Two hundred years of environmental change in Picos de Europa National Park inferred from sediments of Lago Enol, northern Iberia     

Lourdes L��pez-Merino  Ana Moreno  Manel Leira  Javier Sigr��  Pen��lope Gonz��lez-Samp��riz  Blas L. Valero-Garc��s  Jos�� Antonio L��pez-S��ez  Manola Brunet  Enric Aguilar 《Journal of Paleolimnology》2011,46(3):453-467

We present a study of two short sediment cores recovered from Lago Enol, in the Picos de Europa National Park, Cantabrian Mountains, northern Iberia. We inferred past climate conditions and anthropogenic impacts using geochemical and biological (pollen and diatoms) variables in the dated sequences, in conjunction with temperature and precipitation data collected since 1871 at meteorological stations in the region. The record provides evidence of environmental changes during the last 200 years. At the end of the Little Ice Age (~1800?C1875 AD) the region was characterized by an open landscape. Long-term use of the area for mixed livestock grazing in the mountains, and cultivation of rye during the nineteenth century, contributed to the expansion of grassland at the expense of forest. Warmer temperatures since the end of the nineteenth century are inferred from a change in diatom assemblages and development of the local forest. Socioeconomic transformation during the twentieth century, such as livestock changes related to dairy specialization, planting of non-native trees, mining activities, and management of the national park since its creation in 1918, caused profound changes in the catchment and in the lake ecology. The last several decades (~1970?C2007 AD) of the Lago Enol sediment record are strikingly different from previous periods, indicating lower runoff and increasing lake productivity, particularly since AD 2000. Today, the large number of tourists who visit the area cause substantial impacts on this ecosystem.  相似文献   

Differences in the Feeding Ecology of Two Seagrass-Associated Snails     

Kimberly K. Holzer  José L. Rueda  Karen J. McGlathery 《Estuaries and Coasts》2011,34(6):1140-1149

Grazing by small epifauna on live seagrass leaves was formerly viewed as unimportant in controlling plant biomass and growth, instead researchers focused on the indirect benefits of small invertebrates that crop algal competitors. Recent evidence shows that the emerald nerite Smaragdia viridis preferentially ingests seagrass leaf tissue. In contrast, the button snail Modulus modulus feeds on epiphytes and periphyton coating the leaves. We conducted laboratory microcosm and field experiments to investigate how the different feeding preferences of these seagrass-associated snails affect turtlegrass Thalassia testudinum primary production. Data revealed that after 24 h S. viridis reduced foliar biomass (25%) and chlorophyll (30%) and injured the equivalent of 50% of daily seagrass growth per shoot. Conversely, M. modulus did not affect these variables. Our results emphasize that in subtropical seagrass communities not all small epifauna browse off leaf surfaces and some can have important direct negative impacts on their seagrass host.  相似文献   

The role of international environmental instruments in enhancing transboundary marine protected areas: An approach in East Africa     

José Guerreiro  Aldo Chircop  David Dzidzornu  Catarina Grilo  Raquel Ribeiro  Rudy van der Elst  Ana Viras 《Marine Policy》2011

The increasing degradation of marine ecosystems has led to multiple calls for greater protection through the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs). If created at the ecosystem or ecoregion level, MPAs will likely straddle maritime boundaries and therefore necessitate international cooperation. International environmental law and international law of the sea may facilitate cooperation between States in creating transboundary MPAs. The extent to which this body of law is actually or potentially useful for the establishment of transboundary MPAs is examined in the context of the East African Marine Ecoregion, focusing on Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania. A general survey and assessment of the applicable global, regional, and bilateral instruments in relation to the three States is conducted. Although some global instruments are relevant in the East African context, regional and bilateral instruments are more conducive to the establishment of transboundary MPAs. The article concludes that although a trilateral agreement between Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania would be an ideal vehicle for the establishment of a transboundary network of MPAs addressing both national and ecoregional conservation interests, a separate solution at each border will be the first step towards this goal.  相似文献   

Geochemical processes in a Mediterranean Lake: a high-resolution study of the last 4,000 years in Zoñar Lake,southern Spain     

Celia Martín-Puertas  Blas L. Valero-Garcés  M. Pilar Mata  Ana Moreno  Santiago Giralt  Francisca Martínez-Ruiz  Francisco Jiménez-Espejo 《Journal of Paleolimnology》2011,46(3):405-421

High-resolution geochemical analysis of a 6-m-long sediment core from Zoñar Lake, southern Spain, provides a detailed characterization of major changes in lake and watershed processes during the last 4,000 years. Geochemical variables were used as paleolimnological indicators and complement Zoñar Lakes’s paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on sedimentological and biological proxies, which define periods of increasing allochthonous input to the lake and periods of dominant autochthonous sedimentation. Chemical ratios identify periods of endogenic carbonate formation (higher Ca/Al, Sr/Al and Ba/Al ratios), evaporite precipitation (higher S/Al, Sr/Al ratios), and anoxic conditions (higher Mo/Al, U/Th ratios and Eu anomaly). Higher productivity is marked by elevated organic carbon content and carbonate precipitation (Mg/Ca). Hydrological reconstruction for Zoñar Lake was based on sedimentological, mineralogical and biological proxies, and shows that lower lake levels are characterized by Sr-rich sediments (a brackish lake with aragonite) and S-rich sediments (a saline lake with gypsum), while higher lake levels are characterized by sediments enriched in elements associated with alumino-silicates (Al, K, Ti, Fe, trace and rare earth elements), reflecting fresher conditions. Geochemical indicators also mark periods of higher detrital input to the lake related to human activity in the watershed: (1) during the Iberian Roman Humid Period (650 BC–AD 300), around the onset of the Little Ice Age (AD 1400), during the relatively drier Post-Roman and Middle Ages (AD 800–1400), and over the last 50 years, due to mechanized farming practices. Heavy metal enrichment in the sediments (Cu and Ni) suggests intensification of human activities during the Iberian Roman Period, and the use of fertilizers during the last 50 years.  相似文献   

Delivery and deposition of organic matter in surface sediments of Lagoa do Caçó (Brazil)     

Abdelfettah Sifeddine  Renato Campello Cordeiro

  Ana Luiza S. Albuquerque
  Marcelo Bernardes
  Bruno Turcq
  Jorge João Abrão
《Journal of Paleolimnology》2011,45(3):385-396

Elemental and isotopic compositions of organic matter in surficial sediments from five transects across Lagoa do Caçó (Brazil) were analyzed to identify the depth-related processes that affect the production and deposition of sedimentary organic matter in this shallow tropical lake. Each of four transverse transects began at a margin dominated by aquatic macrophytes (Eleocharis), crossed the central deep part of the lake, and terminated in the opposite, macrophyte-dominated margin. In each transect, TOC concentrations, C/N ratios, and δ¹³C values decreased between 0 and 4 m, whereas δ¹⁵N values increased. The variables remained stable in sediment from 4 m water depth to the center of the lake at 10 m. The depth-related patterns reflect differences in both the delivery and the deposition of organic matter in the lake. Organic matter is produced in abundance in the marginal area by emersed and submerged macrophyte vegetation that diminishes with depth and disappears at 4 meters. After the disappearance of macrophytes, organic matter is produced at low rates principally by open-lake phytoplankton. Drawdown of dissolved oxygen is high in the lake margins, but it is low in the oligotrophic open waters of the lake. Preservation of organic matter is consequently better in sediments of the lake margins than in deep waters. The depth-related pattern of organic matter delivery and deposition in the sediments of Lagoa do Caçó, in which water levels are sensitive to groundwater fluctuations, shows that the elemental and isotopic compositions of sediment organic matter can provide a record of changes in the paleohydrology of this and other similar shallow lake systems.  相似文献   

Association of phosphate with rhyolite glass in marine Neogene tuffs from Patagonia,Argentina     

Nora Rubinstein  Ana M. Fazio  Roberto A. Scasso  Steven Carey 《Sedimentology》2013,60(4):1007-1016

The precipitation/replacement of Ca‐phosphate is a complex process that commonly takes place during the early diagenesis in marine sediments. The unusual occurrence of shallow marine, early diagenetic phosphatic deposits associated with glassy tuffs in the Neogene Gaiman Formation, in the Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina, constitutes a good case example for the study of replacement and precipitation of Ca‐phosphate on an unstable substrate. Isocon diagrams illustrate that chemical changes during glass diagenesis include gains in loss on ignition and Ca, and losses of K. These changes are the result of glass hydration during sea water–glass interaction, together with adsorption and diffusion of ions into the bulk shard; combined, these represent an incipient process of volcanic glass replacement by Ca‐phosphate. Subsequent early diagenetic P enrichment in the pore solutions led to phosphate precipitation, associated with pitting on the glass shards and pumice. The associated development of a reactive surface promoted the incorporation of P and Ca into their margins. Lastly, precipitation of calcium phosphate filled the vesicles and other open cavities, inhibiting further glass dissolution. The high porosity and reactivity of the volcanic glass provided an appropriate substrate for phosphate precipitation, leading to the development of authigenic apatite concretions in the volcanic‐glass bearing strata of the Gaiman Formation. This research is of significance for those concerned with marine phosphatic deposits and sheds light on the processes of early diagenetic phosphate precipitation by replacement of an atypical, unstable substrate like hydrated volcanic glass.  相似文献   

Depositional processes on oceanic island shelves – Evidence from storm‐generated Neogene deposits from the mid‐North Atlantic     

Ricardo P. Meireles  Rui Quartau  Ricardo S. Ramalho  Ana C. Rebelo  José Madeira  Vittorio Zanon  Sérgio P. Ávila 《Sedimentology》2013,60(7):1769-1785

Oceanic islands – such as the Azores in the mid‐North Atlantic – are periodically exposed to large storms that often remobilize and transport marine sediments along coastlines, and into deeper environments. Such disruptive events create deposits – denominated tempestites – whose characteristics reflect the highly dynamic environment in which they were formed. Tempestites from oceanic islands, however, are seldom described in the literature and little is known about storm‐related sediment dynamics affecting oceanic island shelves. Therefore, the geological record of tempestite deposits at oceanic islands can provide invaluable information on the processes of sediment remobilization, transport and deposition taking place on insular shelves during and after major storms. In Santa Maria Island (Azores), a sequence of Neogene tempestite deposits was incorporated in the island edifice by the ongoing volcanic activity (thus preserved) and later exposed through uplift and erosion. Because it was overlain by a contemporary coastal lava delta, the water depth at the time of deposition could be inferred, constituting an excellent case‐study to gain insight on the still enigmatic processes of insular shelf deposition. Sedimentological, palaeontological, petrographic and palaeo‐water depth information allowed the reconstruction of the depositional environment of these sediments. The sequence typifies the characteristics of a tempestite (or successive tempestites) formed at ca 50 m depth, in a steep, energetic open insular shelf, and with evidence for massive sediment remobilization from the nearshore to the middle or outer shelf. The authors claim that cross‐shelf transport induced by storm events is the main process of sediment deposition acting on steep and narrow shelves subjected to high‐energetic environments, such as the insular shelves of open‐sea volcanic islands.  相似文献   

Petrogenetic links between lepidolite-subtype aplite-pegmatite,aplite veins and associated granites at Segura (central Portugal)     

Isabel Margarida Horta Ribeiro Antunes  Ana Margarida Ribeiro Neiva  João Manuel Farinha Ramos  Paulo Bravo Silva  Maria Manuela Vinha Guerreiro Silva  Fernando Corfu 《Chemie der Erde / Geochemistry》2013

In the Segura area, Variscan S-type granites, aplite veins and lepidolite-subtype granitic aplite-pegmatite veins intruded the Cambrian schist-metagraywacke complex. The granites are syn D3. Aplite veins also intruded the granites. Two-mica granite and muscovite granite have similar ages of 311.0 ± 0.5 Ma and 312.9 ± 2.0 Ma but are not genetically related, as indicated by their geochemical characteristics and (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)₃₁₁ values. They correspond to distinct pulses of magma derived by partial melting of heterogeneous metapelitic rocks. Major and trace elements suggest fractionation trends for: (a) muscovite granite and aplite veins; (b) two-mica granite and lepidolite-subtype aplite-pegmatite veins, but with a gap in most of these trends. Least square analysis for major elements, and modeling of trace elements, indicate that the aplite veins were derived from the muscovite granite magma by fractional crystallization of quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar and ilmenite. This is supported by the similar (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)₃₁₁ and δ¹⁸O values and the behavior of P₂O₅ in K-feldspar and albite. The decrease in (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)₃₁₁ and strong increase (1.6‰) in δ¹⁸O from two-mica granite to lepidolite-subtype aplite-pegmatite veins, and the behaviors of Ca, Mn and F of hydroxylapatite indicate that these veins are not related to the two-mica granite.  相似文献   

Impact of the 11 March 2011, Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami on the chemical industry     

Elisabeth Krausmann  Ana Maria Cruz 《Natural Hazards》2013,67(2):811-828

The Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami damaged or destroyed many industrial facilities housing or processing hazardous substances, such as refineries, petrochemical facilities and other types of chemical industry. This showed that also generally well prepared countries are at risk of suffering natural hazard triggered technological (Natech) accidents. An analysis of data collected from open sources and through interviews with authorities was performed to understand the main reasons for the industrial damage and downtime as well as the extent of hazardous-materials releases and the associated impact on society. The analysis of the data set confirmed the findings from other studies with respect to main damage and failure modes, as well as hazardous-materials release paths. In addition, gaps in Natech risk management were identified. Based on the data analysis and interviews lessons learned in support of a more far-reaching Natech risk management are presented.  相似文献   

Surface changes on crystalline stones due to salt crystallisation   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Patricia Vázquez  Ana Luque  Francisco J. Alonso  Carlota M. Grossi 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2013,69(4):1237-1248

This study assesses the changes on the surface of crystalline stones due to salt crystallisation. Efflorescence was forced to grow on the surface of granite and marbles through 60 cycles of salt crystallisation with sodium sulphate. Changes on surface roughness, gloss and colour were measured every 15 cycles and the specimens were examined with naked eye and SEM. Sodium sulphate produces damage which depends on mineral composition. Results show that granites experience a mechanical decay with an increase in roughness. Peaks of mica can be observed on the surface and cracks widen and grow deeper. Colour and gloss do not show any significant change, although gloss decreases with an increase in surface roughness. In marbles, the decay is mainly chemical. Surface roughness increases due to dissolution of the calcite. White marbles exhibit yellowing. Gloss decreases during the first cycles—as grain boundaries become more visible—but tends to regain almost its initial value as the number of cycles increases. In this case, gloss does not show any relation with surface roughness.  相似文献