Anthropogenic- and natural sources of dust in peatland during the Anthropocene

As human impact have been increasing strongly over the last decades, it is crucial to distinguish human-induced dust sources from natural ones in order to define the boundary of a newly proposed epoch - the Anthropocene. Here, we track anthropogenic signatures and natural geochemical anomalies in the Mukhrino peatland, Western Siberia. Human activity was recorded there from cal AD 1958 (±6). Anthropogenic spheroidal aluminosilicates clearly identify the beginning of industrial development and are proposed as a new indicator of the Anthropocene. In cal AD 1963 (±5), greatly elevated dust deposition and an increase in REE serve to show that the geochemistry of elements in the peat can be evidence of nuclear weapon testing; such constituted an enormous force blowing soil dust into the atmosphere. Among the natural dust sources, minor signals of dryness and of the Tunguska cosmic body (TCB) impact were noted. The TCB impact was indirectly confirmed by an unusual occurrence of mullite in the pea

Introducing global peat-specific temperature and pH calibrations based on brGDGT bacterial lipids

Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are membrane-spanning lipids from Bacteria and Archaea that are ubiquitous in a range of natural archives and especially abundant in peat. Previous work demonstrated that the distribution of bacterial branched GDGTs (brGDGTs) in mineral soils is correlated to environmental factors such as mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and soil pH. However, the influence of these parameters on brGDGT distributions in peat is largely unknown. Here we investigate the distribution of brGDGTs in 470 samples from 96 peatlands around the world with a broad mean annual air temperature (-8 to 27 degrees C) and pH (3-8) range and present the first peat-specific brGDGT-based temperature and pH calibrations. Our results demonstrate that the degree of cyclisation of brGDGTs in peat is positively correlated with pH, pH = 2.49 x CBTpeat + 8.07 (n = 51, R-2 = 0.58, RMSE = 0.8) and the degree of methylation of brGDGTs is positively correlated with MAAT, MAAT(peat) (degrees C) = 52.18 x MBT'(5me) - 23.05 (n = 96, R-2 = 0.76, RMSE = 4.7 degrees C). These peat-specific calibrations are distinct from the available mineral soil calibrations. In light of the error in the temperature calibration (similar to 4.7 degrees C), we urge caution in any application to reconstruct late Holocene climate variability, where the climatic signals are relatively small, and the duration of excursions could be brief. Instead, these proxies are well-suited to reconstruct large amplitude, longer-term shifts in climate such as deglacial transitions. Indeed, when applied to a peat deposit spanning the late glacial period (similar to 15.2 kyr), we demonstrate that MAAT(peat) yields absolute temperatures and relative temperature changes that are consistent with those from other proxies. In addition, the application of MAAT(peat) to fossil peat (i.e. lignites) has the potential to reconstruct terrestrial climate during the Cenozoic. We conclude that there is clear potential to use brGDGTs in peats and lignites to reconstruct past terrestrial climate. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Aliphatic and aromatic biomarkers from Carboniferous coal deposits at Dunbar (East Lothian, Scotland): Palaeobotanical and palaeoenvironmental significance

Carboniferous (Visean) coals from Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland, contain well-preserved miospore and megaspore assemblages suggesting a lycopod-dominated forest ecosystem with some ferns, sphenopsids and pteridosperms. The low rank of the coals and the well defined microflora permit assessment of the palaeoenvironmental significance of lipid biomarkers during the Early Carboniferous. Rock-Eval, petrographic, and lipid analyses indicate a fully terrestrial depositional environment. Although we also present and discuss a wide diversity of other lipid biomarkers (alkanes, hopanoids, steroids), we focus on the terrestrial-derived biomarkers. Combustion-derived PAHs pyrene, fluoranthene, benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene and triphenylene indicate the occurrence of forest fires in the study areas during Early Carboniferous times. Alkyldibenzofurans are considered to derive from lichen-biomass. Retene, cadalene, simonellite, tetrahydroretene and kaurane are poorly specific and can derive from a variety of early Palaeozoic land plants. Abietane, phyllocladane, ent-beyerane and 4 beta(H)-eudesmane, as well as bisnorsimonellite, diaromatic totarane, diaromatic sempervirane and 2-methylretene, however, as yet had only been reported from conifers, which do not appear in the fossil record until the Late Carboniferous. Within the lower Carboniferous forest ecosystem, arborescent lycopsids and pteridosperms are proposed as alternative sources for these compounds. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Characterization of coal from the Mariovo basin, Macedonia – Insights from organic geochemical and sulphur isotopic data.

Data detailed petrographic study of coal from the Mariovo basin in Macedonia suggests circulation of fluids mobilizing metals from different origins (basement, volcanism ?) during burial. Sulphur isotopic data on organic matter and pyrite indicate dominantly marine-derive fluids and processus of bacterial reduction of sulphates

Dansgaard-Oeschger climatic variability revealed by fire emissions in southwestern Iberia

Paleoenvironmentat records in Europe describing paleofires extending back to the Last Interglacial have so far been unavailable. Here, we present paleofire results from the combined petrographic and automated image analysis of microcharcoal particles preserved in marine core MD95-2042 retrieved Off Southwestern Iberia and covering the last climatic cycle. The variability of inicrocharcoal concentrations reveals that the variability of fire emissions is mainly imprinted by the 23 000 yr precessional cycle. A focus on the Last Glacial Period further shows that paleofires follow the variability of Dansgaard-Oeschger oscillation and Heinrich events and, therefore, parallel the variability of atmospheric temperatures over Greenland detected in ice cores. There is no evidence for fire increase related to human activity. The variability of fire emission by-products for the Last Glacial Period is interpreted in terms of changes in biomass availability. Low fire activity is associated with periods of drought which saw the development of semi-desert vegetation that characterised stadial periods. Fire activity increased during wetter interstadials, related to the development of open Mediterranean forests with more woody fuel availability. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Characterization of coal from the Mariovo basin, Macedonia - Insights from organic geochemical and sulphur isotopic data

ABSTRACT: data detailed petrographic study of coal from the Mariovo basin in Macedonia suggests circulation of fluids mobilizing metals from different origins (basement, volcanism ?) during burial. Sulphur isotopic data on organic matter and pyrite indicate dominantly marine-derive fluids and processus of bacterial reduction of sulphates

OZCAR : le réseau Français des observatoires de la Zone Critique : principes et objectifs scientifiques

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