The spatial distribution and sedimentary processes of organic matter in surface sediments of Nam Co, Central Tibetan Plateau

In this study,67 surface sediment samples collected from Nam Co in central Tibet were analyzed for total carbon,total organic carbon and total nitrogen,and 51 of these samples were also analyzed for n-alkanes.The origin and spatial distribution of organic matter were then investigated using these proxies,and the control factors responsible for the spatial distribution patterns and paleolimnological significance were discussed.The results indicated that the origin of organic matter in surface sediment of Nam Co is consistent with the sources of n-alkanes,which were primarily submerged plants,followed by terrestrial plants,and then aquatic algae and bacteria.The organic matter in surface sediments of the lake showed typical spatial variability.Because of the great influence of underwater topography,river inputs and water quality,the spatial distribution of organic matter is enriched from the source to the deposit center.This spatial variability of organic matter in the lake indicates that the sediments in different areas have different sensitivities to environmental changes,which is important to reconstruction of paleoenvironments and paleoclimate using lake sediment cores.     

U-series dating on late Quaternary sediments from Balikun Lake

The U-series component-dating method has been employed to date the sediment core B-194 from Balikun Lake. 230Th/ 232Th and 234U/ 232Th ratios in various components of the samples dissolved in different concentration acids were measured respectively. The results indicate that there is a good relationship of the isotopic ratios between the solutions and the residues, and that uranium and thorium isotopic fractionations did not occur during acid leaching. Based on the U-series ages obtained by using component-dating method, a 144-ka time sequence was established corresponding to the upper 25-m interval of the B-194 core, which is in agreement with palaeomagnetic dating results. The fact that the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental record labeled with U-series ages is correlative with the deep-sea δ 18O SPECMAP also demonstrates that the U-series component-dating method can be used to date lake sediments.     

Climatic and environmental implications from n-alkanes in glacially eroded lake sediments in Tibetan Plateau: An example from Ximen Co

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify a series of n-alkanes in the sediments of a typical glacially eroded lake in the eastern Tibetan Plateau.By comparing the distribution patterns of n-alkanes in lake sediments,surface soils and cow manure,it was shown that n-C 27-n-C 33 alkanes in the soil ecosystem of Ximen Co are derived from vascular plant species and that the distribution pattern of n-C 27-n-C 33 alkanes remains unchanged during the feeding and digestion processes of herbivores.The relative percentage of C 27,C 29 and C 31 n-alkanes decreased from the bottom to the top of the sediment core showing a trend of degradation of higher plants in the Ximen Co lake region during the formation of the 44 cm core.210 Pb dating,combined with pre-existing AMS 14 C dating results showed that the depositional core reflects climatic and environmental variations since about 900 years before present.The n-alkane indexes (ACL 27-33,P aq,P wax) are comparable with regional temperature variation,especially recording the Little Ice Age event (LIA).This study highlights that n-alkanes are valid proxies for paleo-climate and paleo-environment reconstruction,despite the same distribution patterns in n-alkane molecular fossils derived from a typical glacially eroded lake.     

Stratification features of Tamarix cone and its possible age significance

Establishing age series of stratum is one of the most important ways to rebuild the paleo-geographical environment. The dating methods from lacustrine laminated clay to ^210Pb, ^137Cs, and ^14C have also been used to estimate the age of different geological materials. But different methods require different testing materials and are     

Degradation of organic matter in the sediments of Hongfeng Reservoir

In this work, the distribution of organic carbon, DNA and lipids in the sediments of Hongfeng Reservoir were described in addition to SO4^2- profile in pore water. The contents of organic carbon in the sediments range from 23.3 to 76.8 mg·g^-1, with the peak value appearing at the depth of 8 cm bellow the sediments water interface （SWI）, and tend to decrease gradually with sedimentation depth. The concentrations of SO4^2- decreased from 40.50 mg·L^-1 to 12.00 mg·L^-1 at SWI in top 4 cm sediment, and was kept at 12.0 mg·L^-1 bellow that depth. Newly produced organic carbon can be conserved as long as 14 years in the sediments. The contents of DNA were relatively high in top 9 cm surface sediments, as revealed by agarose gel images, close to those of organic carbon and sulphate reduction index （SRI）. This study shows that bacteria played an important role in organic matter degradation; SO4^2- is the primary electron acceptor under anaerobic condition in this reservoir; DNA in the lake sediments can provide important information for the study of cycling of nutrient elements in the lake.     

Preservation of black carbon in the shelf sediments of the East China Sea

Concentrations and carbon isotopic(14C,13C) compositions of black carbon(BC) were measured for three sediment cores collected from the Changjiang River estuary and the shelf of the East China Sea. BC concentrations ranged from 0.02 to 0.14 mg/g(dry weight) ,and accounted for 5% to 26% of the sedimentary total organic carbon(TOC) pool. Among the three sediment cores collected at each site,sediment from the Changjiang River estuary had relatively high BC contents compared with the sedi-ments from the East China Sea shelf,suggesting that the Changjiang River discharge played an im-portant role in the delivery of BC to the coastal region. Radiocarbon measurements indicate that the ages of BC are in the range of 6910 to 12250 years old B.P.(before present) ,that is in general,3700 to 9000 years older than the 14C ages of TOC in the sediments. These variable radiocarbon ages suggest that the BC preserved in the sediments was derived from the products of both biomass fire and fossil fuel combustion,as well as from ancient rock weathering. Based on an isotopic mass balance model,we calculated that fossil fuel combustion contributed most(60%―80%) of the BC preserved in these sediments and varied with depth and locations. The deposition and burial of this "slow-cycling" BC in the sediments of the East China Sea shelf represent a significant pool of carbon sink and could greatly influence carbon cycling in the region.     

Carbonate verse silicate Sr isotope in lake sediments and its response to Little Ice Age

The ^87Sr/^86Sr ratios of silicate (acid-insoluble,AI,) and carbonate (acid-soluble,AS) of the lake sediments from the Daihai Lake ,Inner Mongolia since the last 500 years are measured respectively ,indicationg that chemical weathering of silicate minerals was in an early stage since the Little Ice Age within the Daihai watershed by combination with mineral constitute,Rb/Sr ratio and CaCO3 content in the sediments,During the Little Ice Age maximum,an evident peak in the ^87 Sr/^86Sr ratios of both silicate and carbonate in sediments suggests that a cold climate condition is unfavorable to dissolving radiogenic stontium from silcate minerals ,Meanwhile,the variation of ^87 Sr/^86Sr ratios of silicate and carbonate also reflects a projected warming climate favorable to intensifying chemical weathering after the Little Ice Age ,Consequently,the ^87 Sr/^86Sr ratio of both silicate and carbonate in inland lake sediment can be used as an effective proxy of the past climate in single watershed.     

Climatic changes documented by stable isotopes of sedimentary carbonate in Lake Sugan, northeastern Tibetan Plateau of China, since 2 kaBP

Lake Sugan at the northern edge of the Qaidam Basin was selected as the research object. The temporal sequence of sedimentary cores retrieved from Lake Sugan since 2 kaBP was reconstructed using the ^210Pb, AMS 14C and conventional 14C dating methods. Carbon and oxygen isotopes of carbonate in the fine-grained lake sediments were analysed. Combined with the changes of 8180 values of surface water and air temperature observation data in the study area, it might be thought that the δ^18O value of the carbonate indicates effective moisture, and the changes in δ^13C values are related to annual freeze-up duration of the lake and indirectly indicate air temperature changes in winter half year. From the above, the sequence of climatic changes in the region since 2 kaBP was established. The climatic changes experienced five stages： Warm-dry climate during 0-190 AD： cold-dry climate during 190-580 AD; warm-dry climate during 580-1200 AD （MWP）; cold-wet climate during 1200-1880 AD （LIA）; cold-dry climate during 1880-1950 AD： and climate warming since 1950s. The air temperature changes in winter half year reflected by carbon isotope since 2 kaBP are in good agreement with the historical literature records and other geologic records, which shows that the climate changes recorded by the stable isotopes from Lake Sugan since 2 kaBP are of universal significance.     

High－resolution precipitation variations in the Northeast Tibetan Plateau over the last 800 years documented by sediment cores of Qinghai Lake

Short cores of about 80-cm retrieved from three main basins of th e deepwater areas in Qinghai Lake,the largest inland enclosed lake in China, were studied. Sta-ble isotopes of authigenlc carbonates, grain-size, carbonate and organic matter content at 5-year resolution are used to reconstruct the climatic history over the last 800 years in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Chronology was established according to 210^pb dating and 137^Cs methods and the core corrdation. It is found that cores from different deep basins of the lake can be well correlated. The sedimentary rate is highest in the western basin of the lake and lowest in the east.In the southern basin of the lake where the short core Qing-6is located, the recent average sedimentation rate is 0.1004cm/yr. Variations in effective precipitation recorded by the oxygen isotopes and grain size data durine the last 800 years are consistent with the glacial accumulation record form the Dunde and Guliya ice cores. A dry climate lasted for 300 years from 1200 AD to 1500 AD, followed by a wet period from 1500 to 1560 AD. The two dry periods, 1560 to 1650 AD and 1780 to 1850 AD, were the results of southwest monsoon weakening. The effective precipitation generally increased since 1650 AD due to the strengthening of the Asian South-west Monsoon, resulting in a wet period until the 1950s. Ex-cept the early stage, the Little Ice Age on the Plateau is characterized b y increased effective moisture. Organic mat-ter content, with nearly 200-year cycles, shows similar trend with the atmospheric delta earbon-14 before the 1850s, indi-eating that the bioproductivity responds to solar activity.     

Sources and transportation of suspended matter and sediment in the southern Yellow Sea： Evidence from stable carbon isotopes

The concentrations of total suspended matter (TSM) and the compositions of organic stable carbon isotopes of TSM and bottom sediments were analyzed to study the sources of TSM and sediments and the transportation processes. For this study, 284 TSM samples and 64 sediment ones taken from 67 stations along 7 transects and in 5 layers were collected in the southern Yellow Sea on the cruise in May, 1998. The main sediment transportation pattern in the southern Yellow Sea was obtained by analyzing the distribution characteristics of TSM concentration and particulate organic carbon δ^13C values. It was confirmed from the pattern that the bottom layer plays a more important role than the surface one in the transportation processes of terrigenous material to the central deep-water area of the southern Yellow Sea. The Yellow Sea circulation is an important control factor in determining the sediment transportation pattern in the southern Yellow Sea. The carbon isotope signals of sedimentary organic matter confirmed that the main material in sediments with high sedimentation rate in the Shandong subaqueous delta originated from the modern Yellow River.The terrigenous sediments in the deep-water area of the southern Yellow Sea are mainly from the abandoned Yellow River and the modern Yellow River, and a small portion of them are from the modern Yangtze material. The amount of terrigenous material from Korean Peninsula and its influence range are relatively limited. The conclusions derived from TSM and stable carbon isotopes were further confirmed by another independent material source tracer--PAHs.     

Geochemical records in the subaqueous Yangtze River delta and their responses to human activities in the past 60 years

Based on studies of the geochemical elements of core sediments collected from the subaqueous Yangtze River delta front, combined with 210Pb and 137Cs nuclide dating, element recording profiles were set up and anthropogenic impacts on the sedimentary records were considered. The results suggest that (1) The core formed since 1945, of homogeneous clay and silt sediments. (2) The content of most elements underwent little change, but the content of S and Nb increased gradually. In particular concentrations of these elements and heavy metals increased rapidly and were maintained at high levels in the surface and sub-surface layers (i.e. since the 1990s). The elements S, As and Nb and principal factor 4 (F4), which were sensitive to anthropogenic impacts, could be used as indicators of human activities. (3) The value of each indicator has increased gradually since 1945, with a sharp increase over the last 20 years. When divided according to changing values of the indicators at 185 cm (1955), 97 cm (1978), 47 cm (1992), and 7 cm (2003), five periods of the geochemical elements records were obtained. These corresponded to the ages of from the Chinese Civil War to the early stages of planned economy, the implementation of planned economy, the reform and opening-up period, the market economy establishment phase and the environment control and protection stage after 2003, respectively.     

长江中游天鹅洲沉积物重金属元素记录对流域人类活动的响应

利用2007年4月采集于天鹅洲长江故道柱状沉积物中过剩210Pb深度—活度的分布规律及柱样的沉积学特征结合沉积事件记录进行定年,并通过ICP-AES、ICP-MS测定了沉积物中元素含量,包括K、Ca、Na、Mg、Al、Fe、Mn、Ti、Cr、Cd、V、Zn、Pb、Cu、Ni、Co、Cs、U、Ga、Ba、Sr,重建了50年以来长江中游元素地球化学记录的演变过程.通过重金属元素含量以及重金属标准化比值表明,天鹅洲长江故道沉积物剖面与长江河道变迁及流域人类活动具有很好的相关性:1950～1990年,处于工业化前期,沉积物重金属元素含量变化幅度较小,主要受物源和沉积环境等自然因素控制;1990～2007年,流域工业化进程加快,人类活动带来的污染增多,同时流域水利工程的兴修,使得来沙量降低,河流自净能力减弱,沉积物重金属含量显著提高.环境问题日益显著,亟需环境学者密切关注.     

苏干湖沉积物纹层计年和~(210)Pb，~(137)Cs测年对比

通过对西北干旱区苏干湖表层沉积物的年纹层计数定年和~(210)Pb,~(137)Cs测年结果对比发现:~(137)Cs测年结果在8.5 cm出现最高蓄积峰,对应1963年世界核爆高峰期,但在同一层位~(210)Pb测年结果则是1972年,存在较大的偏差.年纹层沉积速率达0.31 cm/a,而根据CRS模式建立的~(210)Pb沉积速率为0.30 cm/a.年纹层反映的沉积速率和~(210)Pb测年结果基本一致,互相验证了两者测年的可靠性.~(137)Cs测年则存在蓄积峰向上迁移的现象,在西北干旱区湖泊使用~(137)Cs测年过程中需引起注意.     

海洋沉积物岩心放射性核素的γ谱测定

用HPGeγ谱仪测定了海洋沉积物岩心的天然放射性核素^40K、^210Pb、^226rA、^228tH、^238U和人工放射性核素^137Cs,进行了不同体积样品的效率刻度,对所用直径75mm、高度5－45mm柱形样品几何条件,14种能量的γ射线,用2次多项式拟合效率随样品高度变化的相关系数R^2好于0．98,用内插的不同样品高度的效率值,进行了46．5－1460．5keV能区5－45mm高度样品的效率刻度,测量了一些沉积物岩心并就其中的一个柱样中^40K、^210Pb、^226Ra、^228Ra、^228Th、^238U和^137Cs的深度分布及其所揭示的海洋学意义进行了分析、讨论。     

Sediment source identification by using ^137Cs and ^210pb radionuclides in a small catchment of the Hilly Sichuan Basin, China

The Hilly Sichuan Basin is one of the most populous agricultural regions in the Upper Yangtze River Basin and has an area of about 105000 km2. Cropland ratios and population densities vary between 0.3 and 0.7 and be-tween 400 and 800 people/km2, respectively, in the Si-chuan basin. The basin is considered as one of the most severely eroded regions in the Upper Yangtze River Basin as well in China. Soil erosion rates were reported mostly to be greater than 5000 t·km-2·a-1 by the first st…     

A high-resolution environmental change record since 19 cal ka BP in Pumoyum Co,southern Tibet

A 380-cm-long sediment core was acquired from the deep water area of Pumoyum Co, southern Tibet. Twenty-five plant residue samples were selected, and organic carbon stable isotopes were obtained using the AMS ¹⁴C chronological method. The ¹⁴C age and carbon reservoir effect were calibrated with surface sedimentation rate measurements using ²¹⁰Pb dating. Results showed that the core sediment deposited over 19 cal ka BP. Based on a multi-proxy analysis of TOC and IC contents, grain size and pollen assemblage data, the palaeoclimatic evolution of Pumoyum Co was reconstructed since the last glacial. Pumoyum Co was a shallow lake prior to 16.2 cal ka BP; although the glacier around the lake began to melt due to increasing temperatures, climate was still cold and dry. In the interval of 16.2–11.8 cal ka BP, the sedimentary environment fluctuated drastically and frequently. Two cold-events occurred at 14.2 and 11.8 cal ka BP, and these may correspond to the Older Dryas and the Younger Dryas events, respectively. After 11.8 cal ka BP, Pumoyun Co developed into the deep lake as it is now. The lake water temperature was relatively lower at that time because of influx of cold water from glacial meltwater entering the lake. As a result, the multi-proxy indicators showed no sign of warm conditions. Comparisons between the sedimentary record of Pumoyum Co with that of other lakes of the same age in southern Tibet indicate a warmer climate following the last deglaciation influenced the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. These results imply that the southwest Asian monsoon gradually became stronger since the deglaciation during its expansion to the inner plateau. The glacial-supplied water of the lake responded sensitively to cold-events. The entire southern Tibet region was dominantly influenced climatically by the southwest Asian monsoon during the Holocene.     

137Cs tracing of lacustrine sediments in the Dalian Lake, Qinghai Province, China

Based upon the analysis of Cs and grain-size parameters, the total amounts of ¹³⁷Cs deposition by wind and water in the Dalian Lake of Gonghe Basin, Qinghai Province are defined. The vertical profile of ¹³⁷Cs in the lacustrine sediments exhibits three ¹³⁷Cs activity maxima and one minimum. The major maximum corresponds to the global ¹³⁷Cs fallout in 1963; the two secondary maxima correspond to the leakage of the Chernobyl reactor in 1986 and complete desiccation of the lake in 1994, respectively. The minimum corresponds to aeolian deposition caused by extensive reclamation in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The 137Cs data set was used to evaluate average sedimentation rate of the Dalian Lake since 1963. The deposition was stable in 1963-1986 and 1994-1998, and it was rapid during 1986-1994. This preliminary study reveals that l37Cs has the same potential to trace environmental changes introduce by human interference in arid/semiarid regions as in humid regions.