Rare earth element and Pb isotope variations in a 52 kyr peat\ud core from Lynch’s Crater (NE Queensland, Australia: proxy\ud development and application to paleoclimate in the Southern Hemisphere

Accurate prediction of future climate scenarios is contingent on our understanding of past and present climate mechanisms. This is done in part through the reconstruction of historical climate changes using proxy records from terrestrial and marine archives. Terrestrial archives covering the Holocene and late Pleistocene are limited, most acutely in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, Rare earth elements (REE) and Pb isotopes are developed as inorganic geochemical proxies of mineral dust source changes and, by extension, climate change. Using a peat core from Lynch’s Crater in NE Queensland, Australia, we present the first long-term (c. 52 kyr) terrestrial record of atmospheric REE and Pb deposition (with the exception of four wet events which represent periods of erosion from the crater itself) in the Southern Hemisphere covering both glacial and interglacial times. Based on a combination of correlation analyses, Al and Ti normalised profiles and elemental patterns, we establish REE are immobile within the peat deposit and not subject to significant post depositional diagenetic changes (important particularly for Ce). This is vital as REE can be mobile under acid and organic rich conditions like those that can occur during the development of a peat deposit. The volcanic provinces of eastern Australia have characteristic Eu anomaly signatures, which allowed their use in a novel way to detect changes in dust source to Lynch’s Crater. Between 41,095 and 52,505 BP the deposit was under the influence of dust carried by long distance transport (>1500 km) from SE Australia. From 8525 to 40,815 BP regional sources (100–1500 km) dominated the deposited signals while between 1740 and 8390 BP the dust signal was controlled by local sources (<100 km). These findings were also confirmed by Pb isotope data. Changepoint modelling refined the timing of these changes in dust source, recognizing concurrent shifts in our tracing tools ((Eu/Eu*)PAAS and 206Pb/207Pb). These changepoints were then compared to other palaeoenvironmental records (pollen, lake levels and dune building) from eastern Australia and found to be similar. Our results demonstrate that REE and Pb isotopes are effective tools for tracing past changes in atmospheric dust sources and to the study of climate change using minerotrophic peat deposits

Late Holocene peat paleodust deposition in south-western Sweden : exploring geochemical properties, local mineral sources and regional aeolian activity

Atmospheric mineral dust not only interacts with the climate system by scattering incoming solar radiation and affecting atmospheric photochemistry, but also contributes critical nutrients to marine and terrestrial ecosystems. In a high-resolution analysis of paleodust deposition, peat development and soil dust sources, we assess the interplay between dust deposition and bog development of the Davidsmosse bog in south-western Sweden. Analyses of the 5400-year record (458 cm) included radiocarbon dating, bulk density, ash content, chemical and mineralogical composition and carbon stable isotopes, subsequently explored using principal component analysis. Fourteen dust events (DEs) were recorded (cal BP) in the peat sequence: 3580–3490; 3280; 3140; 3010–2840; 2740; 2610; 2480; 2340; 2240–2130; 1690; 1240; 960, 890–760, and 620–360. The majority of the DEs were coupled to increases in peat accumulation rates and increased nutrient content (N, P and K) suggesting that the DEs contributed with nutrients to the bog ecosystem, promoting increased accumulation. We also analyzed the chemical and mineral composition of potential mineral source deposits (separated into 6 grain-size fractions) from sites within a 4 km radius as well as aeolian dunes closer to the coast (25 km). The composition deposited on the present-day bog surface indicates that the bulk of the contemporary minerals have a local origin (&lt;1.5 km), but the DEs may be of a more distant origin. The results also indicate that quartz and plagioclase feldspar content consistently increase with increasing grain-size, both in the source samples as well as in the peat sequence, and that the Si/Al ratio can be used to infer grain size changes in the peat. Two longer phases saw numerous DEs, between 2800 and 2130 cal BP and a stepwise increase from 960 towards 360 cal BP. The episodic character of the events, together with the inferred coarse grain size, suggest that the particles were deposited by (winter) storms. Future studies should include grain size analysis as well as a more in-depth comparison with regional paleo dust and storm records to increase knowledge on both transport processes (creep, saltation, suspension) and the climate processes driving late Holocene dust and storm events in Scandinavia

Distribution and isotopic composition of lead in bottom sediments from the hydrographic system of Belém, Pará (western margin of Guajará Bay and Carnapijó River)

ABSTRACT: This study first aimed to evaluate the effect of human activities on the distribution of lead within the estuarine system of Belém, Pará. This was achieved by studying the concentration and isotopic signature of Pb in bottom sediments from the western margin of Guajará Bay and from Carnapijó River, an area removed from the influence of the city of Belém. Secondly, the contribution of suspended matter in the transportation of anthropogenic Pb in Guajará Bay was evaluated. Third, the content and background isotopic signature of Pb in the hydrographic system of Belém was determined. Isotopic signatures of sediments from the western margin of Guajará Bay confirm an anthropogenic contribution of Pb throughout the entire bay. The Pb accumulation process has become more efficient over the last 10 years, and this can be attributed to the rapid population growth of Belém city. Sediments in Carnapijó River are not affected by human activities, and the average concentration values (Pb = 19.6 ± 3.7 mg kg-1) and isotopic signatures (206Pb/207Pb = 1.196 ± 0.004) confirm the background Pb values previously proposed for the river system in the Belém region. The isotopic signatures of suspended matter on the eastern (206Pb/207Pb = 1.188) and western (206Pb/207Pb = 1.174) margins of Guajará Bay show that suspended matter is an efficient Pb transportation mechanism of domestic and industrial wastewater from Belém to the western margin of the Bay due to tidal effects at the confluence with Guamá River