Gamma spectrometry for chronology of recent sediments

This thesis deals with several aspects of gamma spectrometric analysis of natural and artificial isotopes in sediments and their use as tracers for qualification and quantification of accumulation and mixing processes in different aquatic environments. Sediment cores from three distinct areas including terrigenous sediments deposited on the continental slope off NW Africa, deep sea sediments off Sumba Island and five stations from the Gulf of Eilat in the Red Sea area were measured and interpreted within this dissertation. The main concern in gamma spectrometry of voluminous environmental samples is a reliable efficiency calibration. This is specially relevant for the analysis of low energy gamma emitters (<100 keV). 210Pb, an important isotopic tracer to cover the period of the last century, is one of them. Within this work mathematical efficiency calibration was applied using a commercial software package. A series of validation tests was performed and evaluated for point and voluminous samples. When using 210Pb as a tracer it is necessary to determine its excess portion, which is not supported by ingrowth from the parent nuclide 226Ra. Its analysis is mostly performed via short lived daughter isotopes that follow after the intermediate gaseous member 222Rn. Preventing the escape of radon from the sample is a critical step before analysis due to a negative effect of supported 210Pb underestimation on the chronology, which was also documented in this thesis. Time series registering ingrowth of 214Pb and 214Bi towards radioactive equilibrium with 226Ra in different containers were evaluated for analyses of 226Ra. Direct analyses of 226Ra was compared to its detection via daughter products. A method for aligning parallel radionuclide depth profiles was described and applied successfully in two case studies from the continental slope off NW Africa and off Sumba Island, Indonesia. This is primarily important when combined profiles obtained from short multicorer cores and long gravity cores (with topmost parts not being preserved) need to be studied. Another useful strategy involving summing up spectra was suggested for the Indonesian sediments, which lead to reducing detection limits and allowed quantifying artificial radionuclides activity concentrations, ratios and inventories. Finally, an approach of using 232Th series additionally to 210Pb and 137Cs gamma emitters for interpretation of depth profiles in order to quantify accumulation and mixing rates was applied within a study of phosphorous contribution to eutrophication in the Gulf of Eilat. The three upper mentioned approaches lead to easier and more complete interpretation of radionuclide data and their practical use within interdisciplinary studies of climate of the past and environmental pollution

Cambios históricos en el aporte terrígeno de la cuenca del Río de la Plata sobre la plataforma interna Uruguaya

El Río de la Plata (RdlP) presenta significativas variaciones naturales (hidrodinámicas y oceanográficas) asociadas a diferentes condiciones climáticas. El propósito de este trabajo es inferir los cambios de aportes continentales de sedimentos y su relación con las variaciones hidrológicas del Río de la Plata, a través del análisis de proxies sedimentológicos y geoquímicos en testigos de sedimentos de la plataforma interna uruguaya que registran los últimos 100 años, aproximadamente. A partir de ladatación por 210Pb de dos testigos de sedimentos (GeoB 13813-4 y BAR1) se reconstruyó la geocronología del ambiente, y se relacionó con datos de las forzantes climáticas Pacific Decadal Oscillation, El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation, Atlantic MultidecadalOscillation, y las anomalías hidrológicas de los ríos Paraná y Uruguay. Los valores máspositivos y estables del Southern Oscillation Index, los cuales corresponden a fases La Niña,se observan en el periodo correspondiente entre 1910-1970, respecto al resto de la serie,donde se aprecia una mayor variabilidad y una tendencia hacia valores más negativos(eventos El Niño). Se hicieron dendrogramas (clustering) jerárquicos para ambos testigos. Para el testigo GeoB 13813-4, se utilizó la relación Ca/Ti y la granulometría, mientras que para BAR1 se recurrió a variables granulométricas y la tasa de sedimentación. El mayoraporte continental hacia la región de la plataforma adyacente al Río de la Plata registrado a partir del año 1970, podría ser el factor principal de los agrupamientos observados en los clusters para ambos testigos. Las agrupaciones mostraron una diferenciación en la década de 1970 lo que estaría asociado al aumento de los caudales de los ríos Paraná y Uruguay, durante las últimas tres décadas del siglo XX. Por otra parte se observa que la granulometría del testigo BAR1 presentó un mayor tamaño de grano y más variabilidad que en el caso del testigo GeoB 13813-4. También se determinó una mayor acumulación de sedimentos a través del tiempo en el cinturón de barro del Río de la Plata (plataforma continental adyacente), comparado con aquel registrado en la Barra del Indio (límite entre zona intermedia y externa del estuario). Estas diferencias podrían estar relacionadas con la influencia del Río de la Plata la cual genera un ambiente altamente dinámico sobre la Barra del Indio y un ambiente más estable sobre el cinturón de barro en la plataforma continental.Fil: Marrero, Analía. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Tudurí, Adriana. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Perez, Laura. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Cuña Rodriguez, Carolina Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Muniz, Pablo. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Lopes Figueira, Rubens C.. Instituto Oceanografico; BrasilFil: Michcelovitch de Mahiques, Michel. Instituto Oceanografico; BrasilFil: Alves de Lima Ferreira, Paulo. Instituto Oceanografico; BrasilFil: Pittauerová, Daniela. Center For Marine Environmental Sciences, Marum; AlemaniaFil: Hanebuth, Till. Center For Marine Environmental Sciences, Marum; AlemaniaFil: Garcia Rodriguez, Felipe. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; Urugua

Cambios históricos en el aporte terrígeno de la Cuenca del Río de la Plata sobre la plataforma interna uruguaya.

El Río de la Plata (RdlP) presenta significativas variaciones naturales (hidro- dinámicas y oceanográficas) asociadas a diferentes condiciones climáticas. El propósito de este trabajo es inferir los cambios de aportes continentales de sedimentos y su relación con las variaciones hidrológicas del Río de la Plata, a través del análisis de proxies sedimentológicos y geoquímicos en testigos de sedimentos de la plataforma interna uruguaya que registran los últimos 100 años, aproximadamente. A partir de la datación por 210Pb de dos testigos de sedimentos (GeoB 13813-4 y BAR1) se reconstruyó la geocronología del ambiente, y se relacionó con datos de las forzantes climáticas Pacific decadal oscillation, El Niño/La Niña southern oscillation, Atlantic Multidecadal oscillation, y las anomalías hidrológicas de los ríos Paraná y Uruguay. Los valores más positivos y estables del southern oscillation index, los cuales corresponden a fases La Niña, se observan en el periodo correspondiente entre 1910-1970, respecto al resto de la serie, donde se aprecia una mayor variabilidad y una tendencia hacia valores más negativos (eventos El Niño). Se hicieron dendrogramas (clustering) jerárquicos para ambos testigos. Para el testigo GeoB 13813-4, se utilizó la relación Ca/Ti y la granulometría, mientras que para BAR1 se recurrió a variables granulométricas y la tasa de sedimentación. El mayor aporte continental hacia la región de la plataforma adyacente al Río de la Plata registrado a partir del año 1970, podría ser el factor principal de los agrupamientos observados en los clusters para ambos testigos. Las agrupaciones mostraron una diferenciación en la década de 1970, lo que estaría asociado al aumento de los caudales de los ríos Paraná y Uruguay, durante las últimas tres décadas del siglo XX. Por otra parte se observa que la granulometría del testigo BAR1 presentó un mayor tamaño de grano y más variabilidad que en el caso del testigo GeoB 13813-4. También se determinó una mayor acumulación de sedimentos a través del tiempo en el cinturón de barro del Río de la Plata (plataforma continental adyacente), comparado con aquel registrado en la Barra del Indio (límite entre zona intermedia y externa del estuario). Estas diferencias podrían estar relacionadas con la influencia del Río de la Plata, el cual genera un ambiente altamente dinámico sobre la Barra del Indio y un ambiente más estable sobre el cinturón de barro en la plataforma continental

Historical atmospheric pollution trends in Southeast Asia inferred from lake sediment records

Fossil fuel combustion leads to increased levels of air pollution, which negatively affects human health as well as the environment. Documented data for Southeast Asia (SEA) show a strong increase in fossil fuel consumption since 1980, but information on coal and oil combustion before 1980 is not widely available. Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) and heavy metals, such as mercury (Hg), are emitted as by-products of fossil fuel combustion and may accumulate in sediments following atmospheric fallout. Here we use sediment SCP and Hg records from several freshwater lentic ecosystems in SEA (Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore) to reconstruct long-term, region-wide variations in levels of these two key atmospheric pollution indicators. The age-depth models of Philippine sediment cores do not reach back far enough to date first SCP presence, but single SCP occurrences are first observed between 1925 and 1950 for a Malaysian site. Increasing SCP flux is observed at our sites from 1960 onward, although individual sites show minor differences in trends. SCP fluxes show a general decline after 2000 at each of our study sites. While the records show broadly similar temporal trends across SEA, absolute SCP fluxes differ between sites, with a record from Malaysia showing SCP fluxes that are two orders of magnitude lower than records from the Philippines. Similar trends in records from China and Japan represent the emergence of atmospheric pollution as a broadly-based inter-region environmental problem during the 20th century. Hg fluxes were relatively stable from the second half of the 20th century onward. As catchment soils are also contaminated with atmospheric Hg, future soil erosion can be expected to lead to enhanced Hg flux into surface waters

Datierung rezenter Sedimente mit gamma-spektrometrischen Methoden

This thesis deals with several aspects of gamma spectrometric analysis of natural and artificial isotopes in sediments and their use as tracers for qualification and quantification of accumulation and mixing processes in different aquatic environments. Sediment cores from three distinct areas including terrigenous sediments deposited on the continental slope off NW Africa, deep sea sediments off Sumba Island and five stations from the Gulf of Eilat in the Red Sea area were measured and interpreted within this dissertation. The main concern in gamma spectrometry of voluminous environmental samples is a reliable efficiency calibration. This is specially relevant for the analysis of low energy gamma emitters (<100 keV). 210Pb, an important isotopic tracer to cover the period of the last century, is one of them. Within this work mathematical efficiency calibration was applied using a commercial software package. A series of validation tests was performed and evaluated for point and voluminous samples. When using 210Pb as a tracer it is necessary to determine its excess portion, which is not supported by ingrowth from the parent nuclide 226Ra. Its analysis is mostly performed via short lived daughter isotopes that follow after the intermediate gaseous member 222Rn. Preventing the escape of radon from the sample is a critical step before analysis due to a negative effect of supported 210Pb underestimation on the chronology, which was also documented in this thesis. Time series registering ingrowth of 214Pb and 214Bi towards radioactive equilibrium with 226Ra in different containers were evaluated for analyses of 226Ra. Direct analyses of 226Ra was compared to its detection via daughter products. A method for aligning parallel radionuclide depth profiles was described and applied successfully in two case studies from the continental slope off NW Africa and off Sumba Island, Indonesia. This is primarily important when combined profiles obtained from short multicorer cores and long gravity cores (with topmost parts not being preserved) need to be studied. Another useful strategy involving summing up spectra was suggested for the Indonesian sediments, which lead to reducing detection limits and allowed quantifying artificial radionuclides activity concentrations, ratios and inventories. Finally, an approach of using 232Th series additionally to 210Pb and 137Cs gamma emitters for interpretation of depth profiles in order to quantify accumulation and mixing rates was applied within a study of phosphorous contribution to eutrophication in the Gulf of Eilat. The three upper mentioned approaches lead to easier and more complete interpretation of radionuclide data and their practical use within interdisciplinary studies of climate of the past and environmental pollution

The creation of construction drawing documentation of a terraced house in Mutěnice

The aim of this master's thesis is to create construction drawing documentation for the main part of a terraced house in Mutěnice based on a BIM model and to create a thematic map in the vicinity of this family house. To create the required attachments, on-site measurements were conducted using geodetic surveying techniques, including GNSS technology, tachymetry, and laser scanning. The key focus of the thesis is to describe the on-site and office work that was essential for creating the necessary outputs. The main output of the thesis is the construction drawing documentation of the main part of the family house at scales of 1:50 (floor plans, sections) and 1:100 (elevations). The thematic map is made at a scale of 1:250 in the coordinate system S-JTSK and the altitude systém Bpv. Due to the owner's privacy protection, the created BIM model is not included in the thesis attachments and will be provided solely to the owner of the family house. The outputs of this thesis represent the actual state as of August 2022 and will serve as a basis for the planned reconstruction

Mapping Survey of surroundings of the Dačice Chateau

Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá tvorbou účelové mapy v okolí Státního zámku Dačice. Práce obsahuje informace o lokalitě, přístrojích, hlavních použitých měřických metodách a práci provedené před, v průběhu a po měření. Výsledná účelová mapa je vyhotovena v měřítku 1:500 ve 3. třídě přesnosti dle ČSN 01 3410 v souřadnicovém systému S-JTSK a výškovém systému Bpv. Mapa zachycuje stav lokality k přelomu srpna a září roku 2020.This bachelor thesis deals with the creation of a thematic map of Dačice chateau surroundings. The thesis contains information about the location, the measuring instruments, the main measurement methods and the activity performed before, during and after the measurement. The final thematic map is made in scale 1:500 in the 3rd accuracy class according to ČSN 01 3410 in the coordinate system S-JTSK and the altitude system Bpv. The map shows the state of the locality at the turn of August and September 2020.

Pb-210 sediment chronology: Focused on supported lead

A widely applied method of supported lead estimation in sediments using gamma spectrometric 226Ra determination via 222Rn short lived daughter products relies on radioactive equilibrium between 226Ra and 222Rn being established after sealing the samples. Advantages and disadvantages of methods of 226Ra estimation in sediments, using either 226Ra daughter products or direct estimation by the 186.2 keV gamma-emissions are discussed. An equilibrium experiment was performed using test samples and in one case radioactive equilibrium was not reached. On theoretical sediment profiles it is shown how systematic errors in supported 210Pb estimation can lead to wrong interpretations of 210Pbxs profiles and therefore affect 210Pb derived chronologies