

While climate change has been implicated in the colonization/population dynamics of the North Atlantic region, researchers in many cases are forced to compare archaeological data with distant paleoclimate records, making these linkages tenuous. Our research utilizes novel organic biomarkers in lacustrine sediments to produce paired paleoclimate and human occupancy reconstructions to better address questions surrounding human migration and climate change. Here we present preliminary results from two prominent locations in the history of the European colonization of the North Atlantic. The first, carried out on the Norse "Eastern Settlement" in Southern Greenland, attempts to answer the long-standing question of whether climate change caused the demise of the colony in the 1400s C.E. Second, we use similar techniques to search for evidence of the first peopling of the Faroe Islands, a highly debated topic. The use of lacustrine biomarkers allows for numerous aspects of both paleoclimate and human presence in a catchment to be reconstructed. We reconstruct paleotemperatures using branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) and alkenones (the UK37 Index), when present. Additionally, will analyze the difference in the hydrogen isotopic composition of long and short-chain plant leaf waxes as a proxy for lake water balance. Human occupancy in the region is investigated using fecal sterols and stanols, primarily created by the breakdown of cholesterol. Some of these compounds, such as coprostanol (the dominant sterol in human waste), provide strong evidence of human settlements and have been identified in some of our lake records. Our preliminary results suggest that temperatures were increasing in SW Greenland during the period when the Norse are thought to have died out, potentially challenging the long-standing view of climate deterioration being the primary cause of their demise. Primary productivity biomarkers from lake Eidisvatnet, in the Faroe Islands

Sr/Ca ratios in cold-water corals - a 'low-resolution' temperature archive?

Science.gov (United States)

Rüggeberg, Andres; Riethdorf, Jan-Rainer; Raddatz, Jacek; López Correa, Matthias; Montagna, Paolo; Dullo, Wolf-Christian; Freiwald, André

2010-05-01

by the calcification rate of the organism. However, the Sr/Ca-temperature relation of our L. pertusa specimens suggest, that mean values are more reliable for temperature reconstruction along a larger temperature range than local high-resolution investigations. Additionally, our results plot on same line of Sr/Ca-temperature relationship like tropical corals indicating a similar behaviour of element incorporation during calcification. References: Adkins JF, Boyle EA (1997) Changing atmospheric ∆14C and the record of deep water paleoventilation ages. Paleoceanography 12:337-344 Blamart D, Rollion-Bard C, Cuif J-P, Juillet-Leclerc A, Lutringer A, Weering Tv, Henriet J-P (2005) C and O isotopes in a deep-sea coral (Lophelia pertusa) related to skeletal microstructure. In: Freiwald A, Roberts JM (eds) Cold-water Corals and Ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, p 1005-1020 Cohen AL, Gaetani GA, Lundälv T, Corliss BH, George RY (2006) Compositional variability in a cold-water scleractinian, Lophelia pertusa: New insights into vital effects. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 7:Q12004, doi:12010.11029/12006GC001354 López Correa M, Montagna P, Rüggeberg A, McCulloch M, Taviani M, Freiwald A (2008) Trace elements and stable isotopes in recent North Atlantic Lophelia pertusa along a latitudal gradient and from fossil Mediterranean sites. ASLO 2008 Summer Meeting, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada, 08.06.-13.06.2008, p. 47 Lutringer A, Blamart D, Frank N, Labeyrie L (2005) Paleotemperatures from deep-sea corals: scale effects. In: Freiwald A, Roberts JM (eds) Cold-water Corals and Ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, p 1081-1096 Montagna P, López-Correa M, Rüggeberg A, McCulloch M, Rodolfo-Metalpa R, Dullo W-C, Ferrier-Pagès C, Freiwald A, Henderson G, Mazzoli C, Russo S, Silenzi S, Taviani M (2008) Coral Li/Ca in micro-structural domains as a temperature proxy. Goldschmidt Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Rüggeberg A

The Antarctic Centennial Oscillation: A Natural Paleoclimate Cycle in the Southern Hemisphere That Influences Global Temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Jackson Davis

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We report a previously-unexplored natural temperature cycle recorded in ice cores from Antarctica—the Antarctic Centennial Oscillation (ACO—that has oscillated for at least the last 226 millennia. Here we document the properties of the ACO and provide an initial assessment of its role in global climate. We analyzed open-source databases of stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen as proxies for paleo-temperatures. We find that centennial-scale spectral peaks from temperature-proxy records at Vostok over the last 10,000 years occur at the same frequencies (±2.4% in three other paleoclimate records from drill sites distributed widely across the East Antarctic Plateau (EAP, and >98% of individual ACOs evaluated at Vostok match 1:1 with homologous cycles at the other three EAP drill sites and conversely. Identified ACOs summate with millennial periodicity to form the Antarctic Isotope Maxima (AIMs known to precede Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O oscillations recorded in Greenland ice cores. Homologous ACOs recorded at the four EAP drill sites during the last glacial maximum appeared first at lower elevations nearest the ocean and centuries later on the high EAP, with latencies that exceed dating uncertainty >30-fold. ACO homologs at different drill sites became synchronous, however, during the warmer Holocene. Comparative spectral analysis suggests that the millennial-scale AIM cycle declined in period from 1500 to 800 years over the last 70 millennia. Similarly, over the last 226 millennia ACO repetition period (mean 352 years declined by half while amplitude (mean 0.67 °C approximately doubled. The period and amplitude of ACOs oscillate in phase with glacial cycles and related surface insolation associated with planetary orbital forces. We conclude that the ACO: encompasses at least the EAP; is the proximate source of D-O oscillations in the Northern Hemisphere; therefore affects global temperature; propagates with increased velocity as temperature

Lead-Lag relationships? Asynchrounous and Abrupt Shifts in Atmospheric Circulation, Temperature, and Vegetation during the 8.2 ka Event in the Eastern Mediterranean at Tenaghi Philippon, Greece

Science.gov (United States)

Niedermeyer, E. M.; Mulch, A.; Pross, J.

2017-12-01

The "8.2 ka event" has been an abrupt and prominent climate perturbation during the Holocene, and is characterized by an episode of generally colder and dryer conditions in the Northern Hemisphere realm. However, evidence to what extent this event has had an impact on climate in the Mediterranean region is ambiguous, in particular with respect to rainfall, temperature and vegetation change on land. Here we present a new, high-resolution record (ø 15 years during the event) of paleotemperatures from the Tenaghi Philippon peat deposit, Eastern Macedonia, Greece, using the MBT'/CBT index based on brGDGTs (branched Glycerol-Dialkyl-Glycerol-Tetraethers). Our data show fairly stable temperatures before the event, which is initiated at 8.1 ka by an abrupt and continuous cooling during the first 35 years of the event. After a short, 10-year episode of minimum temperatures, the event is ended by a similarly abrupt and continuous warming within 38 years. Comparison of our record with a previous study of the stable hydrogen isotopic composition of higher-plant waxes (δDwax) on the same core1 shows that changes in temperature occurred simultaneously with shifts in atmospherics moisture sources (Mediterranean vs Atlantic). Interestingly, further comparison of our data with a previous palynological study of the same core2 reveals that changes in vegetation associated with the 8.2 ka event precede shifts in hydrology and temperature by 100 years. This suggests either pronounced changes in seasonality of temperature and rainfall after the onset of the 8.2 ka event, i.e. at the peak of the event, or that changes in local atmospheric circulation (moisture sources) and temperature where not the initial trigger of changes in vegetation. References: Pross, J., Kotthoff, U., Müller, U.C., Peyron, O., Dormoy, I., Schmiedl, G., Kalaitzidis, S. and Smith, A.M. (2009): Massive perturbation in terrestrial ecosystems of the Eastern Mediterranean region associated with the 8.2 kyr B

Branched GDGTs in Lacustrine Environments: Tracing Allochthonous and Autochthonous Sources Using Compound-Specific Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Y.; S Sinninghe Damsté, J.; Lehmann, M. F.; Niemann, H.; Schubert, C. J.

2015-12-01

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are bacterial membrane lipids that are ubiquitous in soils and peat, as well as in sediments of lakes, rivers and coastal marine environments. It has been found that the distribution of brGDGTs changes systematically with ambient temperature and pH, attesting to their potential as proxy indicators for paleoclimatic reconstruction. In lacustrine sedimentary archives, brGDGTs can originate from two sources: (1) allochthonous soil organic matter and (2) autochthonous brGDGTs produced within the lake system, both of which display fairly distinct temperature-brGDGT relationships. Until now, disentangling the relative contribution of these sources was impossible, complicating the use of brGDGTs for quantitative paleotemperature reconstructions. BrGDGTs in soils display a narrow range with respect to their stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C), generally between -27 and -30 ‰, whereas we recently found contrasting δ13C values as low as -43 ‰ to -46 ‰ for brGDGTs in sediments of a small Alpine lake. To trace the origin of this distinct isotope signal, we determined the 13C content of brGDGTs in suspended particulate matter (SPM) from the water column of Lake Lugano (Switzerland). The δ13C of SPM-derived brGDGTs decreased systematically from -34 ‰ in the mixolimnion to -41 ‰ in the anoxic monimolimnion of Lake Lugano, providing evidence for aquatic in situ production of 13C-depleted brGDGT. In order to study whether the negative δ13C offset of water column- vs. soil-derived brGDGTs may serve as an indicator for lacustrine brGDGT production, we also analyzed surface sediments from 36 lakes across the Alpine Region. In most (~85 %) of the studied lake sediments, the δ13C of brGDGTs ranged between -34 ‰ and -45 ‰, indicating predominance or a substantial contribution of aquatically produced brGDGTs. However, in some lakes (~15 %) δ13C values between -27 ‰ and -30 ‰ suggest a mainly

Mg/Ca Ratios in Coralline Red Algae as Temperature Proxies for Reconstructing Labrador Current Variability

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Gamboa, G.; Hetzinger, S.; Halfar, J.; Zack, T.; Kunz, B.; Adey, W.

2009-05-01

Marine ecosystems and fishery productivity in the Northwestern Atlantic have been considerably affected by regional climate and oceanographic changes. Fluctuations of North Atlantic marine climate have been linked in part to a dominant pattern of atmospheric circulation known as the North Atlantic Oscillation, which has a strong influence on transport variability of the Labrador Current (LC). The cold LC originates in the Labrador Sea and flows southbound along the Eastern Canadian coastline causing an important cooling effect on marine waters off the Canadian Atlantic provinces. Although interdecadal and interannual variability of sea surface temperatures (SST) in the LC system have been documented, a long-term pattern has not been identified. In order to better understand the observed ecosystem changes and their relationship with climate variability in the Northwestern Atlantic, a century-scale reconstruction of spatial and temporal variations of the LC is needed. This, however, requires reliable long-term and high-resolution SST records, which are not available from short instrumental observations. Here we present the first century-scale SST reconstructions from the Northwest Atlantic using long-lived coralline red algae. Coralline red algae have a high-Mg calcite skeleton, live in shallow water worldwide and develop annual growth bands. It has previously been demonstrated that subannual resolution SSTs can be obtained from coralline red algal Mg/Ca ratios, a commonly used paleotemperature proxy. Specimens of the long-lived coralline red algae Clathromorphum compactum were collected alive in August 2008 along a latitudinal transect spanning the southern extent of LC flow in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. This collection is supplemented with specimens from the same region collected in the 1960's. In order to reconstruct spatial and temporal patterns of the LC, selected samples of C. compactum were analyzed for Mg/Ca using Laser Ablation Inductively-Coupled Plasma

The influence of diet on the δ 13C of shell carbon in the pulmonate snail Helix aspersa

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Stott, Lowell D.

2002-02-01

recorder of diet than is the insoluble shell organic carbon. Because the systematic fractionation of carbon isotopes within the snail is temperature dependent, the δ 13C of the shell could provide an independent technique for estimating paleotemperature changes.

Growth phase dependent hydrogen isotopic fractionation in alkenone-producing haptophytes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. D. Wolhowe

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Recent works have investigated use of the hydrogen isotopic composition of C₃₇ alkenones (δD_K37s, lipid biomarkers of certain haptophyte microalgae, as an independent paleosalinity proxy. We discuss herein the factors impeding the success of such an application and identify the potential alternative use of δD_K37s measurements as a proxy for non-thermal, physiological stress impacts on the U₃₇^K' paleotemperature index. Batch-culture experiments with the haptophyte Emiliania huxleyi (CCMP 1742 were conducted to determine the magnitude and variability of the isotopic contrasts between individual C₃₇ alkenones. Further experiments were conducted with Emiliania huxleyi (CCMP 1742 andGephyrocapsa oceanica (PZ3-1 to determine whether, and to what extent, δD_K37s varies between the physiological extremes of nutrient-replete exponential growth and nutrient-depleted senescence. Emiliania huxleyi was observed to exhibit an isotopic contrast between di- and tri-unsaturated C₃₇ alkenones (α_K37:3-K37:2≈0.97 that is nearly identical to that reported recently by others for environmental samples. Furthermore, this contrast appears to be constant with growth stage. The consistency of the offset across different growth stages suggests that a single, well-defined value for α_K37:3-K37:2 may exist and that its use in an isotope mass-balance will allow accurate determination of δD values for individual alkenones without having to rely on time- and labor-intensive chemical separations. The isotopic fractionation between growth medium and C₃₇ alkenones was observed to increase dramatically upon the onset of nutrient-depletion-induced senescence, suggesting that δD_K37s may serve as an objective tool for recognizing and potentially correcting, at least semi-quantitatively, for the effects

Reconstructing Holocene temperature and salinity variations in the western Baltic Sea region: a multi-proxy comparison from the Little Belt (IODP Expedition 347, Site M0059)

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Kotthoff, Ulrich; Groeneveld, Jeroen; Ash, Jeanine L.; Fanget, Anne-Sophie; Quintana Krupinski, Nadine; Peyron, Odile; Stepanova, Anna; Warnock, Jonathan; Van Helmond, Niels A. G. M.; Passey, Benjamin H.; Rønø Clausen, Ole; Bennike, Ole; Andrén, Elinor; Granoszewski, Wojciech; Andrén, Thomas; Filipsson, Helena L.; Seidenkrantz, Marit-Solveig; Slomp, Caroline P.; Bauersachs, Thorsten

2017-12-01

Sediment records recovered from the Baltic Sea during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 347 provide a unique opportunity to study paleoenvironmental and climate change in central and northern Europe. Such studies contribute to a better understanding of how environmental parameters change in continental shelf seas and enclosed basins. Here we present a multi-proxy-based reconstruction of paleotemperature (both marine and terrestrial), paleosalinity, and paleoecosystem changes from the Little Belt (Site M0059) over the past ˜ 8000 years and evaluate the applicability of inorganic- and organic-based proxies in this particular setting. All salinity proxies (diatoms, aquatic palynomorphs, ostracods, diol index) show that lacustrine conditions occurred in the Little Belt until ˜ 7400 cal yr BP. A connection to the Kattegat at this time can thus be excluded, but a direct connection to the Baltic Proper may have existed. The transition to the brackish-marine conditions of the Littorina Sea stage (more saline and warmer) occurred within ˜ 200 years when the connection to the Kattegat became established after ˜ 7400 cal yr BP. The different salinity proxies used here generally show similar trends in relative changes in salinity, but often do not allow quantitative estimates of salinity. The reconstruction of water temperatures is associated with particularly large uncertainties and variations in absolute values by up to 8 °C for bottom waters and up to 16 °C for surface waters. Concerning the reconstruction of temperature using foraminiferal Mg  /  Ca ratios, contamination by authigenic coatings in the deeper intervals may have led to an overestimation of temperatures. Differences in results based on the lipid paleothermometers (long chain diol index and TEXL86) can partly be explained by the application of modern-day proxy calibrations to intervals that experienced significant changes in depositional settings: in the case of our study, the change from

Holocene Temperature Reconstructions from Arctic Lakes based on Alkenone Paleothermometry and Non-Destructive Scanning Techniques

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D'Andrea, W. J.; Balascio, N. L.; Bradley, R. S.; Bakke, J.; Gjerde, M.; Kaufman, D. S.; Briner, J. P.; von Gunten, L.

2014-12-01

Generating continuous, accurate and quantitative Holocene temperature estimates from the Arctic is an ongoing challenge. In many Arctic regions, tree ring-based approaches cannot be used and lake sediments provide the most valuable repositories for extracting paleotemperature information. Advances in lacustrine alkenone paleothermometry now allow for quantitative reconstruction of lake-water temperature based on the UK37 values of sedimentary alkenones. In addition, a recent study demonstrated the efficacy of non-destructive scanning reflectance spectroscopy in the visible range (VIS-RS) for high-resolution quantitative temperature reconstruction from arctic lake sediments1. In this presentation, I will report a new UK37-based temperature reconstruction and a scanning VIS-RS record (using the RABD660;670 index as a measure of sedimentary chlorin content) from Kulusuk Lake in southeastern Greenland (65.6°N, 37.1°W). The UK37 record reveals a ~3°C increase in summer lake water temperatures between ~10ka and ~7ka followed by sustained warmth until ~4ka and a gradual (~3°C) cooling until ~400 yr BP. The strong correlation between UK37 and RABD660;670 measured in the same sediment core provides further evidence that in arctic lakes where temperature regulates primary productivity, and thereby sedimentary chlorin content, these proxies can be combined to develop high-resolution quantitative temperature records. The Holocene temperature history of Kulusuk Lake determined using this approach corresponds to changes in the size of the glaciers adjacent to the lake, as inferred from sediment minerogenic properties measured with scanning XRF. Glaciers retreated during early Holocene warming, likely disappeared during the period of mid-Holocene warmth, and advanced after 4ka. I will also discuss new UK37 and RABD660;670 reconstructions from northwestern Svalbard and the central Brooks Range of Alaska within the framework of published regional temperature reconstructions and

The petroleum system of the lower Palaeozoic strata in the central part of the Baltic basin

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Lazauskiene, Jurga; Zdanaviciute, Onyte

2013-04-01

The Baltic Basin is an intra-cratonic sedimentary basin with conspicuous Early Palaeozoic sections. In terms of hydrocarbon prospectively, the it has been perceived as a classical oil basin with several tens of relatively small oil and gas fields occur there over a wide stratigraphic interval, ranging from the crystalline basement through the entire Lower Palaeozoic succession. Until now conventional oil has been predominantly produced in the basin, i.e. only few conventional gas accumulations have been found in the Polish Baltic Sea offshore. Petroleum potential within the basin also is associated with Silurian reefogenic and carbonate build-ups. New organic geochemistry data as well revealed the potential for shale gas/oil in the basin. The analysis of the composition of the organic matter and crude oils from Kaliningrad region (Russia) and Lithuanian revealed genesis and the general trends of the migration of hydrocarbons in the Baltic Basin. The organic matter of the source rocks is of similar composition and represents typical marine type II, showing considerable variations of the maturity thought the basin: ranging from immature in the eastern Lithuania and Kaliningrad region of Russia to oil window to the south-west. In some places the anomalously high maturity of organic matter, indicating the lower part of the wet gas/condensate window have been recorded, most probably being related to the locally increased paleo-temperatures. Oils of the Baltic Basin have low densities (Oils of the Baltic Basin are not biodegraded, despite their early emplacement (e.g. by the Lower Palaeozoic age) and the relatively low present reservoir temperatures. Results of biomarker and stable carbon isotope analyses allow three genetic oil groups to be distinguished in the Kaliningrad region. These oils appear to be confined to tectonically distinct areas suggesting that the hydrocarbons were derived from different kitchens. The hydrocarbon generation in the Baltic Basin started by

Flowstone compositions as indicators of centennial fluctuations of hydrological balance in Central Europe during the late Holocene

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Demény, Attila; Kern, Zoltán; Molnár, Mihály; Czuppon, György; Leél-Őssy, Szabolcs; Surányi, Gergely; Gilli, Adrian

2017-04-01

Flowstones formed from springs in the Baradla and Béke Caves, North-east Hungary were drilled at several locations, and their sites were monitored for temperature, CO2 level in cave air, water and carbonate compositions for three years. The monitoring results suggest that the carbonate precipitated close to equilibrium with the local water. The non-systematic distribution of stable isotope and chemical compositions along sections on the surfaces of flowstone occurrences indicate irregular formation and the possibility of hiatuses within the flowstones' edifices. Approximately 40 cm long drill cores were extracted from the „Nagy-tufa" flowstone of the Béke Cave (BNT-2 core) and the Havasok flowstone of the Baradla Cave. U-Th dating efforts resulted in very large age uncertainties for the BNT-2 core, owing to detrital Th contamination. Therefore, in addition to the U-Th dating, AMS radiocarbon analyses were conducted to establish reliable age-depth models. The raw 14C ages were corrected for the dead carbon fraction (dfc) using radiocarbon results obtained for samples that yielded also accurate U-Th ages. Calibration and age-depth modeling have been performed using the OxCal v4.2.4. software. The data prove that the flowstones in the studied caves were formed contemporarily, covering the last 4 ka with two major hiatuses around 3.5 and 1 ka BP. Inclusion-hosted water contents, stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of carbonate, and hydrogen isotope composition of inclusion-hosted water as well as Si contents were determined for the two cores and compared with regional paleoclimate records for the period of 3.5 to 1 ka BP. The water contents, δ13Ccarb values and Si contents show correspondence with paleoprecipitation proxies from Central Europe to western Anatolia, while the paleotemperature estimates obtained using the δDwater values were in agreement with temperature reconstructions derived from paleobiological proxies from nearby lake sediments. The

Minute co-variations of Sr/Ca ratios and microstructures in the aragonitic shell of Cerastoderma edule (Bivalvia) - Are geochemical variations at the ultra-scale masking potential environmental signals?

Science.gov (United States)

Füllenbach, Christoph S.; Schöne, Bernd R.; Shirai, Kotaro; Takahata, Naoto; Ishida, Akizumi; Sano, Yuji

2017-05-01

controlling their formation exert a strong control over the incorporation of strontium into shells of C. edule. Analytical techniques with lower sampling resolution, e.g., LA-ICP-MS, cannot resolve such fine-scale Sr variations. As a result, the signal-to-noise ratio decreases and the data generated by such techniques may therefore not seem to provide useful paleotemperature data. Future studies should therefore employ a combined analysis of Sr/Cashell and shell microstructures, and interpret Sr/Ca values of shell portions with different microstructures separately.

Living microbial ecosystems within the active zone of catagenesis: Implications for feeding the deep biosphere

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Horsfield, B.; Schenk, H. J.; Zink, K.; Ondrak, R.; Dieckmann, V.; Kallmeyer, J.; Mangelsdorf, K.; di Primio, R.; Wilkes, H.; Parkes, R. J.; Fry, J.; Cragg, B.

2006-06-01

Earth's largest reactive carbon pool, marine sedimentary organic matter, becomes increasingly recalcitrant during burial, making it almost inaccessible as a substrate for microorganisms, and thereby limiting metabolic activity in the deep biosphere. Because elevated temperature acting over geological time leads to the massive thermal breakdown of the organic matter into volatiles, including petroleum, the question arises whether microorganisms can directly utilize these maturation products as a substrate. While migrated thermogenic fluids are known to sustain microbial consortia in shallow sediments, an in situ coupling of abiotic generation and microbial utilization has not been demonstrated. Here we show, using a combination of basin modelling, kinetic modelling, geomicrobiology and biogeochemistry, that microorganisms inhabit the active generation zone in the Nankai Trough, offshore Japan. Three sites from ODP Leg 190 have been evaluated, namely 1173, 1174 and 1177, drilled in nearly undeformed Quaternary and Tertiary sedimentary sequences seaward of the Nankai Trough itself. Paleotemperatures were reconstructed based on subsidence profiles, compaction modelling, present-day heat flow, downhole temperature measurements and organic maturity parameters. Today's heat flow distribution can be considered mainly conductive, and is extremely high in places, reaching 180 mW/m 2. The kinetic parameters describing total hydrocarbon generation, determined by laboratory pyrolysis experiments, were utilized by the model in order to predict the timing of generation in time and space. The model predicts that the onset of present day generation lies between 300 and 500 m below sea floor (5100-5300 m below mean sea level), depending on well location. In the case of Site 1174, 5-10% conversion has taken place by a present day temperature of ca. 85 °C. Predictions were largely validated by on-site hydrocarbon gas measurements. Viable organisms in the same depth range have been

Defining an absolute reference frame for 'clumped' isotope studies of CO 2

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Dennis, Kate J.; Affek, Hagit P.; Passey, Benjamin H.; Schrag, Daniel P.; Eiler, John M.

2011-11-01

instruments, independent of laboratory-specific analytical or methodological differences. We then discuss the use of intra-laboratory secondary reference frames (e.g., based on carbonate standards) that can be more easily used to track the evolution of each laboratory's empirical transfer function. Finally, we show inter-laboratory reproducibility on the order of ±0.010 (1 σ) for four carbonate standards, and present revised paleotemperature scales that should be used to convert carbonate clumped isotope signatures to temperature when using the absolute reference frame described here. Even when using the reference frame, small discrepancies remain between two previously published synthetic carbonate calibrations. We discuss possible reasons for these discrepancies, and highlight the need for additional low temperature (<15 °C) synthetic carbonate experiments.

Reconstructing Holocene temperature and salinity variations in the western Baltic Sea region: a multi-proxy comparison from the Little Belt (IODP Expedition 347, Site M0059

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

U. Kotthoff

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Sediment records recovered from the Baltic Sea during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 347 provide a unique opportunity to study paleoenvironmental and climate change in central and northern Europe. Such studies contribute to a better understanding of how environmental parameters change in continental shelf seas and enclosed basins. Here we present a multi-proxy-based reconstruction of paleotemperature (both marine and terrestrial, paleosalinity, and paleoecosystem changes from the Little Belt (Site M0059 over the past  ∼  8000 years and evaluate the applicability of inorganic- and organic-based proxies in this particular setting. All salinity proxies (diatoms, aquatic palynomorphs, ostracods, diol index show that lacustrine conditions occurred in the Little Belt until  ∼  7400 cal yr BP. A connection to the Kattegat at this time can thus be excluded, but a direct connection to the Baltic Proper may have existed. The transition to the brackish–marine conditions of the Littorina Sea stage (more saline and warmer occurred within  ∼  200 years when the connection to the Kattegat became established after  ∼  7400 cal yr BP. The different salinity proxies used here generally show similar trends in relative changes in salinity, but often do not allow quantitative estimates of salinity. The reconstruction of water temperatures is associated with particularly large uncertainties and variations in absolute values by up to 8 °C for bottom waters and up to 16 °C for surface waters. Concerning the reconstruction of temperature using foraminiferal Mg  /  Ca ratios, contamination by authigenic coatings in the deeper intervals may have led to an overestimation of temperatures. Differences in results based on the lipid paleothermometers (long chain diol index and TEXL86 can partly be explained by the application of modern-day proxy calibrations to intervals that experienced significant

Preliminary magnetostratigraphy and environmental magnetism of the Lower Cretaceous from the Italian Dolomites

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Savian, J. F.; Jovane, L.; Florindo, F.; Lukeneder, A.

2011-12-01

The Lower Cretaceous (~146 to 100 Ma) represents an enigmatic time interval for paleoclimatic, paleogeography and paleomagnetic evolution of the Earth's history. The climatic changes include global oceanic anoxic events (OAEs), biotic changes, global excursions of carbon and strontium isotopes, rises in eustatic sea level and paleotemperature. Paleoceanography was marked by a rapid rate of ocean spreading in the Atlantic. The opening of the Atlantic Ocean was wide enough to allow significant circulation of masses of waters across the equator. This period is furthermore important for the oceanographic events occurring at the base of the Aptian (Selli Level). This period also present one of the most intriguing geomagnetic events: the long normal Cretaceous superchron, lasted for almost 40 million years. We study here the lower Cretaceous deposits of the Puez section in the Dolomites (northern Italy) which represents a continuous section during this period. The samples collected represent marine sedimentary materials of the Biancone and Puez formations. The Puez section consists essentially of green-grey to red limestones and calcareous marls. We present preliminary results of integrated magnetostratigraphic analysis, including a detailed lithostratigraphy and environmental magnetism. We recognize magnetic behavior that are relative to normal polarity (the normal Cretaceous superchron), with a short reverse interval that might represent the M-1r event. We also recognize a series of normal and reverse polarities (below the normal Cretaceous superchron) which can be referred to the magnetozones M1/M5. The environmental magnetic data consists of magnetic susceptibility (χ), natural remanent magnetization (NRM), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM), isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) at 900 mT and backfield isothermal remanent magnetization (BIRM) at 100 mT and 300 mT. Derived parameters, such as S-ratio (S300=BIRM300/IRM900) and hard isothermal remanent

Temperature variations in the southern Great Lakes during the last deglaciation: Comparison between pollen and GDGT proxies

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Watson, Benjamin I.; Williams, John W.; Russell, James M.; Jackson, Stephen T.; Shane, Linda; Lowell, Thomas V.

2018-02-01

Our understanding of deglacial climate history in the southern Great Lakes region of the United States is primarily based upon fossil pollen data, with few independent and multi-proxy climate reconstructions. Here we introduce a new, well-dated fossil pollen record from Stotzel-Leis, OH, and a new deglacial temperature record based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) at Silver Lake, OH. We compare these new data to previously published records and to a regional stack of pollen-based temperature reconstructions from Stotzel-Leis, Silver Lake, and three other well-dated sites. The new and previously published pollen records at Stotzel-Leis are similar, but our new age model brings vegetation events into closer alignment with known climatic events such as the Younger Dryas (YD). brGDGT-inferred temperatures correlate strongly with pollen-based regional temperature reconstructions, with the strongest correlation obtained for a global soil-based brGDGT calibration (r2 = 0.88), lending confidence to the deglacial reconstructions and the use of brGDGT and regional pollen stacks as paleotemperature proxies in eastern North America. However, individual pollen records show large differences in timing, rates, and amplitudes of inferred temperature change, indicating caution with paleoclimatic inferences based on single-site pollen records. From 16.0 to 10.0ka, both proxies indicate that regional temperatures rose by ∼10 °C, roughly double the ∼5 °C estimates for the Northern Hemisphere reported in prior syntheses. Change-point analysis of the pollen stack shows accelerated warming at 14.0 ± 1.2ka, cooling at 12.6 ± 0.4ka, and warming from 11.6 ± 0.5ka into the Holocene. The timing of Bølling-Allerød (B-A) warming and YD onset in our records lag by ∼300-500 years those reported in syntheses of temperature records from the northern mid-latitudes. This discrepancy is too large to be attributed to uncertainties in radiocarbon dating, and

Reconstruction of pH and partial pressure of carbon dioxide during the Mesozoic era period using boron and oxygen isotopic compositions of fresh ammonoids & nautiloids

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Kawahata, Hodaka; Fukushima, Ayaka; Moriya, Kazuyori; Ishikawa, Tsuyoshi; Suzuki, Atsushi; Tanabe, Kazushige

2013-04-01

The increase of partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in the atmosphere induces global warming and ocean acidification at the modern condition. The reconstruction of pCO2 during the geological time is required together with proxy calibration by laboratory experiments to predict the future environments. Boron isotopic ratio is an excellent proxy for pH and the relevant partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the seawater (PCO2). This study is the first to quantify pH dependence of delta 11B of the ammonoids and nautiloids mainly in the Cretaceous and in Jurassic (70-162 Ma), which are expected to be much warmer due to higher PCO2. However, no reliable reconstruction data using foraminiferal delta 11B before Cenozoic era has been reported. We used the very fresh aragonite shells of ammonoids and nautiloids by big advantages. Since aragonite changes into secondary calcite by diagenesis, it is easy and effective to identify the degree of alteration at each sample by measuring calcite/aragonite ratio. Also we carefully conducted the assessment of secondary alteration from three perspectives: 1) Determination of calcite/aragonite ratio by X-ray diffraction (XRD), 2) Observation of microstructures of the nacreous layers by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and 3) Measurement of trace element contents and stable isotope ratios. We conducted high precision boron isotope analysis of biogenic carbonates with +/- 0.1 per mil reproducibility by adopting positive thermal ionization mass spectrometry (P-TIMS) methods. Also we analyzed delta 18O to estimate paleo-temperature, at which biogenic aragonite was formed. Combination of delta 11B and delta 18O of biogenic aragonite in 80 Ma and 86 Ma revealed that deeper dwellers showed lower delta 11B values, which corresponded to lower pH. This feature is consistent with those observed in the modern vertical water column. The respective shallow water temperature was 19.7 and 19.1 centigrade. Based on these results, the

Late Pleistocene Age Model for Site U1460, Perth Basin, SW Australian Shelf: Implications for Leeuwin Current History

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, B. A.; Takayanagi, H.; Petrick, B.; Ishiwa, T.; Henderiks, J.; Groeneveld, J.; Mamo, B. L.; De Vleeschouwer, D.; Auer, G.; Deik, H.; Fulthorpe, C.; Gallagher, S. J.; McHugh, C.; Reuning, L.; Yokoyama, Y.

2017-12-01

that the high MIS 15 sedimentation rate results from increased productivity and/or upwelling. Our stable-isotope-based correlation, combined with paleotemperature reconstructions, points to a modern-like LC in operation at 0.6 Ma (MIS 16 onward), following a change in continental margin geometry. Alternative age-depth models are possible, and are also presented.

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope signatures in molluscan shells under ocean acidification

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Nishida, K.; Hayashi, M.; Suzuki, A.; Sato, M.; Nojiri, Y.

2017-12-01

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions (δ13C, δ18O) of biogenic carbonate have been widely used for many paleoclimate, paleoecological, and biomineralization studies. δ13C of molluscan shells reflects the mixing of δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of seawater and respiratory carbon. Previous studies reported physiological effects on molluscs by ocean acidification, and thus the metabolic changes could potentially appear in shell δ13C as changes in a fraction of two carbon sources. In addition, shell δ18O, a commonly used proxy of seawater temperature and seawater δ18O, is also affected by seawater carbonate chemistry. As changes in the marine carbonate system, such as pH and pCO2, have occurred in the past 300 million years, to estimate pH effect on paleotemperature reconstruction is important. Here, we experimentally examined acidification effects on shell δ13C and δ18O of two species of clams for understanding of environmental and physiological proxies. Juvenile specimens of bloody clam Scapharca broughtonii and Japanese surf clam Pseudocardium sachalinense were cultured at five (400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1200 µatm, P. sachalinense) or six (280, 400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1200 µatm, S. broughtonii) different pCO2 levels using CO2 control system of the Demonstration Laboratory, MERI, Japan. Significant negative correlations between shell δ13C and pH appeared in S. broughtonii, which showed non-significant pH effects on calcification, and the slope of the relationship of shell carbonate was lower than that of seawater DIC. On the other hand, in P. sachalinense which showed a decrease in calcification at low-pH treatment, the slopes of the relationship between shell δ13C and pH was roughly the same as that of seawater DIC. Thus, the extrapallial fluid of P. sachalinense might more strongly affected by acidified seawater than S. broughtonii. The results of two species might be attributable to differences in physiological responses to

Global map of lithosphere thermal thickness on a 1 deg x 1 deg grid - digitally available

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Artemieva, Irina

2014-05-01

This presentation reports a 1 deg ×1 deg global thermal model for the continental lithosphere (TC1). The model is digitally available from the author's web-site: www.lithosphere.info. Geotherms for continental terranes of different ages (early Archean to present) are constrained by reliable data on borehole heat flow measurements (Artemieva and Mooney, 2001), checked with the original publications for data quality, and corrected for paleo-temperature effects where needed. These data are supplemented by cratonic geotherms based on xenolith data. Since heat flow measurements cover not more than half of the continents, the remaining areas (ca. 60% of the continents) are filled by the statistical numbers derived from the thermal model constrained by borehole data. Continental geotherms are statistically analyzed as a function of age and are used to estimate lithospheric temperatures in continental regions with no or low quality heat flow data. This analysis requires knowledge of lithosphere age globally. A compilation of tectono-thermal ages of lithospheric terranes on a 1 deg × 1 deg grid forms the basis for the statistical analysis. It shows that, statistically, lithospheric thermal thickness z (in km) depends on tectono-thermal age t (in Ma) as: z=0.04t+93.6. This relationship formed the basis for a global thermal model of the continental lithosphere (TC1). Statistical analysis of continental geotherms also reveals that this relationship holds for the Archean cratons in general, but not in detail. Particularly, thick (more than 250 km) lithosphere is restricted solely to young Archean terranes (3.0-2.6 Ga), while in old Archean cratons (3.6-3.0 Ga) lithospheric roots do not extend deeper than 200-220 km. The TC1 model is presented by a set of maps, which show significant thermal heterogeneity within continental upper mantle. The strongest lateral temperature variations (as large as 800 deg C) are typical of the shallow mantle (depth less than 100 km). A map of the

Temperature variations in the southern Great Lakes during the last deglaciation: Comparison between pollen and GDGT proxies

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Benjamin I.; Williams, John W.; Russell, James M.; Jackson, Stephen T.; Shane, Linda; Lowell, Thomas V.

2018-01-01

Our understanding of deglacial climate history in the southern Great Lakes region of the United States is primarily based upon fossil pollen data, with few independent and multi-proxy climate reconstructions. Here we introduce a new, well-dated fossil pollen record from Stotzel-Leis, OH, and a new deglacial temperature record based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) at Silver Lake, OH. We compare these new data to previously published records and to a regional stack of pollen-based temperature reconstructions from Stotzel-Leis, Silver Lake, and three other well-dated sites. The new and previously published pollen records at Stotzel-Leis are similar, but our new age model brings vegetation events into closer alignment with known climatic events such as the Younger Dryas (YD). brGDGT-inferred temperatures correlate strongly with pollen-based regional temperature reconstructions, with the strongest correlation obtained for a global soil-based brGDGT calibration (r2 = 0.88), lending confidence to the deglacial reconstructions and the use of brGDGT and regional pollen stacks as paleotemperature proxies in eastern North America. However, individual pollen records show large differences in timing, rates, and amplitudes of inferred temperature change, indicating caution with paleoclimatic inferences based on single-site pollen records. From 16.0 to 10.0ka, both proxies indicate that regional temperatures rose by ∼10 °C, roughly double the ∼5 °C estimates for the Northern Hemisphere reported in prior syntheses. Change-point analysis of the pollen stack shows accelerated warming at 14.0 ± 1.2ka, cooling at 12.6 ± 0.4ka, and warming from 11.6 ± 0.5ka into the Holocene. The timing of Bølling-Allerød (B-A) warming and YD onset in our records lag by ∼300–500 years those reported in syntheses of temperature records from the northern mid-latitudes. This discrepancy is too large to be attributed to uncertainties in

Glacial and volcanic evolution on Nevado Coropuna (Tropical Andes) based on cosmogenic 36Cl surface exposure dating

Science.gov (United States)

Úbeda, J.; Palacios, D.; Vázquez-Selém, L.

2012-04-01

We have reconstructed the evolution of the paleo-glaciers of the volcanic complex Nevado Coropuna (15°S, 72°W; 6377 m asl) through the interpretation and dating of geomorphological evidences. Surface exposure dating (SED) based on the accumulation of 36Cl on the surface of moraine boulders, polished bedrock and lava flows allowed: 1) to confirm that the presence of ice masses in the region dates back to >80ka; 2) to produce chronologies of glacial and volcanic phases for the last ~21 ka; and 3) to obtain evidences of the reactivation of volcanic activity after the Last Glacial Maximum. Bromley et al. (2009) presented 3He SED ages of 21 ka for moraine boulders on the Mapa Mayo valley, to the North of Nevado Coropuna. Our 36Cl SED SED for moraine boulders from the valleys on the NE sector of the volcanic complex suggest a maximum initial advance between 20 and 16 ka, followed by another expansion of similar extent at 12-11 ka. On the Southern slope of Nevado Coropuna, the 36Cl ages show a maximum initial advance that reaches to the level of the Altiplano at 14 ka, and a re-advance at ~10-9 ka BP. Other data show minor re-advances at 9 ka on the Northern slope and at 6 ka to the South of the volcanic complex. These minor positive pulses interrupted a fast deglaciation process during the Holocene as shown by two series of 36Cl SED from polished rock surfaces on successively higher altitudes along the valleys of rivers Blanco and Cospanja, to the SW and SE. Despite the global warming occuring since 20 ka, deduced from the record of sea surface paleo-temperature of the Galapago Islands (Lea et al, 2006), the evolution of the fresh-water plankton from Lake Titicaca (Fritz et al, 2007) is consistent with sustained glacial conditions until 10-9 ka as suggested by the present work. Exposure ages of three lava flows indicate a reactivation of the magmatic system as the paleo-glaciers abandonned the slopes. The eruptive activity migrated from the West, where we found a lava

The Devil's Hole Is In The Details

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, M. G.

2012-12-01

As the granularity of Quaternary paleoclimatic proxy signatures from continental and oceanic sources continues to resolve, increasingly integrated studies such as Shakun et. al. (2012), and Kohfeld and Ridgewell (2009) have emerged, with far-reaching but sometimes conflicting paleo-global climate interpretations. Accordingly, none of the competing empirical and phenomenological narratives regarding the time series of Quaternary temperature patterns fit with sufficient fidelity to the observational record. Among other examples, the Shakun et al. study reviewed and processed 80 proxy sites worldwide for paleotemperature reconstruction, but left out the premier Devil's Hole poxy site in the continental Southwestern U.S. The Devil's Hole site presents a nominally earlier record of an interglacial warming signal (Landwehr and Winograd 2012). Both cite similar data (NOAA, 2005) as confirmation of their competing interpretations. Clearly both cannot be right. Epistemic origins of this apparent conflict may be rooted on the ongoing controversy concerning the importance of orbital forcings to the 100K year Quaternary glacial oscillations. Orbital forcings had been intrinsically posited as the only possible extraterrestrial driver of global temperature cycles over the Quaternary time frame. Yet other extraterrestrial climate forcing parameters are now conceivable. This paper reexamines past 3He marine core measurements conducted on two oceans and two hemispheres, and alternatives to the associated interpretations of researchers Patterson and Farley (1998). This study includes a new phenomenological and empirical exploration of an alternate extraterrestrial Quaternary global climate forcing model. This new interpretation is possible based on improved mapping of the Local Interstellar Medium (ISM), as documented in recent works such as those by Frisch and Mueller (2011). References: Frisch, P.C., and HR Mueller, 2011, Time-Variability in the Interstellar Boundary Conditions of

Reconstructing palaeo-environmental conditions in the Baltic: A multi-proxy comparison from IODP Site M0059 (Little Belt)

Science.gov (United States)

Kotthoff, Ulrich; Andrén, Thomas; Bauersachs, Thorsten; Fanget, Anne-Sophie; Granoszewski, Wojciech; Groeneveld, Jeroen; Krupinski, Nadine; Peyron, Odile; Stepanova, Anna; Cotterill, Carol

2015-04-01

conditions during the warm season. Analyses of palynomorphs and chironomids are complemented with the analysis of lipid palaeothermometers, such as TEX86 and the long chain diol index (LDI), which both allow reconstructing variation in sea surface temperatures (SST) of the Baltic Sea. In addition, the MBT/CBT proxy is used to infer past changes in mean annual air temperatures (MAAT) and the diol index (DI) to determine variation in salinity of the Baltic Sea's surface waters over the investigated time period. The low salinity (25 psu) of the Little Belt is a potential limitation for several of the used proxies, which could lead to under-estimation of paleo-temperatures. To quantitatively and qualitatively estimate the impact of salinity, δ18O measurements (monospecific) and faunal assemblage analyses are performed on benthic foraminifera as well as ostracod faunal assemblages, which are especially sensitive to bottom water salinity changes. The results of this inter-comparison study will be useful for the reconstruction of gradients between different settings, e.g. how water column stratification developed, possibly if and how changes in seasonality occurred, and to identify the circumstances under which specific proxies may be affected by secondary impacts.

Progress in Late Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal stable isotope paleoecology and implications for paleoceanographic reconstructions

Science.gov (United States)

Petrizzo, Maria Rose; Falzoni, Francesca; Huber, Brian T.; MacLeod, Kenneth G.

2015-04-01

Paleoecological preferences proposed for Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal taxa have traditionally been based on morphological analogies with depth-stratified modern species, on biofacies comparison in continental margin and deepwater settings, and limited oxygen and carbon stable isotope data. These studies concluded that large-sized, keeled and heavily calcified planktonic foraminifera generally lived at deeper levels in the surface waters than small-sized, thinner-walled non-keeled species. Stable isotope data have been used to infer information on paleotemperature, paleoceanography and paleoproductivity of ancient oceans and constrain biological paleo-activities (i.e. photosymbiosis and respiration) of fossil species. These studies have suggested that the depth-distribution model based on analogy with modern taxa might not be fully applicable for Cretaceous species, and found particularly 13C-enriched values in some Maastrichtian multiserial taxa that have been related to the activity of photosymbionts. We have collected about 1500 δ18O and δ13C species-specific analyses on glassy preserved planktonic foraminifera from Tanzania (Tanzania Drilling Project TDP sites 23, 28 and 32) and well-preserved planktonic foraminifera from other mid-low latitude localities (Shatsky Rise, northwestern Pacific Ocean, ODP Leg 198 Hole 1210B; Exmouth Plateau, eastern Indian Ocean, ODP Leg 122, Hole 762C; Eratosthenes Seamount, eastern Mediterranean, ODP Leg 160, Hole 967E; Blake Nose, central Atlantic Ocean, ODP Leg 171B, holes 1050C and 1052E) to investigate Late Cretaceous species paleoecological preferences, life strategies and depth distribution in the surface water column. Our results indicates that several large-sized (> 500 μm) double-keeled species belonging to the genera Dicarinella, Marginotruncana and Contusotruncana, generally interpreted as deep to thermocline dwellers, instead occupied shallow/warm layers of the water column, whilst not all biserial species

Paleoclimate and paleoecology of the mid Cretaceous traced by calcareous nannofossils

Science.gov (United States)

Bottini, Cinzia; Erba, Elisabetta

2016-04-01

alternating with whitish limestones. The new dataset has been integrated with the nannofossil data previously collected for the Aptian - early Albian time interval to provide a compilation of temperature and surface water variations on the long-term throughout the Aptian - early Turonian interval. The nannofossil Temperature and Nutrient Indices outline warm conditions for the OAE 1a which was followed by a cooling trend culminating soon after the N. truittii acme interval. Progressively increasing temperature characterized instead the latest phases of the Aptian and warmer conditions were reached in the Albian - Cenomanian, although interrupted by relatively cooler phases, as for example in correspondence of the MCE. Highest nannofossil-derived paleotemperatures were reached across OAE 2. Surface water fertility resulted instead to be relatively high during most of the early-middle Aptian, exception made for the N. truittii acme interval when a significant decrease occurred. The latest Aptian - early Albian interval was marked by intermediate trophism in surface waters, with intervals of higher fertility during black shales deposition. During the interval comprised between the OAE 1b and the OAE 1d, fertility was relatively high while it decreased in the Cenomanian. A distinct fertility pulse was detected prior to OAE 2.

Hydrocarbons prospecting using an integrated approach of petrography, geochemistry and modeling of organic matter transformation. Analysis and reconstitution of the thermal history of the central carboniferous basins of Asturias (Spain) and of the Sabinas - Piedras Negras basin (Coahuila, Mexico); Prospection des hydrocarbures par une approche integree de petrographie, geochimie et modelisation de la transformation de la matiere organique. Analyse et reconstitution de l'histoire thermique des Bassins Carbonifere Central des Asturies (Espagne) et Sabinas - Piedras Negras (Coahuila, Mexique)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piedad-Sanchez, N.

2004-09-01

Solid knowledge of the transformation and evolution of organic matter during hydrocarbon generation in sedimentary basins serves to improve natural gas exploration. With this geological problem in mind, the thermal influence on organic matter was analyzed in two basins containing different characteristics (age, composition of organic matter, litho-stratigraphy, depth, thickness of the layers of rock, the maturation of organic matter, etc.) in order to understand the natural processes in generating oil and natural gas. With a view to studying this geological phenomenon, this work outlines the study of the chemical and macerals composition, the coal rank and geochemical characteristics of organic matter in these two sedimentary basins for the first time: The Asturian Central Carboniferous Basin (Spain) and Sabinas - Piedras Negras Basin (Mexico). Moreover, an approach to shed light on the thermal history and evolution of organic matter through 1D modeling in the two basins is developed. The Central Carboniferous Basin in Asturias is an important coal mining area where coal types range from bituminous carbons with high content in volatile matter to anthracite. The petrographical and geochemical study in this region has shown that at the moment of oil and gas exploration, the coals correspond to an efficient expulsion of oil and have been formed in an environment of swamp with a facies rich in vitrinite, low in sulfur and ash and varying in mineral content. As regards the paleo-environmental reconstruction, the bio-markers suggest a swamp with a relatively high water table and a humid climate. The coal type, the vitrinite reflectance and the volatile matter content in the basin show a N-S trend which could be correlated to the paleo-temperatures calculated in this study. These data point to the influence of two thermal gradients in the region: A normal thermal gradient of long duration and an oblique thermal gradient of short duration due to a pluton. The evolution of

The early to mid-Miocene environment of Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Ashworth, A. C.; Lewis, A.

2012-12-01

assemblage is at treeline and higher on Isla Navarino (55°S) at the southern tip of South America. By mid-Miocene, the upland tundra biota was less diverse, most notably in the number of angiosperm taxa. Based on the autecology and geographic distributions of the descendants of the fossil biota which survive in the subantarctic islands, South America and Tasmania, there was a decline of mean summer temperatures from c. 6°C to c. 4°C from the early to the mid-Miocene. During the early Miocene, the MST of the TAM was c.19°C warmer than today. A paleotemperature estimate based on leaf waxes from a Ross Sea core is for a MST 11°C warmer than today which seems low considering it is based on a near sea-level vegetation. A recent paper utilizing a salt-hydration process to provide adequate moisture to support a Miocene tundra biota is based on erroneous data. The Miocene climate was wet with an annual precipitation of at least 3000 mm. A recent report of the possible survival of vegetation in the Taylor Valley until the Pliocene, based on the discovery of 5 Ma wood-like forms in a DVDP core, is improbable. Even if wood can be definitively identified from the Pliocene deposits it is likely to be reworked Miocene wood from uplands in the TAM (e.g. Friis Hills). Research supported by NSF OPP 0739693.

Meeting of the French geological society - Uranium: geology, geophysics, chemistry. Book of abstracts; Reunion de la Societe Geologique de France - Uranium: geologie, geophysique, chimie. Recueil des resumes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakari, A.A.; Mima, S.; Bidaud, A.; Criqui, P.; Menanteau, P.; David, S.; Pagel, M.; Chagnes, A.; Cote, G.; Courtaud, B.; Thiry, J.; Miehe, J.M.; Gilbert, F.; Cuney, M.; Bruneton, P.; Ewington, D.; Vautrin-Ul, C.; Cannizzo, C.; Betelu, S.; Chausse, A.; Ly, J.; Bourgeois, D.; Maynadie, J.; Meyer, D.; Clavier, N.; Costin, D.T.; Cretaz, F.; Szenknect, S.; Ravaux, J.; Poinssot, C.; Dacheux, N.; Durupt, N.; Blanvillain, J.J.; Geffroy, F.; Aparicio, B.; Dubessy, J.; Nguyen-Trung, C.; Robert, P.; Uri, F.; Beaufort, D.; Lescuyer, J.L.; Morichon, E.; Allard, T.; Milesi, J.P.; Richard, A.; Rozsypal, C.; Mercadier, J.; Banks, D.A.; Boiron, M.C.; Cathelineau, M.; Dardel, J.; Billon, S.; Patrier, P.; Wattinne, A.; Vanderhaeghe, O.; Fabre, C.; Castillo, M.; Salvi, S.; Beziat, D.; Williams-Jones, A.E.; Trap, P.; Durand, C.; Goncalves, P.; Marquer, D.; Feybesse, J.L.; Richard, Y.; Orberger, B.; Hofmann, A.; Megneng, M.; Orberger, B.; Bouttemy, M.; Vigneron, J.; Etcheberry, A.; Perdicakis, M.; Prignon, N.; Toe, W.; Andre-Mayer, A.S.; Eglinger, A.; Jordaan, T.; Hocquet, S.; Ledru, P.; Selezneva, V.; Vendryes, G.; Lach, P.; Cuney, M.; Mercadier, J.; Brouand, M.; Duran, C.; Seydoux-Guillaume, A.M.; Bingen, B.; Parseval, P. de; Guillaume, D.; Bosse, V.; Paquette, J.L.; Ingrin, J.; Montel, J.M.; Giot, R.; Maucotel, F.; Hubert, S.; Gautheron, C.; Tassan-Got, L.; Pagel, M.; Barbarand, J.; Cuney, M.; Lach, P.; Bonhoure, J.; Leisen, M.; Kister, P.; Salaun, A.; Villemant, B.; Gerard, M.; Komorowski, J.C.; Michel, A.; Riegler, T.; Tartese, R.; Boulvais, P.; Poujols, M.; Gloaguen, E.; Mazzanti, M.; Mougel, V.; Nocton, G.; Biswas, B.; Pecaut, J.; Othmane, G.; Menguy, N.; Vercouter, T.; Morin, G.; Galoisy, L.; Calas, G.; Fayek, M.

2010-11-15

This document brings together the abstracts of the 39 presentations given at this meeting days on uranium, organized by the French geological society, and dealing with: 1 - Prospective study of the electronuclear technological transition; 2 - The front-end of the nuclear cycle: from the molecule to the process; 3 - Geophysics: recent changes; 4 - Use of well logging in uranium exploration; 5 - Genetical classification of thorium deposits; 6 - Genetical nomenclature of uranium sources; 7 - Uranium deposits linked to a Proterozoic discordance - retrospective; 8 - The use of spectral analysis techniques in uranium exploration: real-time mapping of clay alteration features; 9 - Development of functionalized silk-screened carbon electrodes for the analysis of uranium trace amounts; 10 - Study of the actinides solvation sphere in organic environment; 11 - Thermodynamic of uraniferous phases of interest for the nuclear cycle; 12 - Heap leaching of marginal minerals at Somair: from lab studies to the production of 700 t of uranium/year; 13 - Agglomeration phenomenology and role of iron in uranium heap leaching; 14 - Chloride uranyl complexes up to 300 deg. C along the saturation vapour curve: Raman spectroscopy analysis and metallogenic consequences; 15 - Weathering systems in the Shea Creek deposit (Athabasca, Canada): vertical variability of argillaceous weathering; 16 - Weathering systems in the Shea Creek deposit (Athabasca, Canada): contribution of irradiation defects in clays to the tracing of past uranium migrations; 17 - Uranium concentrations in mineralizing fluids of the Athabasca basin: analytical and experimental approach; 18 - Paleo-surfaces and metallic rooting: the autochthonous uranium of pre-Athabasca paleo-alterites, Canada; 19 - Distribution of argillaceous parageneses in the Imouraren deposit - Niger; 20 - Heat flux and radioelements concentration (U, Th, K) of precambrian basements: implications in terms of crust growth mechanisms, paleo-temperature

Tropical sea surface temperature variability near the Oligocene - Miocene boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y.; Pagani, M.

2010-12-01

Eocene (e.g. ODP 1218 [2]), our records suggest major Antarctic ice build-up in the Oligocene. Additional work across high-latitude sites is necessary to evaluate how the extratropics responded to climate change during Mi-1, as well as modeling efforts to quantitatively resolve ice volume from temperature. [1] K. Billups, D.P. Schrag, Paleotemperatures and ice volume of the past 27 Myr revisited with paired Mg/Ca and 18O/16O measurements on bethic foraminifera, Paleoceanography 17(2002). [2] C.H. Lear, Y. Rosenthal, H.K. Coxall, P.A. Wilson, Late Eocene to early Miocene ice sheet dynamics and the global carbon cycle, Paleoceanography 19(2004). [3] R.M. Coggon, D.A.H. Teagle, C.E. Smith-Duque, J.C. Alt, M.J. Copper, Reconstructing past seawater Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca from Mid-Ocean Ridge flank calcium carbonate veins, Science 327(2010) 1141-1147. [4] S.F. Pekar, R.M. DeConto, High-resolution ice-volume estimates for the early Miocene: Evidence for a dynamic ice sheet in Antarctica, Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 231(2006) 101-109. [5] Z. Liu, M. Pagani, D. Zinniker, R. DeConto, M. Huber, H. Brinkhuis, S.R. Shah, R.M. Leckie, A. Pearson, Global Cooling During the Eocene-Oligocene Climate Transition, Science 323(2009) 1187-1190.

Meeting of the French geological society - Uranium: geology, geophysics, chemistry. Book of abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakari, A.A.; Mima, S.; Bidaud, A.; Criqui, P.; Menanteau, P.; David, S.; Pagel, M.; Chagnes, A.; Cote, G.; Courtaud, B.; Thiry, J.; Miehe, J.M.; Gilbert, F.; Cuney, M.; Bruneton, P.; Ewington, D.; Vautrin-Ul, C.; Cannizzo, C.; Betelu, S.; Chausse, A.; Ly, J.; Bourgeois, D.; Maynadie, J.; Meyer, D.; Clavier, N.; Costin, D.T.; Cretaz, F.; Szenknect, S.; Ravaux, J.; Poinssot, C.; Dacheux, N.; Durupt, N.; Blanvillain, J.J.; Geffroy, F.; Aparicio, B.; Dubessy, J.; Nguyen-Trung, C.; Robert, P.; Uri, F.; Beaufort, D.; Lescuyer, J.L.; Morichon, E.; Allard, T.; Milesi, J.P.; Richard, A.; Rozsypal, C.; Mercadier, J.; Banks, D.A.; Boiron, M.C.; Cathelineau, M.; Dardel, J.; Billon, S.; Patrier, P.; Wattinne, A.; Vanderhaeghe, O.; Fabre, C.; Castillo, M.; Salvi, S.; Beziat, D.; Williams-Jones, A.E.; Trap, P.; Durand, C.; Goncalves, P.; Marquer, D.; Feybesse, J.L.; Richard, Y.; Orberger, B.; Hofmann, A.; Megneng, M.; Orberger, B.; Bouttemy, M.; Vigneron, J.; Etcheberry, A.; Perdicakis, M.; Prignon, N.; Toe, W.; Andre-Mayer, A.S.; Eglinger, A.; Jordaan, T.; Hocquet, S.; Ledru, P.; Selezneva, V.; Vendryes, G.; Lach, P.; Cuney, M.; Mercadier, J.; Brouand, M.; Duran, C.; Seydoux-Guillaume, A.M.; Bingen, B.; Parseval, P. de; Guillaume, D.; Bosse, V.; Paquette, J.L.; Ingrin, J.; Montel, J.M.; Giot, R.; Maucotel, F.; Hubert, S.; Gautheron, C.; Tassan-Got, L.; Pagel, M.; Barbarand, J.; Cuney, M.; Lach, P.; Bonhoure, J.; Leisen, M.; Kister, P.; Salaun, A.; Villemant, B.; Gerard, M.; Komorowski, J.C.; Michel, A.; Riegler, T.; Tartese, R.; Boulvais, P.; Poujols, M.; Gloaguen, E.; Mazzanti, M.; Mougel, V.; Nocton, G.; Biswas, B.; Pecaut, J.; Othmane, G.; Menguy, N.; Vercouter, T.; Morin, G.; Galoisy, L.; Calas, G.; Fayek, M.

2010-11-01

This document brings together the abstracts of the 39 presentations given at this meeting days on uranium, organized by the French geological society, and dealing with: 1 - Prospective study of the electronuclear technological transition; 2 - The front-end of the nuclear cycle: from the molecule to the process; 3 - Geophysics: recent changes; 4 - Use of well logging in uranium exploration; 5 - Genetical classification of thorium deposits; 6 - Genetical nomenclature of uranium sources; 7 - Uranium deposits linked to a Proterozoic discordance - retrospective; 8 - The use of spectral analysis techniques in uranium exploration: real-time mapping of clay alteration features; 9 - Development of functionalized silk-screened carbon electrodes for the analysis of uranium trace amounts; 10 - Study of the actinides solvation sphere in organic environment; 11 - Thermodynamic of uraniferous phases of interest for the nuclear cycle; 12 - Heap leaching of marginal minerals at Somair: from lab studies to the production of 700 t of uranium/year; 13 - Agglomeration phenomenology and role of iron in uranium heap leaching; 14 - Chloride uranyl complexes up to 300 deg. C along the saturation vapour curve: Raman spectroscopy analysis and metallogenic consequences; 15 - Weathering systems in the Shea Creek deposit (Athabasca, Canada): vertical variability of argillaceous weathering; 16 - Weathering systems in the Shea Creek deposit (Athabasca, Canada): contribution of irradiation defects in clays to the tracing of past uranium migrations; 17 - Uranium concentrations in mineralizing fluids of the Athabasca basin: analytical and experimental approach; 18 - Paleo-surfaces and metallic rooting: the autochthonous uranium of pre-Athabasca paleo-alterites, Canada; 19 - Distribution of argillaceous parageneses in the Imouraren deposit - Niger; 20 - Heat flux and radioelements concentration (U, Th, K) of precambrian basements: implications in terms of crust growth mechanisms, paleo-temperature

Shallow geothermal investigations into the existence of the Valles Caldera outflow plume near Ponderosa and Jemez Pueblo, north-central, New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Salaz, Robert Ezekiel

shallow meteoric waters within the Jemez Mountains. The geochemical complexity of the data point towards separate systems with distinct geochemical characteristics, i.e. confined aquifers, but the complexity and sparseness of data make further interpretations difficult. No evidence of geothermal mixing was observed in any of the samples. Temperature data taken from shallow water wells that penetrate Tertiary Zia Sandstone and Triassic Chinle Group sediments (less than 200 m) show higher than expected geothermal gradients, up to 93 °C/km. Transient temperature models of an aquifer with warm water flowing laterally may explain how an expected background temperature gradient in the Rio Grande rift of 30 °C/km could be heated to 80 °C/km. The aquifer is the Madera Limestone, with a projected depth of 900 meters, which lies below the Abo Formation and the Chinle Group aquitards. The models point toward a period of advective heat transport of a deep stratigraphically-bound, laterally flowing geothermal aquifer and subsequent conductive heating of the strata above the aquifer. Travertine data show elevated delta13C values from 1.31‰ -- 5.18‰ PDB, indicating a possible magmatic source. delta18O paleotemperature results indicate spring temperatures of approximately 33 °C. U-series dates yield an age for one travertine mound, ~150 meters above the active stream channel, of approximately 450 ka +/-17 ka. These data are also consistent with published data from Soda Dam. Although the data show mixed indications of a potential geothermal resource at depth, it is evident that there is no leakage of this resource into the shallow groundwater within the study area. However, higher-than-normal geothermal gradients may indicate a thermal source at depth. Travertine data are sparse, but support the existence of thermal activity related to geothermal events from the Valles caldera in the past. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Applications of 14C-AMS on archaeology, climate, environment, geology, oceanography and biology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomes, P.R.S.; Anjos, R.M.; Macario, K.D.; Santos, G.M.

2005-01-01

negligible, as at remote lakes of the Amazon region, the Hg accumulation rate archived in sediment cores may be a powerful tool for the interpretation of the paleoclimatology and paleoecology of the region. Mercury (and carbon) fluxes can be obtained from the product of the sedimentation rate, bulk density and mercury (carbon) concentration. The sedimentation rate can be obtained from the 14 C-AMS dating of samples from the sediment cores. Three different sedimentation regimes, representing paleoclimatic processes that influenced the characteristics of the deposited material, are clearly observed. The first, from ∼41500 to ∼26000 yr. BP (Pleistocene), and the last, from 18000 yr. BP to the present (Tardiglacial and Holocene), correspond to steady sedimentation rates. There is a hiatus between ∼25000 and ∼18000 yr. BP. At ∼18000 yr. BP (Last Glacial Maximum-LGM), there is a sudden input of ∼20 cm of clastic material. The average flux since the LGM was much higher than prior to the LGM. This increase in the mercury deposition rate after the LGM may be linked to drier periods and a higher frequency of forest fires. The next experiment is part of a research on rapid climatic induced sea-level changes and paleotemperature of surface and bottom waters in South Atlantic. The understanding of sea-level fluctuations is fundamental for human occupation of littoral areas and hydrocarbon industry on offshore exploration. We performed radiocarbon dating of foraminifera shell samples, collected in upper slope of Campos Basin, offshore Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro State, in Southern Brazil. Samples are from a 34 cm sedimentary column of a box-core sample collected at 393 m water depth, Ages vary from 2560±80 y BP on the top to 7260±80 BP at the bottom of the sediment column, and show good correlation age X depth. The mean accumulation ratio for the whole column is 6.17 cm/1000 years. Fluctuations in this mean values indicate that the ocean bottom dynamics has some variation

Petrological, geochemical and isotopic characteristics of lignite and calcified lignite from mining area Pesje, Velenje Basin, Slovenia

Science.gov (United States)

Vrabec, Mirijam; Markič, Miloš; Vrabec, Marko; Jaćimović, Radojko; Kanduč, Tjaša

2014-05-01

energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy at the Department of Ceramics at the Jožef Stefan Institute. Geochemical characteristics of major and trace elements indicate that the values of major and trace elements are comparable to world average coal (Zhang et al., 2004). Isotopic composition of carbon and isotopic composition of nitrogen of investigated samples indicate values from to -29.4o to -23.7o and 1.8o to 5.9o respectively. Lower value of isotopic composition of carbon indicates higher gelification (values up to -29.4) and higher value of isotopic composition of nitrogen (values up to 5.9) indicate higher mineralization. The results of SEM/EDXS microscopy revealed that in calcified lignite chemical composition of calcite prevails. Traces of diagenetic pyrite were also found, indicating localized anoxic conditions during sedimentation. Values of isotopic composition of CCaCO3 range from -2 to +13 and indicate temperature of precipitation from 17.3 to 35 deg C, which is similar to results obtained in previous studies (Kanduč et al., 2012). References Krantz, D.E., Williams, D.F., Jones, D.S., 1987: Ecological and paleoenvironmental information using stable isotope profiles from living and fossil mollusks. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 58, 249-266. Kanduč T., Markič M., Zavšek S., McIntosh J. 2012: carbon cycling in the Pliocene Velenje Coal Basin, Slovenia, inferred from stable carbon isotopes. International Journal of Coal Geology 89, 70-83. Jaćimović, R., Lazaru, A., Mihajlović, D., Ilić, R., Stafilov, T., 2002: Determination of major and trace elements in some minerals by k0-instrumental neutron activation analysis. Journal of Radioanalytical Nuclear Chemistry, 253, 427-434. McCrea, JM., 1950. On the isotopic chemistry of carbonates and a paleotemperature scale. Journal of Chemical Physics 18, 849. Ward C.R. (Ed.), 1984: Coal Geology and Coal Technology. Black-well, Oxford, 345 pp. Zhang J.Y., Zheng C.G., Ren D.Y., Chou C.L., Zheng R

The source of phosphate in the oxidation zone of ore deposits: Evidence from oxygen isotope compositions of pyromorphite

Science.gov (United States)

Burmann, Fabian; Keim, Maximilian F.; Oelmann, Yvonne; Teiber, Holger; Marks, Michael A. W.; Markl, Gregor

2013-12-01

isotope composition of phosphate has been used as a tool for determining paleotemperatures (e.g., Longinelli, 1984), but recent studies suggested to test its suitability for tracing phosphate sources in aquatic systems (Gruau et al., 2005; Elsbury et al., 2009; Young et al., 2009). Most of these studies deal with short-term ecological cycles and therefore the inorganic exchange of oxygen is negligible. However, this effect has to be considered for processes that happen in geological timescales.Due to the low phosphate concentrations in natural waters (Blake et al., 2005) and the low solubility product of pyromorphite, it is reasonable to assume almost all phosphate to precipitate as pyromorphite without any fractionation. Accordingly, the δ18OP of pyromorphite reflects the oxygen isotope composition of the dissolved phosphate in the water from which it precipitated and records the source, if this phosphate was not modified during fluid transport.Different phosphate reservoirs differ in their oxygen-isotope composition and with more and more data available it is possible to discriminate between different sources. Data for phosphates in aquatic systems are provided by Young et al. (2009): Phosphates of anthropogenic origin (fertilizers and the corresponding processing stages, detergents and toothpaste) show δ18OP values between +13.3‰ and +22.3‰, for phosphates from organic sources (vegetation leachate and animal waste) values between +14.2‰ and +23.1‰ are reported and a range between +8.4‰ and +14.2‰ is covered by phosphates of waste water treatment plants. For terrestrial ecosystems, Tamburini et al. (2012) reported δ18OP values between +4.5‰ and +31.4‰ with most data falling in the range of +12.4‰ to +31.4‰ for phosphate in plants (N = 11). Microbial phosphate in soil covered a range of +11‰ to +19‰. Resin-extractable P in soil as the readily available P fraction in soil from which P-containing minerals would precipitate, showed a range of 14