Marl Sites Research Articles

Archaeological History, Memory, and Heritage at the White Marl Site, Central Village, St Catherine Parish, Jamaica

White Marl is the largest, most complexly organized pre-colonial site documented for Jamaica and it is increasingly at risk due to plans for highway improvements. The site is of fundamental importance to overlapping sets of stakeholders: local residents, descendant communities, professional and avocational archaeologists, and heritage managers. We consider concepts of memory and heritage, linking decades of archaeological research at White Marl to current conceptions of the place by descendants of the first Taíno settlers and by residents of Central Village, the modern community surrounding the site. We review White Marl’s archaeological history and situate the site in its current social, cultural, political, and economic context of Central Village. White Marl has been the focus of varied archaeological interpretations since the nineteenth century. In addition to the archaeological community, this heritage resource is important to local community members and descendants of the original Indigenous occupants. The Taíno Museum adjacent to the site, established by the Institute of Jamaica in 1965, now serves as a church and school for local residents. Continuities are explored between the Indigenous pre-colonial occupants of White Marl, current occupants of Central Village, and the Indigenous descendant community.

Evonik to commission additional R&D operations at its Marl site

In Vienna approximately 1 million tons of waste is incinerated annually. Therefore 13 lines of waste incineration, including fluidized bed incinerators, rotary kilns and grate furnaces, are in operation. Beside municipal solid waste, hazardous waste as well as communal sewage sludge are utilized. All incinerator lines use a wet flue gas cleaning system. Based on the zinc, lead and copper concentrations in its solid residues and knowledge on the mass flow of the residues, a detailed material flow analysis is carried out, that determines the total throughput of these metals. It turns out that 800 t of zinc, 300 t of lead and 550 t of copper pass through Vienna's waste incineration cluster annually. Approximately half of the zinc can be found in the fly ashes of the waste incinerators investigated. In Switzerland a process that recovers pure zinc (> 99.99%) as well as a mixed fraction of lead, copper, zinc and cadmium out of waste incineration fly ash, has been realized at full scale. A comparison between the expected operational costs, on the one hand, and the anticipated revenues from recovered metals and reduced disposal costs resulting from the application of this technology to the investigated waste incinerators, on the other, is discussed within this work. Main drivers responsible for the economical non-applicability to Vienna, are examined.

Identification of earthworm burrow origins by near infrared spectroscopy: Combining results from field sites and laboratory microcosms

A major obstacle to understanding feeding and burrowing behaviour of earthworms and their impact on soil structure in natural field conditions is that it remains impossible to identify the origins of burrows in the soil matrix. This gap in our knowledge makes it difficult to understand the roles of different earthworm species in creating the burrow network in soils. We tested the utility of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a new tool to overcome this obstacle. For the first time, we studied the ability of NIRS to detect specific chemical footprints left by different earthworms during the production of burrows, and thereby to identify the origins of burrows produced in the same soil matrix in the field, in terms of the earthworm species that produced them. The method was tested in three study sites (in sandstone, schist and marl geologies), differing in soil mineralogical composition and texture, with well-characterized and partially overlapping earthworm faunas. Burrows collected in the field were identified by comparing their NIR spectral signatures to the signatures of macroaggregates produced by the same earthworm species living in the same soil in laboratory conditions. We showed clearly that burrows of anecic and epi-endogeic earthworm species were characterized by specific NIR spectral signatures, resulting from quantitative and qualitative differences of OM in burrows among species. PLS-DA models conducted on NIR spectral data showed that NIRS technique allowed identification of a mean of 57.1% (±7.4) of burrows in soil monoliths at the sandstone site, 51.6% (±10.2) at the schist site and 46.5% (±8.1) at the marl site. Our study reveals some clear limitations in this method: low predictive abilities in surface soils, inability to discriminate among endogeic species and the requirement for a calibration procedure through the establishment of a site-dependent reference database.

Morphological impacts of flow events of varying magnitude on ephemeral channels in a semiarid region

Flows in ephemeral channels in semiarid areas are only occasional, and channel changes are episodic; but the flash floods can be devastating and have major geomorphological impacts. Data on morphological impacts of flows in semiarid areas are needed to increase understanding of the dynamics and variability of geomorphic responses in such channels. For this purpose nine reaches of river channel in three catchments in SE Spain – the Nogalte, Torrealvilla, and Salada – have been sites for measurement of flows and their effects over the period 1997–2012. The sites encompass a range of channel size, channel morphology, substrate, vegetation, and position within the catchments. A major difference is between schist and marl bedrock areas. Peak flow stage has been recorded and topography surveyed at frequent intervals and after major flow events. Over the 16-year period, an average of 0.5 flow events per year has been recorded at the schist sites, and an average of one per year at the marl sites; but occurrence has been highly variable from year to year. Threshold daily rainfall for channel flow is mostly 15–20mm, but higher rainfalls do not always produce flow. One to two major floods have occurred in each of the catchments in the period, including the extreme flood event of September 2012 in the Nogalte catchment. Measured morphological changes have occurred between 2 and 10 times at the monitored sites. The same size flow can have differing effects depending on the state of the system. Low flow can mobilise sediment without producing much morphological change. The long-term trajectory of the reaches and the sediment substrate has a major influence on response to events. Channel change is governed by threshold values of hydraulic conditions. The measurements provide an indication of the scale of maximum erosion and deposition that occurs within the channels and on the floodplains over a range of flow magnitudes and the flow impacts that need to be considered in management.

Development of soil chemical and biological properties in the initial stages of post-mining deposition sites.

The aim of this study was to assess the seasonal development of the physicochemical (pH, organic C, organic N, extractable P, Ca(2+), Mg(2+)) and biological soil properties (microbial biomass, activities of urease, dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase) of the topsoil of mine deposition sites that differed based on the material used exclusively for their creation: (a) marlstones, (b) red-grey formations (RGF), and (c) fly ash (FA), during the first year after their creation. Our hypothesis was that all deposition sites, regardless the material they consist of, present equal opportunities for the establishment of spontaneous vegetation. All macronutrients concentrations (P, Ca(2+), and Mg(2+)) remained constant with time and were found to be higher in the FA sites. Organic C, organic N, all enzyme activities, and microbial biomass were higher in the RGF and marl depositions, with marl sites presenting the highest values. All values of biological variables, with the exception of alkaline phosphatase, increased with time. The alkaline environment along with the slow improvement in soil biological properties of the FA sites seemed to present the most unfavorable conditions for spontaneous vegetation growth. On the contrary, the other two spoil materials presented significant improvement in the initial stages of soil formation in terms of soil functionality.

Carbon dioxide exchange rates from short‐ and long‐hydroperiod Everglades freshwater marsh

Everglades freshwater marshes were once carbon sinks, but human‐driven hydrologic changes have led to uncertainty about the current state of their carbon dynamics. To investigate the effect of hydrology on CO2 exchange, we used eddy covariance measurements for 2 years (2008–2009) in marl (short‐hydroperiod) and peat (long‐hydroperiod) wetlands in Everglades National Park. The importance of site, season, and environmental drivers was evaluated using linear and nonlinear modeling, and a novel method was used to test for temporally lagged patterns in the data. Unexpectedly, the long‐hydroperiod peat marsh was a small CO2 source (19.9 g C m−2 from July to December 2008 and 80.0 g C m−2 in 2009), and at no time over the study period was it a strong sink. Contrary to previous research suggesting high productivity rates from a short‐hydroperiod marsh, we estimated that the marl site was a small CO2 sink in 2008 (net ecosystem exchange [NEE] = −78.8 g C m−2) and was near neutral for carbon balance in 2009. In addition, both sites had relatively low gross ecosystem exchange (GEE) over the 2 years of this study. The two sites showed similar responses for NEE versus air temperature, ecosystem respiration (Reco) versus air temperature, and Reco versus water depth, although the magnitude of the responses differed. We saw small lags (30 min in most cases) between carbon fluxes and environmental drivers. This study is foundational for understanding the carbon balance of these ecosystems prior to implementation of the planned Everglades restoration of historical water flow that will likely alter the future trajectory of the carbon dynamics of the Everglades as a whole.

Between-population variation in plant performance traits and elemental composition of Colchicum autumnale L. and its relation to edaphic environments

Variation in vegetative and reproductive performance and leaf mineral composition among 25 populations of <em>Colchicum autumnale</em> (meadow saffron) from soils derived from six parent materials (limestone, marl, sandstone, greenstone, melaphyre and serpentine) in southwestern Poland has been investigated. The plant size (PS), total le-af area (TLA), leaf shape (LS), number of fruits per plant (NFP), number of seeds per plant (NFP), total weight seed per plant (TWSP) were estimated, and concentrations of seventeen elements (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, Cr, Mo) were analyzed in leaf and soil samples. In soil samples, also soil pH, organic matter content and sand, silt and clay content were determined. All soils (except melaphyre soil) contained elevated levels of Cr. Concentrations of soil Ni and Zn, Pb, Cd in serpentinite soil and polluted marl soils (respectively) were significantly higher than those of other examined soils. Meadow saffron leaves from all sites (except marl sites) contained elevated levels of Cr, Co and Ni. Statistical analysis, carried out with principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that a good correlation exists between the element content in leaves and plant performance traits and soil environment. The leaf Ca content and NFP were correlated and were much higher in populations from metal (except Cr) and nutrient-poor marl soils than in those from metal (except Ni in serpentine soil)and nutrient moderate rich soils derived from melaphyre, greenstones, serpentinite, limestones and sandstones and in those from metal-rich and nutrient-poor polluted marl soils. Meadow saffron plants tended to take up higher amounts of N, P, K, Mn, Cu and Na and lower amounts of S and had much higher TLA in populations from sandstone soils than those in populations from serpentinite, melaphyre, greenstone, marl and limestone soils. The leaf Co, Ni, Cr, Mg concentrations were correlated and were much higher in populations from serpentinite, melaphyre, greenstone, polluted marl and limestone soils than those from marl and sandstone soils. The pattern of variation in NFP and TLA across the different soil types was the opposite of that for leaf N, Cu, Na, Ni, Mg and S concentrations. Redundancy analysis (RDA) enables identification of the soil variables that best explain the variance pattern of plant response. The variation explained by the soil variables (15 soil elements and soil pH) was high (79%). The forward selection of soil variables identified soil Co, Mo, Ni, Ca and Zn concentrations as significantly influencing the ordination plant traits. The variation explained by these selected variables was 55%. Thus the five soil variables appeared to be the main factors determining the pattern variation of vegetative, reproductive and nutrient traits of <em>Colchicum autumnale</em>.

Differences in hillslope runoff and sediment transport rates within two semi-arid catchments in southeast Spain

This paper focuses on hillslope runoff and sediment transport within two catchments in southeast Spain. Five monitoring sites were established on hillslope concavities throughout the two catchments. The techniques used were mini-crest stage recorders, spray-painted lines, sediment traps and tipping bucket rain gauges (established during previous research). Results show that a storm event in the Rambla Nogalte on 30 June 2002 of 83.0 mm was responsible for a maximum runoff depth of 12 cm and a maximum hillslope sediment transport of 1886 cm 3 m −1. The same storm in the Rambla de Torrealvilla produced 53.4 mm of rainfall on the 1 July 2002, had a maximum runoff depth of 26 cm and resulted in 2311 cm 3 m −1 of sediment transport. There is evidence to suggest that measured sediment transport is related to runoff and a qualitative estimate of Morphological Runoff Zones (MRZ). Sediment transport and depth of runoff varied dramatically with lithology; marl sites produced most runoff and sediment transport, followed by the sites of mixed red and blue schist, then blue schist. These results are important for understanding the behaviour of slopes and show that for short lived storms with high, but not rare, rainfall intensities and total rainfall amounts, runoff can cause significant hillslope sediment transport in semi-arid areas.

The role of some site geochemical processes in the development and stabilisation of three badland sites in Almerı́a, Southern Spain

Samples of both surface and subsurface soils were collected on various surfaces in three badland areas of differing ages (Tabernas, Vera and Mocatan), in Almerı́a province, southern Spain. Data were explored with the aim of identifying any diagnostic geochemical relationships between site EC, pH, sediment size and SAR, which might constitute typical ‘signatures’ for site materials, with some success. Data for the three sites are further used to explore the hypothesis that changes in site geochemistry through time are involved in badland stabilisation. It was found that: (1) the physico-chemical properties of the three sites can be differentiated by the functional relationship between EC and SAR, and this may represent a useful tool in characterising sites where piping predominates; (2) there is some (equivocal) evidence that sediment size distribution may play an additional role in site diagnosis and evolution; and (3) surfaces appear to lose sodium over time, the suggestion being that sodium is either progressively buffered by calcium during leaching, or exchanges with hydrogen on the cation exchange sites under a vegetation cover. Since other research suggests that smectite can also relocate down the profile on some marl sites, reducing hydraulic conductivity and suppressing pipes, we argue that the surface at Tabernas may be capable of long-term autostabilisation in which piping intensity progressively reduces. However, this possibility really applies only to fine-grained, densely structured materials, and evidence from the silty Triassic-rich unit in the Mocatan basin suggests that without a high clay content, piping may be expected to increase through time. From this standpoint, contemporary badland morphology at Mocatan does not represent an early stage of the forms seen in Vera and Tabernas.

Site differences in the clone structure of an emergent sedge, Cladium jamaicense

While a great deal is known about seral variation in clonal growth patterns of plants, little is known about variation in the clonal growth of mature populations growing in different habitats. In this study, clone size (maximum radius) and clone structure (numbers and locations of live and dead culms within clones) were examined in an emergent sedge, sawgrass ( Cladium jamaicense Crantz), at three different wetland sites within Everglades National Park. One population was a productive, nearly pure stand of recently burned sawgrass growing in deep hydric peat. The other two populations were located within a less productive seasonally flooded marl prairie in the interior of the park mixed with other species. Most of the variables related to clone size (e.g. clone radius, mean and median rhizome length, rhizomes per clone) did not differ significantly among sites. There were significant differences in the proportion of culms that were alive among sites. The proportion of culms that were alive was greatest at the pure-stand peat site and lowest at the unburned marl site. The size and relative location of live and dead culms within clones suggested that either higher rates of culm mortality or lower growth rates of culms resulted in live culms being restricted to more peripheral parts of clones at the marl prairie sites than at the pure-stand peat site. These data suggest that the site differences in the productivity of a mature stand of sawgrass are associated with differences in patterns of clonal growth.

Denitrification in Marl and Peat Sediments in the Florida Everglades

The potential for denitrification in marl and peat sediments in the Shark River Slough in the Everglades National Park was determined by the acetylene blockage assay. The influence of nitrate concentration on denitrification rate and N(2)O yield from added nitrate was examined. The effects of added glucose and phosphate and of temperature on the denitrification potential were determined. The sediments readily denitrified added nitrate. N(2)O was released from the sediments both with and without added acetylene. The marl sediments had higher rates than the peat on every date sampled. Denitrification was nitrate limited; however, the yields of N(2)O amounted to only 10 to 34% of the added nitrate when 100 muM nitrate was added. On the basis of measured increases in ammonium concentration, it appears that the balance of added nitrate may be converted to ammonium in the marl sediment. The sediment temperature at the time of sampling greatly influenced the denitrification potential (15-fold rate change) at the marl site, indicating that either the number or the specific activity of the denitrifiers changed in response to temperature fluctuations (9 to 25 degrees C) in the sediment. It is apparent from this study that denitrification in Everglades sediments is not an effective means of removing excess nitrogen which may be introduced as nitrate into the ecosystem with supply water from the South Florida watershed and that sporadic addition of nitrate-rich water may lead to nitrous oxide release from these wetlands.

Above- and Belowground Standing Crop Partitioning of Biomass by Eleocharis rostellata Torr. in the Byron-Bergen Swamp, Genesee County, New York

Aboveground and belowground living and dead biomass determina- tions were made on Eleocharis rostellata Torr. at three different sites. Plants were sam- pled on 1 September 1982 at the peak of biomass accumulation. The three sites se- lected were a wet, minerotrophic site, an old, well-established site and a young site of a marl bed. Live shoots on the wet, old and marl sites had a biomass of 373, 231 and 137 g/ i2, respectively. Live roots and shoot bases weighed 384, 1409 and 319 g/m2 on the respective sites. Total biomass, living and dead, was greatest on the old site (3530 g/ m2) and least on the marl site (784 g/m2). The wet site plants allocated most of their aboveground biomass to layering culms while marl site plants had most aboveground material in fertile culm biomass. Old site plants had the largest root biomass of any of the three sites.

Plant community development in the Byron-Bergen Swamp: marl-bed vegetation

Comparative and Gaussian ordination were used to elucidate vegetational pattern on marl beds in the Byron-Bergen Swamp, Genesee County, NY. The ordinations reflected the physiognomic gradient seen in the field. The gradient consisted of algae in marl pools, short sedges on a low moss mat, tall sedges and short shrubs on low hummocks, and tall shrubs and shrubby trees on larger hummocks. Early invasional patterns are related to the formation of a moss–sedge mat which is further modified through the formation of mounds of various dimensions. Marl sites are invaded by species with differing invasional strategies. Included are mat-forming mosses and sedges which reproduce by rhizomes, seed, and (or) layering. These mats are modified through mound formation by cespitose sedges and by mosses such as Drepanocladus revolvens and Campylium stellatum and through organic matter deposition by all of the higher plants. This results in a general increase in peat depth overlying the marl. Differences exist along the physiognomic gradient from short sedges to tall sedges and short shrubs to tall shrubs and shrubby trees. Carbonate carbon decreases, whereas soil organic matter and cation-exchange capacity increase. There are also increases in the depth to and annual fluctuation in the water table. Stratigraphic cores suggest that this physiognomic gradient is a successional gradient as well. Analyses of these cores indicated significant increases of pH and bulk density with depth as well as decreases in organic matter and cation-exchange capacity, indicating an accumulation of organic matter over the surface of the marl. Tree cores indicate that the surrounding Thuja occidentalis forest is encroaching on the marl beds.

Distribution and chronology of freshwater marls between Kingston and Belleville, Ontario

The distribution of 50 freshwater marl accumulation sites is compared with terrain attributes. All marl sites are underlain by clay and surrounded by terrain that is dominated by glacial till. Sites grouped in a western marl area appear to have been derived from thick calcareous till, but those in an eastern area are surrounded by thin till on highly jointed and fractured limestone bedrock. Many bottomland marls are in riverine locations, i.e., in the basins of the Collins and Millhaven Creeks and of the Salmon and Moira Rivers. About three quarters of the marl sites contain mantling peat.Sixteen radiocarbon datings disclose that marl formation began and ceased as early as 11 180 and 9330 years BP, respectively. Subsequent termination of marl formation transgressed time into the present: most upland sites stopped marl production prior to 8000 years BP and those that persisted dropped out between 6000 and 4000 years BP. Many bottomland marl sites changed into peat-forming sites between 4000 and 2000 years BP and show an apparent trend of progressive up-basin termination of marl formation. The causes of these trophic changes are speculated on from the soil–geomorphological perspective.