Grain-size characteristics of sediment in Daniugou peatland in Changbai Mountains, Northeast China: Implications for atmospheric dust deposition

Abstract

The grain-size distribution characteristics and grain-size parameters of sediment in two vertical sections of Daniugou peatland in the Changbai Mountains were systematically investigated. A comparative analysis of the sediment granularity using a discriminative function with Hongyuan peat, red clay, loess-paleosol, fluvial deposit as well as lacustrine deposit was also conducted. It turns out that the vertical section of Daniugou peat ash is primarily constituted by clay and silt particles, and the content of sand is relatively small. Grain-size frequency curves generally show a single-peak modality while a bimodal pattern is detected in the upper layer. The grain-size component and peak pattern of grain-size frequency curves also illustrate that peat ash materials were transported to the peatland by long-range aeolian dust during the deposition process, while there existed short-distance dust influence in peat deposition of the upper layer. Comparisons of grain-size parameters and the discriminative Y-value of Daniugou peat ash with those of typical aeolian sediments show close similarities, suggesting the possibility that atmospheric dust transport processes were involved in the accumulation of peat again. Moreover, the variations of grain-size distribution suggest the local environmental deterioration which is just the driving force of local dust elevation. Grain-size analysis of peatland sediment is demonstrated to be one effective method to extract information about regional and global environmental evolution, and more attention should be paid to current local ecological environment and to seeking a balance between economic development and environmental protection in Northeast China.