Paleoenvironmental changes related to the variations of the sea-ice cover during the Late Holocene in an Antarctic fjord (Edisto Inlet, Ross Sea) inferred by foraminiferal association

TR17-08, a marine sedimentary core (14.6 m), was collected during 2017 from the Edisto Inlet (Ross Sea, Antarctica), a small fjord near Cape Hallett. The core is characterized by expanded laminated sedimentary sequences making it suitable for studying submillennial processes during the Early Holocene. By studying different well-known foraminifera species (Globocassidulina biora, G. subglobosa, Trifarina angulosa, Nonionella iridea, Epistominella exigua, Stainforthia feylingi, Miliammina arenacea, Paratrochammina bartrami and Portatrochammina antarctica), we were able to identify five different foraminiferal assemblages over the last 2000 years BP. Comparison with diatom assemblages and other geochemical proxies retrieved from nearby sediment cores in the Edisto Inlet (BAY05-20 and HLF17-1) made it possible to distinguish three different phases characterized by different environmental settings: (1) a seasonal phase (from 2012 to 1486 years BP) characterized by the dominance of calcareous species, indicating a seasonal opening of the inlet by more frequent events of melting of the sea-ice cover during the austral summer and, in general, a higher-productivity, more open and energetic environment; (2) a transitional phase (from 1486 to 696 years BP) during which the fjord experienced less extensive sea-ice melting, enhanced oxygen-poor conditions and carbonate dissolution conditions, indicated by the shifts from calcareous-dominated association to agglutinated-dominated association probably due to a freshwater input from the retreat of three local glaciers at the start of this period; and (3) a cooler phase (from 696 years BP to present) during which the sedimentation rate decreased and few to no foraminiferal specimens were present, indicating ephemeral openings or a more prolonged cover of the sea ice during the austral summer, affecting the nutrient supply and the sedimentation regime

A depositional model for seismo-turbidites in confined basins based on Ionian Sea deposits

This study investigates Ionian Sea seismo-turbidite (ST) deposits that we interpret to be triggered by major historic earthquakes and tsunamis in the Calabrian Arc. ST beds can be correlated with the AD 1908 Mw 7.24 Messina, AD 1693 Mw 7.41 Catania, and AD 1169 Mw 6.6 Eastern Sicily earthquakes while two previously unknown turbidites might have been generated by the AD 1818 Mw 6.23 Catania and AD 1542 Mw 6.77 Siracusa earthquakes. Textural, micropaleontological, geochemical and mineralogical signatures of STs reveal cyclic patterns of STa, STb, STc and STd sedimentary units for each earthquake with an associated tsunami. The STa unit contains multiple ST stacks with different mineralogy, geochemistry foraminiferal assemblages and sedimentary structures that are deposited from synchronous multiple slope failures and turbidity currents. The STb homogenite graded mud unit overlying the STa unit is deposited by the waning flows of the multiple turbidity currents that are trapped in the Ionian Sea confined basin. The STc laminated and marine-sourced unit results from seiching of the confined water mass that appears to be generated by earthquake ruptures combined with tsunami waves. The STd unit is a tsunamite cap deposited by the slow settling suspension cloud created by tsunami wave backwash erosion of the shoreline and continental shelf. This tsunami process interpretation is based on the textural gradation of the upper unit and a more continental source of the tsunamite cap which includes C/N >10 and the presence of inner shelf foraminifera with a lack of abyssal species. This interpretation is in agreement with the lack of a tsunamite cap for the turbidite likely linked to the AD 1542 historic earthquake that is not associated with a tsunami. The new sedimentologic criteria identifies the final seiche and tsunamite cap deposits of STs and provides a model that can now be tested in other locations to better understand the different depositional processes of seismo-turbidites in confined basins

Glacial, \ufb02uvioglacial and \ufb02uvial sedimentary discharge in the northwestern coastal sectorof the Ross Sea continental margin since upper Miocene to LGM

The Borchgrevink Coast stretches from the Coulman Island northward to the Cape Adare for at least 200 km, bordering the western side of the northern Drygalski Trough. The early phase of the acquisition objectives of the PNRAProjectGlevors(GlacialEvolutioninthenorthwesternRossSea,offshoreNorthVictoriaLand,Antarctica) was accomplished in the north western coastal sector of the Ross Sea continental margin along the Borchgrevink Coast, from Coulman Island to Cape Hallett. Single channel seismic and sub bottom pro\ufb01les, swath bathymetry and gravity cores were collected during the Austral summer of 2016/2017, by the scienti\ufb01c research vessel OGS/Explora. The studied area along this segment of the Borchgrevink Coast documents, by the analysis and the interpretation of available geophysical, geological and oceanographic data, the paleo ice discharge and ice \ufb02owing patterns of the inferred Mariner-Borchgrevink and Tucker coastal glaciers, since at least the Upper Miocene until the Holocene Time. The repeated and possibly asynchronous oscillations of these valley glaciers from the North Victoria Land coast, at least about tens km offshore, and their interaction with fast \ufb02owing ice streams from the south are recorded. In particular, the analysis of the architecture and of the geometrical relationship of the interpreted seismic facies and units allows to infer past glacial and interglacial environments. Modelling of paleo environments and related climate condition is achieved despite the age constrain uncertainty of local seismic stratigraphy and of biostrathigraphic correlations to coeval sediment section in southern Ross Sea inner-shelf sector (McMurdo Sound), and besides the acoustic facies ambiguity due to not enough data resolution. The interpreted shallower and Holocene-Present glacial related features are simple or composite ice-marginal landforms, with overstepping smaller recessional deposits on top or behind. They testify the coastal glaciers grounded events and the ice retreat modality during the pre-LGM and the LGM. We infer that northern coastal glaciers, from the Tucker glacier northward, about 72\u25e6 latitude, did not advance or reach the northwestern Ross Sea shelf edge at the LGM, but possibly before. The grounding line of NVL coastal glaciers would correlate with the pre-LGM grounding lineament reconstructed for the major ice-streams \ufb02owing from the south. More ancient and buried wedge, underlying the main composite Grounding Zone Wedge (GZW) system raises the issue if it was possible the formation and the preservation as a pinning point, of a previously developed GZW or of the upper part of a \ufb02uvioglacial delta in late Miocene or Pliocene time. Moreover, further offshore from the coast, the evidence, of an ancient buried glacial/\ufb02uvioglacial or \ufb02uvial delta, embedded within the glaciomarine clinoforms of the Trough Mouth Fans (TMFs) deposits \ufb01lling the Northern Drygalski Trough, suggest climate change and an inferred preceding coastal open-sea condition

Sediment deposition in response to the glacial-interglacial changes on the continental slope of eastern Pennell-Iselin Bank in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

In order to understand the growth and retreat of glaciers in response to the glacial-interglacial changes, subglacial marine sedimentary sequences have been studied extensively in the continental shelf areas of the Ross Sea. The purpose is to comprehend the glaciomarine sedimentation change on the continental slope of eastern Pennell-Iselin Bank in the Ross Sea, using three gravity cores (C1, C2, C3) and three box cores (BC1, BC2, BC3) collected from sites (RS14-1, 2, 3), respectively, across the continental slope to the eastern side of the Pennell-Iselin Bank during XXIX° (2014) PNRA expedition (Rosslope Ⅱ project). Several sedimentological (grain size, magnetic susceptibility), elemental (XRF), geochemical (biogenic opal, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, C/N ratios, CaCO3), and isotopic (δ13C and δ15N of organic matter) parameters were measured along sediment cores with AMS 14C dating of bulk sediments. Core-sediments consist mostly of hemipelagic sandy clay or silty clay with scattered IRDs (Ice-Rafted Debris). A comparison of sediment properties between box cores and the top of gravity cores reveals that the loss of sediment during sampling is trivial. Sediment colors of gravity cores alternate between brown and gray downward. Based on the variation patterns of sediment properties, sediment lithology was divided into different units (A and B), and subunits (B1 and B2). AMS 14C dates and sediment properties assign Unit A, Unit B1, and Unit B2 to interglacial, deglacial, and glacial conditions, respectively. Unit A represents the Holocene and interglacial sediments deposited mainly by the suspension settling of biogenic particles with IRDs in the open marine condition. Unit B1 reflects the deglacial sediments with an increase in IRDs showing the transition of sediment properties from Unit B2 to Unit A by the retreat of subglacial ices. Unit B2 is characterized by different sediment properties, mainly supplied by the continuously lateral melt-water plume or distal part of debris flow originating from the front of grounding floes in the subglacial continental shelf under the ice shelf during the glacial period. Thus, Unit B contains mostly reworked and eroded sediments from the continental shelf with scattered IRDs. The influence of subglacial continental shelf sedimentation in terms of melt-water transport and/or distal stage of debris flow was limited as far as to the middle slope areas (Site 2) during the deglacial and glacial periods. The deeper Site 1 remains in seasonally open marine conditions during the glacial period, due to the peaks of biogenic opal and TOC contents. Keywords: sediment property, subglacial activity, continental slope, Ross Se

The discovery of the southernmost ultra-high-resolution Holocene paleoclimate sedimentary record in Antarctica

The response of the Antarctic ice sheet to climate warming is the main source of uncertainty regarding future global sea level rise, since little is known about its present and past dynamics. The last deglaciation is the most recent interval of large-scale climate warming, during which the Northern and Southern Hemisphere ice sheets retreated, and sea level rose globally, although at a non-uniform rate. Geologic records from the polar regions are fundamental in determining the factors that caused the major changes in ice sheets during the last deglacial under different boundary conditions. Here, we combine morpho-bathymetric and seismic data with sediment cores and oceanographic measurements to reconstruct the processes that influenced the deposition of the southernmost, most extensive, ultrahigh-resolution record of the Holocene in Edisto Inlet fjord (Ross Sea, Antarctica). We find that post-glacial sedimentation resulted in a layered diatom mud up to 110 m thick that was locally redistributed by bottom currents over confined drifts-moats in the central part of the fjord. After the Holocene climatic optimum, the fjord was not carved by ground ice, and there continued to be internal fjord water circulation associated with Ross Sea circulation. These results support a retreat of coastal glaciers by about 11 kiloyears ago (ka) from the continental shelf of North Victoria Land

The newly discovered Odyssea Drift (Ross Sea): preliminary results

The Hillary Canyon is one of the main conduits for dense shelf water forming in the Ross Sea, over-flowing the shelf edge and transforming into the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). The main changes in past ocean circulation are recorded in the adjacent sediment drift. A wealth of data was acquired on the drift west of the Hillary Canyon during the 2017 OGS Explora expedition, which included the PNRA ODYSSEA and EUROFLEETS ANTSSS projects. The multi-disciplinary dataset acquired includes: single channel seismics, sub-bottom profiling, multibeam bathymetry, gravity and box cores, XBT launching, water sampling, CTD, L-ADCP, ADCP-VM, turbidity and florescence profiling. The sediment drift, which we named Odyssea Drift, is elongated in the NNE direction with dimensions of several tens of km. Prominent landslide scars and a giant landslide deposit, over 70 ms thick and spanning 200 km2, are visible on the drift. The sediment cores evidence well-developed cross beddings suggesting the effect of vigorous bottom currents. The oceanographic data show a ⇠200 m thick layer, near the bottom, with AABW characteristics (potential temperature < 0 C). The deeper layer displays also a strong velocity, mainly flowing along the isobaths. The energetic mixing between the along slope currents, mainly CDW, and the RSBW coming from the basin interior increase the turbidity of the bottom boundary layer. Our results will be merged with those obtained from the 2018 IODP drilling expedition 374 to develop a conceptual model of sediment deposition relating to marine-based ice sheet and oceanic processes along the Ross Sea continental margin occurring through the Neogene and Quaternary

Reconstructing Antarctic Holocene climate/environmental changes from ice and marine cores

Paleotemperature reconstructions from Antarctic ice cores rely mainly on δD and δ18O records, with the main key factors controlling their observed distribution in Antarctic surface snow being related to the condensation temperature of the precipitation and the origin of the moisture. Reconstructions of past sea-surface temperatures (SST) and sea ice cover (SIC) from marine cores at high southern latitudes mainly rely on diatom-based transfer functions. However, quantitative records of SST and SIC are concentrated in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Ocean and only few records exist in the Antarctic coastal areas. Here we present an overview of the Holocene climate records that have been compiled in the framework of the ESF-HOLOCLIP project, as well as a new isotopic record from the TALDICE ice core, recently drilled in a peripheral dome facing the Ross Sea. One of the main goals of HOLOCLIP is to reconstruct Holocene climate/environmental changes from ice and marine cores and integrate these data in model simulations. The main common features recognized in Holocene climate records obtained from ice cores are a warm early Holocene (from about 10 to 11.5 ka BP), a cool period centred at ~8 ka BP and a secondary optimum peaking at ~4 ka BP. The Holocene climate reconstructions obtained from sediment cores demonstrate a warmer early-mid Holocene hypsithermal followed by a cooler neoglacial with an amplitude and timing of the transitions variable regionally around Antarctica. Though there exist some problems in both ice and marine core records (chronologies, temporal resolution, global vs. regional, annual vs. seasonal), such approach is unique to fuel paleoclimate models and to better understand the ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions at high southern latitudes beyond the instrumental period

Da Trieste ai Poli. I viaggi che hanno portato la ricerca triestina agli estremi del pianeta (Trieste, Trieste citt\ue0 della conoscenza, 31.10.2018)

Sull'evento/conferenza dal titolo \u201cDa Trieste ai Poli: i viaggi che hanno portato la ricerca triestina agli estremi del pianeta\u201d, che si \ue8 svolta il 31 ottobre scorso nell\u2019ambito di Trieste e la Scienza - mostra interattiva e multimediale, allestita presso la stazione ferroviaria di Trieste nello spazio gestito dallo SISSA MediaLab dedicato a \u201cTrieste citt\ue0 della conoscenza\u201