NE England Research Articles

Allochthonous and indigenous palynomorphs from the Devensian of the Warham Borehole, Stiffkey, north Norfolk, England; evidence for sediment provenance

SUMMARY Late Devensian glaciolacustrine sediments proved by the Warham Borehole, near Stiffkey, north Norfolk, have yielded abundant and diverse recycled palynomorphs of Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Early Cretaceous and Palaeogene age. Indigenous Quaternary palynomorphs are a relatively minor component of the palynofloras; Carboniferous and Jurassic palynomorphs are the most commonly occurring forms. Middle Jurassic spores and pollen and Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) and Kimmeridgian (Upper Jurassic) dinoflagellate cysts are prominent, and the latter may indicate derivation from particularly resistant Toarcian and Kimmeridgian lithologies. Surprisingly, few grains were derived from the Chalk Group, which crops out locally. The recycled palynomorphs are interpreted as having been derived from local glacial deposits and then incorporated into the glaciolacustrine sediments of proglacial Lake Stiffkey, at the margin of the Late Devensian ice sheet. The lowest sample studied was the most productive palynologically. It was probably derived from nearby Lowestoft Till, an interpretation that agrees with the sedimentological evidence. The allochthonous palynomorphs from samples collected higher in the glaciolacustrine succession were probably derived from glaciogenic sediments deposited at the margin of the Late Devensian ice sheet. Based on the palynofloras, the Late Devensian ice flowed south from Scotland across the northern Pennines and NE England, down the western flank of the North Sea Basin to north Norfolk. The terrestrial nature of the indigenous Quaternary palynomorphs recovered is consistent with an ice-marginal and glaciolacustrine depositional setting.

The late-Holocene history of Gormire Lake (NE England) and its catchment: a multiproxy reconstruction of past human impact

Sedimentary evidence spanning the last 3500 years from cores taken from the centre of Gormire Lake, Cleveland, northeast England, points to two periods of deforestation and catchment erosion. The first, mainly late Iron Age/Romano-British phase, began c. 200 BC and ended c. AD 600. The second began c. AD 1200, the time of early Monastic activity, and continued into the nineteenth century. The chronology for the core rests on 137Cs, 210Pb and 14C measurements and on the history of lead accumulation in the sediments. The majority of the AMS 14C dates are shown to be too old to varying degrees, depending on the source of the organic matter in the sediments. The record of vegetation change is derived from pollen analysis. Evidence for changes in sediment composition and source and for catchment erosion comes from magnetic measurements, element analyses using XRF, and organic biogeochemical analyses. There is a high degree of coherence between all these lines of evidence. Interpretation of the magnetic record is complicated as a result of the formation of biogenic magnetite by magnetotactic bacteria, especially during periods of minimal erosion, by the presence of the authigenic magnetic sulphide greigite and by probable magnetite dissolution. Despite these modifications to the magnetic mineral assemblage in the sediments, magnetic indications of catchment erosion are clearly distinguishable, especially in the record of the antiferromagnetic minerals haematite and goethite. Partial estimates of catchment erosion rates are presented, based on the evidence from the sediments from the deepest part of the lake.

Carbon‐Cycle Perturbation in the Middle Jurassic and Accompanying Changes in the Terrestrial Paleoenvironment

Abstract Carbon‐isotope analyses of fossil wood from the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group, Yorkshire, NE England, reveal a significant excursion toward light isotopic values (δ13C change of −3 to −4‰) at about the Aalenian‐Bajocian boundary (∼174 Ma). A positive carbon isotopic excursion is also shown for the middle Bajocian (∼170 Ma) but is less clearly defined. These isotopic patterns are very similar to the few published marine carbonate records available for this time, in particular one based on belemnites from the Hebrides basin, NW Scotland, and others from pelagic limestones in Italy. The similarity of the terrestrial and marine isotope curves is an indication that the observed isotopic signal is a global phenomenon. Through parts of the Ravenscar Group (the Scarborough Formation), supplementary data from bulk organic carbon and palynofacies analysis confirm that isotopic curves based on bulk analyses may be strongly influenced by the balance of terrestrial versus marine organic matter present in th...

The impact of a convectional summer rainfall event on river flow and fine sediment transport in a highly urbanised catchment: Bradford, West Yorkshire

Urban watercourses are important assets to cities, but they often have extremely ‘flashy’ hydraulic regimes and poor water quality, making them potential hazards. Current knowledge of the impact of intense rainfall events on urban river water discharge and, in particular, fine sediment transport is limited. Continuous monitoring of flow and turbidity (subsequently calibrated to suspended sediment concentration) was undertaken at a network of four sites throughout the highly urbanised Bradford catchment in West Yorkshire, NE England. An intense convectional rainfall event, which occurred over central Bradford in June 2001, generated extreme flow and fine sediment transport responses at the most downstream site, Shipley Weir. In just 15 min, discharge increased from 0.45 to 34.6 m 3 s −1 (median annual peak instantaneous discharge of 27.5 m 3 s −1, 1983–2001) and suspended sediment concentration increased from 14 to 1360 mg l −1. A peak sediment flux of 47.2 kg s −1 was recorded. It is demonstrated that this extremely large and urban flux of fine sediment is likely to have a major downstream impact on water quality in the River Aire.

Radar frequency dielectric dispersion in sandstone: Implications for determination of moisture and clay content

The relationship between dielectric permittivity, water saturation, and clay content for the Sherwood Sandstone from NE England was characterized as part of a wider study of the vadose zone moisture dynamics and pollution vulnerability of this aquifer. Dielectric permittivity was measured over the full range of saturation levels, for various lithologies ranging from clean medium‐grained sandstone to fine‐grained sandstone containing up to 5% clay, using a specially constructed dielectric cell. Dielectric constant, Kr, is largely independent of frequency between 350 MHz and 1000 MHz. Below 350 MHz, Kr of fine‐grained, clay‐rich sandstone shows frequency dispersion. Tests on physical models of the sandstone consisting of a fine fraction of Ottawa Sand and montmorillonite clay indicate that the clay minerals within the sandstone are responsible for its frequency dispersive behavior. These tests also show that increasing pore fluid salinity increases dielectric dispersion at the lower end of the frequency range, which indicates that this arises from the interfacial Maxwell‐Wagner mechanism associated with platy clay particles. Water saturated sand:clay mixtures show very low dielectric constants at high frequencies (over 650 MHz). This effect is independent of salinity and probably results from the layered geometric arrangement of solids, bound and free water within the swelling clay. The complex refractive index method (CRIM) with a mineral dielectric constant of about 5 provides a good match to the water saturation versus dielectric constant data for all Sherwood Sandstone lithologies at frequencies between 350 and 1000 MHz and for clay‐poor sandstone at lower frequencies. Below 350 MHz the presence of a few percent of clay in some Sherwood Sandstone lithologies raises their CRIM best fit mineral dielectric constant substantially.

Detecting river pollution using fluorescence spectrophotometry: case studies from the Ouseburn, NE England

Recent advances in fluorescence spectrophotometry enable the analysis of river dissolved organic matter. We investigate the potential of detecting sewage pollution in a small, urbanised catchment. Downstream sampling highlighted a summer maximum in tryptophan fluorescence intensity during low flow. No correlation is observed between ammonia and tryptophan fluorescence intensity. In contrast, two sewage related point-pollution events had both high tryptophan fluorescence intensity and ammonia, suggesting that the summer tryptophan increase does not original from foul sewage. Sewage inputs to the river were therefore monitored at summer baseflow. This demonstrated that >10% of the rivers’ discharge is provided by sewerage inputs and that these inputs could be grouped by their fluorescence and ammonia properties: (1) ‘clean’ storm waters with low ammonia and tryptophan intensity (2) ‘grey’ waters with high tryptophan intensity and low ammonia concentration, and (3) ‘foul’ waters with high tryptophan intensity and ammonia concentration. All three types of sewerage input occurred irrespective of flow conditions, suggesting that sewerage cross connections are occurring.

Lateral variation within a hiatal‐condensed bed and the controls on the formation and occurrence of berthierine ooids: a case study from the Middle Jurassic of NE England, UK

AbstractShallow‐marine sandstone and berthierinic, ooidal, sandy limestone form the Hackness Rock Member (HRM), a Callovian‐age hiatal‐condensed bed in NE England. The HRM was deposited in response to a rise in relative sea‐level. Apart from the major hiatal surfaces represented by two significant non‐sequences, it contains a number of other hiatal surfaces representing shorter periods of time. Although the HRM has its own distinctive bioclastic concentrations, early diagenetic mineral assemblages and specific types and degrees of bioturbation, the expression of this bed is variable even over short distances.Variations in the topography of the sea floor produced local hollows and highs, which account for the lateral variability of the HRM and controlled where berthierine ooids formed. Hollows created ‘clastic/colloidal’ traps where finer‐grained sediment accumulated and had low physical mobility; these conditions favoured intra‐sedimentary growth of berthierine ooids in an early (sub‐oxic) diagenetic environment. In contrast, highs were more susceptible to storm reworking and material was more mobile; these conditions resulted in a lower overall rate of accumulation and a lower degree of shallow, sub‐surface diagenesis. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Spectrophotometric discrimination of river dissolved organic matter

AbstractThere is a need to be able to differentiate the dissolved organic matter (DOM) fraction in river waters. Research in the 1970s and 1980s has attempted to utilize both absorbance and fluorescence to distinguish between DOM fractions in river waters, but both were limited by the available technology. Total organic carbon content has, therefore, been widely used as a standard method of measuring DOM concentration, although it has little power to differentiate DOM fractions. Recent advances in fluorescence spectrophotometry enable rapid and optically precise analysis of DOM. Here, we show how a combination of both fluorescence and absorbance can be used to discriminate statistically between spatial variations of DOM in tributaries in a small catchment of the Ouseburn, NE England. The results of the discriminant analysis suggest that about 70% of the samples can be correctly classified to its tributary. Discriminant function 1 explains 60·8% of the variance in the data and the fulvic‐like fluorescence intensity has the largest absolute correlation within this function; discriminant function 2 explains a further 21·5% of the variance and the fulvic‐like fluorescence emission wavelength has the largest absolute correlation within this function. The discriminant analysis does not correctly classify all tributaries every time, and successfully discriminates between the different tributaries 70% of the time. Occasions when the tributary waters are less well discriminated are due to either episodic pollution events (at two sites) or due to tributaries that have strong seasonal trends in spectrophotometric parameters, which allows the sites to be misclassified. Results suggest that spectrophotometric techniques have considerable potential in the discrimination of DOM in rivers. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Determination and prediction of sediment yields from recession of the Holderness Coast, NE England

Determination and prediction of sediment yields from recession of the Holderness Coast, NE England

The importance of pyritic roof strata in aquatic pollutant release from abandoned mines in a major, oolitic, berthierine-chamosite-siderite iron ore field, Cleveland, UK

Abstract The Cleveland Ironstone Field (NE England) is a major sedimentary iron orefield in which the principal ore minerals are iron silicates (berthierine, chamosite) and carbonates (siderite). The siderite in this area is known to be rich in Mg and Mn in solid solution with Fe. Although this ore assemblage would not normally be expected to give rise to acid mine drainage phenomena, a number of discrete ferruginous mine water discharges (totalling some 6.5 million litres (Ml) day −1 ) have been identified flowing from abandoned underground mine workings and old spoil heaps in the ore field. Some of these discharges are extremely acidic (pH ≥ 3.3), with total Fe reaching 1220 mg l −1 . At the point of first emergence to the surface, most of the discharges are so highly charged with dissolved CO 2 that they effervesce. Upon degassing, one of the discharges precipitates a ferroan calcite deposit, which is most unusual as a mine water discharge precipitate. All the other discharges precipitate more usual ferrihydrite and goethite ‘ochres’. The geochemistry of these waters supports the view that oxidation of pyrite in the roof strata initiates dissolution of siderite in the old workings, releasing CO 2 , Fe and Mg to solution. This chain of reactions results in these waters having SO 2− 4 as their major anion (from pyrite weathering) with Mg as the major cation (except where Fe exceeds Mg in concentration). Two of the near-coastal discharges have Na as the major cation, and elevated Cl concentrations, suggesting a sea-water component. However, SO 4 /Cl ratios suggest that sea water can account for no more than 20% of these waters. Most of the Cleveland mine waters have significant environmental impacts, ranging from ecological damage to receiving water courses to flooding problems caused by the clogging of surface sewers with mine water precipitates. A range of remedial measures are proposed.

Determination and prediction of sediment yields from recession of the Holderness Coast, NE England

The rapidly eroding cliffs and foreshore of the Holderness Coast represent one of the largest sources of sediment discharging in the southern North Sea. For effective coastal management it is important to understand the sediment sources, transport pathways and depositional sinks. The sediment budget is regarded as one of the key information needs for sustainable planning and management. In order to quantify the sediment yield from recession of the Holderness Coast, digital photogrammetry has been used, together with nearshore bathymetric survey data, to produce a single DTM for a length of over 52 km of coastline. Other data including geological sections, sediment lithology, recession rates and the location of coastal defences have been added to the DTM to create a GIS for the Holderness Coast. The GIS has been used to predict the volume and nature of the sediment yield assuming that historical recession rates continue. The GIS can also be used to predict future yields using assumptions of accelerated recession or the implications of arrested retreat due to construction of defences.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in two species of marine top predators from England and Wales

During an earlier study, polybrominated diphenyl ethers were detected at high concentrations in fish and sediments downstream of a manufacturing site in NE England. We have now undertaken analysis of 14 tri- to heptabromodiphenyl ether congeners in tissues of two species of marine top predators exposed to these compounds through their consumption of fish. In this paper we report data for 47 cormorants and 60 harbour porpoises from England and Wales, sampled during the period 1996–2000. Concentrations of the summed congeners ranged from 1.8 to140 μg kg −1 wet weight in cormorant livers, and from not detected to 6900 μg kg −1 wet weight in porpoise blubber. The major congeners present were generally BDE47, BDE99 and BDE100. There was little correlation between concentrations of chlorobiphenyls (as the sum of 25 individual congeners) and the sum of the 14 BDE congeners determined, particularly for the porpoises.

Groundwater control and stability in an excavation in Magnesian Limestone near Sunderland, NE England

A case history is presented of a 22-m-deep excavation for a storm sewage pumping station in the very variable and water-bearing Upper Magnesian Limestone adjacent to the English northeast coast. Considerable effort was expended during several phases of ground investigation to try to characterise the rock in engineering terms prior to construction. In addition to conventional double-barrel cored drilling, valuable data on the condition of the weathered dolomites and limestones and on the localised nature of groundwater inflows were obtained by examining coastal exposures and from two trial shafts and a heading constructed as advanced works on the incoming sewer. These helped in predicting many of the difficulties that might need to be overcame during construction. A full-scale pumping test at the site of the excavation also determined the bulk permeability of the strata and led to the conclusion that preconstruction groundwater control measures would be needed. A peripheral grout curtain and basal grout blanket were constructed by low-pressure techniques and their combined efficacy was tested by further pumping tests. In the event, construction of the excavation was relatively trouble-free and was accompanied by maximum groundwater inflows of about 8 l s −1 at full depth. Induced internal erosion of the weathered rock was minimal. Some difficulties were caused, however, by the presence of a zone of “gash breccia” in one corner of the excavation and by persistent minor instability in the overlying glacial till. These were overcome by special support measures. Overall, the rock mass was less weathered and more competent than predicted by the initial ground investigation. The coastal exposures, subsequent triple-tube coring and the two trial shafts helped to give a more realistic indication of the actual ground conditions.

The development of acidic groundwaters in coal-bearing strata: Part I. Rare earth element fingerprinting

This study examines the rare earth element (REE) pattern of acidic mine discharges in the Durham basin (NE England) as a means of fingerprinting their sources and understanding the water-rock interactions Although whole rock compositions proved to be unhelpful, mimicking acid mine water generation in a series of selective leachates of the coal and coal-bearing strata gave REE patterns similar to those measured in the emergent waters. REE ratios and anomalies were used as indicators of specific interactions in the development of acidic groundwater. The implications of the findings for the classification and evolution of acid mine discharges are discussed.

The CC chemokine receptor 5 delta32 mutation is not associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in NE England.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract of unknown aetiology. Evidence of abnormalities in immune regulation and cytokine production in patients with IBD has led to investigations of various immuno-regulatory genes as potential candidate susceptibility loci. Studies using whole genome scanning have highlighted chromosomes 3, 7, 12 and 16. A 32 base-pair deletion in the CC-chemokine receptor-5 gene (CCR5-A32, chromosome 3p21.3) has been associated with susceptibility to IBD. We have investigated CCR5 as a candidate susceptibility gene in 350 patients (251 with ulcerative colitis and 99 with Crohn's disease) and 103 controls using polymerase chain reaction. There were no significant differences in the distribution of CCR5 genotypes or frequencies comparing patients and controls, or associations with extent of colitis. In contrast to preliminary data, these findings suggest no evidence for involvement of this mutation in susceptibility/resistance or disease progression in IBD.

A review of relative sea level rise caused by mining-induced subsidence in the coastal zone: some implications for increased coastal recession

This paper addresses how mining activity under coastal zones impacts on the surface and whether any consequent changes to beach and offshore morphology affect the shoreline dynam- ics on the beach. The extent of mining activity under coasts is reviewed, with a focus on the inter- action of changes in land level, induced by coal extraction at depth under coasts, with sediment and wave processes. The hypothesis is proposed that surface changes, such as a change in substrate gra- dient, influence the response of beaches to shoreline dynamics. The literature relating to the main parameters governing beach response on macro-tidal coastlines is reviewed, then evidence from reported literature is collated as an example of changes in morphology in a case study on a macro- tidal coastline in NE England. Results from this case study suggest that land subsidence due to min- ing activities can have a local impact on coastal areas exceeding that of projected sea level rise due to climate changes. Permanent changes in beach gradient cause an altered response to wave dynam- ics, and a consequent change in the classification of these beaches compared to control beaches, where no subsidence has taken place.

Discussion of ‘The Welton Formation (Chalk Group) at Speeton, NE England; implications for the late Cretaceous evolution of the Market Weighton Structure’ Proceedings, Vol 53, part 1, pp. 17–24,2000

Discussion of ‘The Welton Formation (Chalk Group) at Speeton, NE England; implications for the late Cretaceous evolution of the Market Weighton Structure’ <i>Proceedings,</i> Vol 53, part 1, pp. 17–24,2000

Variation in growth rate and reproductive output in British populations of the dorid nudibranch Adalaria proxima : consequences of restricted larval dispersal?

Growth and reproduction were compared among six geographically and genetically distinct intertidal populations of the annual, semelparous, dorid nudibranch Adalaria proxima (Alder & Hancock) to evaluate variation in fitness-related traits. The six populations spanned the geographic range in the northern British Isles: NE England (Cowling Scar), E Scotland (Kinkell Braes), NW Scotland (Loch Eriboll), W Scotland (Cuan Ferry), Northern Ireland (Portaferry), and N Wales (Menai Bridge). Nudibranchs from five sites were collected in July to August 1992 as post-metamorphic juveniles and were laboratory-reared under the same conditions of ambient temperature and photoperiod for up to 10 months and the completion of spawning. Individuals from the sixth site were added to the experiment in December 1992. Growth was monitored every 2 weeks, and reproductive performance was expressed as a weight-adjusted dimensionless index (ΣRI) of each individual's spawnings summed over the reproductive period. In general, larger nudibranchs produced larger first spawn masses and more total spawn than did smaller nudibranchs, but these size-related trends were observed only in some populations. The patterns of energy partitioning to spawnings varied significantly among populations, from allocations of a large number of eggs to few spawn masses (Loch Eriboll) to production of many small spawnings over a long spawning period (Portaferry). There was no relationship between maximum body size and the amount of spawn produced after the first spawning, nor to the length of the spawning period or the number of spawn produced. Both Menai Bridge and Kinkell Braes had low mean population ΣRI, reflecting a very poor reproductive performance, given their large maximum (pre-spawning) body sizes. By contrast, the Loch Eriboll, Cuan Ferry, and Portaferry populations all displayed high mean population ΣRI, albeit as a result of differing combinations of numbers and sizes of spawn masses and duration of the spawning period. This high variance of reproductive allocation among populations, and previous evidence of relatively stable among-population differences in allozyme frequencies, adult color, and embryo characteristics suggest very restricted larval transport of lecithotrophic larvae of A. proxima.

The Welton Formation (Chalk Group) at Speeton, NE England: implications for the late Cretaceous evolution of the Market Weighton Structure

SUMMARY The stratigraphy of the Welton Formation (Chalk Group, Upper Cretaceous) at Speeton, NE England, is described for the first time. The marker horizons of the standard succession on the East Midlands Shelf are clearly recognizable at Speeton and demonstrate that the succession is of comparative thickness to that developed on the East Midlands Shelf. The succession is divided into three: the Flixton, Buckton and Bempton members, which can be traced throughout NE England. Considerations of changes in the rates of sedimentation between the East Midlands Shelf, Market Weighton Structure and Cleveland Basin suggest that the Market Weighton Structure, which had dominated sedimentation styles throughout the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous, had ceased to be an influence on sedimentation rates during the late Cretaceous.

Correlation between the nannofossil and macrofossil biostratigraphies and the lithostratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous of NE England

SUMMARY To supplement the recent documentation of the stratigraphy of the Ferriby, Welton, Burnham and Flamborough Chalk formations by Whitham, a study of the nannofloras of this region was undertaken, allowing correlation between the lithostratigraphical units, the macrofossil zones and the recently revised standard nannofossil zonation scheme for the Upper Cretaceous. Attention is draw to the sequence of integrated nannofossil and macrofossil events around the stage boundaries, and some preliminary comparisons of the nannofossil events are made with those of southern England and northern Germany. It is suggested that further biostratigraphical work needs to be carried out through the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary interval, in order to determine the precise relationship between the nannofossil events and the boundary event. The view that the nannofossil Marthasterites furcatus is a suitable marker for the Turonian/Coniacian boundary is reiterated as being erroneous. Documentation of the nannofloras of NE England have proved them to have been influenced by a northern high-latitude (boreal) palaeobiogeographical setting during the Late Cretaceous.