Excess 210Pb Research Articles

Late Quaternary contourites and glaciomarine sedimentation in the Fram Strait

AbstractTwo sites in the eastern Fram Strait, the Vestnesa Ridge and the Yermak Plateau, have been surveyed and sampled providing a depositional record over the last glacial‐interglacial cycle. The Fram Strait is the only deep‐water connection from the Arctic Ocean to the North Atlantic and contains a marine sediment record of both high latitude thermohaline flow and ice sheet interaction. On the Vestnesa Ridge, the western Svalbard margin, a sediment drift was identified in 1226 m of water. Gravity and multicores from the crest of the drift recovered turbidites and contourites. 14C dating indicates an age range of 8287 to 26 900 years BP (Early Holocene to Late Weichselian). The Yermak Plateau is characterized by slope sediments in 961 m of water. Gravity and multicores recovered contourites and hemipelagites. 14C ages were between 8615 and 46 437 years BP (Early Holocene to mid‐Weichselian). Downcore dinoflagellate cyst analyses from both sites provide a record of changing surface water conditions since the mid‐Weichselian, suggesting variable sea ice extent, productivity and polynyas present even during the Last Glacial Maximum. Four layers of ice‐rafted debris were also identified and correlated within the cores. These events occurred ca at 9, 24 to 25, 26 to 27 and 43 ka, asynchronous with Heinrich layers in the wider north‐east Atlantic and here interpreted as reflecting instability in the Svalbard/Barents Ice sheet and the northward advection of warm Atlantic water during the Late Weichselian. The activity of the ancestral West Spitsbergen Current is interpreted using mean sortable silt records from the cores. On the Vestnesa Ridge drift the modern mass accumulation rate, calculated using excess 210Pb, is 0·076 g cm−2 year−1. On the Yermak Plateau slope the modern mass accumulation rate is 0·053 g cm−2 year−1.

Recent clastic sedimentation processes in Lake Puyehue (Chilean Lake District, 40.5°S)

Clastic sedimentation processes in Lake Puyehue (40.5°S; 72.5°W, Chile), are described based on correlation of high-resolution seismic profiles and multidisciplinary analysis of short sediment cores from two contrasting coring sites (PU-I and PU-II). Two main sedimentary environments are recognized in this oligotrophic lake: (i) a proximal one, which includes the delta of the main tributary (the Golgol River) and is a deep flat basin with a ponded geometry and limited acoustic penetration, and (ii) a distal one that is composed of several sub-basins highlighting a drape geometry and better acoustic penetration. Based on the correlation of seismic data and sediment cores dated by radionuclides and the identification of tephra layers (Rininahue1907, Cordon Caulle 1921–22 and 1960), we argue that clastic sedimentation results essentially from the development of homopycnal flows at the end of the winter season in this monomictic lake. Whereas distal clastic environments (PU-II coring site) are dominated by biogenic production and appear to have been little affected by the 1960 Chilean earthquake (Mw 9.5) and nearby volcanic eruptions, this may not be the case for more proximal clastic environments (PU-I coring site) which also experience sporadic hyperpycnal flows during major flood events. In May–June 1960, for example, as several earthquake-triggered landslides dammed the course of the Golgol River and ca. 7 × 10 6 m 3 of volcaniclastic sediments fell over the drainage basin of the lake during the earthquake-induced Puyehue–Cordon–Caulle eruption, successive outbursts in the Golgol valley induced a mega-flood in Lake Puyehue. This hyperpycnal flow reworked a mixture of volcaniclastic and regolith-derived sediments from the catchment, as well as lacustrine sediments surrounding the Golgol delta (during the rising limb of the flood). These recently reworked sediments are strikingly enriched in excess 210Pb activity suggesting that positive anomalies in the activity of this isotope can be used to determine the source area of clastic sediments.

Recent deep-water sedimentation, trace metal and radioisotope geochemistry across the Southern Ocean and Northern Weddell Sea, Antarctica

Abstract A wide variety of deep-water depositional environments were examined across 12 sampling stations in the Southern Ocean and northern Weddell Sea, Antarctica in order to provide a depositional context for the benthic biodiversity studies of ANDEEP (Antarctic Benthic Deep-Sea Biodiversity: colonisation history and recent community patterns). Here we present a diverse dataset comprising sub-bottom profiles, seabed photographs, sediment profile images, and box and multicore samples in order to investigate the recent depositional environments across the region. The sediments were investigated using texture, structure, trace metal (Mn, Fe, U, Mo, Ba, and Pb), stable (206Pb/207Pb) and radionuclide (excess 210Pb) isotopes. The sediments of the Agulhas Basin are interpreted as siliceous pelagites, the product of enhanced surface productivity. The eastern Weddell continental rise is characterised by diverse depositional environments with hemipelagic, turbiditic and contouritic sedimentation. In contrast, the northern Weddell Abyssal Plain is dominated by hemipelagites with fine-grained turbidites. A single sampling station from the central Powell Basin contained hemipelagites and a fine-grained turbidite. A core from the central Bransfield Strait recovered hemipelagites with a silt turbidite. The seabed photographs display a seabed dominated by biogenic mud balls formed by cirratulid polychaetes. Trace metal, Pb-isotope, and excess 210Pb data all reveal the central Bransfield Strait to be a region of enhanced productivity with a mass accumulation rate of 0.073 g/cm2. Two stations in the Bellingshausen Sea recovered hemipelagites and turbidites. Mn, Fe and Mo data suggest a degradation of organic matter in the sediments leading to redox cycling.

Assessing Soil Erosion Rates on Manually-Tilled Hillslopes in the Sichuan Hilly Basin Using 137Cs and 210Pb ex Measurements

Purple soils are widely distributed in the Sichuan Hilly Basin and are highly susceptible to erosion, especially on the cultivated slopes. Quantitative assessment of the erosion rates is, however, difficult due to small size of the plots of the manually-tilled land, the complex land use, and steep hillslopes. 137Cs and 210Pbex (excess 210Pb) tracing techniques were used to investigate the spatial pattern of soil erosion rates associated with slope-land under hoe tillage in Neijiang of the Sichuan Hilly Basin. The 137Cs and 210Pbex inventories at the top of the cultivated slope were extremely low, and the highest inventories were found at the bottom of the cultivated slope. By combining the erosion rates estimates provided by both 137Cs and 210Pb ex measurements, the weighted mean net soil loss from the study slope was estimated to be 3100 t km −2 year −1, which was significantly less than 6930 t km −2 year −1 reported for runoff plots on a 10° cultivated slope at the Suining Station of Soil Erosion. The spatial pattern of soil erosion rates on the steep agricultural land showed that hoe tillage played an important role in soil redistribution along the slope. Also, traditional farming practices had a significant role in reducing soil loss, leading to a lower net erosion rate for the field.

Radionuclides in Arctic sea ice: Tracers of sources, fates and ice transit time scales

Arctic sea ice can incorporate sediment and associated chemical species during its formation in shallow shelf environments and can also intercept atmospherically transported material during transit. Release of this material in ice ablation areas (e.g. the Fram Strait) enhances fluxes of both sediments and associated species in such areas. We have used a suite of natural ( 7Be, 210Pb) and anthropogenic ( 137Cs, 239Pu, 240Pu) radionuclides in sea ice, sea-ice sediments (SIS), sediment trap material and bottom sediments from the Fram Strait to estimate transit times of sea ice from source to ablation areas, calculate radionuclide fluxes to the Fram Strait and investigate the role of sea-ice entrained sediments in sedimentation processes. Sea ice intercepts and transports the atmospherically supplied radionuclides 7Be and 210Pb, which are carried in the ice and are scavenged by any entrained SIS. All of the 7Be and most of the excess 210Pb measured in SIS collected in the Fram Strait are added to the ice during transit through the Arctic Ocean, and we use these radionuclides as chronometers to calculate ice transit times for individual ice floes. Transit times estimated from the 210Pb inventories in two ice cores are 1–3 years. Values estimated from the 7Be/ 210Pb excess activity ratio of SIS are about 3–5 years. Finally, equilibrium values of the activity ratio of 210Pb to its granddaughter 210Po in the ice cores indicate transit times of at least 2 years. These transit times are consistent with back-trajectory analyses of the ice floes. The latter, as well as the clay-mineral assemblage of the SIS (low smectite and high illite content), suggest that the sampled sea-ice floes originated from the eastern Siberian Arctic shelf seas such as the eastern Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea. This result is in agreement with the relatively low activities of 239,240Pu and 137Cs and the 240Pu/ 239Pu atom ratios (∼0.18, equivalent to that in global fallout) in SIS, indicating that prior global atmospheric fallout, rather than nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities, forms the main source of these anthropogenic radionuclides reaching the western Fram Strait at the time of sampling (1999). Transport of radionuclides by sea ice through the Arctic Ocean, either associated with entrained SIS or dissolved in the ice, accounts for a significant flux in ablation areas such as the Fram Strait, up to several times larger than the current atmospheric flux in the area. Calculated fluxes derived from sea-ice melting compare well to fluxes obtained from sediment traps deployed in the Fram Strait and are consistent with inventories in bottom sediments. 240Pu/ 239Pu atomic ratios lower than 0.18 in bottom sediments from the Fram Strait provide evidence that plutonium from a source other than atmospheric fallout has reached the area. Most likely sources of this Pu include tropospheric fallout from atomic weapons testing of the former Soviet Union prior to 1963 and Pu released from nuclear reprocessing facilities, intercepted and transported by sea ice to the ablation areas. Future work is envisaged to more thoroughly understand the actual mechanisms by which radionuclides are incorporated in sea ice, focusing on the quantification of the efficiency of scavenging by SIS and the effect of melting and refreezing processes over the course of several years during transit.

210Pb and 137Cs as chronometers for salt marsh accretion in the Venice Lagoon – links to flooding frequency and climate change

Five salt marsh sediment cores from different parts of the Venice Lagoon were studied to determine their depositional history and its relationship with the environmental changes occurred during the past ∼100 years. X-radiographs of the cores show no disturbance related to particle mixing. Accretion rates were calculated using a constant flux model applied to excess 210Pb distributions in the cores. The record of 137Cs fluxes to the sites, determined from 137Cs profiles and the 210Pb chronologies, shows inputs from the global fallout of 137Cs in the late 1950s to early 1960s and the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Average accretion rates in the cores are comparable to the long-term average rate of mean sea level rise in the Venice Lagoon (∼0.25 cm y −1) except for a core collected in a marsh presumably affected by inputs from the Dese River. Short-term variations in accretion rate are correlated with the cumulative frequency of flooding, as determined by records of Acqua Alta, in four of the five cores, suggesting that variations in the phenomena causing flooding (such as wind patterns, storm frequency and NAO) are short-term driving forces for variations in marsh accretion rate.

Phosphorus speciation in the sediment and mass balance for the central region of the Great Barrier Reef continental shelf (Australia)

Solid phase P speciation has been determined in sediments from a transect across the central section of the continental shelf and slope of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. This region is characterized by a gradient of riverine aluminosilicate clay and silt nearshore, seawards of which biogenic carbonate sediment predominates. Phosphorus speciation results show large variations along this transect. Organic P and authigenic (apatite) P are the major chemical forms of phosphorus in the central GBR continental shelf sediments. Post-depositional reorganization of P was also observed, converting organic P and iron bound P (Fe–P) to authigenic (apatite) P. Phosphorus burial rate was estimated from measurements of total P concentration and excess 210Pb sediment mass accumulation rates. Burial efficiency varies significantly over the shelf. Inshore areas showed significant P remobilization from sediments to the water column (up to ∼50%). The mid and the outer shelf showed little evidence for remobilization (except for coral reef platform sediments), with more of the sediment P being in the less reactive authigenic apatite phases. An appreciable fraction of this non-labile authigenic apatite phase was identified as fish bone. P sources and sinks over the central part of the GBR shelf were quantified using a mass balance approach. This showed that Coral Sea shelf edge upwelling events are essential to satisfy the large P nutrient demand of the whole GBR lagoon. P inputs due to upwelling events were greater than those contributed by local rivers over an average year.

Recent sediment accumulation and origin of shelf mud deposits in the Yellow and East China Seas

Modern (last 100 yr) accumulation rates of shelf mud deposits in the Yellow and East China Seas were investigated using the distribution of excess 210Pb ( 210Pb ex) in sediment core samples. Compilation and merger of new and previously published data helped clarify sediment accumulation in these seas. The estimated accumulation rates, together with data of suspended sediment concentrations, provided findings on the sediment budget, origin, and transport pathway of the mud deposits. The overall accumulation distribution in the Yellow and East China Sea shelf revealed a general, cross-shelf decreasing trend along the sediment dispersal system away from the rivers, except for the South Sea (SSM) and southeastern Yellow Sea (SEYSM) mud patches found along the Korean coast. Notably, 210Pb ex activity profiles within the SSM and the SEYSM yielded a relatively high accumulation rate of 2–5 mm/yr, implying a sedimentation rate of 4–15 × 10 7 tons per year in this coastal zone. Such an annual accumulation rate is about one order of magnitude greater than the total sediment discharge (6–20 × 10 6 tons/yr) from Korean rivers, suggesting an additional offshore source. The distribution pattern of the well-defined suspended plume clearly showed the possible transport and exchange of fine-grained sediments between the ECS shelf and the coastal area of Korea, especially during winter. Such a high accumulation in Korean coastal areas is attributable to the sediments supplied from the mud deposit of the ECS (i.e., SWCIM), with origins in Chinese rivers. Therefore, the Korean coastal area may be an important sink for some of Chinese river sediments being transported from the south by the Yellow Sea Warm Current.

Reconstructing sediment age profiles from historical bathymetry changes in San Pablo Bay, California

Sediment age profiles reconstructed from a sequence of historical bathymetry changes are used to investigate the subsurface distribution of historical sediments in a subembayment of the San Francisco Estuary. Profiles are created in a grid-based GIS modeling program that stratifies historical deposition into temporal horizons. The model's reconstructions are supported by comparisons to profiles of 137Cs and excess 210Pb at 12 core sites. The predicted depth of the 1951 sediment horizon is positively correlated to the depth of the first occurrence of 137Cs at sites that have been depositional between recent surveys. Reconstructions at sites that have been erosional since the 1951 survey are supported by a lack of detectable 137Cs and excess 210Pb below the upper 6–16 cm of the core. A new data set of predicted near-surface sediment ages was created to illustrate an application of this approach. Results demonstrate other potential applications such as guiding the spatial positioning of future core sites for contaminant measurements.

210Pb and 230Th in settling particles in the western Northwest Pacific Ocean: Particle flux and scavenging

A mooring of three conical time-series sediment traps was deployed at two sites in the western Northwest Pacific Ocean for 9 months. Total mass fluxes and activities of 210Pb and 230Th were determined for the settling particles to elucidate their scavenging and transport processes. Sediment samples also were analyzed for 210Pb activities. Total mass fluxes, 210Pb fluxes and 230Th fluxes showed large seasonal variations and their weighted mean fluxes tended to increase with depth, with an especially large increase near-bottom. The ratios of the observed 210Pb fluxes to the 210Pb deficiency fluxes in the upper traps at the two sites were only 0.02 and 0.12, and were attributable to advective export of 210Pb from the surface waters. Those ratios in the near-bottom traps ranged between 1.22 and 2.63. This suggests that these high ratios are due to effective particle scavenging, large lateral 210Pb import and input of resuspended particles that have not become incorporated into the sediments. The mean total 230Th fluxes at the near-bottom traps were 4.2–6.7 times higher than that expected from production in the overlying water column. The 210Pb activities in the surficial sediments were much lower than those in the near-bottom traps. The 210Pb accumulation rates estimated from the excess 210Pb inventory in the sediment column were 40–70% higher than the mean 210Pb fluxes at the near-bottom traps. The ratios of the 210Pb accumulation rates to the 210Pb deficiency fluxes at the near-bottom traps ranged between 2.0 and 3.7. The high fluxes of particulate 210Pb and 230Th at the near-bottom traps reflected a combination of enhanced scavenging of dissolved nuclides and the lateral redistribution of particulate matter by downslope and alongshore transports. However, it was not possible to discriminate among the various processes contributing to high nuclide fluxes.

Sedimentary processes in the Thau Lagoon (France): From seasonal to century time scales

As a part of the MICROBENT programme, an investigation of the sedimentation framework was carried out at the water-sediment interface in the Thau Lagoon (French Mediterranean coast). Two main sites, C4 in the middle of the lagoon and C5 near oyster farms, were visited six times between December 2001 and May 2003. Interface sediments were studied using classical sedimentology parameters (radiography RX, grain size distribution) and analysis of selected radionuclides ( 234Th, 7Be, 210Pb, 226Ra). On a century time scale, excess 210Pb ( 210Pb xs) presents classical profiles with an upper mixed layer, followed by an exponential decrease of activities to undetectable levels below 20 – 30 cm. At the central site, C4, cores seem to register episodic changes in mean grain size, presenting recurrently peaks. The upper 10 cm of 210Pb xs profiles at site C5 exhibit a mixed layer associated with coarser sediments: this could be related to biological activity. Sedimentation rates derived from 210Pb xs varied from 0.15 cm y −1 at the edge of the basin, to 0.25 cm y −1 at the central site. On a seasonal time scale, 234Th and 7Be both show significant variations in activities and in penetration within the sediment. Bioturbation rates derived from both radionuclides agree well and range between 1–10 cm 2 y −1 at site C4 and 1–31 cm 2 y −1 at site C5. 234Th and 7Be fluxes at the water-sediment interface show too seasonal variations, more pronounced for site C5. This latter site presents especially a higher variability that is well marked with season, probably in relation with its position near oyster farms.

The influence of porosity gradients on mixing coefficients in sediments

The surface layer of aquatic sediments is a zone characterized by both porosity gradients and intensive mixing. In the standard approach, porosity gradients are ignored when estimating mixing intensity. Here, model formulations with both constant and varying porosity are contrasted to estimate mixing coefficients D b from tracer depth profiles. Complementing the well-known exponential solution of the constant-porosity model, we present a general solution to the variable-porosity model in terms of hypergeometric functions. When using these models in a forward way, the tracer activities predicted by the variable-porosity model are higher than those generated by the constant-porosity model. Similarly, when inverse modelling, D b values estimated by the variable-porosity model are systematically higher than those derived from the constant-porosity model. Still, differences in D b values remain relatively small. When applying both mixing models to excess 210Pb data profiles from slope sediments, a maximal difference of 30% is obtained between D b values, the average deviation being 16%. A systematic exploration of parameter space predicts a maximal underestimation of 60% when deriving D b values from the constant-porosity mixing model. Given the uncertainty imposed by other model assumptions underlying the diffusive mixing model, the influence of porosity gradients on D b values must be classified as rather modest. Hence, the current mixing coefficient database is not biased by the constant porosity approximation.

Vapor transfer prior to the October 2004 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington

Dome lavas from the 2004 eruption of Mount St. Helens show elevated Li contents in plagioclase phenocrysts at the onset of dome growth in October 2004. These cannot be explained by variations in plagioclase-melt partitioning, but require elevated Li contents in coexisting melt, a fact confirmed by measurements of Li contents as high as 207 µg/g in coexisting melt inclusions. Similar Li enrichment has been observed in material erupted prior to and during the climactic May 1980 eruption, and is likewise best explained via pre-eruptive transfer of an exsolved alkali-rich vapor phase derived from deeper within the magma transport system. Unlike 1980, however, high Li samples from 2004 show no evidence of excess (210Pb)/(226Ra), implying that measurable Li enrichments may occur despite significant differences in the timing and/or extent of magmatic degassing. Diffusion modeling shows that Li enrichment occurred within ∼1 yr before eruption, and that magma remained Li enriched until immediately before eruption and cooling. This short flux time and the very high Li contents in ash produced by phreatomagmatic activity prior to the onset of dome extrusion suggest that vapor transfer and accumulation were associated with initiation of the current eruption. Overall, observation of a high Li signature in both 1980 and 2004 dacites indicates that Li enrichment may be a relatively common phenomenon, and may prove useful for petrologic monitoring of Mount St. Helens and other silicic volcanoes. Lithium diffusion is also sufficiently rapid to constrain vapor transfer on similar time scales to short-lived radionuclides.

Intercomparison of alpha and gamma spectrometry techniques used in 210Pb geochronology

210Pb geochronology is a widely used tool in sedimentological studies aimed at the absolute ages of modern sediments (up to 100 years). 210Pb activities required to model sedimentation regimes are measured using either alpha, gamma or beta spectrometry. Sediment accumulation rates derived from 210Pb activity profiles measured by these methods are often used interchangeably in mass balance studies. Yet there is a lack of investigations considering the comparability of data derived using different analytical methods. Differences between methods could be caused by different behaviors of 210Pb and 210Po (used for alpha measurement) in the marine environment. In gamma spectrometry errors may arise when many gamma emitters are measured simultaneously and their activity peaks overlap. In alpha spectrometry chemical separation of 210Po may result in analytical error due to incomplete sample dissolution. In the present study we evaluate total, supported and excess 210Pb activities and their use in deriving sediment accumulation rates and 210Pb excess inventories for three sediment cores collected from the Barents Sea. 210Pb activities derived by alpha and gamma methods are shown to agree within counting error and there is also good agreement in the derived sediment accumulation rates. The inherent compatibility of analytical results based on alpha or gamma techniques is established.

Phosphorus speciation, burial and regeneration in coastal lagoon sediments of the Gippsland Lakes (Victoria, Australia)

Environmental context. Eutrophication can lead to the production of harmful algal blooms and is one of the world’s most serious water quality issues. Phosphorus is potentially the limiting macro-nutrient in fresh, estuarine and some marine waters. Consequently, it plays a crucial role in determining the ecological status of many aquatic ecosystems. Considerable effort has been invested in monitoring dissolved reactive phosphorus and total phosphorus in the water column, but less is known about the speciation of phosphorus, particularly in the sediment. This compartment is an important and dynamic reservoir of phosphorus and a potential long-term source of phosphorus release to the water column by the sediment–water interface. This paper investigates the solid-phase speciation and reorganisation of phosphorus within the sediments of a shallow lake system in south-east Australia (the Gippsland Lakes) which suffers from recurring harmful algae blooms. Various strategies are proposed to determine the minimum realistic timescale required to deplete the sediment of labile and reactive phosphorus species. Abstract. Solid-phase phosphorus pools in the sediments of two shallow lakes (Wellington and Victoria) in the Gippsland Lakes coastal lagoon system of south-east Australia are discussed. Cores (20-cm depth) were taken in summer and winter in both lakes and a sequential extraction scheme (SEDEX) was used to profile the exchangeable P (Pex), iron oxide/hydroxide bound P (PFe), authigenic P (Pauth), detrital P (Pdet) and organic P (Porg). Pore-water (Ppw) dissolved reactive phosphorus concentration profiles were also measured. The dominant forms of P were PFe (up to 53%) and Porg (35–55%), with the PFe fraction playing a key role in the short-term retention of P in the sediment. Benthic phosphorus fluxes at the sediment–water interface (μmol m–2 d–1) were determined from the sequential extraction data. The results were compared with flux measurements from the complementary approaches of benthic chamber experiments and Fickian diffusion calculations, to allow an insight into the nature and seasonal variations of the fluxes. The burial flux of phosphorus was also estimated from excess 210Pb profiles in the sediment of the lakes. All of these data were used to produce a phosphorus budget for the Gippsland Lakes which suggested that the sediment represents a substantial source of phosphorus within the lakes and thus clearly highlights the importance of the sedimentary compartment in shallow eutrophic ecosystems. Minimum realistic timescales for complete labile phosphorus depletion from the sediment (assuming no resupply from the sediment–water interface) were calculated and ranged from 8 to 22 years.

How depositional conditions control input, composition, and degradation of organic matter in sediments from the Chilean coastal upwelling region

In a comprehensive study, we compared depositional conditions, organic matter (OM) composition, and organic carbon turnover in sediments from two different depositional systems along the Chilean continental margin: at ∼23° S off Antofagasta and at ∼36° S off Concepción. Both sites lie within the Chilean coastal upwelling system and have an extended oxygen minimum zone in the water column. However, the northern site (23° S) borders the Atacama Desert, while the southern site (36° S) has a humid hinterland. Eight surface sediment cores (up to 30 cm long) from water depths of 126–1350 m were investigated for excess 210Pb ( 210Pb xs) activity, total organic and total inorganic carbon concentrations (TOC and TIC, respectively), C/N-ratios, organic carbon isotopic compositions (δ 13C), chlorin concentrations, Chlorin Indices (CI), and sulfate reduction rates (SRR). Sediment accumulation rates obtained from 210Pb-analysis were similar in both regions (0.04–0.15 cm yr −1 at 23° S, 0.10–0.19 cm yr −1 at 36° S), although total 210Pb xs fluxes indicated that the vertical particle flux was higher at 36° S than at 23° S. We propose that sediment focusing in isolated deposition centers led to high sediment accumulation rates at 23° S. Furthermore, there were no indications for sediment mixing at 23° S, while bioturbation was intense at 36° S. δ 13C-values (−24.5‰ to −20.1‰ vs. VPDB) and C/N-ratios (molar, 8.6–12.8) were characteristic of a predominantly marine origin of the sedimentary OM in both investigated areas. The extent of OM alteration in the water column was partly reflected in the surface sediments as chlorin concentrations decreased and C/N-ratios and CI increased with increasing water depth of the sampling site. SRR were lower at 23° S (areal SRR 0.12–0.60 mmol m −2 d −1) than at 36° S (areal SRR 0.82–1.18 mmol m −2 d −1), which was partly due to the greater water depth of most of the sediments investigated in the northern region and consistent with a lower quality of the sedimentary OM at 23° S. Reaction rate constants for TOC degradation that were obtained from measured SRR ( k SRR; 0.0004–0.0022 yr −1) showed a good correspondence to k TOC that were derived from the depth profiles of TOC (0.0003–0.0014 yr −1). Both, k SRR and k TOC, reflect differences in OM composition. At 36° S they were related to the degradation state of bulk OM (represented by C/N-ratios), whereas near 23° S they were related to the freshness of a small fraction of labile OM (represented by CI). Our study shows that although rates of organic carbon accumulation were similar in both investigated sites, the extent and kinetics of organic carbon degradation were closely linked to differing depositional conditions.

Decadal-scale sediment dynamics and environmental change in the Albemarle Estuarine System, North Carolina

During the summer of 2001, several short cores (<50 cm) were collected in the Albemarle Estuarine System (AES). Down-core measurements for radiochemical tracers ( 210Pb, 137Cs) and organic matter signatures (δ 13C, δ 15N, C:N ratio, and LOI) have been used to elucidate potential temporal changes in fluxes and cycles of organic matter in the AES. Pb-210 geochronology indicates temporal and spatial variations in sediment deposition rates (0.08–0.57 cm y −1) with highest rates near the AES western limit relative to the rest of the estuary. Low accumulation rates, deficient excess 210Pb inventories, and near linear 137Cs profiles throughout the AES suggest that sediments are resuspended by wind-generated waves and currents and flushed from the system by river discharge and wind-tides, probably to Pamlico Sound to the south. Sediments in the AES are accumulating at rates less than the current rate of relative sea-level rise for this region except in protected portions of the estuary. Thus sediment accumulation in the AES is controlled in the short term by storm wave-base and in the long term by the creation of accommodation space by basin subsidence and sea-level rise. The geochemical and sedimentological data characterize the evolution of the Albemarle Sound and associated tributaries over the past 200–300 years. The majority of cores collected throughout the system show a significant decrease in 13C and increase in 15N isotopic signatures up-core. Thus, the estuarine system of eastern North Carolina has changed from a marine-influenced, high brackish environment to the modern-day system, which is a highly variable, terrestrially influenced, low brackish environment.

Temporal and spatial complexity in post-glacial sedimentation on the tectonically active, Poverty Bay continental margin of New Zealand

On the eastern Raukumara Ranges of the New Zealand East Coast, active tectonics, vigorous weather systems, and human colonisation have combined to cause widespread erosion of the mudstone- and sandstone-dominated hinterland. The Waipaoa River sedimentary dispersal system is an example that has responded to environmental change, and is now New Zealand's second largest river in terms of suspended sediment discharge. This paper presents new sediment accumulation rates for the continental shelf and slope that span century to post-glacial time scales. These data are derived from radiochemical tracer, palynological, tephrostratigraphic, and seismic methods. We hypothesise on the temporal and spatial complexity of post-glacial sedimentation across the margin and identify the broad extent of sediment dispersal from the Waipaoa system. The ∼15 km 3 Poverty Bay mid-shelf basin lies adjacent to the mouth of the Waipaoa River, reaching a maximum thickness of ∼45 m. A post-glacial mud lobe of an additional ∼3 km 3 extends through the Poverty Gap and out onto the uppermost slope, attaining 40 m thickness in a structurally controlled sub-basin. Here, an offset in the last-glacial erosion surface indicates that deposition was sympathetic with fault activity and the creation of accommodation space, implying that sedimentation was not supply limited. Contrary to classical shelf sedimentation models, the highest modern accumulation rate of 1 cm y −1 occurs on the outer-shelf sediment lobe, approximately ∼2 times the rate recorded at the mid-shelf basin depocentre, and ∼10 times faster than the excess 210Pb rates estimated from the slope. Pollen records from slope cores fingerprint Polynesian then European settlement, and broaden the spatial extent of post-settlement sedimentation initially documented from the Poverty Bay mid-shelf. Changes in sub-millennial sedimentation infer a 2–3-times increase in post-settlement accumulation on the shelf but a smaller 1–2 times increase on the slope. Over longer time scales, seismic evidence infers slower but steady sedimentation since the last transgression, and that significant cross-shelf sediment pathways pre-date the increase in sedimentation resulting from colonisation and deforestation. From a summation of coastal bedload, shelf and slope sediment mass accumulation, the total sediment budget for the Holocene is ∼1 Mt y −1. Under modern conditions a larger proportion of the Waipaoa sediment dispersal system likely extends onto the slope and beyond.

First 226Ra– 210Pb dating of a young speleothem

Whereas the method based on the decrease of excess 210Pb has already been used to date young (< 120 yr) speleothems (e.g. [M. Baskaran, T. M. Iliffe, Age determination of recent cave deposits using excess 210Pb — A new technique, Geophys. Res. Lett. 20 (1993) 603–606.]), this paper presents the first dating of a speleothem through the 226Ra– 210Pb method. Dating of a young hydrothermal stalagmite from the Mt Cornadore cave (St Nectaire, French Massif Central) was made possible by the high 226Ra and negligible 210Pb contents of such carbonates, formed by precipitation from CO 2-rich thermal waters. ( 210Pb/ 226Ra) ratios regularly increase with depth along the axis of the 33 cm long stalagmite. The age–depth relationship can be interpreted by two main phases of growth, with high but variable axial growth rates of 5.3 mm/yr from 1909 to 1967, and 2.6 mm/yr from 1967 to 1989 (alternatively, the oldest phase can be subdivided in three episodes with growth rates varying from 2 to 7 mm/yr). Thin-section examination reveals the presence of numerous laminae, indicating infra-annual variations. We suggest that this fine layered structure might reflect short-term fluctuations in drip waters, possibly induced by near-surface mixing between thermal and ground waters, and ultimately linked to the pluviometry. A detailed examination of this laminated structure combined with 226Ra– 210Pb dating could thus provide a high-resolution record of local paleohydrological fluctuations.

Tracing pre-eruptive magma degassing using ( 210Pb/ 226Ra) disequilibria in the volcanic deposits of the 1980–1986 eruption of Mount St. Helens

Disequilibria between 210Pb and 226Ra can be used to trace magma degassing, because the intermediate nuclides, particularly 222Rn, are volatile. Products of the 1980–1986 eruptions of Mount St. Helens have been analysed for ( 210Pb/ 226Ra). Both excesses and deficits of 210Pb are encountered suggesting rapid gas transfer. The time scale of diffuse, non-eruptive gas escape prior to 1980 as documented by 210Pb deficits is on the order of a decade using the model developed by Gauthier and Condomines (Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 172 (1999) 111–126) for a non-renewed magma chamber and efficient Rn removal. The time required to build-up 210Pb excess is much shorter (months) as can be observed from steady increases of ( 210Pb/ 226Ra) with time during 1980–1982. The formation of 210Pb excess requires both rapid gas transport through the magma and periodic blocking of gas escape routes. Superposed on this time trend is the natural variability of ( 210Pb/ 226Ra) in a single eruption caused by tapping magma from various depths. The two time scales of gas transport, to create both 210Pb deficits and 210Pb excesses, cannot be reconciled in a single event. Rather 210Pb deficits are associated with pre-eruptive diffuse degassing, while 210Pb excesses document the more vigorous degassing associated with eruption and recharge of the system.