Glacial--interglacial stability of ocean pH inferred from foraminifer dissolution rates

The pH of the ocean is controlled by the chemistry of calcium carbonate. This system in turn plays a large role in regulating the CO2 concentration of the atmosphere on timescales of thousands of years and longer. Reconstructions of ocean pH and carbonate-ion concentration are therefore needed to understand the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the pH of the whole ocean is thought to have been significantly more basic, as inferred from the isotopic composition of boron incorporated into calcium carbonate shells, which would partially explain the lower atmospheric CO2 concentration at that time. Here we reconstruct carbonate-ion concentration--and hence pH--of the glacial oceans, using the extent of calcium carbonate dissolution observed in foraminifer faunal assemblages as compiled in the extensive global CLIMAP data set. We observe decreased carbonate-ion concentrations in the glacial Atlantic Ocean, by roughly 20 micromolkg-1, while little change occurred in the Indian and Pacific oceans relative to today. In the Pacific Ocean, a small (5 micromolkg-1) increase occurred below 3,000m. This rearrangement of ocean pH may be due to changing ocean circulation from glacial to present times, but overall we see no evidence for a shift in the whole-ocean pH as previously inferred from boron isotopes.     

Late quaternary glacial cycle and precessional period of clay mineral assemblages in the western pacific warm pool

Variability of clay mineral assemblages in the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) over the past 370 ka shows the prominent glacial-interglacial cyclicity. Smectite (62%?C91%) is the dominant clay mineral, with decreased contents during interglacials while increased in glacials. In contrast, variations in chlorite (4%?C21%), illite (4%?C12%), and kaolinite (2%?C10%) share a similar pattern with higher contents during interglacials than glacials, mirroring to that of smectite. The results indicate that the smectite-dominated clay minerals derive mainly from the river detrital inputs of New Guinea. The glacial-interglacial cycle of clay mineral assemblages well correspond to the fluctuation of sea level. When the sea level was low, the river materials can travel more easily across the narrow shelf off the island of New Guinea, inject directly into the subsurface currents flowing westwards, then merge into the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC), and eventually deposit on the central part of WPWP. Precessional periods of the smectite content indicate the intensity of mechanical erosion in its provenance of New Guinea, responding to the river runoff and precipitation, and this could also be linked to the meridional migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).     

Interannual variability in the oxygen isotopes of atmospheric CO2 driven by El Niño

The stable isotope ratios of atmospheric CO(2) ((18)O/(16)O and (13)C/(12)C) have been monitored since 1977 to improve our understanding of the global carbon cycle, because biosphere-atmosphere exchange fluxes affect the different atomic masses in a measurable way. Interpreting the (18)O/(16)O variability has proved difficult, however, because oxygen isotopes in CO(2) are influenced by both the carbon cycle and the water cycle. Previous attention focused on the decreasing (18)O/(16)O ratio in the 1990s, observed by the global Cooperative Air Sampling Network of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory. This decrease was attributed variously to a number of processes including an increase in Northern Hemisphere soil respiration; a global increase in C(4) crops at the expense of C(3) forests; and environmental conditions, such as atmospheric turbulence and solar radiation, that affect CO(2) exchange between leaves and the atmosphere. Here we present 30 years' worth of data on (18)O/(16)O in CO(2) from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography global flask network and show that the interannual variability is strongly related to the El Ni?o/Southern Oscillation. We suggest that the redistribution of moisture and rainfall in the tropics during an El Ni?o increases the (18)O/(16)O ratio of precipitation and plant water, and that this signal is then passed on to atmospheric CO(2) by biosphere-atmosphere gas exchange. We show how the decay time of the El Ni?o anomaly in this data set can be useful in constraining global gross primary production. Our analysis shows a rapid recovery from El Ni?o events, implying a shorter cycling time of CO(2) with respect to the terrestrial biosphere and oceans than previously estimated. Our analysis suggests that current estimates of global gross primary production, of 120 petagrams of carbon per year, may be too low, and that a best guess of 150-175 petagrams of carbon per year better reflects the observed rapid cycling of CO(2). Although still tentative, such a revision would present a new benchmark by which to evaluate global biospheric carbon cycling models.     

Reduced calcification of marine plankton in response to increased atmospheric CO2

The formation of calcareous skeletons by marine planktonic organisms and their subsequent sinking to depth generates a continuous rain of calcium carbonate to the deep ocean and underlying sediments. This is important in regulating marine carbon cycling and ocean-atmosphere CO2 exchange. The present rise in atmospheric CO2 levels causes significant changes in surface ocean pH and carbonate chemistry. Such changes have been shown to slow down calcification in corals and coralline macroalgae, but the majority of marine calcification occurs in planktonic organisms. Here we report reduced calcite production at increased CO2 concentrations in monospecific cultures of two dominant marine calcifying phytoplankton species, the coccolithophorids Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. This was accompanied by an increased proportion of malformed coccoliths and incomplete coccospheres. Diminished calcification led to a reduction in the ratio of calcite precipitation to organic matter production. Similar results were obtained in incubations of natural plankton assemblages from the north Pacific ocean when exposed to experimentally elevated CO2 levels. We suggest that the progressive increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations may therefore slow down the production of calcium carbonate in the surface ocean. As the process of calcification releases CO2 to the atmosphere, the response observed here could potentially act as a negative feedback on atmospheric CO2 levels.     

碳酸盐岩碳、氧同位素分析激光微取样技术

碳酸盐岩碳、氧同位素分析激光微取样技术是利用高能聚焦激光束与碳酸盐岩样品作用,热分解产生CO₂气体,经真空提纯净化后送质谱仪分析测定其C、O同位素值。其空间分辨率优于20μm,能有效地对碳酸盐岩各细微组分结构分别取样,以满足同位素地质学研究的需要。经标样测定,δ¹³C和δ¹⁸O的最好分析精度可达±0.22‰(σ),与常规磷酸分解法分析精度相;δ¹³C无明显分馏现象,δ¹⁸O分馏明显,但对同种矿物是一个常量(方解石偏负1.72‰;白云石偏负1.59‰)易于校正。激光微取样主要应用于碳酸盐储集岩样品碳、氧同位素分析,能较好地解释油气储层孔隙演化和成岩过程。     

Preliminary regional estimation of carbon sink flux by carbonate rock corrosion: A case study of the Pearl River Basin

The formation of carbonate rocks has had a dramatic sink effect on atmospheric CO2 throughout geological time.The wide global distribution of carbonate rocks and their strong sensitivity to climate change mean that carbonate rock corrosion consuming air/soil CO2 can play an important role in the global carbon cycle.The carbon sink accounts for 12.00%-35.29% of the missing carbon in the global carbon cycle.Using the Pearl River Basin as a case study,we analyzed comprehensively the factors impacting karstific...     

A possible important CO2 sink by the global water cycle

The locations, magnitudes, variations and mechanisms responsible for the global CO2 sink are uncertain and under debate. Here, we show, based on theoretical calculations and evidences from field monitoring results, that there is a possible important CO2 sink （as DIC-dissolved inorganic carbon） by the global water cycle. The sink constitutes up to 0.8013 Pg C/a （or 10.1% of the total anthropogenic CO2 emission, or 28.6% of the missing CO2 sink）, and is formed by the CO2 absorption of water and subsequent enhanced consumption by carbonate dissolution and aquatic plant photosynthesis. Of the sink, 0.5188 Pg C/a goes to sea via precipitation over sea （0.2748 Pg C/a） and continental rivers （0.244 Pg C/a）, 0.158 Pg C/a is released to the atmosphere again, and 0.1245 Pg C/a is stored in the continental aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, the net sink could be 0.6433 Pg C/a. This sink may increase with the global-warming-intensified global water cycle, the increase in CO2 and carbonate dust in atmosphere, and reforestation/afforestation, the latter increasing soil CO2, and thus the concentration of the DIC in water.     

Carbonate dissolution and deep-water paleoceanography of the South China Sea since the Middle Pleistocene

Based on the data of oxygen isotope, micropaleontology and paleomagnetism, we set up the detailed chronology of Core 17957-2 from the southern South China Sea and discuss the change of carbonate dissolution over the last 800 ka. Down-core variation of carbonate content records the “Pacific-type” cycle of higher glacial values and lower interglacial values, though the core lies above the modern lysocline. Carbonate dissolution indices indicate that several severe dissolution of CaCO₃happened during the transition from interglacial to glacial stages. Spectral analyses of these indices show that the carbonate dissolution periodicities are mainly made up of 500 ka and 100 ka. Compared with the cycles of carbonate dissolution of the Indian Ocean, the long-term (500-ka) periodicity reflects the characteristic of the deep-water circulation of the oceans.     

Changes in the content of eolian iron during the past 900 ka and the implications

In this study, total Fe2O3 content (Fet) in two parallel sections from the central Loess Plateau (Xifeng and Changwu) is analyzed to address the variations of eolian iron in the past 900 ka. The obtained timeseries indicate that Fet Vvalues in some glacial intervals are comparable to that of interglacial periods and its oscillations do not generally correspond to the long-term glacial-interglacial changes. Rather,it exhibits higher frequency fluctuations without detectable 100 ka period, but with a strong 20 ka period and a clear 40ka period. The combination of 20 ka and 40 ka periods suggest that eolian iron content was relatively independent of glacial-interglacial changes, but more strongly influenced by the insolation changes in the northern hemisphere. Higher iron content was observed for the S5-1 soil that is correlative to marine δ^18O stage 13. In marine records, this stage is characterized by higher δ^13C values, suggesting that the event is of global significance.     

Exploring cyclic changes of the ocean carbon reservoir

A 5-Ma record from ODP Site 1143 has re-vealed the long-term cycles of 400—500 ka in the carbon isotope variations. The periodicity is correlatable all over the global ocean and hence indicative of low-frequency changes in the ocean carbon reservoir. As the same periodicity is also found in carbonate and eolian dust records in the tropical ocean, it may have been caused by such low-latitude proc-esses like monsoon. According to the Quaternary records from Site 1143 and elsewhere, major ice-sheet expansion and major transition in glacial cyclicity (such as the Mid-Brunhes Event and the Mid-Pleistocene Revolution ) were all pre-ceded by reorganization in the ocean carbon reservoir ex-pressed as an episode of carbon isotope maximum (d 13Cmax), implying the role of carbon cycling in modulating the glacial periodicity. The Quaternary glacial cycles, therefore, should no more be ascribed to the physical response to insolation changes at the Northern Hemisphere high latitudes alone; rather, they have been driven by the 揹ouble forcing? a combination of processes at both high and low latitudes, and of processes in both physical (ice-sheet) and biogeochemical (carbon cycling) realms. As the Earth is now passing through a new carbon isotope maximum, it is of vital impor-tance to understand the cyclic variations in the ocean carbon reservoir and its climate impact. The Pre-Quaternary varia-tions in carbon and oxygen isotopes are characterized by their co-variations at the 400-ka eccentricity band, but the response of d 13C and d 18O to orbital forcing in the Quater-nary became diverged with the growth of the Arctic ice-sheet. The present paper is the second summary report of ODP Leg 184 to the South China Sea.     

Oceanic Cd/P ratio and nutrient utilization in the glacial Southern Ocean

During glacial periods, low atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has been associated with increased oceanic carbon uptake, particularly in the southern oceans. The mechanism involved remains unclear. Because ocean productivity is strongly influenced by nutrient levels, palaeo-oceanographic proxies have been applied to investigate nutrient utilization in surface water across glacial transitions. Here we show that present-day cadmium and phosphorus concentrations in the global oceans can be explained by a chemical fractionation during particle formation, whereby uptake of cadmium occurs in preference to uptake of phosphorus. This allows the reconstruction of past surface water phosphate concentrations from the cadmium/calcium ratio of planktonic foraminifera. Results from the Last Glacial Maximum show similar phosphate utilization in the subantarctic to that of today, but much smaller utilization in the polar Southern Ocean, in a model that is consistent with the expansion of glacial sea ice and which can reconcile all proxy records of polar nutrient utilization. By restricting communication between the ocean and atmosphere, sea ice expansion also provides a mechanism for reduced CO2 release by the Southern Ocean and lower glacial atmospheric CO2.     

Thickness of calcium carbonate coats on stones of the Heishanxia terraces of the Yellow River and dating of coarse clastic sedimentary geomorphic surfaces

The calcium carbonate coats on stones developed in soil on the geomorphic surfaces of coarse clastic sediments in arid-semiarid regions contain evident information of age. The thickness of coats can be used not only as a good age indicator for the geomorphic surfaces but also coats themselves can be directly used as dating materials in the ESR method. Through measuring the thickness of carbonate coats on stones in soils on the alluvial terraces in the mouth of the Heishanxia gorge of the Yellow River and ESR dating of layers separated from the carbonate coats, the average of accumulation rates of the thickness of carbonate coats on stones since 1.57 Ma was calculated to be 0.10 mm/ka in the studied area, and a regression equation between carbonate coat thickness and age was also generated. From these research results, ages of T2-T11 terraces of the Yellow River in the studied area were systematically determined, and their values are in turn 18 ka, 94 ka, 139 ka, 215 ka, 305 ka, 410 ka, 495 ka, 742 ka, 1072 ka and 1570 ka. The reliability of all these age data is confirmed by the obtained 14C, OSL ages (T2, T3 and T4) and ESR ages of neighbor terraces, and they are completely consistent with the geological epochs estimated by geological and geomorphologic comparison and analysis.     

森林土壤温室气体通量对森林管理和全球大气变化的响应

森林土壤是温室气体重要的源和汇。探讨不同森林管理和全球大气变化下土壤温室气体通量特征,为有效减少温室气体排放及森林可持续管理等提供参考。笔者从森林土壤温室气体(forest soil green house gases)、森林管理(forest mangement)和全球大气变化(global atmospheric change)3个关键研究点,查阅近年来相关研究成果,归纳森林管理和全球大气变化下土壤温室气体通量的一般性模式。CO₂、CH₄和N₂O是3种重要温室气体,其通量间存在协同、消长和随机型耦合关系。森林管理如火烧、采伐和造林等显著影响土壤温室气体通量。一般情况下,火烧导致土壤N₂O通量降低,CH₄吸收量增加,CO₂通量因火烧类型、火烧强度、生态系统类型不同出现增加、减低和无影响3种结果; 采伐通常导致土壤CO₂、CH₄和N₂O排放增加; 造林可使土壤CO₂排放减少,对N₂O和CH₄通量的影响随生态系统类型、造林树种等而改变。全球大气变化如CO₂浓度升高、氮沉降和气温升高影响森林土壤温室气体通量。通常,CO₂浓度升高导致土壤CO₂和N₂O排放量增加,CH₄吸收量降低; 氮沉降促进土壤N₂O排放、抑制CH₄吸收。气温升高导致土壤CO₂和N₂O排放增加。森林管理和全球大气变化对土壤温室气体通量的综合影响是非叠加的,有效的森林管理可能改变土壤温室气体通量对全球大气变化的响应。     

Sea surface temperature and terrestrial biomarker records of the last 260 ka of core MD05-2904 from the northern South China Sea

This paper reports high-resolution biomarker records of the last 260 ka for core MD05-2904 from the northern South China Sea （SCS）. The sea surface temperature （SST） record using the U37^k＇, index reveals a minimum of 21.5℃（MIS 2） and a maximum of 28.3℃（MIS 5.5）, for a temperature difference of almost 7℃, and provides the longest high-resolution U37^k＇ SST record in northern SCS. The content of odd-number long chain n-alkanes and several n-alkanes indexes such as the CPI, ACL and the C31/C27 ratio, all reveal generally higher values during the glacials and lower values during the interglaclals. Terrestrial input as Indicated by n-alkane content was mostly controlled by sea-level changes： During the glacials, lower sea-level exposed the continental shelf to enable rivers to transport more terrestrial materials to the slope; and the situation reverses during the interglacials. The n-alkane indexes changes reveal more n-alkanes from contemporary vegetation during glacials as a result of the proximity of the core site to the source region, while the increases in ACL and C81/C27 ratio during glaclals indicate a change to more grassy vegetation. However, the highest values for CPI, ACL and the C81/C27 ratio all occurred during late MIS 3, and it was suggested that this period was characterized by a strong summer monsoon-dominated humid climate which resulted in a denser vegetation for the exposed continental shelf region.     

渤海K油田电潜泵化学解卡技术研究与应用

针对渤海K油田电潜泵泵卡影响生产且物理解卡不彻底的问题。分析了渤海K油田电潜泵结垢是泵卡主因,垢样主要由胶质、沥青质和碳酸钙镁、铁垢以及钡锶垢组成;采用低浓度的盐酸体系,具有多级电离、缓速性的多氢酸体系和以螯合剂为主的解堵体系的化学解卡技术思路,对电潜泵堵塞物中的无机垢进行酸洗、浸泡;形成了由钙镁垢体系、盐酸体系和多氢酸体系组成的多功能性化学段塞,并开展了垢样溶蚀性评价和部件腐蚀性评价。结果表明化学解卡技术配套体系对现场垢样溶蚀率高,同时对电缆、胶筒等电潜泵部件没有腐蚀风险。该技术在渤海K油田应用16井次,解卡成功率100%,启泵累产油7×10⁴ m³,增产效果显著,为渤海油田提供了一种高效、安全、经济的电潜泵化学解卡技术。     

Deep-water Earliest Oligocene Glacial Maximum （EOGM） in South Atlantic

The most prominent cooling event of the Earth surface during Cenozoic in the long-term transition from a non-glaciated planet, or “green-house world”, to a polar, glaciated planet, or “ice-house world”, is the Earliest Oligocene Glacial Maximum (EOGM) above the Eocene/Oligocene boundary at about 33.7 Ma. Planktonic and benthic foraminiferal oxygen and carbon isotopes, carbonate content, and coarse fraction, along with high-resolution color reflectance and magnetic susceptibility records during 35-30 Ma, from deep-water Sites 1262 and 1265, Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 208 in South Atlantic, reveal the global cooling event occurring in both surface and deep oceans. The results show that the earliest Oligocene δ^18O values during 33.5-33.1 Ma represent the magnitude of continental ice sheets on east Antarctica and indicate the large decrease in both surface and deep water temperatures of worldwideoceans. The δ^13C records show the large excursion during the period of EOGM event and indicate some types of shift in global carbon reservoir, probably demonstrating the sudden increase in organic carbon burial rates and the changes in the distribution and timing of production. At the same time, lithologic composition, carbonate content, color reflectance, and coarse fraction brought about significant changes close to the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, reflecting the abrupt deepening in the carbonate compensation depth (CCD). Changes in carbonate content were revealed from the color reflectance identify periodicities associated with eccentricity of the Earth‘s orbit (100 and 400 ka), further indicating orbitally forced global climate variations in the Early Oligocene.     

Past temperature and delta18O of surface ocean waters inferred from foraminiferal Mg/Ca ratios

Determining the past record of temperature and salinity of ocean surface waters is essential for understanding past changes in climate, such as those which occur across glacial-interglacial transitions. As a useful proxy, the oxygen isotope composition (delta18O) of calcite from planktonic foraminifera has been shown to reflect both surface temperature and seawater delta18O, itself an indicator of global ice volume and salinity. In addition, magnesium/calcium (Mg/Ca) ratios in foraminiferal calcite show a temperature dependence due to the partitioning of Mg during calcification. Here we demonstrate, in a field-based calibration experiment, that the variation of Mg/Ca ratios with temperature is similar for eight species of planktonic foraminifera (when accounting for Mg dissolution effects). Using a multi-species record from the Last Glacial Maximum in the North Atlantic Ocean we found that past temperatures reconstructed from Mg/Ca ratios followed the two other palaeotemperature proxies: faunal abundance and alkenone saturation. Moreover, combining Mg/Ca and delta18O data from the same faunal assemblage, we show that reconstructed surface water delta18O from all foraminiferal species record the same glacial-interglacial change--representing changing hydrography and global ice volume. This reinforces the potential of this combined technique in probing past ocean-climate interactions.     

The Southern Ocean biogeochemical divide

Modelling studies have demonstrated that the nutrient and carbon cycles in the Southern Ocean play a central role in setting the air-sea balance of CO(2) and global biological production. Box model studies first pointed out that an increase in nutrient utilization in the high latitudes results in a strong decrease in the atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2). This early research led to two important ideas: high latitude regions are more important in determining atmospheric pCO2 than low latitudes, despite their much smaller area, and nutrient utilization and atmospheric pCO2 are tightly linked. Subsequent general circulation model simulations show that the Southern Ocean is the most important high latitude region in controlling pre-industrial atmospheric CO(2) because it serves as a lid to a larger volume of the deep ocean. Other studies point out the crucial role of the Southern Ocean in the uptake and storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide and in controlling global biological production. Here we probe the system to determine whether certain regions of the Southern Ocean are more critical than others for air-sea CO(2) balance and the biological export production, by increasing surface nutrient drawdown in an ocean general circulation model. We demonstrate that atmospheric CO(2) and global biological export production are controlled by different regions of the Southern Ocean. The air-sea balance of carbon dioxide is controlled mainly by the biological pump and circulation in the Antarctic deep-water formation region, whereas global export production is controlled mainly by the biological pump and circulation in the Subantarctic intermediate and mode water formation region. The existence of this biogeochemical divide separating the Antarctic from the Subantarctic suggests that it may be possible for climate change or human intervention to modify one of these without greatly altering the other.     

High-resolution multi-proxy records of Asian monsoon activities from terrestrial sediments over the last 75,000 years

Our research group have investigated chronology and sedimentology of terrestrial sediments including loess-paleosols sediments over the last 75 ka at Lanzhou, northwestern China, and over the last 45ka at Tokyo, central Japan. Based on chronology of high resolution dating of ESR, TL, and IRSL and tephrochronology in these sediments, we investigated to reconstruct activities of Asian summer and winter paleomonsoons by using magnetic susceptibility, color reflectance and eolian dust concentrations over the last 75ka. Relations between standard curves of delta ~(18)O in GISP2 and color reflectance in loess-paleosol sediments of Linxia over last 140 ka shows that color reflectances are good proxy records indicating Asian summer paleomonsoon activity in time and are closely related to standard curve of delta ~(18)O in GRIP since the last interglacial. Also, relations between standard curve of delta ~(18)O in GISP2 and eolian dust concentrations over the last 75 ka at Lanzhou shows the Asian winter paleomonsoon activities have coincided with climatic changes in North Atlantic by GISP2 ice cores, and suggests that response of winter monsoon was rapid in global cooling stages, but slow in warming stage. Other results of our research in terrestrial sediments show as follows; 1) Horizons of Heinrich events from H1 to H4 in loess-paleosol sequences at Lanzhou. 2) Magnetic susceptibility and MS frequency dependent are possible to be available as proxy records for pedogenesis of tile Kanto Loam in Japan. 3) 8.2ka cooling event was recognized in Holocene loess-paleosol sequences at Lanzhou.     

CO2盐水层埋存条件下Mg^2+对油井水泥石腐蚀的影响

为探索CO2盐水层埋存条件下Mg^2+对油井水泥石腐蚀的影响,采用X射线衍射(XRD)、热重分析(TGA)和背散射电子像(SEM-BSE)等分析方法对腐蚀后的水泥石进行分析。结果表明:Mg^2+会减小CO2对水泥石的腐蚀速率;Mg^2+存在的情况下,水泥石表层生成的菱镁矿会一定程度上减缓碳酸钙的溶解,水泥石表面淋滤作用并不明显,内部生成的水镁石、菱镁矿和膨胀性矿物碳酸钙造成水泥石内应力增大而产生多条裂隙;Mg^2+存在的情况下,水泥石表层生成的菱镁矿及其内部生成的水镁石均会阻碍水泥石与外部腐蚀离子的反应,Mg^2+对CO2腐蚀水泥石的过程具有“减缓效应”。