Survey of Palaeolithic sites by luminescence profiling, a case study from Eastern Europe     

C.I. Burbidge  D.C.W. Sanderson  R.A. Housley  P. Allsworth Jones 《Quaternary Geochronology》2007,2(1-4):296-302

A luminescence-based approach to the rapid characterisation of sites in terms of their datability and sedimentary history is described (luminescence profiling), and contrasting results presented for three Palaeolithic archaeological sites in Russia. Three mineral/grain-size fractions (polymineral silt-sized, polymineral sand-sized, quartz-enriched sand-sized) were separated from each of many small samples taken through the sites’ stratigraphies. Luminescence signals from the different fractions were measured using infra-red light, blue light, and thermal stimulation. Patterns in luminescence sensitivity and equivalent dose values are used to indicate which sites, samples, fractions and/or signals may yield meaningful luminescence ages, and the experimental effort that may be required to obtain said ages. Case studies range from a site where a detailed chronostratigraphy might be produced using a limited number of full luminescence dates to tie in the profiling results, to a site where profiling indicates there is little chance of producing useful luminescence dates. These interpretations are based on dialogue between the luminescence profiling results and archaeological, palaeoenvironmental, and geomorphological evidence. Luminescence profiling is shown to be a useful tool for understanding sedimentological process at each site, independent of full luminescence dating.  相似文献   

Stratigraphic constraints on late Pleistocene glacial erosion and deglaciation of the Chukchi margin, Arctic Ocean   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Leonid Polyak  Dennis A. Darby  Martin Jakobsson 《Quaternary Research》2007,67(2):234-245

At least two episodes of glacial erosion of the Chukchi margin at water depths to ∼ 450 m and 750 m have been indicated by geophysical seafloor data. We examine sediment stratigraphy in these areas to verify the inferred erosion and to understand its nature and timing. Our data within the eroded areas show the presence of glaciogenic diamictons composed mostly of reworked local bedrock. The diamictons are estimated to form during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and an earlier glacial event, possibly between OIS 4 to 5d. Both erosional events were presumably caused by the grounding of ice shelves originating from the Laurentide ice sheet. Broader glaciological settings differed between these events as indicated by different orientations of flutes on eroded seafloor. Postglacial sedimentation evolved from iceberg-dominated environments to those controlled by sea-ice rafting and marine processes in the Holocene. A prominent minimum in planktonic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O is identified in deglacial sediments at an estimated age near 13,000 cal yr BP. This δ¹⁸O minimum, also reported elsewhere in the Amerasia Basin, is probably related to a major Laurentide meltwater pulse at the Younger Dryas onset. The Bering Strait opening is also marked in the composition of late deglacial Chukchi sediments.  相似文献   

The grain-size characterisation of coastal sand from the Somme estuary to Belgium: Sediment sorting processes and mixing in a tide- and storm-dominated setting     

Edward J. Anthony  Arnaud Héquette 《Sedimentary Geology》2007,202(3):369-382

Sand-rich Holocene to modern clastic deposits in the eastern English Channel and the southern North Sea coasts of France and Belgium occur extensively as nearshore-sand bank, estuarine-tidal flat, aeolian dune and beach sub-environments. Sand samples (n = 665) collected from these deposits suggest the presence of three different populations: a largely dominant (83%) medium to fine quartz sand population (“b”), and finer- (14%) and coarser-grained (4%) populations (respectively “c” and “a”). The distribution of these populations among the four sub-environments reflects tide- and storm-dominated sorting and transport processes and a variable degree of mixing. These populations are derived from a mixture of very fine- to very coarse-grained fluvial, outwash and paraglacial sediments deposited on the beds of the eastern English Channel and southern North Sea during the late Pleistocene lowstand. The nearshore-sand bank environment, which also corresponds to the main offshore source area of the coastal deposits, exhibits population heterogeneity reflecting the variability of hydrodynamic conditions and sediment sorting in this zone. The nearshore topography of tidal ridges, banks and troughs in these tidal seas leads to variable bed and tide- and storm-induced shear stress conditions. These conditions only allow for the mobilisation and onshore transport of some of the finer fractions (populations “b” and “c”), leaving an offshore mixture of these finer populations with coarser, less mobilisable sediments (population “a”). Once in the coastal zone, these two finer populations undergo further hydrodynamic sorting and segregation. Variably sorted very fine sands to silts (population “c”) are trapped in the low-energy estuarine-tidal flat sub-environment, while the highly homogeneous population “b” is further sorted in aeolian dune and beach sub-environments. This sorting occurs via a coastal sand transport pathway linking the Somme estuary mouth to the southern North Sea bight where tidal range and wave energy decrease relative to the English Channel. Since this sand transport pathway enables longshore transport of hydrodynamically sorted medium to fine sand derived directly from the immediate nearshore zone, it has further contributed to a net flux of this sand population from the eastern English Channel sea bed to the southern North Sea.  相似文献   

Dispersal pattern of suspended sediment in the shear frontal zone off the Huanghe (Yellow River) mouth   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Houjie Wang  Zuosheng Yang  Yunhai Li  Zhigang Guo  Xiaoxia Sun  Yan Wang 《Continental Shelf Research》2007

The in situ records of a cruise in September 1995 off the Huanghe mouth and laboratory measurements indicate that the shear front off the river mouth results from the phase difference between the nearshore and offshore tides and plays significant role in the river-laden sediment dispersal. Two types of shear front, identified from the behaviors of currents inside and outside the shear front, alternate over tidal cycle, each of which lasts for ∼2–3 h. The dispersal patterns of suspended sediment at the stations inside and outside the shear front are distinctly different from each other. In addition, the gravity-driven hyperpycnal flow generated near the mouth is terminated within shallow water due to the barrier effect of shear front. A dispersal pattern of river-laden suspended sediment in the shear frontal zone is proposed to interpret the difference of sediment transport inside and outside the shear front. The fresh and highly turbid river effluents discharge to the sea during ebb tides and are transported northwestwards inside the shear front under the combined impacts of northward ebb currents, down-slope transport of hyperpycnal flow and confining action of shear front; after partially mixing with the ambient seawater the river effluents are then transported southeastwards outside the shear front along the flood currents, causing the intermittent increase in suspended sediment concentration and corresponding decrease in salinity outside the shear front. Over annual time scale the subaqueous slope has a geomorphological response to the ephemeral shear front. Most of the river-laden sediment deposit inside the shear front with a high accumulation rate, while erosion is dominant outside the shear front due to the lack of sediment supply.  相似文献   

Sediment erodability in sediment transport modelling: Can we account for biota effects?     

P. Le Hir  Y. Monbet  F. Orvain 《Continental Shelf Research》2007

Sediment erosion results from hydrodynamic forcing, represented by the bottom shear stress (BSS), and from the erodability of the sediment, defined by the critical erosion shear stress and the erosion rate. Abundant literature has dealt with the effects of biological components on sediment erodability and concluded that sediment processes are highly sensitive to the biota. However, very few sediment transport models account for these effects. We provide some background on the computation of BSS, and on the classical erosion laws for fine sand and mud, followed by a brief review of biota effects with the aim of quantifying the latter into generic formulations, where applicable.  相似文献   

Spatio-temporal variations in intertidal mudflat erodability: Marennes-Oléron Bay,western France     

F. Orvain  P.-G. Sauriau  P. Le Hir  G. Guillou  P. Cann  M. Paillard 《Continental Shelf Research》2007

A portable erosion device (ERIS) was deployed in November 2000 and May 2001 to investigate the spatio-temporal variation of fine-grained sediment erosion over a transect on the intertidal mudflats of Marennes-Oléron Bay, western France. The objective was to relate changes in bed erodability over diurnal emersion periods to bioturbation, rapid changes in sediment characteristics, and microphytobenthos biomass.  相似文献   

Long-term development and current status of the Barcelona continental shelf: A source-to-sink approach     

C. Liquete  M. Canals  G. Lastras  D. Amblas  R. Urgeles  B. De Mol  M. De Batist  J.E. Hughes-Clarke 《Continental Shelf Research》2007

The Barcelona continental shelf, off the city of Barcelona (NE Spain), is a relatively narrow canyon-bounded shelf in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Three medium-size rivers (Tordera, Besós and Llobregat) and several ephemeral rivulets flow into this margin. Two main domains have been recognized in the Barcelona shelf: (i) a modern, river-influenced area, and (ii) a relict, sediment depleted area, both affected by a variety of human impacts. A detailed geomorphologic study based on multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data, high resolution seismic profiles, and surface sediment samples allowed mapping and interpreting the main distinctive seafloor features on the Barcelona shelf. Modern sedimentary features reveal that the Llobregat River is the main sediment source of the Barcelona prodeltaic shelf. High-discharge fluvial events result in the formation of suspended sediment plumes and sediment waves on the shelf floor. Relict (late Pleistocene–Holocene) sedimentary features reflect that an important shift occurred in the seashore direction between MIS 4 and MIS 2, and that recent neotectonic reactivation has created a set of seafloor faults. The Barcelona inner and middle shelf is severely impacted by anthropogenic activities such as the enlargement works of the Port of Barcelona, sewage pipes, dredging, anchoring and trawling.  相似文献   

Export fluxes of biogenic matter in the presence and absence of seasonal sea ice cover in the Chukchi Sea     

Catherine Lalande  Jacqueline M. Grebmeier  Paul Wassmann  Lee W. Cooper  Mikhail V. Flint  Valentina M. Sergeeva 《Continental Shelf Research》2007

Drifting sediment traps were deployed at 9 stations in May-June (ice-covered conditions) and July-August (ice-free conditions) 2004 in the Chukchi Sea to investigate the variability in export fluxes of biogenic matter in the presence and absence of sea ice cover. Measurements of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate nitrogen (PN), phytoplankton, zooplankton fecal pellets, and the stable carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) of the sinking material were performed along Barrow Canyon (BC) and a parallel shelf-to-basin transect from East Hanna Shoal (EHS) to the Canada Basin. POC export fluxes were similarly high in the presence (378±106 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) and in the absence of ice cover (442±203 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) at the BC stations, while fluxes were significantly higher in the absence (129±98 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) than in the presence of ice cover (44±29 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) at the EHS stations. The C/N ratios and δ¹³C values of sinking organic particles indicated that POC export fluxes on the Chukchi continental shelf were mostly composed of freshly produced labile material, except at the EHS stations under ice cover where the exported matter was mostly composed of refractory material probably advected into the EHS region. Chl-a fluxes were higher under ice cover than in ice-free water, however, relatively low daily loss rates of Chl-a and similar phytoplankton carbon fluxes in ice-covered and ice-free water suggest the retention of phytoplankton in the upper water column. An increase in fecal pellet carbon fluxes in ice-free water reflected higher grazing pressure in the absence of ice cover. Elevated daily loss rates of POC at the BC stations confirmed other indications that Barrow Canyon is an important area of carbon export to the basin and/or benthos. These results support the conclusion that there are large spatial and temporal variations in export fluxes of biogenic matter on the Chukchi continental shelf, although export fluxes may be similar in the presence and in the absence of ice cover in highly productive regions.  相似文献   

Critical erosion profiles in macro-tidal estuary sediments: Implications for the stability of intertidal mud and the slope of mud banks     

A.J. Bale  J.A. StephensC.B. Harris 《Continental Shelf Research》2007

Vertical profiles of the critical erosion threshold (τ_crit) in sediment have been measured at 11 stations along the axis of the Tamar Estuary and at a single station in a tributary of the Tamar at St. John's Ford. The τ_crit of surface sediment increased from 0.04 Pa in the upper, brackish estuary to 0.09 Pa in the lower estuary. In the upper estuary τ_crit only increased slightly with depth whereas in the marine estuary τ_crit increased rapidly from 0.09 Pa at the surface to 0.25 Pa at 15 cm below the sediment surface. The results showed that the relationship between τ_crit and bulk density (ρ_b) obtained previously for surface sediment was also applicable to sediments from depths of 10–15 cm and probably deeper. Profiles of ρ_b were measured to depths of 70 cm using a corer. In the lower (marine) estuary ρ_b increased with depth in the sediment from 1580 kg m⁻³ at the surface to 1720 kg m⁻³ at 70 cm. In the upper estuary ρ_b values were lower at 1170–1200 kg m⁻³ and profiles were almost homogeneous indicating that consolidation was not occurring. The mid-estuary was transitional between these two situations. These results are consistent with the seasonal accumulation and loss of ‘mobile’ sediment observed previously in the upper estuary with changes in river flow, and with the apparent stability of intertidal mud in the lower marine estuary deduced from historical bathymetric survey records. The slopes of the intertidal mud banks ranged from 1–2% in the lower estuary to 20–25% in mid-estuary but, instead of continuing to increase in steepness towards the head as the estuary became narrower, the measured slopes actually decreased. It is speculated that the lack of consolidation through continual mobilisation and settlement cycles combined with an increase in silt content in the upper estuary resulted in sediment that lacked the mechanical strength to maintain steep slopes.  相似文献   

Monitoring Forest Fire Danger with Remote Sensing   总被引：2，自引：2，他引：0  

Brigitte?LeblonEmail author 《Natural Hazards》2005,35(3):343-359

Our paper presents a review of the use of remote sensing technologies for forest wildfire danger monitoring, with a particular emphasis on its applicability to fuel moisture monitoring. Remote sensing of fuel moisture was first done with NOAA-AVHRR NDVI images, but NDVI is more related to vegetation greenness rather than water stress. NOAA-AVHRR surface temperature images were also used, alone or in association with NDVI images. Both kinds of images have a limited image availability due to cloud cover. This is not the case for radar images, but their use in fuel moisture monitoring is still experimental, because of the noisy effects of several factors. Finally, the paper discusses the operational potentials and limitations of the use of each kind of satellite data for fire danger monitoring.  相似文献