Triple isotope (δD, δ17O, δ18O) study on precipitation, drip water and speleothem fluid inclusions for a central European cave (NW Switzerland)

Deuterium (dD) and oxygen (d18O) isotopes are powerful tracers of the hydrological cycle and have been extensively used for paleoclimate reconstructions as they can provide information on past precipitation, temperature and atmospheric circulation. More recently, the use of 17Oexcess derived from precise measurement of d17O and d18O gives new and additional insights in tracing the hydrological cycle whereas uncertainties surround this proxy. However, 17Oexcess could provide additional information on the atmospheric conditions at the moisture source as well as about fractionations associated with transport and site processes. In this paper we trace water stable isotopes (dD, d17O and d18O) along their path from precipitation to cave drip water and finally to speleothem fluid inclusions for Milandre cave in northwestern Switzerland. A two year-long daily resolved precipitation isotope record close to the cave site is compared to collected cave drip water (3 months average resolution) and fluid inclusions of modern and Holocene stalagmites. Amount weighted mean dD, d18O and d17O are �71.0‰, �9.9‰, �5.2‰ for precipitation, �60.3‰, �8.7‰, �4.6‰ for cave drip water and �61.3‰, �8.3‰, �4.7‰ for recent fluid inclusions respectively. Second order parameters have also been derived in precipitation and drip water and present similar values with 18 per meg for 17Oexcess whereas d-excess is 1.5‰ more negative in drip water. Furthermore, the atmospheric signal is shifted towards enriched values in the drip water and fluid inclusions (D of ~ þ 10‰ for dD). The isotopic composition of cave drip water exhibits a weak seasonal signal which is shifted by around 8e10 months (groundwater residence time) when compared to the precipitation. Moreover, we carried out the first d17O measurement in speleothem fluid inclusions, as well as the first comparison of the d17O behaviour from the meteoric water to the fluid inclusions entrapment in speleothems. This study on precipitation, drip water and fluid inclusions will be used as a speleothem proxy calibration for Milandre cave in order to reconstruct paleotemperatures and moisture source variations for Western Central Europe

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analysis of experimentally generated magmatic and metamorphic aqueous fluids using laser spectroscopy (WS-CRDS)

We report a new procedure for the analysis of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in water that is experimentally produced in high-temperature high-pressure experiments via wavelength-scanned cavity ring down spectroscopy (WS-CRDS). This work builds on a recently developed method by Affolter et al. (2014) for the analysis of fluid inclusions in cave carbonate deposits. We show that a simple modification of the setup allows extraction and analysis of experimentally produced fluids from their noble metal capsules in an online water extraction line, and analyse them without further treatment of the water molecule prior to isotope determination. We tested this method on standard water reference samples and water experimentally generated during thermal decomposition of hydrous minerals in hydrothermally altered rocks. Preliminary results indicate that fluids released from hydrothermally altered rocks at conditions of 640°C and 100 MPa maintain isotopic compositions close to those of the meteoric water involved in their alteration. Further development and application of this method will offer great insights into the origin and evolution of water in magmatic and metamorphic systems, and be a valuable tool in the determination of experimentally derived fluid-melt and fluid-mineral isotope fractionation

Assessing local CO2 contamination revealed by two near-by high altitude records at Jungfraujoch, Switzerland

Remote research stations are guarantor of high-quality atmospheric measurements as they are essentially exposed to pristine air masses. However, in a context of increasing touristic pressure for certain sites, attention should be paid to the local anthropogenic emission related to the infrastructure itself. Among emissions, carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas and a major contributor to the current global warming. Here, we compared two years of CO2 dry air mole fraction records from Jungfraujoch (Swiss Alps) measured at the Sphinx Laboratory (3580 m a.s.l.; JFJ) and the East Ridge facility (3705 m a.s.l.; JER; horizontal distance of similar to 1 km), respectively. Both stations show an overall increase of the annual mean CO2 mole fraction in line with current global trends. On a daily basis, values during the night (00h00-06h00) show robust coherence with variability ranging within the measurement uncertainties matching the WMO compatibility goal of 0.1 ppm, which we considered to be background air CO2 mole fraction for Central and Western Europe. However, JFJ record shows superimposed short-term variability with diurnal CO2 spikes centered around noon. Whereas the variability occurring during time intervals ranging from days to weeks seem to be driven by inputs of air masses from the planetary boundary layer, we suppose that the super-imposed diurnal CO2 spikes occurring essentially in summer are explained by local emission sources related to the infrastructure (visitors, tourism, etc). Nevertheless, we cannot point to a single triggering cause for those spikes as it probably results from a combination of factors. In order to minimize these local emissions, smooth collaboration between all the involved stakeholders is required

Redox zonation and organic matter oxidation in palaeogroundwater of glacial origin from the Baltic Artesian Basin

Ordovician-Cambrian aquifer system (O-Cm) in the northern part of the Baltic Artesian Basin (BAB), Estonia, is part of a unique groundwater reservoir where groundwater originating from glacial meltwater recharge from the Scandinavian Ice Sheet is preserved. The distribution of redox zones in the anoxic O-Cm aquifer system is unusual. Strongly reducing conditions are found near the modern recharge area characterized by low concentrations of sulphate (< 5 mg.L-1) and the presence of CH4 (up to 3.26 vol%). The concentrations of SO42-increase and concentrations of CH4 decrease farther down the groundwater flow path. Sulphate in fresh glacial palaeogroundwater originates probably from pyrite oxidation while brackish waters have gained their sulphate through mixing with relict saline formation waters residing in the deeper parts of the aquifer system. Stable isotopic composition of sulphate, especially relations between delta O-18(SO4)- delta O-18(water) (Delta O-18(SO4-) (H2O) from + 20.5 to + 31.1 parts per thousand) and delta S-34(SO4)-delta S-34(H2S) (Delta S-34(SO4-) (H2S) value of + 47.9 parts per thousand) support a widespread occurrence of bacterial sulphate reduction in fresh glacial palaeogroundwater. We propose, that the observed unusual redox zonation is a manifestation of two different flow systems in the O-Cm aquifer system: 1) the topographically driven flow system which drives the infiltration of waters through the overlying carbonate formation in the modern recharge area; 2) the relict flow system farther down the groundwater flow path which developed as a response to large hydraulic gradients imposed by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in Pleistocene. Thus, the strongly reducing conditions surrounding the modern recharge area may show the extent to which post-glacial recharge has influenced the aquifer system. O-Cm aquifer system is an example of an aquifer that has not reached a near-equilibrium state with respect to present day flow conditions and still exhibits hydrogeochemical patterns established under the influence of a continental ice sheet in Pleistocene

Subclinical Mastitis in a European Multicenter Cohort : Prevalence, Impact on Human Milk (HM) Composition, and Association with Infant HM Intake and Growth

Background: Subclinical mastitis (SCM) is an inflammatory condition of the mammary gland. We examined the effects of SCM on human milk (HM) composition, infant growth, and HM intake in a mother–infant cohort from seven European countries.  Methods: HM samples were obtained from 305 mothers at 2, 17, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days postpartum. SCM status was assessed using HM Sodium (Na): Potassium (K) ratio &gt;0.6. Levels of different macro- and micronutrients were analyzed in HM.  Results: SCM prevalence in the first month of lactation was 35.4%. Mean gestational age at delivery was lower and birth by C-section higher in SCM mothers (p ≤ 0.001). HM concentrations of lactose, DHA, linolenic acid, calcium, and phosphorous (p &lt; 0.05 for all) was lower, while total protein, alpha-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, albumin, arachidonic acid to DHA ratio, n-6 to n-3 ratio and minerals (iron, selenium, manganese, zinc, and copper) were higher (p &lt; 0.001 for all) in mothers with SCM. There were no differences in infant growth and HM intake between non-SCM and SCM groups.  Conclusion: We document, for the first time, in a large European standardized and longitudinal study, a high prevalence of SCM in early lactation and demonstrate that SCM is associated with significant changes in the macro- and micronutrient composition of HM. Future studies exploring the relation of SCM with breastfeeding behaviors and developmental outcomes are warranted